Ham Community in Disarray After Discovering First Mentor Actually Named Bruce

Bruce "Sparky" McTavish circa 1914

Recently discovered documents have revealed that the first ham radio mentor was not named Elmer, but Bruce. The documents were found at an archeology dig beneath a coffee shop in Newington, Connecticut.  The key discovery was a Ham club’s meeting minutes dated April 1, 1914.  Just under the agenda item “Discussion: AM Voice – Is it Real Ham Radio?” was a note calling on the club to officially recognize the contribution of “Bruce ‘Sparky’ McTavish” for his outstanding work in mentoring new hams.
 
According to ham historian Chris Smart (yes, that’s his real name) VE3RWJ, “It turns out that the original ‘Elmer’ was actually a student of Bruce’s.  Elmer took over mentoring new hams after Bruce was electrocuted, having accidentally connecting 240VAC to his Morse Code key.” Smart continued, “A teacher to the end, Bruce’s last moment on Earth provided an important lesson for us all.”
 
As a result of the discovery, the ham community is in a state of confusion. Being against any form of change, most hams say they will still refer to their teachers as “Elmer” despite the new information. However, national organizations are seeking to correct the record and give Bruce his due recognition. The Radio Amateur Society of Australia is going to sponsor a “Worked all Bruces” award and the Radio Society of Great Britain has put forward a proposal to formally change their name to the Radio Society of Great Bruce.

 de Adrian VE7NZ reporting from W1AW Newington, CT

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