[SCCC] More Scratchi Information

[W6ph at aol.com]

>From the CQ Newsroom.

"Hashafisti Scratchi" a Silent Key

The man who wrote "Scratchi" for CQ magazine is a Silent Key. George H. 
Floyd, Jr., WA4DGA (ex-W2RYT), of Lynchburg, Virginia, entertained thousands 
of his fellow hams for more than two decades -- between 1947 and 1971 --  
writing as a politically-incorrect (by today's standards) Japanese-American 
ham with fractured English and contorted spelling. He wrote from "Feenix, 
Ariz.," began each column with "Deer Hon. Ed.," and regularly skewered the 
pomposity and poor operating practices he encountered on the air. He passed 
away November 22 at the age of 91.

In real life, George Floyd was an engineer and executive with General 
Electric, working in Schenectady and Syracuse, New York, before moving to 
Lynchburg, Virginia in the late 1950s. GE alumni will also remember 
George -- pseudonymously as well -- as "Lighthouse Larry" in GE employee 
publications.

Scratchi first appeared in CQ in June, 1947. The column became a regular 
feature between 1948 and 1960, then returned from 1966 to 1971. For many CQ 
readers in that time period, Scratchi was the first item they read when the 
magazine arrived each month. CQ Publisher Dick Ross, K2MGA, writing in the 
magazine's 50th anniversary issue in January, 1995, said: "For many years 
the name Hashafisti Scratchi has been almost synonymous with confusion and 
consternation in amateur radio. It seems, too, that whenever the unusual or 
impossible is happening, Scratchi is there helping it happen."
Upon receiving news of George's passing, Ross noted, "As saddened as I am to 
learn of George's death, the mere mention of his name brings a smile to my 
face, knowing how his good humor and wonderfully creative imagination 
entertained so many of us for so many years."

Floyd was pre-deceased by his wife, Miriam; and is survived by two 
daughters, two granddaughters and six great-grandchildren. The family asks 
that those interested in making donations in Floyd's memory contribute to 
the Nature Conservancy, the Sierra Club, the American Society for the 
Prevention of Cruelty to Animals or the Humane Society of the United States.

CQ readers are invited to submit reminiscences of Scratchi for a tribute in 
an upcoming issue of the magazine. A special e-mail address has been set up 
at <scratchi at cq-amateur-radio.com>.

30
**************Life should be easier. So should your homepage. Try the NEW 
AOL.com. 
(http://www.aol.com/?optin=new-dp&icid=aolcom40vanity&ncid=emlcntaolcom00000002)