Re: 1965 Blackout Airchecks

[DonKelley@aol.com]

Here's a 1965 blackout memory:

Just after 5PM that day my mother live-parked in front of Clement Drug in Wellesley and sent me in to pick up a prescription.  As the druggist was ringing it up the power went out, and the Monroe-Sweda register stopped with the numbers stuck in mid-spin. He made a joke about not paying the electric bill and made change from his pocket.

As I walked outside a moment later I saw that all the lights in Wellesley Square were also out.  I hopped in the car and immediately head Art Gardner on W(snap)BZ/Radio 103 saying that they were on the emergency generator due to the power outage in Boston.  So this was a big one.  I said to my mother "I'll bet that WMEX is too cheap to have an emergency generator" and pushed the last pre-set button.  Indeed, WMEX (1510) was off the air, and WKBW/Buffalo (1520) came booming in.  The announcer said "due to the power outage across the city of Buffalo WKBW is now on the emergency generator."

So, through the miracle of radio, I knew within a minute that the blackout covered the whole Northeast.