Seventy years ago this month, the November 1955 issue of Boys’ Life carried this feature, “It’s The Ham in Them,” giving an overview of Amateur Radio. It noted that there were 120,000 hams in the U.S., with another 50,000 around the world, and that Uncle Sam had gone out of his way to make the hobby enticing to youth.

Among other topics, the article detailed the potential for hams in an emergency, some of which are depicted here. For example, when Hurricane Diane hit the Northeast, three hundred trembling youngsters were stranded in ankle-deep water on an island of the Delaware River. Little attention was given to a car stopped on the far bank. Even had it been noticed, it wouldn’t have been capable of rescue, or so it appeared. But a squadron of helicopters soon appeared. The driver of the car had been a ham, and had put in the call to Civil Defense officials. (The incident appears to be detailed at this link.

In another case, a truck had plunged off a mountain in Arizona, a a rancher brought them to Camp Geronimo, a scout camp. The camp director was a ham (Ed Burkhart, W7SUI) who put in an emergency call to Phoenix, resulting in the dispatch of an ambulance plane.

As in 1955, Amateur Radio is primarily a hobby.  But it can be a source of information and connection with the outside world in case of an emergency.  An excellent example is when Hurricane Helene hit North Carolina in 2024.  Hams, and their neighbors, were in a position to provide vital information, because an ad-hoc network quickly formed, mostly using a repeater just outside the disaster area.  There might have been a few people “rescued” as a result of this communication.  But more importantly, residents had access to current information, such as whether certain roads were open, where stores and gas stations were operating, etc.  Radio also provided the ability to notify friends and family members that someone was safe.  An excellent recounting of these events can be found at this article by K4SWL, who provided this vital communication for his neighbors.