P.
J. G. (Doc) Plummer – VE3MA QCWA # 2529
(SK)
Doc was born in London, England but grew up on a
farm in the Niagara Peninsula
Education / Employment History
1928 - He graduated from Ontario Veterinary College
with Ph D research degree. (This made him a scientist not a Veterinarian).
1928 - Doc moved to Ottawa and began a lifetime
career with the Canada Department of Agriculture. He joined the Health of
Animals Division and slowly worked up through the various classifications for
scientists.
1929 - Joined the Pathological Division, Animal
Diseases Research Institute in Hull
1943 - Appointed Head of the Pathology Unit at the
Animal Disease Research Institute
1957 - Appointed Director of the Animal Pathology
Division, Health of Animals Branch. Over his career he became increasingly
interested in pathology as well as virology and bacteriology. He was the first
to successfully cultivate and passage the canine distemper virus on a chicken
embryo. He was the first to diagnose northern dog disease as rabies. He had
over sixty papers published including papers on tumours and haematuria. Doc was
a member of a dozen professional societies.
1965 - Retired on December 31 at age 60. He was
remembered by his staff as a manager who always took time, despite heavy
executive duties and extensive travel, to discuss and give advice on their
problems, both scientific and personal. His jokes brightened a dark day.
Amateur Radio History
Doc became interested in wireless at the age of 14.
He had free access to the junk box at a local garage, including spark coils and
“hot shot” batteries to make his first (unlicensed) transmitter in 1919. This
evolved into tuners, loose couplers, variometers etc. Detectors were
solid-state hunks of galena crystal. Doc attributed any success in
communicating to his antennas – three wires 175 ft long and 45 ft up on a
100acre field. About 1923 he went to tubes. All power came from batteries, as
they had no electricity.
1933 - First licensed as VE2GP while living in
Aylmer, Quebec. Doc was an active member of OARTA (now OARC). He served
as OARTA President (1933-1934) and OARTA Vice President (1939-1940) and taught
theory classes in the days leading up to WWII.
1954 - Received call sign VE3MA upon moving back to
Ontario. After this move, Doc operated only commercial equipment. He was active
on SSB on HF.
Doc became a Life Member of QCWA in February, 1961,
the first to join from what would become Chapter 70. He later was one of the
twenty-one Charter Members of Chapter 70. Doc served as a Director of Chapter
70 1977-1979. The photograph of the presentation of his “65 Year Licensed”
Golden Certificate and lapel pin at the September 1998 dinner was on the cover of the Chapter 70
1974-1999 History Book.
Doc passed away on July 7, 2003 at age 97.