[BC] 1950s' transistor radios pointed to more tech changes

[Dana Puopolo]

As a teenager, I had a mentor, Alton Buck. He was an electrician who made his
own everything. A true genius!  Buck (as he was known) told me that as a young
boy he built a crystal set, winding the coil on a Quaker oatmeal box. When it
didn't work, he brought it to his older cousin's house on the streetcar. They
hooked up the crystal set, made a couple of adjustments to the galena crystal
and BANG! Loud, clear WGI!
Buck brought the crystal set home VERY carefully, and when he got to Quincy he
tried it and got...nothing.
It turns out that his cousin lived in Medford Hillside near Tufts
University-right in WGI's back yard.
There was nothing wrong with his crystal set-there simply wasn't enough signal
where he lived.

I'm sure that Donna will smile when she reads this.

Buck died some time ago, but I still smile when I think of him....

-D