Celebrating the life of Lenore Jensen, W6NAZ

A special radio club screening of an episode of the famed television show 'This is Your Life' exploring the life and ham radio career of the late actress and ham radio operator Lenore Kingston Jensen, W6NAZ, has been announced for Friday, February 20th, 2009. This, to her longtime radio club to celebrate her recent induction into the CQ Ham Radio Hall of Fame.

Amateur Radio Newsline's Bill Pasternak, WA6ITF, has more:

The event is being produced by Cliff Chen, AC6C and will be hosted by the San Fernando Valley Amateur Radio Club. This is an organization that both Lenore and her husband Bob Jensen, W6VGQ, called their home radio club and belonged to for many years.

For those of you who never heard of Lenore Jensen, who was known professionally as Lenore Kingson, a bit of background.

Starting in the 1930's and continuing through most of her career, W6NAZ was a well known character actress in radio, television and in some movies. She began her career in radio drama in Chicago. Eventually she came to Hollywood where she appeared on such top rated TV shows as "The Munster," "Petticoat Junction," "Love American Style" and "Ironside" to name only a few.

But it was not her career in the entertainment world that brought her to "This Is Your Life." Rather, it was brought to the attention of producer and host Ralph Edwards that the wife of the show's Director - the late Bob Conn - was a ham operator who had provided over 60,000 phone patches to
overseas service personnel.

It was an accomplishment that Edwards wanted to honor and did so on national Television before an audience estimated in the millions.

According to AC6C, he was able to procure a DVD of the July 26, 1961 show from Ralph Edwards Productions. He calls the episode very inspiring, noting that for years after it aired that people would approach W6NAZ at conventions and hamfests to tell her that they had become radio amateurs
because of it.

AC6C says he is looking forward to this event honoring this very special lady of ham radio.

For Amateur Radio Newsline, I'm Bill Pasternak, WA6ITF, who was honored to have Lenore Jensen, W6NAZ, as a friend for many years.

Clif Chen, AC6C, has arranged for the radio club screening to be held in the Penthouse Auditorium of Northridge Hospital Medical Center.
It is located at 18300 Roscoe Beloved in Northridge, California.
The show will begin on February 20th at 7:30 P.M. Pacific Standard Time.

Source: ARNewsline, AC6C