Radiomuseum.org founder honored

An article about this was first posted here by Alessandro De Poi in the Italian language section of RMorg.

“I could hardly imagine something like this happening to me,” 

remarked Ernst Erb.  “Aren’t these kinds of awards just for well-known ‘personalities’?”  Now perhaps he could see that what had happened to him in China a number of years earlier -- an honorary fellowship bestowed upon him by a major Chinese radio society – was a harbinger of things to come.  In a similar vein, Ernst was invited to Bologna, Italy on October 22, 2018 by the Alma Mater Studiorum, the world’s oldest university, to receive the Sigillum Magnum – its highest honor – for his work leading to the creation of the virtual Radio Museum (radiomuseum.org), which is recognized as the most important and significant nonprofit institution for preservation and documentation of radio broadcasting technology – an organization with 16,822 members from 90 nations.  The award also honored Ernst’s book Radios von Gestern (“Radios of Yesterday”), which is widely recognized as a groundbreaking contribution to the field of antique radios.

       

        The Sigillum Magnum Medallion

Ernst Erb receiving the award in Bologna

The following are excerpts from Ernst’s address at the award ceremony:

“This is a great occasion for me – and also a big surprise.  Thank you very much to all who made this true.  Thanks in particular to the President of the School, Professor Dr. Ezio Mesini and to Professor Dr. Roberto Guidorzi and Professor Dr. Aldo Andreani who cared so much for my wife and me in Bologna.  Here I am only the representative for thousands of members who have helped build up the content of Radiomuseum.org.  I want to give my thanks to Alessandro De Poi and his brother Giovanni from Italy.  It is they who worked a lot for the Italian section of Radiomuseum.org.  Without them the Italian radio history would not be documented so widely.  Their work shows the many wonderful radio models Italy’s industry has created and produced.  That past industry allowed many modern industries to prosper today.

“Having an education based on the Bologna Declaration doesn’t guarantee an optimal outcome.  I think it would be better if professors could work with smaller groups of students.  Or is the number of students simply too great to allow this?  We should truly help children and young people discover and nurture their interests and passions, even if such interests only come to fruition as a hobby -- which may be especially important for those who don’t have the privilege of an education based on the Bologna Declaration.”

Ernst Erb in Bologna

In addition to receiving the Sigillum Magnum from the university, Ernst was also inducted by the Guglielmo Marconi Foundation as a Marconista del XXI Secolo (“Marconist of the 21^st century”) – an honor that he didn’t want to claim for himself alone.  “This was made possible by the many thousands of Radiomuseum members – I’m here as their representative.”  In his acceptance speech, he noted that technical discoveries are often met with a combination of curiosity and the desire to turn such discoveries into something useful.  This is visibly apparent in the example of the inventions of the early radio pioneer Guglielmo Marconi and the radio industry which grew out of his discoveries, which in turn became the basis of many flourishing industries of the modern era.  Some further comments from Ernst’s acceptance speech:

“To my generation, early radio principles such as amplitude modulation (AM) were easily understandable; even children could build a crystal radio or simple vacuum tube radio.  These experiences led many young people to study electrical engineering.  Unfortunately current political decisions are leading to the elimination of AM broadcasting, so these kinds of eye-opening experiences for young people are disappearing.”

      Emblem from the Marconi Foundation naming Ernst Erb as a “Marconista of the 21^st Century”

A video of the ceremony in which Ernst was honored in Bologna can be viewed here:  Sigillum Magnum Video

In addition to the radio related awards above, Ernst was also surprised by being honored by the largest animal rights organization in Italy, the LAV (Anti Vivisection League).  They thanked him “for his extraordinary efforts to promote a vegan lifestyle in the interest of health, animal welfare, and environmental protection.”  This honor was bestowed in recognition of the DH Foundation (diet-health.info), which Ernst described as his “latest and most important child.”

Ernst’s award from the Italian Anti Vivisection League

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