Shirley Guy Blencoe was born in Alma Center, Wisconsin, on Flag Day, June 14th, 1909, to Guy and Olive (nee Miller) Blencoe. His father passed away in 1913, and he and his mother Olive went to live with her parents in Viroqua, Wisconsin. He graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering from the University of Wisconsin in the spring of 1933.
After college he joined the Civilian Conservation Corps, serving as amateur radio operator for his unit. Guy then entered the U.S. Army. During his service life, he advanced to the rank of Colonel in the U.S.ARMY Signal Corps. Later as an adult, he changed his name to Guy Miller Blencoe.
He was married to Marion Emily Smith, and they had several children. Their son James, was born March 30, 1945 in Bexar, TX at Fort Sam Houston.
He was an active amateur radio operator and also served in the Military Affiliate Radio System(MARS), providing messages home and phone patches to family members for servicemen and women abroad.
Based out of Seoul, Korea after WW2, he held the Occupied Japan callsign J8AAA, APO 235, which changed over to HL1AAA February 15, 1948. During his later years of active duty with the Army in the Washington, DC area, and after his retirement, he operated using the callsign W4HVU, transmitting from his residence in Virginia.
Guy was known around the world in the ham radio community, for his activity predominantly on the 20 meter band. He built his own 2-element beam using tubing made of aircraft grade aluminum for strength. He assisted beginners in learning the code and studying for their licenses.
He later moved to Merritt Island, Florida, where he was Vice President of the Indian River Amateur Radio Club for 1978. His final residence was in Pinehurst, North Carolina. He passed away June 4, 1994. His wife, Marion Smith Blencoe passed away October 17, 1999 in Roane, Tennessee.
******************************************************************************************************
From the University of Wisconsin, Wisconsin alumnus Volume 65, Number 4 (Jan. 1964), 'Alumni News'column:
Colonel Guy M. BLENCOE '33, retired from the U. S. Army, was awarded the Legion of Merit medal during a recent ceremony in the office of the Director of Defense Communications Agency in Arlington. Colonel Blencoe is manager of communications in the electronics division of the Budd Company, which he joined after his retirement last July. Col. and Mrs. Blencoe (Marion SMITH '32) have a son, James Guy, who is a freshman at the University.
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From the Official US Army Register
030245
B-Wis 14 June 09
A-Wis E-C&GS CoU Grad AWC 54
C&GS Sch 12 GS CI 43
BS in EE Univ of Wis 33
2nd Lt Sig Res 10 June 32 to Lt Co' AUS 22 Mar 46 to Maj 6 Feb 42 to Lt Col AUS 7 Sep 50 RA Capt Sig C 11 July 46 D/R 14 June 44 to Lt Col 14 May 51
PL 2629
---------------------------------------------------
Newspaper story from The Wisconsin State Record, Friday, September 12, 1947:
Wisconsin Sparta Army Man Starts Station
S G Blencoe, a former Sparta amateur ham radio operator while with the CCC here, has established the first amateur radio station at Korea where he is on duty with the signal corps of the XXIV corps. He has spent hundreds of hours arranging contacts between American officers and enlisted men and their relatives in the United States and other parts of the country. He got the thrill of his lifetime when a fellow ham radio operator at Glenview, Ill was able to contact his wife, Marian, who with their son Jimmy resides with her parents Mr and Mrs A E Smith in Viroqua. The operator at Glenview telephoned Mrs Blencoe at Viroqua and the telephone message was relayed via radio to her husband in Korea for a direct conversation.
Studio In Hotel
Maj Blencoe has a studio on the eighth floor of the Banto hotel at Seoul Korea, where persons may come to transmit or receive messages. He has his set hooked to a telephone in the event a message is to be relayed by telephone. Maj Blencoe places the call to the person he desires to reach and actual radio message is transmitted onto the telephone line. He has contacted Saipan, Guam, the Philippines, England, Chile, and Argentina in South America. His contact with Argentina, 11,900 miles distant, is a record for Blencoe and for Korea.
Among his handling of messages has included contact by one of his men with his parents in their hotel room in Oregon, another talked to his wife at Okinawa, and countless other contacts which have been described as major morale builders for the American men stationed in Korea.
Maj Blencoe operates on 14,190 KC, 14,205 KC, or 14,280 KC, and may be recognized by his call letters, J8AAA. He set up his first station at Alma Center, Jackson County in 1924 with the call letters W9ESM. He also operated a station during his residence in Sparta while a CCC officer here. He has served with the signal corps in the army i is eligible to set up his own station and is assistant communications officer with the XXIV corps in Korea.
