Temby, 'Ham' Operator Of Flood in 1955, Dies

Stephen P. Temby, who as a 15-year-old "ham" radio operator in 1955 served as the sole link with flood-devastated Humboldt County for over 30 hours, died Saturday in Oakland after a lengthy hospitalization.

In 1956 he was flown to Washington, D.C., to receive a Certificate of Merit from Secretary of Commerce Sinclair Weeks for his work during the floods.

The citation noted he stayed at his radio for 33 hours handling messages from isolated Arcata Airport and was instrumental in routing relief flights in and out of the area.

Five days later he returned to the air and served as the primary communications link between Arcata Airport and the Air Traffic Control Center, Oakland Airport, and Hamilton Air Force Base, the centers for emergency flights into Humboldt County.

Mr. Temby, at that time a junior in Oakland High School, also received an Edison Radio Amateur Award for "self sacrifice and ingenuity in employing amateur radio in the public interest."

He was cited in the 1955 "Cavalcade of Young Americans," a publication honoring outstanding performances of youth, and stories about him appeared in a number of radio publications.

He attended the University of Redlands and Oakland City College. He became a radio announcer while at Redlands and later was announcer for the Laguna Seca Race.

He also was an announcer for KAAFE, an FN radio station in San Francisco.

A native of San Francisco, he was a member of the First Baptist Church of Oakland and the Sports Car Club of American and a former member of Charney Chapter, Order of DeMolay.

He is survive by his parents, Mr. and Mrs. Lloyd Temby, 2625 Alida St.

Services will be held at 10:30 a.m., Tuesday, at Truman's Funeral Home, 2935 Telegraph Ave.