Gerry's Golden Goodies
Photos & Stuff
Item #1 - A WRTI photo from the 1967 Templar Yearbook. Anybody have any ideas who this guy is? Which studio was this taken in?
An e-mail from Mike Muderick....I think the guy in the photo is Richie Russakoff.
An e-mail from Mike Biel....I am not so sure that this is Russakoff, but it was definitely taken in Control Room A. That was the only studio where we had RCA 70-D gear drive turntables with Rek-O-Kut arms. Studio D hadthose same gear drive RCA 70-D turntables but had the original pair of RCA arms--the big one for wide groove 78s and ETs, and the smaller one for microgroov LPs and 45s. Studio C had the big RCA BQ-2A rim-drive idler wheel tables with Gray arms, and Studio B had the 12-inch Gates tables with the small Gray arms that had pivoted heads.
Item #2 - Another WRTI photo from the 1967 Templar Yearbook. Anybody have any ideas who this guy is?
An e-mail from Mike Biel....I have a couple of pictures of him at the banquet but can't yet think of his name. I do better remembering the names of equipment than people, I'm afraid.
Item #3 - The Commencement Program from Temple University, May 26, 1969. Includes Program and list of January 1969 and June 1969 SCAT graduates.
Added 2/6 - Temple University Alma Mater plays when you look at the Commencement Program.
Item #4 - What the 1967 Templar said about WRTI and some memories by Gerry Wilkinson.
Item #5 - The Commencement Program from Temple University, February 13, 1964. Includes Program and list of mid-year Business Administration graduates. At this time, the Department of Communications was in the School of Business.
Added 2/6 - Temple University Alma Mater plays when you look at the Commencement Program.
Item #6 - A Photo of Annenberg Hall & Tomlinson Theater (no longer available from Temple server)
Item #7 - If you want to see an animated gif of the WRTI Newsgram logo, created by Gerry Wilkinson, you are in the right place. Please allow the GIF to fully load in order to see motion.
Item #8 - Some memories by Gerry Wilkinson about Playhouse 90.1.
Item #9 - Richard Laurence Blenheim, son of Dr. Blenheim from the 1967 Templar yearbook. He was in the last graduating class from Temple's Community College, which was discontinued.
Item #10 - Owl Illustration from "The Owl;" v.1, no.1, Jan.1, 1895 (Published semi-monthly by the students of Temple College) (no longer available from the Temple server)
Item #11 - Most Temple University students or alumni have never read this article, over a century old, about the opening of Baptist Temple. It is particularly interesting to read because of the differences in writing style between then and now. It appeared in the Monday, March 2, 1891 issue of the Philadelphia Inquirer. Reconstructed using HTML. (no longer available)
Item #12 - Perhaps for the first time in a half century, WRTI Alumni will be able to read the January 23, 1948 issue of the Philadelphia Inquirer about the dedication of the radio studios that were in the basement of Thomas Hall. Reconstructed using HTML. Includes a photo from that issue of Walter Annenberg, Roger Clipp and others.
Item #13 - When President Franklin Delano Roosevelt came to Temple for Founder's Day on February 22, 1936, his life was threatened. Get the details written by Gerry Wilkinson.
Item #14 - Photo of WRTI's Chief Engineer John Bacon Wright. While the quality of this picture leaves alot to be desired, it is one of only two photographs of John Wright available.
Item #15 - In Master Control (Control Room B) looking into Studio B. Circa 1948. Note in the center is the sound truck.
Item #16 - A Temple University News story about WRTI-FM returning to the air. Bob Cirillo, FM Station Manager for the Fall 1965 semester is quoted often. The story dates from October 1, 1965.
Item #17 - Check out the February 17, 1931 article from the Philadelphia Public Ledger about Founder's Day and the midyear commencement. Helen Keller among others received an honorary degree. Includes 2 photos from that issue. One was of Helen Keller and the other of Dr. Charles Beury, Temple's second president with Pennsylvania Governor Pinchot.
