Loretta EnsorA pioneer in the field of amateur radio, the longtime operator of the family farm and an avid collector of stamps and postcards, Loretta Ensor, W9UA, packed a whole lot of life into her 87 years in this world.
It was 30 years ago this month that Loretta, her body by then crippled by the effects of arthritis, left us to join her older brother Marshall and her parents Jacob and Ida in the Great Beyond where every "CQ" results in an immediate contact and propagation is never an issue.
To mark the occasion, our club will be holding a special event at Olathe's Ensor Park and Museum, 18995 W. 183rd Street, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, September 11.
During this five-hour period, using Loretta's call sign, licensed amateur radio operators will be exploring the airways from the 1920s Radio Room just off the kitchen in an effort to make as many contacts as possible. Female hams from around the area are especially encouraged to participate in the hunt to hook up with listening stations far and wide.
.Here is Loretta's obituary from a September 1991 issue of The Olathe Daily News:
"Loretta Ensor, 87, died Sept. 7, 1991, at Royal Terrace Care Center in Olathe. She was born April 22, 1904, in Overland Park, and had lived in Olathe all her life.
She had been a part-time clerk in the Johnson County Treasurer's Office for 10 years.
She secured an amateur radio license so that an amateur radio station could be located in the Industrial Arts Department of Olathe High School. This was the first amateur radio station to be permanently located in a high school in Kansas. She held an amateur radio license for 49 years.
She was a charter member of the Young Ladies Radio League, had been a district chairman of the Zero District. In 1971, she gave eight acres of her farm, including all the buildings, to Johnson County for the Ensor Park and Museum and it was in the county museum system until 1989.
She was a member of the Morning Grange and Woman's Kansas Day Club. She was a Methodist. She is survived by cousins.
The funeral will be 10 a.m. Wednesday at the W.L. Frye & Son funeral home. Burial will follow at the Olathe City Cemetery. Friends may call from 6 to 8 p.m. today at the chapel. Contributions are suggested to the Arthritis Foundation, 8301 State Line, Suite 100, Kansas City, Mo., 64114."