Sparta's two active amateur radio operators, Jerry Burrows and Lester Peterson, have begun tying to locate the signal of Maj Blencoe, and hope to contact the former Sparta "ham". Burrows is increasing his power and is almost assured of contact when that is accomplished. Mrs Blair, a La Crosse amateur radio operator, is in receipt of Maj Blencoe's call signals and his wave band, and is also attempting to make contact.
Maj Blencoe is in charge of licensing ham radio operators in Korea and has issued licenses to ten other operators ranging from Private First Class to Lieutenant Colonels. Any operator holding a license from the Federal Communications Commission in the United States is eligible to set up his own station in Korea after obtaining authorization from USAFIK headquarters.
Detect Violations
Monitor stations, under the direction of Maj. Blencoe have been set up to detect violations of the broadcasting code of specific theater regulations. Regulations are set up in the general headquarters of the Far Eastern Command. He pointed out that as soon as he can make arrangements for a schedule with other operators strategically located in the Untied States, he will transmit and receive morale messages for the men stationed there.
Maj. Blencoe is the son of Mrs. Olive Blencoe, Alma Center.
---------------------------------------------------
Across 7000 Miles
IN THE MADISON HOME of Russell Morris (W9RNX), '26, last October 30, a 2 1/2-year-old Viroqua boy talked to his dad for the first time-on a short-wave radio set across 7000 miles of water. The boy was Jimmy Blencoe, and his father is Major S. Guy Blencoe, '33. Jimmy and his mother, the former Marion Smith, '32, had come down to Madison after hearing from Mr. Morris, who had accidentally picked up a call from Major Blencoe's short wave set in Korea several days before. Jimmy couldn't talk when his father left home two years ago, but had plenty to say over the radio, mostly about a jeep ride his father had promised him. They joined Major Blencoe in Korea last month. His duties in the Army Signal Corps include supervision of amateur radio in Korea. He writes that he "was fortunate in getting the first licensed station on the air, with the call J8AAA." Major Blencoe goes on to say, "Almost daily I contact the good old USA. For the benefit of those Badgers who might like a Korean contact, I am on 28,168 KC each day from 3:30 to 4:45 p.m. (Madison time)."
--------------------------------------------------
Shirley Guy Blencoe was born in Alma Center, Wisconsin, on Flag Day, June 14th, 1909, to Guy and Olive (nee Miller) Blencoe. His father passed away in 1913, and he and his mother Olive went to live with her parents in Viroqua, Wisconsin. He graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering from the University of Wisconsin in the spring of 1933.
After college he joined the Civilian Conservation Corps, serving as amateur radio operator for his unit. Guy then entered the U.S. Army. During his service life, he advanced to the rank of Colonel in the U.S.ARMY Signal Corps. Later as an adult, he changed his name to Guy Miller Blencoe.
He was married to Marion Emily Smith, and they had several children. Their son James, was born March 30, 1945 in Bexar, TX at Fort Sam Houston.
He was an active amateur radio operator and also served in the Military Affiliate Radio System(MARS), providing messages home and phone patches to family members for servicemen and women abroad.
Based out of Seoul, Korea after WW2, he held the Occupied Japan callsign J8AAA, APO 235, which changed over to HL1AAA February 15, 1948. During his later years of active duty with the Army in the Washington, DC area, and after his retirement, he operated using the callsign W4HVU, transmitting from his residence in Virginia.
Guy was known around the world in the ham radio community, for his activity predominantly on the 20 meter band. He built his own 2-element beam using tubing made of aircraft grade aluminum for strength. He assisted beginners in learning the code and studying for their licenses.
He later moved to Merritt Island, Florida, where he was Vice President of the Indian River Amateur Radio Club for 1978. His final residence was in Pinehurst, North Carolina. He passed away June 4, 1994. His wife, Marion Smith Blencoe passed away October 17, 1999 in Roane, Tennessee.
******************************************************************************************************
From the University of Wisconsin, Wisconsin alumnus Volume 65, Number 4 (Jan. 1964), 'Alumni News'column:
Colonel Guy M. BLENCOE '33, retired from the U. S. Army, was awarded the Legion of Merit medal during a recent ceremony in the office of the Director of Defense Communications Agency in Arlington. Colonel Blencoe is manager of communications in the electronics division of the Budd Company, which he joined after his retirement last July. Col. and Mrs. Blencoe (Marion SMITH '32) have a son, James Guy, who is a freshman at the University.
