I would like to have information on this main page about people who worked on the range, where they worked, where they are now, their email address (if they want that published), what stations/ships they worked on, and news about those who have died etc etc. So I need your input. If you were a rangerat or your relative was one who worked on the down range stations and/or ships, please contact me.

I also now have separate pages for some of the individual tracking stations and ships. Like these pages listed below for the Eleuthera, Grand Turk and Dominican Republic & Ascension AAF Bases/Stations and one just for ships, plus other specialized pages:

Please do NOT use the GUEST BOOK to sign in, that book is for collectors who visit my website, and that is why I made a seperate book for use by Range Rats, called the Range Rat Sign In Book.

Perhaps you are looking for someone who you used to work with that you lost contact with, you could include it in your message in the sign-in book, or better yet send me an email and I can include it on this page.

• 19 MAY: I got to talk to Speedy today, he sounded much better, and says he is feeling much better, his feet are healing good and likes the assisted living facility better than the nursing home. He just turned 77 too and completely retired. He still would like to hear from his old friends (see address below, the only thing different in the address is that its no longer at the Nursing Home). Drop him a line or card and give him your phone number, as I am not listing his phone number on this webpage.


• About 10 April Larry Wenger called me to let me know that he had phoned Speedy and that he was feeling much better and.....
• On 27 March I received a nice card and form letter from Speedy (which I imagine he sent to all who sent him a card) where he said:
  
  Dear Friends,
  I am not able at this time to write to each individual but I wanted to write and let you all know how I am doing. I want to thank you for writing me and reminding me of all the good times. I thank you for all the cards as they bring me much joy.
  I am now living in an assisted living facility near my niece Diana, Dollie's daughter, and she is caring for me very well. I am doing well and am happy here as they are taking good care of me. I had some very serious health problems that finally took me to this point of not being able to live by myself and needing someone to help care for me and my matters.
  I have had many new health tests and have gotten connected to new doctors that are helping me. My diabetic wounds on both feet are finally begininning to heal. I have had to get totally off my feet and have started a new wound care regimen that seems to be working. My heart is doing OK and my confusion has cleared alot.
  I am able to talk on the phone and read letters so please keep the calls and cards coming as they really brighten my day. I am keeping the same phone number so everyone can call.
• Why not send a card to Speedy and a big Hello! his address is:
  Dwight Collier c/o
  Dogwood Manor
  741 Houston Loop Rd, West
  Ft. Payne AL 35968
  I'm sure he would welcome hearing from all his old Range Rat & Ship Rat friends.

• I didn't know George until he sent me an email in Jan 09 and told me a little bit about himself. Strange as it may seem, we had worked on two stations, St. Lucia and Grand Turk, at the same time and yet didn't know each other until now. He started out at Mayaguana in 1956, and he sent me some additional info. on the donkeys there, which I had asked about on these pages. Later he sent me a CD of more notes about the stations he worked on including Fernando and scans of some pictures to go along with the information provided, which I eventually plan to add to these pages, (hopefully after I get my income tax work done, which seems to get harder each year or maybe I am just dragging my feet more). George signed the Range Rat sign-in book on 02 Feb 09 and now lives in Matthews NC. This week he called and we talked over what was on the CD that he sent and what he did after he left the range in 1958.


• I'd like to suggest to any range rat out there that has information about the range and photos that they want to share.... think about having your own webpage where you can share your info. something like Jack Tolman has set up (his website is publicized on this page somewhere). Many of your ISP's have free websites available. Maybe yours does too. Then there are free websites where you can upload your photos. Anyone who sets up webpages or photo sites let me know and I can publicize a link to them. Unfortunately due to health reasons I am limited to how much time I can spend on expanding these range rat pages, but it would be no problem to publish your range rat URL. Think about it.

I received this email from Leon: "Just to let folks know, I retired on 4 July 2008. That gave me 43 years on the range. Had the great luck to be assigned to the following stations: Grand Turk Tech Control - 1965-1969, Mahe Seychelles 1969-1977, Eleuthera 1977-1979, CCAFS 1979-2008. While at the Cape, I worked at TV Ops and leaving as a Chief Tech, Spent 2 years working as a Systems Maint. Engineer, finishing up with Antenna Maintenance as a Sr. Supervisor. It was one heck of a ride and loved every bit of it."

Leon has contributed quite a bit of info and photos for these Range Rat pages. Thanx Leon!

Go to Jack Tolman's website where he has the list online of the Trinidad troops and he said he would keep it updated. So if you worked at the Trinidad station and don't see your name on his list, you can notify him. You can access Tolman's Range Rat website by by clicking HERE.

