Making a Connection: Bendix Radio Foundation Volunteers

What do mid-twentieth century car radios, the first airborne weather radar system, and the sinking of the German battleship Bismarck in WWII have in common?

They were all affected by the revolutionary devices produced by Bendix Radio—a division of the Bendix Corporation—which specialized in producing two-way radios for military aircrafts during WWII.

In 1937, Bendix Radio set up shop inside a General Motors plant located at 920 E. Fort Avenue before moving to a larger plant in Towson four years later. After 1940, the majority of British Royal aircrafts and approximately 75 percent of U.S. aircrafts in the war used Bendix avionics.

In October of 2000, six former Bendix Radio employees founded the Bendix Radio Foundation (BRF) at the BMI to preserve the company legacy and its six decades of contributions to the radio and communication industry.
 

We got started because we were all employed by Bendix Radio; we had knowledge after 30+ years of service with Bendix and felt that the story hadn’t been told. So we are committed to telling the story and recording it for posterity.Jerry Woodall, a founding member of the Bendix Radio Foundation

 

October 2020, marks 20 years and counting of a partnership with a dedicated crew of Bendix volunteers. With a wide range of skills including design engineering, program management, senior management, finance, and more, the volunteers have worked to collect and catalog artifacts and documents related to Bendix Radio.

The BMI supports the foundation by providing work space and housing for archival equipment and documentation that allows the volunteers to assist researchers from around the world. Bendix items can be found throughout the museum including in the transportation and communication galleries and on the museum’s milestone wall.

 
Thank you to all of the Bendix Radio Foundation Volunteers who have worked with the BMI and contributed to the the mission of the foundation for the past 20 years: Len Bosse, Jim Dalmas, Orlando DeFelice, Angelo DelNegro, Stu Horwitz, Ken Kidd, Bill Mackey, Joe McCormick, Ron Sacker, Bill Scott, Jack Shagena, Bob Stefan, Bill Stotz, Guil Vogt, George Walter, and Jerry Woodall. We are also grateful to longtime Bendix employee Carl Tresselt, whose generous bequest to the BMI provides essential support for the preservation of the Bendix legacy.