Crossing the Bar
Sunset and evening star,
And one clear call for me!
And may there be no moaning of the bar,
When I put out to sea,
But such a tide as moving seems asleep,
Too full for sound and foam,
When that which drew from out the boundless deep
Turns again home.
Twilight and evening bell,
And after that the dark!
And may there be no sadness of farewell,
When I embark;
For tho' from out our bourne of Time and Place
The flood may bear me far,
I hope to see my Pilot face to face
When I have crost the bar.
-- Alfred, Lord Tennyson
This week two of our dear friends and colleagues, Jack Martini/DM and Don Berger have "crost the bar." Both of these men were true wireless pioneers. In honor of their memory we will suspend the publication of our usual "After Action Report" and dedicate this space to celebrating their lives and their contributions to the history, technology, and culture of maritime radio.
Jack Martini/DM, Last Station Manager of KPH at Point Reyes, Silent Key.
Maritime Radio Historical Society Co-Founder and President sends along the following memorial for Jack Martini/DM, the last Station Manager at KPH:
"It is with deep sadness and profound regret that we report the passing of Jack Martini/DM - retired United States Marine, operator at the RCA Central Radio Office in San Francisco, teletype and Morse operator at KPH Point Reyes, manager of KPH, founding member of the MRHS.
Jack was the last manager in the king's list of KPH station managers. On 30 June 1997 he passed the circuits, one by one, over to Globe Wireless and advised Bolinas that the transmitters could be shut down. Then it fell to him to turn out the lights, lock the door and walk away from his life as a radioman. But not before he made sure to leave the KPH receivers on and scanning for ships, keeping a symbolic watch over the airwaves.
Two years later Tom Horsfall and I talked our way past the security guard and entered the KPH operating room expecting it to be ransacked just like so many we had seen. Instead we found the keys still on the desks and the sounds of Morse perfuming the air from the receivers Jack had left on. We saw that the ears of KPH in Point Reyes were still living. And while the voice in Bolinas was silent and cold it was intact. That's when we realized our life's work had been placed before us: to return the Wireless Giant of the Pacific to operation.
Jack may have walked away from KPH but as all True Believers know radio resides in the soul and it is not possible to truly leave it behind. So when Jack realized we were serious about our goal and were in it for the long term he gave us his full support. Poor Jack. On every visit we grilled him mercilessly. We wanted to know every detail of station operations so our on the air presence would be worthy of all the radiotelegraph operators who came before us. As Jack brought forth his memories we absorbed every word.
An "atta boy" from Jack was worth more to us than he ever knew. If he said we were doing the right thing then we knew we were on the right track. But one day when Jack paid a visit he had something with him.
It was a MacElroy key still in its original wooden box. But this was no ordinary Mac key. It was the key of Bill Hayton. Bill was the KPH manager before Jack. When he fell ill Jack assumed the position. Not long after Bill called Jack to his home and presented him with the key. "Jack," he said, "this is my key. I am going to give you this key. But you have to promise. You have to promise that you will keep the station on the air as long as you can. Do you promise?" Jack promised and he kept his promise and KPH ruled the airwaves longer than anyone thought possible. After telling me this story Jack said, "Richard, I am going to give you this key. But you have to promise. You have to promise to keep KPH on the air as long as you can. Do you promise?" It was a tremendously moving moment. But on behalf of all the MRHS members and contributors and True Believers around the world I promised. And so far, together, we have been able to keep that promise.
We salute Jack with the traditional wish of "fair winds and following seas." We know he is standing watch on 500kc with his receiver tuned in and his earphones on watching over us with, we hope, approval.
Don Berger, Chief Operator on SS AMERICAN VICTORY/KKUI & Proprietor of TAMPA RADIO/WPD, Silent Key.
During the past week we also learned of the passing of our good friend and colleague, Don Berger, Chief Operator on SS AMERICAN VICTORY/KKUI and the long-time proprietor of TAMPA RADIO/WPD.
Here is Don's obituary:
Donald Berger, a longtime resident of Seffner, received last rites and soon thereafter, on February 24, 2019, rejoined his wife Lillian who had predeceased him 8 years ago. After graduating from high school, Donald was trained as a Merchant Marine radio officer and served in WWII, the Korean War, and finally the Gulf War aboard the hospital ship USS Comfort. Donald retired from the Merchant Marines after serving 20 years. He then managed WPD, a ship-to-shore radio station in Tampa until his second retirement in 1989. He is survived by his son Joseph (Jan); daughter, Karen Godfrey (Tom); grandson, Jeremy Starritt; granddaughters, Lianne Brye (Matt) and Savannah Berger and great-granddaughter, Lillian Brye. Mr. Berger was a very active community member and volunteer of time and talent. He was a charter member of his church, Holy Innocents of Valrico, donated gallons of blood, belonged to a HAM radio club, and volunteered on the museum ship the SS Victory. Donald's abiding love was Boy Scout Troop 109 where he served as Scout Master for 27 years and as a dedicated volunteer for years following. As Scout Master he touched the lives of hundreds of scouts on their path to adulthood and will be remembered by many as a mentor and trusted friend. He was honored by his peers in scouting by being awarded the Wood Badge and the Silver Beaver Award. He was the first ever recipient of the Hillsborough County Commissioners' Lonnie Lee Napier Award for outstanding contributions to his community. A memorial service will be held at Holy Innocents Episcopal Church, Valrico FL at 11:00 A.M. Saturday, March 9, 2019, with reception to follow. In lieu of flowers, contributions can be made to Boy Scout Troop 109 through Holy Innocents Church."
Don was an incredibly kind, gracious, and gifted gentleman. Everyone who had the privilege of knowing him will mark his passing with sadness, but also gratitude for having had the opportunity of knowing such a fine man. Like so many others of the "Greatest Generation," Don enlisted in the Merchant Marine and became a Radio Officer, serving in World Ware Two and the Korean War. Don was one of the few people who can rightly claim to having been a veteran of World War Two and the Gulf War. He and his wife ran WPD in Tampa for many years. In recent years Don served as Chief Operator of SS AMERICAN VICTORY/KKUI. His skills and enthusiasm will be sorely missed by the crew of that great museum ship. Those of us at KPH would look forward to hearing his classic "fist" on Saturday afternoons. After every operation of KKUI he would send along an email to us documenting the day's highlights, always sending along a greeting and words of support and encouragement to the staff of KPH.
On behalf of all True Believers everywhere we wish Don "fair winds and following seas."
Request for memories of Jack and Don.
One of our missions at the MRHS is to collect and archive the history of maritime radio. Many of you may have known Jack Martini and/or Don Berger. We would be honored if you would share your memories of these two great wireless pioneers by sending us an email. Just hit REPLY to this email, and it will find its way to us.