• Joseph C. "Joe" Makeever, W5HS of Austin TX. I first met Joe at Ascension in 1971 when I got transferred to Telemetry there, he was Chief Tech I believe. Joe also worked at GBI and maybe other places. Joe signed the RR Sign-in Book in 2005 but did't mention what stations he worked. How about it Joe, make another entry and list your down range stations. He is doing well and still much active in electronics as a hobby and goes to ham radio conventions.
• Charles W. "Chuck" Hewett, W4WSD of Albany GA. It was either in the late 1950s or early 1960s that I met Chuck at Grand Turk Telemetry, he was either a electronic technician at first and later became Telemetry Manager (that shows you how good my memory is). I do know he also worked at Ascension and later at the Cape/PAFB. Here is another shy RR who signed my RR Sign-in Book in 2005 with just a short entry saying "Retired from Lockheed" but listed none of his range history. Chuck settled in a college town of Albany and was a teacher at one of them. He still active and goes to the gym regularly.
George L. Tucker, W4YHH of Mobile AL. I knew George from the Project Mercury days at Grand Turk in the early 1960s. I haven't talked to George in years, so I figured what the heck, let me see if he is still at his old homestead and give him a call. Sure enough he is at the same location. He used to drop in and see me in Fort Myers FL whenever he traveled this way on vacation. He now has a 19 foot RV camper van. Working on it before he can do any traveling. He is still active in ham radio, the stock market and helps at his church. George has a computer but as of yet has not signed the RR Sign-in Book (shy I guess, whatabout it George?).
• Lawrence E. "Larry" Wenger of Douglasville GA. I also know Larry from Grand Turk Telemetry back in the early 1960s Project Mercury days. He later moved on to Ascension. Larry doesn't get on the computer at all, he has no interest in it, but I am in computer contact with his wife Alice. One of his favorite expressions that he still uses is "Good Buddy" that he has used for many years now. He worked for the state of GA but has been retired now some 8 years. Alice says his garden is his "pride and joy". In 2008 he won a plaque, certificate and a $100. prize from the Farm Bureau for having the "best medium sized garden in Douglas County." I remember Larry liked gardening at Grand Turk and had the best plants and flowers growing. (His secret was the cow & donkey pattys he'd pick up and use for fertilizer). Larry and Alice are also quite active in their church as Sunday school teachers.

• In April 08, Speedy sent me the following info about Chaplain Joe Keiper : "Joe Keiper, A Methodist minister, was the Protestant "Range Chaplin". Joe was paid a dollar a year by Pan Am and they provided him with a room and meals for every day he was down range. He could select his own travel schedule and also determine how long he wanted to stay at each base. Joe was a very pleasant and learned man and was a good counselor. I knew of a few instances where he acted as a "match-maker" for two range rats. Both of these matches were solid and stable."
• A picture of Chaplain Joe Keiper is shown below in the 01 JUNE 2008 entry. Speedy didn't give a time period of when he knew him but I imagine it was in the late 1950's and 1960's. I remember Reverend Joe (as I called him) holding services, which I attended, in the old Project Mercury hospital buildings at Grand Turk and GBI in the 1960's. Many times, while I was stationed at Grand Turk, I have seen him come to the rescue of a hungry traveler flying on the range airliner who had stopped there for lunch, and did not have money to pay for the lunch. Pan Am charged some non-range travellers for their meals, and somehow Reverend Joe would find out about their need and pay for it out of his own pocket.
• If anyone knows what happened to Chaplain Joe Keiper, and when he left the range, or want to add more info about him, please send me an email so I can update this info. on him.


• ATTN: CURRENT RANGE RATS: I'm also wondering if the range still has a travelling preacher, can anyone tell me?

John Gladden has been working on his article for a number of years, it's titled: "Home on the Range, Recollections of a Range Rat" and it's finally available for all to read, you can access it by: clicking here. It is his non fiction memoirs of U.S. Air Force Tracking Stations on the Eastern Test Range during the Mercury, Gemini, Apollo programs. It is some 77 pages long and well worth the time to read it.

Speedy who worked up and down the range since 1954, on the islands and ships, was featured on an Alabama church website in 2007, titled: "50 Years of Aerospace through the Eyes of Loxley's Dwight Collier" which you can read his range observations and see a recent picture of him, by: Clicking Here.

• Steve Wooden sent this photo recently, it was published in the Aug 1961 Pan Am Clipper magazine. So I would imagine the wedding took place in July or Aug of 1961. Woody Bozardt was the RCA Instrumentation Manager at ANT. The caption that appeared under the photo read as follows:
  
  CHAPLAIN KEIPER PERFORMS WEDDING AT ANTIGUA.
  ABOVE: GMRD Chaplain Joe Keiper, right, recently performed his
  second down range wedding ceremony in the span of a few weeks when
  he united Ruby Byers, center, with Wilton Bozardt of RCA. Best man
  was Don Akerberg, left, and Maid of Honor was Mrs. Jayne Diverois.
  Setting was Antigua's Horizons Hotel. Chaplain Keiper also per-
  formed his first wedding held on a range base - at San Salvador.


• You probably already know that Woody Bozardt is deceased. When I added the above picture and caption, the name DAN Akerberg didn't seem right and I asked if anyone had anymore info on him. I knew Akerberg when he was the Telemetry Manager at ANT and I was a telemetry electronic technician working for him when this picture was taken, but I thought his first name was DON.
  23 APR 2009 UPDATE: No one sent any info to me but Gordon Clarke sent him my internet address and he signed the Range Rat Sign-In Book on 06 April 2009. I was correct about his first name being DON instead of DAN, and so the caption below the picture has been corrected.

Can you identify who is sitting in the barber's chair?

• This photo of the barber was sent in by Don Sklar who said it was taken in the time period of 1956-58 at GBI however I am going to leave it on this page as he travelled the range. Steve Wooden remembered that Dick Langley was the travelling barber. Now who can identify the Range Rat in the chair?
• Jerry Blackerby recalls that Langley was at GBI in the mid 60's. He said: "I had my wife and kids with me, living on the beach under the big Almond tree. Langley did not have time to cut my son's hair, so taught me a little about barbering and got me a pair of clippers. I cut my son's hair then, and later after three boys all of them until they reached their teens and wanted long hair."
• in April 2008 Wally Tubell said "Langley is still around. He lives in Melbourne and still works part time. He's still the "talker" he always was".


