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I read
with interest this evening, a lot of the contents on the Spectralumni site,
perhaps made moreso interesting as my late father, Jim Cullen, is mentioned
there. Dad was a former radio operator and inspector for the Coast Guard (CCGS
Saurel) and continued his career with the Dept of Transport and Communications
Canada.
I
recognized quite a few faces and names on the site, which is a great way to
preserve the people and their work in radio communications.
Dad
retired in 1988 after 35 years of service and unfortunately succumbed to
cancer in 1993. Even after he left the Government, he still spoke highly of
the folks who appear on your site.
Just
wanted to say thanks for the great job on the site and for keeping this part
of our history alive.
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I knew
your father Jim Cullen quite well. He was on the selection board in Halifax
when I was interviewed for a Department of Communications Radio Inspector
position in November 1972. I won the competition and left the Navy to join
the DOC. I met your father on a few occasions when visiting the DOC office
in Moncton. He also visited the DOC office in Sydney where I worked as as
Radio Inspector between 1973 and 1979. During a visit to Sydney in 1973, I
wanted to change my ham radio call sign from VE1AKM to a two-letter suffix
and he helped me in obtaining call sign VE1WP.
Your
Dad was a gentleman and I looked up to him for guidance.
I
would love to create a page for him in Roll Call. If you could send me a
summary of his career, anecdotes and photos, it would be greatly
appreciated.
It certainly is a small world and I sure appreciate your kind words about
Dad. I know he enjoyed the work as well as the people he worked with and
I've had the chance through the years to chat with a few of his old
co-workers, who likewise had good things to say. I recall when Dad was
recovering from a heart episode in the early 80's,
George Richard and (I think) Numa
Bellefleur, set up an amateur radio antenna in the backyard, so
that Dad could spend some time back on the airwaves, with call sign VE1RJ.
Dad started out
by enlisting in the Royal Canadian Air Force at age 17, stationed in the far
North in places like Resolute Bay. I believe this was on the DEW line, but
am unsure as to what he actually did. I have a couple photos that I will
scan and send along, that were taken while he was there.
He then worked
for a brief period as a clerk for Canadian National Railways in Halifax,
before attending radio school in St. John, NB. I believe it may have been at
the same time as Lyle Bates,
John Palmer and
Fred Grezel, who we got to know as kids growing up. After radio
school, Dad served aboard the Coast Guard ship Saurel, as a radio operator,
working out of Charlottetown, where the Saurel was based. He then joined the
Dept of Transport, I think in Marine radio, working I believe in
Camperdown. I remember my sisters and I as kids picking blueberries in the
area, with the huge antennas in the distance.
in 1970, Dad
took a transfer to Moncton with the DoC, and remained there until his
retirement. I know he spent time in both the Regional and District offices
and I believe he was manager of Licensing and Authorization, when he
finished. I had the chance to meet quite a few of the folks in the Moncton
office, as for a time I worked next door for CN Rail and would stop in to
see Dad or meet him for lunch. Dad was quite active in the community of
Riverview where we grew up and received a volunteer of the year award, for
his time in minor baseball and the like. Matter of fact, one year Paul LeBlanc was an assistant on a team Dad
coached. He also served as president of the Moncton West Riverview Rotary
club and was very active with them.
Through the
years, guys like Al Daly,
Marty MacLellan, Paul LeBlanc,
George Richard,
Fred Grezel,
John Palmer,
Joe Johnstone, Glen Atkinson, Dave Clarkson,
Lyle Bates,
Roger Squires,
Mac Chafe were known to us as kids and were
all spoken highly of by Dad.
After Dad
retired, he took a position with the Canadian Federation of Independent
Business, which he held until his death.
I have attached
a photo taken while Dad was with the Rotary club and will scan and send a
couple others from his time in the RCAF. I think a page in the rollcall is
a great idea and can certainly help with any other information that you may
need.
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Obituary - Avis de décès
Jim Cullen
???? - 1993 |
(Looking for a copy of
his obituary)
(Recherche une copie
de son avis de décès)
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Links - Liens
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