The
bookish-looking, bespectacled young man was a generational contemporary
of WDRC's founder, Franklin
M. Doolittle (born in New Haven in 1893). Both were intrigued
by the rapid scientific advancements of their age.
On
July 2, 1921, the heavyweight boxing title match between Jack Dempsey
and Georges Carpentier was fought before 90,000 fans in Jersey City,
NJ. It was heard by countless others over Hoboken amateur radiophone
station WJY. The next month's issue of The
Wireless Age contained a lengthy description of the fight
and numerous ear-witness accounts from listeners, including Noble,
who was among 500 fans gathered at a Bridgeport assembly hall. It
was a watershed event in proving the usefulness of voice broadcasting.
Fascinated
by amateur radio, Noble earned his ham license (W1CAS). He took
his interest in radio with him to Connecticut State College (now
University of Connecticut), where he earned a B.S. in Engineering
(Class of 1929). He also studied at Harvard University and did graduate
studies at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
But
it was in Storrs that Noble spent 17 years as a student, professor,
engineer and radio consultant. In June 1922 the Federal Radio Commission
assigned a license to the Connecticut Agricultural College. WABL
was a 100-watt station on 1060kc and Noble was its engineer.
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