• 19 MAY 2009. LATEST NEWS ABOUT DICK LANGLEY:, I received an email from Bill Bailey of Crestview FL on 5 May saying: "I brought Dick Langley, an old friend of mine, to the 2009 Old Timers Reunion, and I wonder how many people recognised him sitting at the end of the bar. He was the PAN AM clipper mentioned on your range history piece, as the 1$ a year man. He cut my hair on San Sal in 1959 and as late as the day before the 2009 reunion. Dick is retired but still cuts some of his friends hair at his home in Indialantic."


• what years did Langley work downrange and how far down range did he travel? Somewhere along the line, I also remember a female barber, did she replace Dick or was she a temp replacement?

• Gary who was a Bendix employee and Range Rat who worked at the tracking stations of Tananarive, Quito & Goddard during the NASA years and Norfolk, VA, Fairbanks, AK and Camp Roberts, CA during the Military years on BFEC programs, signed the RR Sign-In book on 07 Aug 07 and mentioned his website, the BFEC HOMEPAGE, its all about the Bendix Tracking stations, which I think would be of interest to other Range Rats, and maybe other Bendix down range employees will see this and sign in. His page can be found by : Clicking Here.
• (The editor of this page-[thats me] says: Before I went to work at RCA/MTP I worked for Bendix Radio Corp. in Towsend MD, 1955-56. Bendix gave me my first job out of Edison Vocational High School, Baltimore MD.)

• I was visiting Larry Brunetti's GE Range Rat website (about San Salvador) sometime back and here is what he wrote "The Base was located on Bonefish Bay about 1-2 miles north of Cockburn Town, the capital of San Salvador Island. It was constructed in the early 50s and operated through the mid-60s. Today, Club Med has been built in the location of the original base. The Navy Base is now the home for The Gerace Research Center of the College of the Bahamas. The 'Motel', or what we called “Carterville' is now Riding Rock Inn. (You can find a link to Larry Brunetti's website at the 15 April 07 entry below).
  The Base was adjacent to the landing strip, 4500 feet of asphalt/coral aggregate. A Welcome to San Salvador booklet was provided to all that arrived."
  This is Club Med's website for the old San Sal base, now called :
  Columbus Isle.
  To take a VIRTUAL TOUR (highly recommended) of Club Med-San Salvador (Columbus Isle) I suggest going to this website and clicking on the virtual tour link near the top of the page: Travel by Design Website. When the virtual tour window opens click in the "Map" button first.
  (You would not recognize the old base from these pictures. Would have been nice to have something like this when the range rats were stationed there!

• Ed Ehrenspeck who lives in Edgewater FL emailed me recently for help on the above two subjects, he writes: "I was site chief of Patrick Igor across from the tech lab.. I also worked on the BU telescope...I need to get in contact with anyone that has any information about the BU scope or the project Space Track... Can you help? You can contact Ed by clicking HERE
• 25 JAN 2008, Here is a bit of interesting info. from Ed about the BU Scope and Project Space track:
  BU stood for Boston University. As the birds got bigger, the photo tracking got further from the pad and as the tracking cameras got larger they finally left the Cape.... Distance and larger focal lengths caused heat type shimmers and the frames on the film were not clear. Boston University built a 240 inch telescope and put it on a large Navy gun mount with four wheels that could be pulled to anywhere needed...The telescope was used on many tests. The biggest was flying B-36, six engine bombers over us. The bottom of the wings had various types of target boards painted on them. As the plane passed over us, we would take pictures at many different settings and altitudes and film. I was assigned to the BU as the Cape was installing my Igor Tracking site.... I was the only tech. The rest were engineers. The story goes on for quite awhile. The BU Scope was used for many things and then was taken over by a man by the name of Walt Manning. I worked with him as a tech. and also continued my main position as Site Chief of the Igor Tracking Station. Walt Manning was part of the Space Track section and as I gather information now, I am finding that Space Track was an important section of the government and the Cape. In checking with Patrick Air Force Base information, they told me that they had no information about Space Track and told me to contact there Historian...I did and it was some time until he could track anything down, and when he did, he found that all files of Space Track had been destroyed. He did find a little info and passed it on to me.

• Tom McCarthy has started a RangeRats mailing list
  here is how he describes it: "You are cordially invited to join us on the RangeRats mailing list where our goal is to assemble as many veterans of "life on the Range" (Range as in AFMTC/AFETR, AFWTR, PMTC, EGTR, AUTEC, WSMR, GEODSS, and any other that you can think of!). It's a good way to meet "old" friends.
  It is very easy to subscribe and just as easy to unsubscribe. There is no cost or obligation; you can set your preferences so that you receive all messages, or you can set it up so that as a subscriber, you can post messages but choose to simply read the archives occasionally. You must be a subscriber to post to the list.
  When a subscriber posts to the list, that message goes to all on the list (unless they have chosen not to receive e-mail), and anyone on the list can read and answer to all on the list. It enables discussion among all on the list without having to access a chat room or other web site.
  To subscribe, send an e-mail to: RangeRats-subscribe@topica.com Note that there is no space between "Range" and "Rats", or just click HERE to send the email. Be sure to write "Subscribe" in the subject line. if you subscribe and change your mind, instructions to unsubscribe (very simple) are included at the end of every message posted on the list".


