Engineer Stanley Swanson died in Yuma, Ariz., in late December, according to an article in the HCJB newsletter. He was 83.
According to the account, Swanson first heard HCJB out of Ecuador in 1940. He obtained an electrical engineering degree in 1950 from Purdue University in West Lafayette, Ind., and studied at the University of Maryland; he taught at North Dakota Agricultural College (later renamed North Dakota State University).
He worked at Motorola, the Naval Research Lab, Stromberg-Carlson and General Dynamics. Radio station work included WCMF(FM) in Rochester, N.Y.; HOXO in Panama; and KVMV(FM) in McAllen, Texas, where he became involved in the growing World Radio Network.
That organization’s Glenn Lafitte is quoted saying, “Those of us who knew Stan and had the privilege of serving with him will tell you that he was the model to which all missionary engineers should aspire.”
Swanson put several WRN stations on the air, including KBNL(FM) in Laredo.
“Stan’s retirement at age 65 in 1993 didn’t mean that his ministry years were finished,” HCJB reported. “In 2004 he moved to Yuma, Ariz., to serve at WRN station KYRM(FM) and to be nearer his son, Douglas, daughter-in-law, Raquel, and grandson, Steve. Douglas and Raquel formerly served as missionaries with HCJB Global and WRN at KYRM.”
Swanson’s name appeared in Radio World, too, including his 2010 article about the FMeXtra technology.
He died on Dec. 26 after a struggle with pancreatic cancer.
Read the article about Swanson.