---------------------------------------------------
From the Official US Army Register
030245
B-Wis 14 June 09
A-Wis E-C&GS CoU Grad AWC 54
C&GS Sch 12 GS CI 43
BS in EE Univ of Wis 33
2nd Lt Sig Res 10 June 32 to Lt Co' AUS 22 Mar 46 to Maj 6 Feb 42 to Lt Col AUS 7 Sep 50 RA Capt Sig C 11 July 46 D/R 14 June 44 to Lt Col 14 May 51
PL 2629
---------------------------------------------------
Newspaper story from The Wisconsin State Record, Friday, September 12, 1947:
Wisconsin Sparta Army Man Starts Station
S G Blencoe, a former Sparta amateur ham radio operator while with the CCC here, has established the first amateur radio station at Korea where he is on duty with the signal corps of the XXIV corps. He has spent hundreds of hours arranging contacts between American officers and enlisted men and their relatives in the United States and other parts of the country. He got the thrill of his lifetime when a fellow ham radio operator at Glenview, Ill was able to contact his wife, Marian, who with their son Jimmy resides with her parents Mr and Mrs A E Smith in Viroqua. The operator at Glenview telephoned Mrs Blencoe at Viroqua and the telephone message was relayed via radio to her husband in Korea for a direct conversation.
Studio In Hotel
Maj Blencoe has a studio on the eighth floor of the Banto hotel at Seoul Korea, where persons may come to transmit or receive messages. He has his set hooked to a telephone in the event a message is to be relayed by telephone. Maj Blencoe places the call to the person he desires to reach and actual radio message is transmitted onto the telephone line. He has contacted Saipan, Guam, the Philippines, England, Chile, and Argentina in South America. His contact with Argentina, 11,900 miles distant, is a record for Blencoe and for Korea.
Among his handling of messages has included contact by one of his men with his parents in their hotel room in Oregon, another talked to his wife at Okinawa, and countless other contacts which have been described as major morale builders for the American men stationed in Korea.
Maj Blencoe operates on 14,190 KC, 14,205 KC, or 14,280 KC, and may be recognized by his call letters, J8AAA. He set up his first station at Alma Center, Jackson County in 1924 with the call letters W9ESM. He also operated a station during his residence in Sparta while a CCC officer here. He has served with the signal corps in the army i is eligible to set up his own station and is assistant communications officer with the XXIV corps in Korea.
Sparta's two active amateur radio operators, Jerry Burrows and Lester Peterson, have begun tying to locate the signal of Maj Blencoe, and hope to contact the former Sparta "ham". Burrows is increasing his power and is almost assured of contact when that is accomplished. Mrs Blair, a La Crosse amateur radio operator, is in receipt of Maj Blencoe's call signals and his wave band, and is also attempting to make contact.
Maj Blencoe is in charge of licensing ham radio operators in Korea and has issued licenses to ten other operators ranging from Private First Class to Lieutenant Colonels. Any operator holding a license from the Federal Communications Commission in the United States is eligible to set up his own station in Korea after obtaining authorization from USAFIK headquarters.
Detect Violations
Monitor stations, under the direction of Maj. Blencoe have been set up to detect violations of the broadcasting code of specific theater regulations. Regulations are set up in the general headquarters of the Far Eastern Command. He pointed out that as soon as he can make arrangements for a schedule with other operators strategically located in the Untied States, he will transmit and receive morale messages for the men stationed there.
Maj. Blencoe is the son of Mrs. Olive Blencoe, Alma Center.
---------------------------------------------------
Across 7000 Miles
IN THE MADISON HOME of Russell Morris (W9RNX), '26, last October 30, a 2 1/2-year-old Viroqua boy talked to his dad for the first time-on a short-wave radio set across 7000 miles of water. The boy was Jimmy Blencoe, and his father is Major S. Guy Blencoe, '33. Jimmy and his mother, the former Marion Smith, '32, had come down to Madison after hearing from Mr. Morris, who had accidentally picked up a call from Major Blencoe's short wave set in Korea several days before. Jimmy couldn't talk when his father left home two years ago, but had plenty to say over the radio, mostly about a jeep ride his father had promised him. They joined Major Blencoe in Korea last month. His duties in the Army Signal Corps include supervision of amateur radio in Korea. He writes that he "was fortunate in getting the first licensed station on the air, with the call J8AAA." Major Blencoe goes on to say, "Almost daily I contact the good old USA. For the benefit of those Badgers who might like a Korean contact, I am on 28,168 KC each day from 3:30 to 4:45 p.m. (Madison time)."
--------------------------------------------------
