BC Tel Northern Radio Dept History, 1960's-2000

I Dedicate This Radio Department Collection of History, To our old buddy,
Charles William “Chuck” Lequereux
It was Chuck that kept after me to produce this history,
and it is with his persistence, that I finished it in 2000.
It is just too bad Chuck passed away in 2003.
Before he died, I took a copy of this show in MS Powerpoint format, on CD to him,
and I think Chuck and Ron Strumecki, watched it together, down in Armstrong, where Ron lived at that time.
I hope he had a few laughs, and maybe a few tears.
I hope everyone that views this, does the same.

• Terrace
• Kitimat
• Kemano
• Smithers
• Houston
• Telkwa
• Hazelton
• Kitwanga
• Stewart
• Meziadin
• Prince Rupert
• Queen Charlotte City
• Sandspit
• Port Clements
• Juskatla
• Massett

and many other mountain tops, mining camps etc.
All in North Western, British Columbia, Canada

• ANDERSON, KELLY
• ANDERSON, “ROLLY” HARRY ROLAND
  (b- Mar 29, 1921, Inwood MB, d- May 13, 1991 in Salmon Arm, BC, age 70)
• ANDERSON, RON (1st LEVEL)
• AYRES, RALPH DOUGLAS “BREEZY”
  (b- Jan 20 1927 Gilbert Plains, MB- d-June 27, 2014 in Chilliwack BC)
  Retired in Smithers in 1983, after 36 years
• BENNETT, VINCE
• BONDAR, GLENN
• BOWMAN, JEFF
• BROOKBANK, BIRKE
• BROWN, BILL
• BROWN, DAVE (Ist LEVEL)
• BROWN, GORD
• CASSIDY, TERRY
• CHAPMAN, JAY
• CHARMAN, BRIAN
• CHEW, HARLAN (1st LEVEL)
• COOK, BOB
• COULTER, “PAT” PATRICK LESLIE (b- July 31, 1941 in Reno, AB, d- Feb 9, 1985, Powell River BC, age 43)
• DAVID, LYLE
• DEAS, ROB
• DOMONKOS, ROB
• DONOHOE, JOHN
• DOYLE, BARRY
• DRIEDGER, PETE
• EPP, JAKE
• FAGERVIK, BILL (1sT LEVEL & 2nd LEVEL)
• FUMANO, LEO
• GENT, DONALD “DON” RUSSELL
  (b- 1943, d- May 30, 2017 in Kelowna BC)
  My brother Don retired in Merritt BC
• GENT, DOUGLAS L. “DOUG”
  Alive and kicking- Web Editor of this site
• GILBERT, HARVEY
• GURAL, JAMES “JIM” (Area Manager)
  ( b- Jan 28, 1929, d- Aug 17, 2015 in Kamloops BC, age 86)
• HARDIE, JOHN (John is living in Australia)
• HARKIN, JIM
• HIPPISLEY, ROBERT “BOB”
  (d- Jan 11, 2015 St. Paul, AB, age 75 )
• HODSON, BROOKE (1st & 2nd LINE SUPV)
• HOLDER, STAN
• HOMENIUK, “RAY” RAYMOND WAYNE “RAY”
  (b- Nov 4, 1945, Gilbert Plains, MB, d- Aug 14, 1990, Terrace BC, age 44)
• HULL, DENNIS
• INGLIS, JIM (1st LEVEL)
• JAMIESON, OWEN
  (b- ?, d- Feb 2008)
  He worked for 3 years in the Terrace Radio Dept. Owen transferred to Port Hardy as CO Supv, in April 1977
  He was also I&R Supv for North of Beaver Cove to Ocean Falls. Stan Miller was BC Tel's Operation Manager at that time.
  
