The Green Valley Radio Club, organized in the early 1950’s, was affiliated with the 3rd area state Civil Defense operations. 

    According to Jim Ferguson, K8LTG,  the 3rd area CD covered most of northern Ohio. In the early days, They met at a house owned by John Derby, a non-Ham, who worked at Babcox & Wilcox, as a lab technician. Later on, they met at the Civil Defense shack at the armory. 

According to Argus Barker, W8QMD, dues for junior ops were 50¢ a month. They also sold bonds for $20.00, which went towards the  purchase of a Johnson Viking Kit for the club. Someone had already donated a BC-348 receiver to the club.

    The club moved out of the building in the mid 60’s, when the state disbanded active area-wide CD operations. After that, the club existed only on paper. In fact, W8SHZ was still listed in the callbook, as late as 1976. 

    The first callsign trustee was Bob Sell, W8EK, followed by Charley Floyd, W8WJ. 

Editors note: The Tri-County Radio Club occupied the CD shack in the mid 1970’s, when I attended licensing classes there. Perhaps a merger of some sort took place. If anyone is able to shed some light on this, please e-mail me at kd8mq[at]arrl.net.

    We don’t know a lot about the members, or officers of the club, since records are scarce. Bob Hoiermann, W8FBM was president in 1953, when Argus first attended meetings in the house on W. State St. 

    Some of the members That Argus mentions, are:

• Sam Shetler W8GJN
• Artie McCracken W8NYZ
• Bob Hartzell W8ODB
• Stan Ray W8KBS
• Wilson “Gibbie” Gibbons  W8BHI
• Harry Pownell, later W8PXX
• Joe Crumrine W8UEY