[ARC5] deathwatch for radio shack?

[D C _Mac_ Macdonald]

Hi, Richard. 
 
I suppose it is possible that Bill Halligan might have had something to do with founding of Radio Shack, but I seriously doubt it. 
 
Radio Shack was an already established electronics seller in the Boston, MA area when I bought a microphone (crystal type) and a pair of surplus headphones at the Commonwealth Avenue store in 1956 while on my first ever "road trip" from western NY to visit my aunt, uncle, and cousins. I still have those headphones and microphone!  Another poster here has given a much more detailed history of the store. 
 
I lived in Ft Worth, TX (USAF assignment to Carswell AFB) when Tandy bought the Radio Shack name and cranked up the "entertainment" side and eliminated the ham radio side. 
 
My friend Ed Juge (W5TOO plus another call I can't remember) started a ham store bearing his name in Ft Worth around 1963 or 1964. Somewhere around 1972 or 1973, he closed the store and became a Vice President of the Tandy Corporation which by then had totally assimilated ALL Radio Shack operations. 
 
Perhaps an extensive Google search might reveal any connection to Radio Shack of Bill Halligan, but I really think the above history most likely took place long after Halligan's departure from active participation in Hallicrafters. 
  
* * * * * * * * * * * 
* 73 - Mac, K2GKK/5 * 
* (Since 30 Nov 53) * 
* k2gkk hotmail com * 
* Oklahoma City, OK * 
* USAF & FAA (Ret.) * 
* * * * * * * * * * * 
 


> From: 1oldlens1 at ix.netcom.com
> To: kgordon2006 at frontier.com; ARC5 at mailman.qth.net
> Date: Fri, 26 Sep 2014 11:12:49 -0700
> Subject: Re: [ARC5] deathwatch for radio shack?
> 
>     I find it interesting to look at how computers were 
> treated in science-fiction in the 1940s and 1950s. Many 
> stories of the world being taken over by very large scale 
> computers which were out of control, etc. The computer in 
> "2001 A Space Odyssey" is an example from a slightly later 
> time.  No one seems to have thought of small personal 
> computers that would empower people instead of enslaving 
> them.  This was perhaps partly due to the general ignorance 
> of what computers were or to the general ignorance of 
> science or the fear of uncontrollable power from nuclear 
> energy or to other things in our culture including the 
> paranoia about the Russians. Whatever it was from it was so 
> off the mark as to be ludicrous.
>     I have no idea of what will become of Radio Shack but my 
> understanding is that Bill Halligan had something to do with 
> its founding.
> 
> 
> --
> Richard Knoppow
> Los Angeles
> WB6KBL
> dickburk at ix.netcom.com