• Jack Tolman has his own Range Rat Website: Here is how he tells it: "In April 2007 I started a Web page for RangeRats, a place to chat and post pictures. We have started a list of RangeRats (names) which Tom McCarthy is keeping updated, if you are interested check it out, comments are appreciated, I will post pictures as I receive them". You can go to Tolman's webpage by clicking HERE.
  NEW INFO AS OF 01 SEPT 2008: Jack Tolman writes: "I finally got around to updating my Range Rats web page. I have added more pictures. I will try to add a few each week until I run out. If you have any you would like me to post on the web page e-mail them to me, by clicking HERE and I will add them, any stories or names please send them also, feel free to send this to anyone who might be interested in what we did on the Range. If you recognize anyone in the photos let me know and I will put their names with it."


• Larry Brunetti Started a Range Rat Website in March 2005:
  (I first reported his website in Mar. 20005 but have moved it up here with these two new RR webpages. Larry signed the Range Rat sign-in book, and told about General Electric's (GE) partisipation on the range at San Salvador, and that is what his website is all about. You can find his website at Home of the (GE) Rangerats, he also has a guest book and photos of the base and island.

• Mac Stinson wrote me in Feb 07 with two pictures and this note: "A bit of history should be included with these photos. The critter was imported in 1956 on the northbound LST from Grand Turk as arranged by Pan Am subcable tech (that's right Pan Am had some of them in those days) Ray "Melon Belly" Smith. The donkey keeper shown in the pictures was a power house operator who's name escapes me. Alas, we have a sad ending. The donkey disappeared after a brief time at Mayaguana; it was rumored that the base manager had him executed for persistently using the catchment basin as a toilet. Sorry the picture quality is so poor. It is ektachrome and evidently doesn't survive too well! Mac"
  To see the two pictures Mac sent click on these two links below
  Mayaguana Range Rat with Donkey
  Mac says it's the same guy in both pictures. only in this next picture he was dressed to go to a "ripsaw" in the village and decided to parade the critter around the bar first!
  Mayaguana Range Rat with Donkey in the bar.
• Anyone who has more info about other Base Donkeys send me some info.....

• In October 1952, the Air Research and Development Command approved a plan to extend the Eastern Range's length to 5,000 miles to meet SNARK and NAVAHO missile testing requirements. Antigua, St. Lucia, Fernando de Noronha and Ascension were tentatively selected as host sites, and agreements were negotiated with the governments of Britain, St. Lucia, Brazil and Ascension to authorize construction.
• The St. Lucia and Ascension agreements were signed on 26 June 1956, and the Brazilian Agreement was signed on 21 January 1957. Following an exchange of notes with the State Department, Britain granted the U.S. access to Antigua on 15 January 1957.
• The Eastern Test Range supported its first 5,000-mile-long mission, a SNARK test flight, on 31 October 1957. This was when Antigua and Ascension AAFB supported their first missile launch and both stations were then declared operational.
• It has been my practice to commemorate important space events and I thought it would be appropriate to mark this important date in the history of these two stations in 1977. Being a stamp collector who also collects special covers (envelopes), I also prepared and issued special commemorative covers (envelopes) for the 20th anniversary. The covers were then mailed to the islands for postmarking on that date of 31 Oct 1977 at the Antigua and Ascension postoffices. Examples of my efforts are shown below
  
  (In 1957 I was working in telemetry at the St. Lucia AAFB tracking station and so I too took part in tracking this particular Snark flight. In later years I also worked at both Antigua and Ascension tracking stations).
  This special cover was issued by the FMF Local Post commemorating the 20th anniversary of the Antigua AAFB becoming operational by the tracking of a Snark missile.
  A Snark missile launch.
• To see the special envelope prepared for the Ascension anniversary click on this link:
  Ascension Cover

• Rodger Fowler wrote in the RR Sign-in book (01 OCT 2006) that before the Range began, his mom and many kinfolks either lived on the Cape or surrounding area for nearly 75 years. His dad started to work on the Cape back in 1947 getting the launch site ready for the historical Bumper rocket launch of July 24, 1950. He is pictured in this launch photo on the right. click here.
  After the twin brothers Rodger & Russell reached age 18 in 1954 they worked with Jarco Construction Company during the summer months and was fortunate to witness many winged missile launches behind sandbags. With the encouragement of Hoot and Bud Ringo in 1956 they started their employment with RCA.

A 1957 or '58 Christmas card from the BIWI Lounge, St. Lucia AAFB,
showing "The Pitons, St. Lucia BWI" (Did you save yours?)

