Harold German Biography
biography credit: Carolyn Bausinger

Harold was the oldest of three sons, and grew up in Smethport, Pennsylvania, right by the Allegheny National Forest. This was and is prime hunting and fishing territory. Dad enjoyed fly fishing and did hunt, but his first love was always ham radio, followed closely by photography. Eventually he gave up photographic darkrooms, but always had a radio set nearby at home and in the car.

Harold's careers as a "ham" took him many places he never anticipated. He attended the RCA Institute in New York City and received his radio engineer certificate. During the Depression, he joined the Naval Reserve as a Radioman 3rd class, later an Ensign. In 1939, following the discovery of a spy at the London Embassy, President Roosevelt directed the navy and army to train a small number of men to be dispatched to major embassies as communications and code personnel in lieu of State Department civilians. Dad was one of those selected and was stationed at the Court of St. James, London, throughout the Blitz. Reassigned to duty in Washington just before Pearl Harbor, he spent the rest of WWII there as a CNO code and watch officer on White House liaison.

After the war, and with a young family to supprt, he worked as a manufacturers' sales representative for over 20 years, returning to radio in 1967 as Communications Officer for PA Civil Defense until retirement.

Harold German's younger brother was Ron German, who passed away several years ago and had owned the HG German Seed Co.