WIRELESS TREASURES TO BE UNVEILED AT VIRGINIA TECH
25 April 2002 - Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University

Al Gross played a major role in inventing miniaturized portable communications.Ê In 1938, he invented the walkie talkie because he wanted to walk and talk at the same time÷an activity which is now commonplace.Ê In 1949, Gross invented the telephone pager.Ê His other inventions include the basic technology of cordless and cellular phones.Ê He developed the circuitry that opened the way to personal pocket paging systems and patented precursors of todayâs cell phone and cordless pager.

This historical exhibit will be permanently displayed and open to the public in the Torgersen bridge, which is on the third floor of Virginia Techâs newest building, Torgersen Hall.Ê The exhibit was designed and fabricated by Tom Butterfield, Director of the Perspective Gallery at Virginia Tech, who brings 32 years of design and exhibition experience to the project.

The display cabinet will house the original walkie talkie inventions, the tubes and designs Gross used, his slide rule and Smith Chart, his W8PAL log book, examples of first generation transistors, paging receivers, antennas and other devices from his workbench.Ê Even the wrist radio that Chester Gould used to generate the idea for the Dick Tracy cartoon will be part of the display.Ê To compliment the exhibit, the original writings of Gross are being preserved by special collections in Newman Library at Virginia Tech.

The exhibit willÊ honor three other wireless pioneers÷withÊ color photos of Fred Link, Stuart Meyer and Donald Bishop taken in 1992 holding Grossâ original walkie talkies.Ê In the summer of 1991, these three men came to Virginia Tech for the first time, to put on a ãwireless pioneersä session.Ê This was the first event sponsored by the Mobile and Portable Radio Group.

ÊãWe had standing room only at the local Marriott, and those men were the hit of our first symposium.Ê People stayed past midnight to hear them talk.Ê Their presence at the MPRGâs first symposium helped launch our program and put our wireless research program on the map,ä said Ted Rappaport, founder of MPRG and professor in electrical and computer engineering at Virginia Tech.Ê ãBlacksburg and Virginia Tech have been great beneficiaries of the thoughtfulness of Al, Fred, Stu and Don.Ê The inclusion of their photos in the exhibit will be a fitting touch,ä added Rappaport.

ÊThe exhibit will contain educational descriptions of the various inventions and technologies used to create the walkie-talkie, as well as descriptions of amateur radio, the Radio Club of America, and a sidebar that describes the important role the club plays in preserving history, encouraging discovery and supporting youth interested in the study of radio communications with scholarships.Ê The Radio Club was originally formed by a small group of dedicated radio amateurs a century ago, many of whom were pioneers who shaped the industry.

Gross first became interested in radios at the age of nine when he heard the radios operating onboard a steamship.Ê By the age of 12, he was building radios in his basement.Ê He obtained his amateur radio license in 1934 at the age of 16 using the ham radio call sign ãW8PALä.Ê His early interest in radio ended up to be his career choice.Ê Gross pioneered the development of devices that operated in the relatively unexplored VHF and UHF spectrum above 100MHz and was involved in the early military use of wireless radios during World War II.

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