• JENKINS, CHESTER
• JEX, DOUG
• JONES, TONY
  -Retired in Terrace
• KERR, DON (2nd LEVEL)
• KLECKNER, LARRY
• KURYLOWICH, RON M.
• LARSON, EARL KEITH “WOODY”
  (b- July 3, 1937, d- Mar 8, 2014, in his yard, at home in Thornhill)
• LEAMAN, AL
• LEPAGE, PHIL
• LEQUEREUX, CHARLES WILLIAM “CHUCK” (b- Dec 18, 1928, d- Jan 22, 2003 in Terrace BC)
• LOFROTH, CARL
• LUMMERDING, RON
• MAGUIRE, GRAHAM
• McCABE, MARTIN
• McCORD, JIM
• McDOUGALL, JACK (2nd LEVEL)
• McLEAN, KEN (2nd LEVEL)
• MERK, RON (1st LEVEL)
• MERNETT, AL (became Dawson Creek Toll Supv.)
• MILLER, STAN (1st LEVEL)
• MONCRIEF, JOHN
• MUNGIELLO, FRANK (1st LEVEL SUPV in Smithers)
• NILSON, JAN
• NITZ, JOHN (1st LEVEL SUPV)
• NODIN, JACK
• NORMANDEAU, GEORGE
• OERLEMANS, PETE
• OHORI, EIKO
• PARR, DON (1sT LEVEL)
  (d- Jan 2016 in Lac la Hache BC) \\(Retired in Terrace)
• PEGG, BOB (worked in Toll, became 1st LEVEL)
• PETERS, LARRY
• PHILPOTT, JOHN
• PICKTON, TRACY
• POLLOCK, RON
• POWELL, RON (1ST LEVEL)
• ROBINSON, DAVID FRANCIS “DAVE” (2nd LEVEL) (b- Nov 25, 1930 in Vancouver BC, d- June 17, 1984, Vancouver BC, age 53)
• ROWE, KENNETH R. “KEN”
• RUSH, WILLIAM “BILL”
  (d- Apr 2012 on Bowen Island)
  Bill Rush Memorial Classroom in the Terminal Creek Hatchery, Named in his honour on Bowen Island BC.
  Bill was a member of the Bowen Island Fish and Wildlife Streamkeepers and Terminal Creek Hatchery.
• SIMPSON, HARRY
• SMITH, GREG (+1ST LEVEL)
• SNAZEL, ROD (worked in Eng, became 1st LEVEL)
• SQUIRES, TED
• STROET, JACK
• STRUMECKI, RON
• TRACY, GUY
• TRENERRY, LES
• TRUDEAU, MURRAY
• TRUITT, BRIAN (1st LEVEL)
• Van ESSEN, FRED (1st LEVEL SUPV in Smithers)
  (d- July 27, 2007 in Penticton BC)
• VARLEY, DENNIS
• VELLOWS, THEODORE MERYL “TED”
  (b- ca 1930, d- Mar 5. 1996 in Nelson BC, age 66)
  Worked at Houston Radio for approx 10 years. \\Member of the Houston Legion, Served on their Executive.
  Retired in 1992 to Nelson BC
• WELLWOOD, DOUGLAS (DOUG) WARREN
  (b- Mar 26,1938 in Vancouver BC- d- Apr 15, 2018 in Duncan BC)
• WISEMAN, JOHN (1st AND 2nd LEVEL)
• WHITE, JACK
• WIEBE, HERMAN (b- Aug 2, 1903, d- Feb 10, 1989) Technically not a BC Tel Employee because of his age, but a Contractor that worked with the Radio Dept.
• WLASITZ, JOE
• WOLFE, BRIAN
• WOLFE, MARTY (Toll Repeaterman, became Toll 1st LEVEL SUPV)
• WOODD, GORD
• WOROBEY, MURRAY \\(b- July 8, 1941, Biggar Saskatchewan, d- Aug 7, 1982, 145 mile, Highway 97, Car Accident, age 41)
• YOUNGBERG, CLARENCE JOSEPH b- Jan 26, 1937 Bellevue AB, d- July 13, 2017 at Chilliwack General Hospital, Chilliwack BC, age 80
  worked for City Tel in 1969

I hope my comments and stories, don't offend anyone, as that is not my intent. It is my recollection of events, from a long time ago.
Good, Bad or otherwise. I am sure there is a few that probably could tell some bad stories about me!
I know I am not perfect, and don't profess to be in any way. Please don't take these stories too seriously!
They are meant to bring a smile to your face, not a frown.

This is a picture of my FIRST BC TEL Cheque Statement, from Sept 4, 1969
Notice it included 14 hours of Overtime, and was still only $173.70 take home!
But being single and from the prairies, fresh out of SAIT in Calgary, and used to making $1.25 an hour, picking stones,
This was like finding a Gold mine!
Notice the old BC Tel symbol in the bottom left corner, before they changed it to the dumb Sail-Boats Logo, which nobody understood !

Radio History Section Index

©