W6QEE/J9 1946 Okinawa, Ryukyus Islands
W6QEE/J9: operator Arnold Heath
Hills, W6QEE. (Silent Key, 1921-2012)
ARNOLD HEATH HILLS, W6QEE
Feb. 22, 1921 - Mar. 8, 2012
Died unexpectedly but peacefully on March 8, 2012, at age 91.
Death was due to complications from a fall he had at home on
January 21st.
Born in Orland on Feb. 22, 1921 to Elmer Edward and Blanche
Breaks Hills. He was the youngest of six children, all of whom
along with their spouses predeceased him. He is the descendant of
Joseph Hills, who at age 36, came from Maldon, England to the New
England colonies on the ship "Susan and Ellen" in 1638
and settled in what is now the Boston area....
Arnie played baritone in the marching band all 4 years at Orland
High School - he was a fly fisherman, a golfer, a pilot, a ham
radio operator (W6QEE), a Mason, an inventor and a visionary. He
was an astute and independent businessman who was still driving
and working right up until the afternoon of the day he fell. When
asked about retiring he would say "What would I do?" -
being productive in some way was always his goal. He carried his
own weight and expected others to do the same. However, if
someone was going through a rough patch and needed a
"hand-up" he was quick to offer assistance in whatever
form was most helpful. He was honest and fair in business and his
handshake was his word.
Arnie was a WWII veteran - at the end of the war he was
discharged from the Army as a First Lieutenant. Directly after
the war, he and his brother-in-law, George Jess (who had been a
pilot in WWII) decided to make some money repairing
"auto" radios, as there was a need for this service and
also this was a way to support their families. (He and George
were married to sisters.) They rented a little corner in the
large Orland Hardware building on 5th Street (this building is
gone now). They basically had a bench on which to do the repairs
and that was about it. They soon outgrew that space so they hired
Berlinger Brothers to construct a building at 412 Walker St. -
with a large opening on the alley side in order for autos to pull
in and have radios repaired or installed on the spot (this
building is still there). Later, they also sold appliances,
radios, and all kinds of electronic devices as "Jess and
Hills Appliance". Eventually Arnie operated "Hills
Appliance" at the same Walker St. location, and then a few
years later he rented the building next door to include
furniture. In the late 1950's he decided to sell out his retail
business at 412 Walker St. He then became involved in a new
business buying and selling distressed retail stock from all over
California. He would transport this distressed merchandise to his
"Warehouse Sales" building on east Highway 32 in
Orland.
During the mid 1950's Arnie took flying lessons in a
"Mooney". He said he flew a helicopter once and it was
really disconcerting to look out to your left and see that the
entire tail assembly had swung around so you were going forward
while flying sideways - and not very fast. Flying became quite a
passion for him and it was said that he wore out his first three
planes - a Luscombe, a Cessna, and a Bonanza. He continued to fly
until early 2000 - said he would leave it to the younger guys
because no one would go up with him anymore! Over the years he
used his flying skills for his businesses - lots faster than
driving, lots easier to get things done.
During the 1960's Arnie decided that the future was cable TV so
he set up the TV cable system in Orland, Corning and Willows. He
spent summers climbing hundreds of telephone poles to string
cable. When he was finished, these towns had almost the only
cable TV north of Sacramento. Later, he sold his TV Cable Company
and concentrated on other business endeavors like his
Mini-Storage on Highway 32 just east of Orland.
As a teenager, Arnie was interested in being a ham radio operator
(he was interested in radios period!) and he continued being a
ham for the rest of his life (W6QEE). It was a great way to make
contact with relatives when you couldn't do it by phone. Phones
then had to have wires or cables and coverage was pretty spotty
in most of the world. When stationed in Okinawa, he would try by
ham radio to contact George (Jess) in Orland to get family news,
but if the signal didn't bounce right he couldn't get to Orland.
When this happened he would usually have more success bouncing a
signal to a fellow ham operator in South America. This man was a
partner of Arnie's brother, Liston and this fellow would radio
George in Orland and give him Arnie's messages and vice versa. It
was wonderfully exciting to be able to get news as it was
happening.
Arnie had circles of friends from all walks of life and he talked
freely of his many escapades when he was younger. Each of these
friends probably has at least one "Arnie" story. This
is one we heard just the other day: One day Arnie was driving
around Orland in a car he had fixed up to run (he said he was 12
but admitted he might have been younger, there were no driving
license rules then) A policeman stopped him and wrote him a
ticket for not having windshield wipers - Arnie said - "but
officer I don't have a windshield." The officer said to tell
it to the judge. So he went to court and told the judge he didn't
know where he would put the wipers since he didn't have a
windshield - the judge fined him $2.00 anyway.
--Published in Enterprise-Record (Chico, California) on March 22,
2012.
QSL courtesy of W5KNE
From the estate of W5BGP / W5IO
Info courtesy of W5KNE