• This date holds a place in most range rats memory, can you remember what happened on 04 Oct. 1957? I was stationed at the St. Lucia AAF Base outside of the village of Vieux Fort, On a Saturday morning early that day a group of us from the base set out on a hike. We were going to climb one of the Piton mountains. If I could find my packrat notes I would remember who was in our hiking party, but all I can remember is Ralph Cron, and George Fritz, but there were others. We drove to the base of the mountain and started the hike up, it was a rough climb even tho there was a sort of a path, towards the top the path petered out and it was mostly straight up, and slippery because the dirt was moist and muddy. Some of us, including me, only made it up about 3/4th of the way, just being too wet and too tired, while the others continued on to the top. We had agreed to rendezvous back at the truck at the foot of the mountain. When the troops who had made it to the top came back down we realized that someone was missing. What happened to George Fritz? No one could recall when anyone had seen him last, so back up the trail we went calling out his name, to no avail. George was nowhere to be found. After a couple of hours and still no George we headed back to the base to report him missing.
  Once we got back we learned that the Russians has put the first artificial satellite into space, on the very day that we "lost" good ol' George. We were more concerned about finding him and so the Fire Security Chief rounded up a scouting party to go find him. The scouting party didnt have any luck and they returned at night and planned to start up the search at daybreak the next day. The next morning as we gathered to start our search, here comes George Fritz walking up the road. He got quite perturbed when he learned that there was a search party looking for him. His story was that as he was walking down the mountain path, he stumbled and fell into the bushes and was hidden from anyone else who came down the path. He had hit his head and passed out and when he awoke it was dark already and so he spent the night in the bush, as he was an experienced hiker and knew how to take care of himself.
  And so I will always remember the launching of the first satellite with this hike and George Fritz.
  In actuality, our hike was on Oct. 5th a Saturday and it was only then that we learned that the Russians had launched the first artificial satellite the previous day, Oct. 4th. I believe the russians delayed the announcement of their launching until they were certain it was a successful launch and orbit. In those days there was a lot of secrecy of what they were doing.
  
  This special cover was issued by the FMF Local Post commemorating the 20th anniversary of the launching of the first artificial satellite by the Russians.
  It is postmarked at Russia Ohio.

• Walt Wisnicky sent me this piece of info. last year (May 2005) about the Antigua club (Sorry Walt for the long delay in getting this on line)
  
• In 1957, I was the guy who started the "club" in a single quonset hut. I had two wooden lawn chairs, a couple folding chairs and the ice had to be procured from the icehouse on base. It was put in two big barrels with a plank between and a cigar box for a cash register. It quickly became popular then and I got permission to move it to another quonset where it became the Satellite Club. I gave it the name because I was the Minitrack guy that had just returned from training for the first thing to stay in space on the U.S. side--I shudder to remember the sputniks that went up first.
  I ran the club for 1 and a half years, putting in a real bar, backbar, jukebox etc. I resigned the job after throwing the biggest party known at the time when I rented the fort (Fort James) for an all day blast--took the bartenders and all the booze up those 92 stairs to the parapet overlooking the harbor. Hired two bands: the Hell's Gate and the White Star to play. PanAm provided steaks on the beach and a great time was had by all.
  I worked on the range from 1956 to 1959, with RCA at St.Lucia, Antigua, Grand Turk. and was a Minitrack pioneer, also the Instrumentation Coordinator at Antigua. Received degrees-taught college on USN ships. I left Antigua to go to Grand Turk at the conclusion of the murder trial with Jack Burke--the company clerk then. Do you remember? I was the witness for Jack and at the conclusion of trial, they fired Jack and transferred me out for safety reasons. After a boring 6 months on Turk, I terminated. (In 1956 I was at St.Lucia for some 3-4 months then went to Washington D.C. for Minitrack training, back to St. Lucia and on to Antigua in '57).
  Joe, if you worked at any of the outlying sites on St. Lucia, I know you must have worked in some fashion with me. I was all over the telemetry, radar, comm, plotting board sites. Which reminds me, Bob Hankal was in radar in the trailer by the ops building. He died in 2004 in Orlando. I am in constant contact with Ben Juhl who alerted me to your site. He was on Antigua for a couple months and works intermittently for CSR with a lot of trips to Ascension. Well, more later. I'll be waiting to see if you recall any of this stuff.....Walter

