To the Editor:
On Oct. 13, l983, the first commercial cellular phone call was made.
On Oct. 13, 2003, Tom Wheeler’s Retirement Roast was held at the Willard Hotel in Washington, D.C.
I had the good fortune to be at both events and also at the 10th Anniversary held by Ameritech in Chicago. Yes, I’ve been around since B.C. ie. Before Cellular.
The humor of the 1983 celebration was that when the first call was to be made, the car battery was dead after all the trials and John Cusak and others had to push the vehicle to start it to get the alternator working so the call could be made at all.
The humor of the 2003 celebration was the mild roasting of Tom Wheeler by friends and associates. Yes, we can remember the Bob Maher for the start of the industry era, the Tom Wheeler growth era, and now it is on to the Steve Largent era. Strong leaders at CTIA and from the industry have made a difference. Wonder how the story will read in 2013?
Don Nelson
