[SFDXA] W9JUV Joseph J. Schroeder Jr., 1930-2013 - SK

[Bill]

  Joseph J. Schroeder Jr., 1930-2013

>
>     Glenview man explored the world via ham radio
>
> May 08, 2013|By Joan Giangrasse Kates, Special to the Tribune
>
> Joseph Schroeder Jr.
> Joseph J. Schroeder Jr. was a student at New Trier High School during 
> World War II when a neighbor who was a radio operator in the Merchant 
> Marine told him that if he took the school's course in radio code, 
> he'd "never carry a rifle."
> Mr. Schroeder went on to pass both the class and the amateur radio 
> exam, and at 16 received his call sign, W9JUV, which over the next 67 
> years would become legendary in ham radio circles.
> The longtime Glenview resident was recently named by the National 
> Association for Amateur Radio's QST magazine as one of the top three 
> radio amateurs, having made contact with fellow radio operators in 394 
> designated geographic locations, known as DXCC entities, around the world.
> Mr. Schroeder had missed only seven entities, all of which have since 
> been deleted from the official list: Tibet, Damao and Diu, French 
> Indo-China, French India, Java, Netherlands Borneo, and Celebe and 
> Molucca.
> "There's hundreds, probably thousands, of people from around the 
> planet that he's spoken with, made connections with — some multiple 
> times — but has never actually met face to face," said his son, Brad.
> Mr. Schroeder, 83, a member of the editorial staff at Ham Radio 
> magazine for many years, died Tuesday, April 30 in the hospice wing of 
> Glenbrook Hospital in Glenview. He had been diagnosed three months ago 
> with myelodysplastic syndrome, also known as MDS.
> A man of many interests, Mr. Schroeder was an editor and author of 
> books including "The Wonderful World of Ladies' Fashion: 1850-1920" 
> and all five editions of "Gun Collector's Digest." He also was a 
> private pilot and member of the Civil Air Patrol. He was in the Navy 
> Reserve for 11 years.
> "I met a lot of interesting people over the course of my career — 
> kings and queens, state officials, spacemen, scientists and regular 
> Joes, but Joe Schroeder was one of a kind," said longtime friend 
> Charlie Boyle, a retired photojournalist with NBC News in Chicago and 
> fellow "ham."
> For decades, Mr. Schroeder participated in competitions in Curacao, an 
> island in the Caribbean, where ham radio operators from around the 
> world gather each year.
> "It's a ham radio nerd's paradise," said his son with a laugh. "It's 
> where he'd go to be in his element, to feel the camaraderie of those 
> who loved doing what he did. It was online chatting before online 
> chatting, plus there's the bonus of a warm human voice at the other end."
> Within a few months of getting his license in 1946, Mr. Schroeder, who 
> grew up in Wilmette, had 50 confirmed contacts around the world. In 
> August 1947, he began to run phone patches for GI friends in Japan and 
> others overseas who had families in the Chicago area, according to a 
> profile in the May 2013 issue of QST.
> After graduating from New Trier in 1948, and from Lawrence College in 
> Appleton, Wis., in 1953, where he majored in geology, Mr. Schroeder 
> worked as an electrical engineer at Motorola from 1953 to 1960. During 
> that time, he received his private pilot's license and flew to Alaska 
> in a single-engine Cessna.
> "He loved flying," said his son. "He would have probably spent more 
> time in the air if weren't for all his other interests. He was always 
> doing 50 things at once."
> After leaving Motorola, Mr. Schroeder worked as a manufacturer's 
> representative for four years, then as a sales manager for two years 
> and finally as a trade magazine managing editor for a year, before 
> going into business for himself in 1967 as a marketing and engineering 
> consultant.
> Mr. Schroeder was on the Ham Radio magazine staff from 1974 to 1990, 
> writing about 400 articles. He also was the founding editor of HR 
> Report, a newsletter published by Ham Radio.
> "I remember as a child watching him on his ham radio and trying to 
> listen in," said his daughter, Elizabeth Anderluh. "I thought it was 
> so cool."
> His interest in firearms began at the age of 10 when he learned to 
> shoot a .22 caliber rifle at summer camp. He continued target shooting 
> in high school and began collecting guns, ranging from Civil War 
> carbines to World War II weapons.
> Mr. Schroeder collaborated on a book on an 1896 self-loading Mauser 
> pistol in the 1960s that caught the attention of the publisher of Gun 
> Digest, who hired him as a freelance editor with Digest Publications. 
> Mr. Schroeder edited and wrote more than two dozen books for Digest 
> Publications and later founded Handgun Press, which published firearms 
> books oriented toward collectors and researchers.
> "He was an accomplished pilot, writer, editor and engineer," Boyle 
> said. "But what many will remember him for is his handle W9JUV. He was 
> one of the best ham radio operators in the world."
> Other survivors include his wife of 55 years, Janet; and two 
> grandchildren.
> A memorial service is being planned.