Mike named various area dealers which sold television sets: Wagner Brothers, Western Auto, Craven Furniture, Dwight Benson, and Art Korody. Brands included: Philco, Emerson, Crosley, Admiral, Dumont, Raytheon, RCA Victor, Zenith, Arvin, and Motorola. Wagners had erected a tall antenna on North Rich Street in 1948.
Mike reminded us that the first TV screens were circular and very small ranging in size from eight to sixteen inches. Programs were in black and white and transmission hours were limited. Broadcasts ceased at midnight for many years and ended with the “National Anthem”.
June of 1954 saw the first colored TV sets advertised in the local apers. Cable came to Mt. Gilead in 1970. Mike concluded his presentation by showing excerpts of the vintage TV shows “Flippo the Clown” and “Casper the Camel”.
During the business meeting, Dan Rhodebeck reported on the work preparing nearly 5,000 Probate records for digitizing and thanked the volunteers who have worked for over a year helping on the project. He called the attention to recent “Sentinel” articles featuring their efforts. He also said Janet Rhodebeck has designed an apple tree to display the names of donors to the Scan Pro purchase.
