[GreenKeys] Hawthorne Works

[Fred Hatfield]

I was delighted to see the post about the Hawthorne works in Chicago.

I worked there on the ESS development team in the 1950's.  My first
job after graduating from Louisiana State University with a BSEE.  It
was wonderful to wander through the seemingly infinite attached buildings
with thousands of manufacturing machines and employees.

I was able to meet with Bob Lerche, a pioneering RTTY operator who
enthusiastically promoted TTY functions among the ham employees
with equipment, schematics, advice, etc.  He gave me my first LXD
transmitter/distributor.

The building used for the famed Hawthorne studies still had the multi-colored
columns and was affectionately referred to by employees as "Disneyland".

I had the opportunity to meet Ray Morrison who probably distributed thousands
of Teletype gear to RTTY hams from his warehouse.  His home basement was
completely filled with rack-mounted Teletype equipment.

I love this mailing list and have been following RTTY since the fifties.

Fred Hatfield K8VDU
New Orleans