Item #18 - Check out the May 22, 1914 article about Dr. Russell H. Conwell, Temple's founder, delivering his famous "Acres of Diamonds" speech for the 5,000th time. Includes a picture of Conwell from that paper. It appeared in the old PHILADELPHIA RECORD newspaper.
Item #19 - Gerry has compiled WRTI executive staff lists from Fall 1956 until Spring 1963. Current information supplied by Mike Biel, Jerry Klein and Gerry Wilkinson. Some info is missing. Additions will be appreciated. Updated 9/23/98.
Item #20 - Gerry has compiled WRTI executive staff lists from 1948 until Spring 1956. Current information supplied by Gerry Wilkinson. Some info is missing. Additions will be appreciated. On the last update, we have filled in many of the blanks.
Item #21 - A double-decker C bus heading north stops at Broad and Montgomery to pick up passengers. Note the marquee on the west side of Broad Street. It’s the entrance to the Nixon Grand vaudeville theater which replaced the Grand Opera House. Later the facility became Wilkie Buick, and now is the site of The Apollo of Temple.
Item #22 - In February, 1953, A general semantics course in speech was the first regular college course to be broadcast on WRTI-FM. On the extreme left is Instructor Harry Weinberg. Seated at the equipment is Ralph DiCocco, WRTI's Special Events Director. The recording for hour-long broadcasts on Tuesdays and Thursday at 7:30 pm was made in Auditorium of Thomas Hall on Tuesday and Thursday mornings.
From Mike Muderick....Those 2 square boxes were the RCA portable mixing equipment that preceeded the Gates console. The Gates Dynamote 70. was ultimately stolen (without the power supply) and was not replaced during my tenure.
Item #23 - On March 7, 1952, the Federal Communications Commission sent this telegram to Temple University granting their application for a non-commercial FM radio station at 90.1 on the dial.
Item #24 - Colleagues gather to cut the cake at the 20th anniversary of SCAT. (Left to right) Dr. LeRoy Carl, Marianne Galvin, Dean Robert Smith, Jacqueline Steck, John B. Roberts, Dr. Edward Trayes and Dr. Gordon Gray. Circa 1987.
Item #25 - A Temple University News article from December 17, 1952 reporting that rats would cause transmitter problems. The decision was made to hang the transmitter.
Item #26 - From September 1950, Audition time at WRTI. (Left to right) Maury Guberman, June Waldo & Al Harrison.
Item #27 - From mid-September 1950, a WRTI cast.
Item #28 - Ruth Steinberg '51, the first female WRTI Station Manager. Circa October 1950. At the end of the Spring 1950 semester, the staffers were trying to make an announcer laugh during his newscast. They started to take off his clothes, when the wife of one of the instructors walked into the studio. "Ever since then," Ruth said, "there has been a rule that there must be no disrobing in the studios."
Item #29 - WRTI Staffers Maury Gordon (left) and Glenn Allen (center) interview popular WPEN disc jockey Stu Wayne (right) on their program, RECORD ZOO, aired Tuesday at 4 pm. Circa late October 1950. This photo now comes from Jerry Klein's annex where we have a clearer copy, courtesy of John Roberts.
Item #30 - Two WRTI staffers, Muriel Ichelson and Charlie Shaffran with Xavier Cugat. They interviewed Cuggie for the WRTI program, "Interview of the Week." Circa Mid-October 1950. Cugat at one time had been a concert violinist. "You can't make money playing classical music, " he said, "so I turned to popular music." Cuggie was accompanied by his wife, Abby Lane. Why wasn't she in the photo?
Item #31 - A photo of the original WRTI-FM FCC license issued on July 9, 1953. It is now hanging on the wall of the current WRTI hallway.
Item #32 - A photo of the 1933 "Flour Fight" between freshmen and sophomores. The battle was just outside of Thomas Hall.
This is the WRTI Old Gang Web Site!
