K6XJI 1935 Howland Island

Kenneth ("Kenny") Lum King was born May 13, 1914 in Hawaii and became a Silent Key August 8, 1995. K6BAZ, was a member of the scientific expedition led by Dr. Francis Dana Coman (1895 - 1952) of the Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, from July 1935 to Jan 1936. On its second voyage the expedition was joined by famous Australian aviation pioneer, navigator, and Pan American Airways representative Harold Gatty (1903 - 1957).

On board the schooner "Kinkajou" were six young men recruited in Hawaii, two each to be placed on Baker, Howland, and Jarvis Islands - which were then under control of the US Department of the Interior - to collect weather data, natural history specimens, and other information. Stopover, guano trade and colonizing possibilities were also investigated.

Kenny spent 4 months on Howland Island (Aug - Nov 1935) as radio operator (using K6XJI), where he and his mate Elmer Williamson joined the four other young Hawaiian natives who served as volunteer colonists (Panala'au) in the Line Islands Colonization Project (1935 to 1942).

Later, Kenny spent another 9 months on Howland Island (Nov 1937 to July 1938) while participating in this colonization project, where he operated as K6BAZ. He published a detailed account of this trip in the November 1938 issue of the magazine "Radio" ("Pounding Brass for Uncle Sam. In the Mid-Pacific").

903 Seventh Av. in Honolulu was his family's home address where he lived with his parents, his sister and his two brothers Albert and Walter (K6KEF).

In the 1940 United States Federal Census he specified his occupation as "Manager" in a "Radio Repair Shop".

After K6BAZ he was holder of the call-sign KH6JM.

QSL + Info Norbert Maibaum Collection