[Boatanchors] a good mot. history

[Glen Zook]

Actually, it was the Galvin brothers (two brothers)
who founded Motorola in South Bend, Indiana.  It was
during the early 1920s that they burned up the car.  I
have heard that it was a Studebaker (which also was
manufactured in South Bend) but cannot confirm that.

They started using Motorola as a brand name for what
became Galvin Manufacturing.  In fact, there are all
sorts of World War II surplus items around that say
Galvin Manufacturing or Galvin Brothers Manufacturing
on them.  It wasn't until after World War II that the
primary company name was changed to Motorola. 
However, Galvin Manufacturing still held the
controlling interest in Motorola.

There is a book that has been out for quite a number
of years that tells the history of Motorola but I
don't remember the title.  

Back in the late 1970s, Motorola actually had a
company historian who's job it was to compile history,
obtain equipment that had made it through
extra-ordinary conditions, etc.  I met that person
when Motorola was trying to consolidate all of the
reconditioned equipment centers (privately owned)
around the country into one central, Motorola owned,
facility in Schamburg, Illinois.  Motorola spent over
a million dollars trying to accomplish this, but then
only shipped a very few radios before shutting down
the operation.

I owned the Motorola reconditioned equipment center
for the south-central US from 1970 until they went out
of that end of the business in 1979.

Also, it was not a radio telephone that was installed
in the car that burned up, but a simple broadcast band
receiver.  Mobile telephones were not in use at that
time.  It wasn't until after World War II that mobile
telephones came into vogue.

Glen, K9STH


--- ed sharpe <esharpe@uswest.net> wrote:

It was my impression that Bob Galvin's father founded
Motorola.  I heard him tell the story about how his
father  installed their first mobile telephone in the
1920s or 30s in their banker's car and how it caused a
fire in the car's engine soon after driving out of the shop.

=====
Glen, K9STH

Web sites

http://home.attbi.com/~k9sth
http://home.attbi.com/~zcomco

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