Archibold ‘Arch’ Doty Jr, W7ACD, 27 February 2021

Archibald Colville Doty Jr, W7ACD, passed away on the 27th of February 2021.

Born to Margaret (Bunker) and Archibald Doty Sr on 28 March 1920, Arch grew up on Delavan Terrace in Yonkers, New York. He graduated high school from The Loomis Institute.

In the autumn of 1939, Arch brought radio to Wesleyan University in Middletown, CT with his tiny homemade AM transmitter broadcasting under the self-assigned call letters WES.  Over 80 years later, WESU FM remains one of the oldest and the longest continually operating student radio stations in the USA.

During WWII he joined the Army Air Corps (later Air Force) because they promised to teach him to fly a 4-engine aircraft. With little to no training, he was soon flying B-24s, C-87s, and C-109s and flying the route from India to China. All in all, he flew over 150 trips over The Hump, before he was transferred as Operations Officer in Pengsham, China.

After the war he lived in Litchfield, Connecticut and married Jane V Hanway with whom he had three children. There he worked for the Torrington Fan Company, inventing an improved fan blade.

Later he worked for the Automobile Manufacturers Association in Detroit, Michigan, one of the first companies to develop seat belts and raise safety standards in cars.

Being an avid ham radio operator, he communicated with his portable set all over the world for many years. Arch loved to say that he transmitted from Easter Island on Christmas day and Christmas Island on Easter. Most recently he worked with the ham radio club to establish an emergency communications system at Willamette View, Portland.

Arch had many interests. He was a life-long IEEE member and had numerous patents, the last granted when he was in his 90s. He was an intrepid world traveler. He always had a garden. He loved to learn and loved his well-trained dogs.

He is survived by his wife, Adah (Holmes) Doty, and children Ann Doty of Arizona, David Doty of Florida, and Susan Ross of Virginia, as well as grandchildren, great-grandchildren, nieces and nephews. He open-heartedly added a step-daughter and her three children. All of them have wonderful stories about this interesting gentleman, who was highly intelligent, generous, a gracious host, and always interested in people and ideas.

It’s 10-73 from K8CFU and W7ACD.

Tribute by Adah Doty

Category: Silent Keys