• NEWS FROM JAN 2006, SPECIAL EDITION OF THE MTP NEWS, 1988:
• Jack Tolman sent me (most) all of the pages of this special issue of the "MTP News, Final Edition Sept 1988", edited by Vic Craft, in PDF form. Give it a look and why not print out a copy for yourself, as there is much history of the range and plenty of pictures in the pages, (heck, you might even find yourself mentioned or a picture of yourself). I will mention some of the range people that I recognize in each group of pages. Maybe some of them will see their names here if they do a google search, like so many of us do-- seach for their own name on the world wide web-- and will sign the Range Rat sign-in book, of course a few people that I have recognized have since died). There are a few pages missing in the text below and they are noted, but you can now download them (see above 22 May 06 entry).
  Here is a brief summary of what is contained in the pages:
  MTP News, Final Edition, Pages 1 - 5: The RCA Missile Test Project 1953-1988: The Making of a missile Range; History of the Cape and Tracking stations involving PAA and RCA with early Pictures of uprange personnel and Range Stations.
  MTP News, Final Edition, Pages 6 - 15: (continued) History of the Cape and Tracking stations involving PAA and RCA with early Pictures of uprange personnel and Range Stations. Early pictures: of all MTP Project Managers; Personnel & Accounting; Engineering and Drafting. (Faces that I recognize: Theodore G. "Ted" Dell).
  MTP News, Final Edition, Pages 16 - 25: (continued) Pictures of Engineering and Drafting. Information and pictures of Data Processing; Range Ships Systems. (Faces that I recognize: Dave Frank; Jerry Simpkins). (NOTE: Pages 20, 21 and 22 are missing).
  MTP News, Final Edition, Pages 26 - 35: Information and pictures of Range Ships; Communications; 35 years of Radars at the ETR. (Faces I recognize: Graham Walker; Dwight A. "Speedy" Collier; Henry Bishop; Cecil Nelin; N.C. "Norm" Tucker).
  MTP News, Final Edition, Pages 36 - 45: Information and pictures of Range Radars; Telemetry; Fabrication, Repair & Maintenance on the range. (Faces I recognize: John B. McDonald; Richard "Dick" Maniag; William "Bill" Saunders; W.B. "Bill" Karnopp; Mike W. Block; Woody Bozart).
  MTP News, Final Edition, Pages 46 - 55: (continuation) of Information and pictures of Fabrication, Repair & Maintenance on the range; Tech Training; Technical Analysis Evolution; Downrange with a map of the Atlantic Missile Range of 1954. (Faces I recognize: Jack H. Skeen; Gene A. Hilst; Latate Hoy; Instructor Joe Miller).
  MTP News, Final Edition, Pages 56 - 65: (continuation) of Downrange information and pictures; A copy of front page of the RCA MTP News, Volume 1, #2; More pictures that were in the MTP News from 1955 - 1957. (Faces I recognize: J.G. "Gil" Hermans; L.S. "Lou" Perry; Jay Lawson; John J. Facker; Jack H. Cave; Harry Duttenhaver)
  MTP News, Final Edition, Pages 66 - 75: More pictures that were in the MTP News from 1957 - 1960.
  MTP News, Final Edition, Pages 76 - 85: More pictures that were in the MTP News from 1960 - 1968. (Faces I recognize: Wally Tubell; John Facker). (NOTE: Pages 79 and 80 are missing)
  MTP News, Final Edition, Pages 86 - 99: More pictures that were in the MTP News from 1968 - 1972. The last pages has information and pictures of uprange activities from 1955 - 71. (Faces I recognize: Bernard A. "Bernie" Ryan; Norman C. "Norm" Tucker; L.A. "Len" Mashburn; L.H. "Les" Waddill; A.H. "Mac" McDowell).
  

• I heard from John Gladden after he signed the Range Rat Sign-in Book, with this additional information, (John's pending dissertation on range rat life and experiences sounds interesting, and which I am sure other range rats would be interested in reading also when its finished):
  "Joe, I am sure I met you sometime on the range although I cannot put a face to the name. I traveled the range TDY from 1962 until 1969 out of the Cocoa Beach office where I worked in Provisioning for Pan Am. In 1969 I transferred to Range Bases as a Supply Supervisor and spent my last eight years down range at GBI, Eleuthera, Antigua, Ascension and Mahe. Bob Flowers sent me this web address. Although I had already seen your article on Grand Turk, I did not realize that you had this site set up. I was looking at some of the messages from some of the people that I do remember and am amazed that some are still living.
  I have been working on a dissertation about the Range Rats as I remember the various bases I visited or was stationed at. I am up to about fifty pages now and don't know whether to keep going or truncate with what I have. I'll probably play around with it for a week or two and then decide."

Billy Joe Volner emailed me today and gave me this information about himself: Joe: I'm working at the Kodiak Launch complex in Kodiak Alaska. Most of the time I'm working out of my home in Mims Florida. I'm the Ops Director for Target launches at the only US commercial launch site. This is my 3rd launch since I agreed to help make this a launch range. Most of us came from Kwajalein and can work the RCO and ROS positions during launches. I have 2 email addresses but prefer the BellSouth one. We're 6 days from our launch and have been here 2 months. CUL. (Billy did not sign the Range Rat Sign-in book, but here is his email address if you want to contact him: volner@bellsouth.net ).

• I received a short email from Ray Edester at the end of Dec. 05. He was then invited to put his two cents worth into the Range Rat Sign-In Book, but so far has not done so. I guess everyone has their reasons for not signing, as well as some not giving their email address if they do sign in, its all up to the individual. Anyway, those of you who know Ray, he is alive and kicking in Titusville FL.

• How many people remember old timer Ralph N. Cron, who worked in RCA/Timing at Grand Turk, and before that at St. Lucia (I knew him at both stations 1956-70's). His son also worked on the range at the same time, I dont recall the son's name but he was a Cron.
  24 SEPT 2006, TWIN BROTHERS WORKED ON THE RANGE AT THE SAME TIME: Rusell and Rodger Fowler, both started with RCA in October 1956 at the Cape. Rodger later went to Eleuthera AAFB, while Russell went to Puerto Rico and San Salvador. They both had long careers on the range stations and ships.
  
  Does anyone know of other range rat families that worked on the range at the same time, that they would like to report? Like father/son, mother/daugher, husband/wife, cousins, twins, etc. (Course in my days on the range there weren't many females working the range, like there is today, so I only know of the two Cron's personally).

• Robert Sellars wrote: First of all, let me say how pleased I am that you have set up this site! Leon Lacy turned me on to it, and I have enjoyed the connection with several old friends, some on an almost daily basis. Charlie Zoranski was BOM on GTK when I was Commissary Supvr., and we write at least 2, 3 times a week. I recently corresponded with Doug Rogers, who was curator of the Ft. Hayes museum on Ascension, when I was there in '69. My wife, Ann, who was a local hire with Bendix at the time, knows Doug, also.
  Just one more quick remark, I went to GBI in 59, and bought a non-running car from an RCA guy. Well, his name showed up in your sign in book! We both were amazed to find each other, after all these years. At Chauncy's house for New Years, beside the host and Frank, Irv Weitgriffe and wife, Kurt Jarvis and wife, and Jim Irby's ex were there. Talk about a small world the range turned out to be!

