Southern Oklahoma Amateur Radio Emergency Services
 Club Call sign
W5BLW


A Tribute to
Charles M. Dibrell
W5BLW Amateur (Ham) Radio Call Sign

    On Wednesday, October 28, 1998, Charles M. Dibrell, W5BLW passed away in the Ardmore Hospital. Charles was a member of the Ardmore Amateur Radio Club as well as a previous club that is now Southern Oklahoma Amateur Radio Emergency Services. Charles was born May 9, 1912 at Elk City, Oklahoma to Charles C. and Jennie Brooks Dibrell.
    Charles moved to Ardmore in 1920 and graduated from Ardmore High School in 1930. On August 19, 1988 he married Shirley Rawlins Hatfield in Alamogordo, New Mexico. Charles worked for Western Electric, assigned to the U.S. Navy in the shipboard division in radar. He then worked for Bell Laboratories in New York City developing two-way radios for railroad communications. He returned to Ardmore following the war and established Dibrell's Two Way Radio Communication Service.

Charles had been a licensed HAM radio operator since 1929. 

Paul Bearers were Ben Ward, Ed Whitechurch, Howard Robinson, Don Drake and Jim Shelton and Bill Shelton. Honorary bearers were members of the Ardmore Amateur Radio Club. Services were held at St. Philips Episcopal Church here in Ardmore where he was a member. Griffin-Kennedy-Watts Funeral Home directed services and burial was at Rose Hill Cemetery.


Above;W5BLW's Most recent Photo    
Below; Charles when he installed the AM transmitter for the first radio station in Ardmore, KVSO way back in 1936.

Original on file.

Federal Communications Commission
Gettysburg, PA

Dear Sir;
My late husband, Charles M. Dibrell held the Amateur Radio license W5BLW. Though Charles died 5 years ago, his license didn't expire until recently. It has yet to pass the 2 year waiting period for use as a vanity call. I would like for the Southern Oklahoma Amateur Radio Emergency Services club to have Charles's call, W5BLW as their club call before it is available on the vanity call sign system. If you have any questions, please feel free to call me at (Number Removed for Safety).

Sincerely,