The students shown here are mastering the Morse Code by adhering to some hints contained in the July 1959 issue of Electronics Illustrated.

The article, penned by prolific writer Len Buckwalter, W2GKI, reviewed some of the records and tapes that were currently available. Most of them were on 33 RPM records, but one set was available on 45, and another was available on tape. The reader was cautioned not to accidentally erase the tape, but the article also pointed out for those interested in economy, that the tapes could be erased and reused after the code was mastered. In addition, the venerable Instructograph paper tape system was covered.

But the article also stressed the importance of either taking a class or simply teaming up with another person learning the code. The schematic for a simple code oscillator was provided, and it is shown in the photo above next to the key. The photo below shows a class put on by Allied Radio in Chicago. According to the caption, over a hundred students, “young and old,” took part, although the old seem to make up the majority of the class.  In addition, it appears that the class is almost entirely male.