• 10 NOV 06: Rodger Fowler, range rat of Angel City FL sent some more interesting info. about Crenshaw's and his connection with that place. Its a fact that he and his twin brother Russell were born there when it was a hospital.
• 21 APR 06: Ann Flotte, a local historian in Melbourne FL has supplied postcard scans of the Crenshaw Hotel and some history of this establishment which I have added to my original paragraph below. Ann says she dated and knew several fellows who went down range, which was in the late 60s and early 70s.

• How many range rats from the mid 1950s remember the Crenshaw Hotel and Cottages? It was located south over the US1 bridge from the big Melbourne Hotel. When I got hired with RCA and flew down to Melbourne, arriving in the evening, my accomadations were already arranged by someone in the PAFB downrange office, as someone from Crenshaw's was there to pick me up. In 1956 when I saw Melbourne, it reminded me of a boom town but with few modern conveniences. Crenshaw's was more like something out of the 1930s or 40s, quaint but run down for the 50s. I shared one of the cottages with another new hire and remember the place was set back from the main road, where they had a lush garden of tropical plants, a fountain and deer statues on the lawn.
  Ann Flotte, a local historian from Melbourne FL supplied this background on the hotel: It was built as the area’s first hospital in 1928. During the depression, it barely made ends meet. By 1937, Harry Crenshaw converted it into a hotel. There used to be brick cottages in front of it on US1 with the long hotel and cottages sign next to the highway as seen in these postcard views. It was completely renovated in the 1980s and now operates as an apartment building.
  
  Crenshaw Hotel and Cottages, Melbourne FL
  

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  Crenshaw Guest House, US1, Melbourne FL.
  Extremely modern (at the time this picture was taken),
  27 rooms, steam heat, overlooking beautiful Indian River.
  

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  Does anyone else remember staying at the Crenshaw Hotel or the Cottages? If you took a photograph of the Crenshaw place or the grounds, I'd appreciate hearing from you and getting a scanned image.
  
  

• Doug Rogers signed in Dec. 13, 2005. I have been looking for him for a number of years, I didn't know him personally but a downrange friend of mine, Charlie Elgas, knew him from Ascension and always wondered what happened to him after Doug left the range. I kept up with many range rat whereabouts since I left the range and have managed to track some down, it became a lot easier too once I got a computer. Check out Doug's entry in the RR sign-in book on Dec. 13, 2005. While on ASC he was the driving force who got the Ascension Historical Society going in l966. Doug and the Island kids built it from scratch, and he was the curator of the Ft.Hayes Museum. Doug said that he visited ASC in l997 to accept an award from the AscHistSoc, on its 30th anniversary. A new museum/community center was built on ASC and the museum and now community center are sort of focal points there.

• I started the RR sign-in book in Jan 2005, before that date many RRs signed the guest book since that was all that was available. So you might want to look in the guest book also to see their entrys but you have to wade through all the other collectors entrys. Any range rat who signed the Guest book after I started the RR sign-in book, have been alerted to the fact that they should put their entry in the other book. I'll give them some time but eventually these entrys will all be moved over to the RR sign-in book.
  An easy way to search the whole Guest book or the RR sign-in book is to use the search box at the top of this page. In the drop down menue select "Range Rat Book" and search for the word "name" this will take you to the search page, just click on the document found. Once you get to these books by this search method you will find all entrys on ONE long page, this is a lot easier that looking at the books that have individual pages of 20 entrys each. Give it a try.
  
  One entry in the Guest book of note is from Rhonda Scholl who signed in on Mar 09, 2005, who is currently working at the Antigua tracking station. There aren't many current RRs signed in but its good to know they are looking in. Here is what she wrote: "I came on the range in 82. worked at GBI for a year and moved on to Antigua. I've been here for 22 years. Not very many people left from the 80's. R. Newton, S. Lonie, B. Mobley and A.Yon. and a host of newbees." Unfortunately Rhonda didn't give her email address so I cant tell her about signing the RR sign-in book.

• Bob Olsen and I worked together at Antigua and GBI (RCA Telemetry) in the 60's. In 2003 Bob's stepson sent me an email and said Bob was living in Dearborn MI but didnt have a computer. He gave me Bob's phone number and we had a long chat catching up on whats been happening in our lives since our range days. Recently I exchanged emails with the stepson again and here is what I found out about Bob:
  "He has a computer now but doesn't use it very much! He likes doing house projects 24-7 it seems like. Bob's in great shape, (too skinny I'd say) and is having his 76th birthday this December 10th 2005. He looks 15 years younger to me and can run circles around younger guys. Bob still lives in Dearborn."

• Just by chance 'Bud' Creech, (see the New Contact entry below from Jack Louthan), found my website while doing a YAHOO search for his nephew with the same name, and you can read his entry in the Range Rat Sign-in Book of 16 Oct 2005.
  It wasn't too long after Bud Creech contacted me that he passed away in Aug 2006. I knew Bud from my early days on the range back in 1956 when we both worked at the Dominican Republic Tracking station. After that station closed we lost contact. When I started this RR webpage, in May 2005, I listed Bud's name hoping he might do a google search and find my site, and he did. Read more about Bud at the entry below NEW CONTACT (May 2005) where I made contact with Jack Louthan who provided more info. about Bud.
• Additional information about Bud can be found on my new webpage for the DOM REP AAFB ETR Sta. #8 (see yellow box near the top of this page).

