TELECOM Digest and Telecom Archives are compilation-copyrighted by Patrick Townson, 1996-2008. Telecom Digest and Telecom Archives Compilation Copyright © 2009-2011 E. William Horne - All Rights Reserved.
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A Short Autobiography

I was born in Boston, and I've lived in Massachusetts almost all my life.

I graduated from Everett High School in 1970, and enlisted in the Army that same year. After service as a Military Policeman in Vietnam, I returned home in 1972.

I worked briefly for the Massachusetts Department of Public Works, fixing the two-way radios in snowplow trucks and other DPW vehicles. Although I liked the work, it was only a temporary appointment, so when New England Telephone Company offered me a job, I took it.

I worked at N.E.T. from 1972 to 1974, when I was laid off. After that, I moved to California, and lived with my cousin for a few months before I settled in San Francisco. I had a job fixing Model 33 Teletype machines in San Leandro, CA., but I realized pretty quickly that I'm not cut out for that kind of work and I decided to go back home.

In 1975, I returned to Boston and accepted the Chief Engineer job at WMLO in Danvers, MA. I worked with a young announcer named Glen Ordway, who I could see was (if I do say so myself) destined for bigger and better things. Trust me on this: broadcasting is a lot less glamorous on the inside than you'd think.

In 1976, I left WMLO and enrolled in the Veterans Educational Preparatory Program at the University of Massachusetts. It was the turning point of my life: the program showed that I could do better than being a blue-collar worker, and showed me how to succeed in college, and after it finished I enrolled in U. Mass. to study computers.

Although the GI Bill helped a lot, I still needed more than what it provided, so I worked in broadcasting at WRKO during 1976 and 1977. In 1978, I returned to California to become the Chief Engineer at KRUZ-FM in Santa Barbara. I continued my college education at Santa Barbara City College while I kept KRUZ on the air, but lightning destroyed the station's transmitter, and so I moved to KDB AM & FM, where I was the Assistant Chief Engineer.

In 1979, Ma Bell offered me my old job back, and since my recall rights were only good for that one time, I accepted the offer and returned to Massachusetts. I worked as a Toll Test Technician at the Back Bay office, and finished my college degree at Northeastern University, where I graduated with honors in 1982.

I remained in the Toll division and worked in various offices and on special projects until 1989, when I left the craft to become a computer programmer for NYNEX, N.E.T.'s parent company. I wrote PL/I, assembler, and COBOL code for them until 1995, when I accepted a job in Engineering, and I work in the SS7 engineering group until I accepted early retirement in 2002.

Since that time, I've been running my own business, consulting on computer security and networks: like broadcasting, it's a lot less glamorous than I thought it would be. Although I like to fix my customers' problems, I've found out that 98% of being in business is selling yourself, and I'm not a salesman by nature, so I'm now seeking employment with another firm.

I've been the Moderator of The Telecom Digest since Pat Townson suffered a stroke in 2007, and I've had a great time doing it: although I don't have as much time to devote to it as Pat did, I think I've managed to keep Pat's legacy alive and to keep the Digest vital and current.

My wife Susan and I were married in 1987: our son Henry is an Eagle Scout and is working as a plumber.

When I'm not working on my business or the Digest, my hobbies include ham radio: I'm an Extra Class Amateur Radio Operator, with call sign W1AC.

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TELECOM Digest is an electronic journal devoted mostly but not exclusively to telecommunications topics. It is circulated anywhere there is email, in addition to various telecom forums on a variety of networks such as Compuserve and America On Line, Yahoo Groups, and other forums. It is also gatewayed to Usenet where it appears as the moderated newsgroup "comp.dcom.telecom".

TELECOM Digest is a not-for-profit, mostly non-commercial educational service offered to the Internet by Bill Horne. All the contents of the Digest are compilation-copyrighted. You may reprint articles in some other media on an occasional basis, but please attribute my work and that of the original author.

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