Merrill Peckham Budlong

Merril was a good friend and father figure to me and will be missed. As a teenager in the 50's my car would be heading to the W1QLD home on Marcy St many evenings.

He ran the Civil Air Patrol radio net and would put me in as net control operator for the experience.I remember operating him cross band (CAP to 2 Meter) when I was 2 meter moble and he was Little Rohdy CAP moble. He helped me bulid my 1st 2 meter rig (2E26 )... he will be missed ... 73's de W1WUH

Merrill was a great man who generously gave the use of his home for FARC meetings. He als gave his time to help his many friends at FARC learn the ropes of ham radio.

Merrill inspired many of us to enter technical fields. He was a sage to many. He certainly made a difference in my life!

In the late 1960's my father Earl Cowan and his friend Marty Shaw belonged to Merrill's radio club and I started to attend. We had met Merrill through his nephew Steve Budlong. Well, my attendance at radio club was something of an anomaly being that I was (and am:o) a female. I got my novice ham license and was allowed to join the club. It was a great pastime. I met so many great people there.

The last time I saw him was about five years ago with Lori and Steve. We had a very...

My Uncle "Grandpa" Merrill,

When I was quite a young child I lost my grandfather Rhody (Merrill's brother), and had never known my grandmother Maude. Merrill took me aside shortly after Rhody's funeral, told me that I needed a "Budlong" grandfather and that he was the man for the job. Every time he or Louise would call and every card that I received was from Grandpa Merrill and Grandma Lou.
I am so grateful for the kindness and love that they shared with me and my Dad...

Grandpa Budlong was the perfect grandfather for a kid growing up. He and Grandma Louise lived in this huge Rhode Island house steeped in family history. He had a basement that was home to all sorts of dazzling electronics—ham radio equipment that enabled him to communicate with people as far away as Russia. He knew Morse Code. In his basement there were trophies, ancient photographs, and his bikes. As far as I was concerned, he invented cycling. He made his own wheels and rode for hundreds...

I knew the Budlong family because of Mr. Budlong's relationship with my Dad, Stuart Fuller who was also a ham radio fan. We lived around the corner on Armington Street during the l950s and moved to California when my Dad passed away in 1959. I am so sorry to know he has passed away but also glad to know what a full life he lived. He counseled me when I received a "transistor" radio for my birthday. He gave me great tips on how to care for it and because of him, I had it for many years. I...

rest in peace cousin, a life well lived.

I was encouged by others to post this in response to Bud Budlong:

Hello Bud:

Thank you for the kind words about your Dad. That means a lot to me. Now that I think back on it, I really did love him for being such a great man. I had a difficult time with my own father and Merrill was a father I did not have. He filled in as a role model. My mother worships the ground your Dad walked on. As you well know he had his little quirks like all men do but he had such an uplifting...

Merrill was a good friend to my father Jack (original W1EOF). As such he was often around our house or talking with my Dad on the radio or telephone. He always had a smile and a word of encouragement for me, a teenage radio ham. He was always an inspiration as someone who obviously lived his life to it's fullest, and shared so much with so many people. Merrill never knew the number of people he touched in a deep way. Many will feel the loss but to me this is not goodbye but rather "See you a...