• Marty Gilligan (Ridgewood New Jersey) wrote: I saw your name on the rangerats site and probably worked on Grand Turk the same time as you. You also mention St. Lucia. I was very friendly with Billy Joe Volner who was both on St. Lucia and Grand Turk the same time as you. By any chance would have a line on him?
  (I recently send Marty the email address of Volner since Billy Joe contacted me in Feb. 06").

• M.M.(Manny) Noriega, from Mississauga,Ontario,Canada wrote: Hello Joe, Fred Perkins,and Wally Tubbel(My SIM on the TAGMs, Boston/Long Island). Sorry to hear about Norm Shows. I left Antigua Nov. 1969 for Ely, Nevada tracking station. Married 35 years, two daughters, house, etc. Say hi to Larry Smith for me. Where's good ole Leon Wilson Bayles(sp?). Bye for now. Next re-union?

• Jimmy Townsend (jwt0@flash.net)from Spring,Texas wrote: I worked on Ascension with Scottie Lonnie, Joe Makeever, and Glen Reese from 1969 until 1972. I just found the site. My brother Jesse Townsend, who is also a Range Rat pointed me to it. I have been working in telecommunications all these years. First for Western Union, then ITT-USTS, SP Telecom/Qwest, IBM and AT&T. I am currently unemployed, so anyone that knows of a possible job in the Houston, TX area, please contact me. (This was in June, hopefully Jimmy has a job by now, anyway see his email address above if you want to contact him).

• News from Jack Louthan (I contacted him after he signed the RR sign in book, and learned he knew Bud Creech who I knew from Domincan Republic tracking station in 1956 and I asked him for further info about Bud and whatever happened to him. Here is what he wrote about Bud):
  "Bud Creech was my first boss at Antigua Communications. He married a girl from Barbados and eventually bought some considerable amount of property in the Dominican Republic, and went to live there. His real name was Lorne D. Creech, and his wife's name was Patricia. I don't know what the "D" stood for.
  We made several trips to Florida together to take flying lessons at the Sarasota-Bradenton airport. On one of these trips we somehow ended up being joint owners of a tract of land near Tallahassee. Bud later left Antigua; I don't remember where he was assigned, but he was still working on the Range. Later, I also left Antigua and was sent to Ascension.
  While on Ascension, I got a letter from Bud stating he wanted to sell his half-interest in the Florida property so he could buy land in the Dominican Republic. So, I bought his half-interest. Just got out the paperwork, and it's dated August, 1965. So, he would have gone to the Dominican Republic sometime after August 1965, but I don't know exactly when that happened.
  I held on to the property near Monticello FL, only selling it a couple of years ago or so. They had built Interstate 10 near the place, and its value had gone up astronomically. So, partly thanks to Bud Creech, I won't have any financial problems in my old age - unless I do something dumb!"

• How many range rats remember Bernie Ryan? I knew him as the Instrumentation Manager at the first station I worked at: Sabana De La Mar Dominican Republic (Sta. 8). He also worked at these stations too: Puerto Rico, St. Lucia, Antigua and Grand Turk. Did you know he was a World War II hero?
  Military World had an online article "A Hero's Story" all about Bernie which was written by Denise Carson, and I found it on the web in April 2005, however it is no longer on line.
  
• Updated 24 NOV. 2007. NEW INFORMATION: John Miele, Bernie Ryan's grandson emailed me in Oct 07 and told me that Denise Carson was writing the article for the LA Times and Military World bought the story. Bernie died just after Christmas three years ago (2004?), and his wife Vi is still alive and living in Florida. Mr. Miele said he would try and get a copy of this article for me, however I haven't heard back from him.

• Joyce Gray Fudge wrote this message when she signed the range rat sign in book, (which I am repeating here as it contains much information on people we know):
  "Hi all, It's more than 24 years since Don passed away but I still feel a connection to RangeRats. I deliver Meals on Wheels and run into Norm Tucker and Everett James there. I attended the RCA Oldtimers Shindig. Alison Leth-Steensen. Fred's widow, flew in to join me. Fred passed away several years ago. We enjoyed seeing Bill and Pam Redman, Bill Bailey and Erik Wiggers. Alison knew more people from their time at Kwaj.
  Joe, Jim Cain shared your site with me. I shared it with Alison Leth-Steensen and will share with Jean Simpkins - Jerry's widow. Thanks for opening a door for some of us who are out of touch with one another - certainly not out of touch with reality".

• Joe Makeever says Ron Godine (Some of the older rangerats might remember him as Ron Zgodzinski before he changed his name), who once worked at Ascension Telemetry in the late 60s and early 70s now lives in Cleveland Ohio, in his old neighborhood. I have sent him and email and hope we can make a contact.

• I made my first contact with anyone who worked at the Dominican Republic Tracking Station, since I started my website, hopefully there are others out there, if so please sign in. Welcome Mike Hager.
• Jim Lane also found my website in March, when trying to explain to his son what he did in the old days, and typed in "Atlantic Missile Range" in Google

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