The Broadcast Pioneers of Philadelphia

Mary Gay and unidentified male
WPTZ Studios
1945

THANK YOU:

As we do every month, we want to thank Broadcast Pioneers member Johnny B. Hall for his monthly donation to our DAP, Digital Archival Project. We especially appreciate it since Johnny has doubled the amount he was giving us last year. Thanks. Our Digital Archival Project keeps on moving along.

Thanks to member Walt MacDonald. He's been sending us tons of DVDs that are loaded with all kinds of good stuff for our DAP, Digital Archival Project. And last month we got another batch from him. This time, he also included over 600 photos. Keep them coming, Walt!

Matt O'Donnell of WPVI-6ABC fame has donated two working VCRs to our DAP, Digital Archival Project. We picked them up while we were at the scholarship committee meeting at Channel 6, the day after our last luncheon.

Speaking of 6ABC, we want to thank the good people at WPVI for hosting the scholarship committee meeting and providing the committee members with lunch, drinks, chips and those wonderful, large and tasty chocolate chip cookies. Yum! Thanks. We appreciate it.

Member Sam Katz (who, by the way, is a lady and not a former candidate for mayor of Philadelphia) sent us a photograph of herself with Cousin Bruce Morrow in1981. We are delighted to make it part of our archival project. Thanks to member Sheree Goldflies who forwarded the picture to us on her behalf.

Member Charlie Gracie sent us nearly a dozen snapshots of himself and rocker Al Kooper taken recently in New York City. This is how we can build our DAP, Digital Archival Project. If you have photos, send them to us.

Member Eddie Collins wrote a nice piece about us in the February 2011 issue of Key Notes, the newsletter of the Keystone Record Collectors Clu. A recap of our November 2010 banquet, it was a nice, full page article with 6 full color photos. Thanks, Eddie!

The Broadcast Pioneers also had a nice photo and story featured in a recent issue of the Philadelphia Inquirer article. Michael Klein wrote up a great recap of our February 16th luncheon. Thanks, Michael.

Monica Dalton, a visitor to our website, sent us a beautiful scan of her mother on WPTZ in 1945. Monica said:

My mother, Mary Gay, was the White House Correspondent for Newsweek Magazine during the Truman Administration. She passed away October 23, 2009 at 95. I have been doing research on her many
accomplishments.

One of them is being on the first TV broadcast between Washington, DC and Philadelphia. I have the photograph of WPTZ, Philco, and a gentleman sitting next to her. Mary is on the phone. She had told me the
story many times, being on that first broadcast.

We also received a box of stuff from Mark Preman, who worked for the GO PATROL in the early days. Included were a couple Blazer emblems, a taped cartridge (we haven't dubbed it yet, so we, like Mark, are in the dark regarding what is on it) and a certificate about his work on the famed copter reports. Hey, Walt MacDonald! Mark is also in Florida. Maybe you guys could get a Go Patrol reunion going?

If we left you out, it was an error--but also a testament to how much material we're receiving these days. Our apologies and many thanks.

If you forgot to make an extra contribution (cash or memorabilia) and would like to do so now, it's never too late. We would be thrilled to hear from you at: PO Box 2886, Bala Cynwyd, PA 19004.

The e-mail address of the Broadcast Pioneers of Philadelphia is pioneers@broadcastpioneers.com