Ninety years ago this month, the December 1928 issue of Boys’ Life carried this picture of Nat Pomeranz, 2APD, of Brooklyn, New York. When a September hurricane devastated Puerto Rico, the Navy’s station was destroyed, but a hasty emergency setup was made. Pomeranz was the first to pull in their weak signal and establish a communications link with the mainland.

The accompanying article noted that the Boy Scouts were in the process of setting up a radio network which could be of service not only in times of emergency, but in establishing closer contact between various troops.