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Ken mentioned mentoring someone younger. For me, not mentoring so much as
providing equipment to work on. Over the years, I accumulated quite a few
Tek scopes. Not nearly as many as some of you and mostly the solid-state
stuff (7000-series). I had earlier 500-series (545, 585, 547, 556). The 556
got sold off at a hamfest. The others I donated to the radiology department
where I worked, but I suspect they wound up getting scrapped. I was moving
from NY to Maryland and just did not have the space (or the lab) where I
moved. I am sorry just as much for the PDP-8 and LINC-8 I had to leave
behind - they were given to me but there was no way to move them or where
to put them if I did. I have visions of them in the dumpsters as well (this
was before they separated out "e-waste"). No one wanted them in those days.

Anyway, I bought an R7844 from a guy on eBay, and rather than have him ship
it when I discovered he was a relatively short drive away, I offered to
pick it up. He turned out to be a very bright high school student who
repaired a lot of test equipment on his own and then sold it. He had built
an enviable shop for himself. He still lived with his folks in what had
been an industrial building so there was much more power available than in
a typical residence. After speaking with him and his folks, he seemed like
an ideal candidate to take my Tek stuff that I know I will not have the
time to fix or calibrate. He got two lots - he and his father came to pick
them up; they needed a pickup truck. I kept a 7704A that works and I have a
bunch of plug-ins for it. Plus I kept the R7844 since I bought it from him
in working condition. I have some later TDS3000 series and I will likely
donate the ones I don't use (the physics lab where I worked will take one).
I've kept the TDS3054C. This young man is now in college studying (what
else) engineering and computer science. He sells the equipment he fixes and
it helps pay for his education (though he got a scholarship - having extra
money as a college student is always a plus as many of you likely remember).

I've done the same thing with microscopes. I donated a couple of vintage
Leitz scopes to a not-for-profit mycology study and research group. I gave
an older one to a technologist with whom I worked since her girls were
always wanting to look at things "close up". It was set up as a student
microscope so it wasn't very fussy to use. She sent me a photo of them in
their princess outfits looking through the scope - I got a kick out of
that. I still have a lot of microscopes, one of which is a rare model (a
Zeiss Axiomat - the thing is huge and does not look like a microscope). The
Walter Reed Army Medical Center has a microscope museum but they don't have
an Axiomat, so one (yes, I have more than one) will go to them.

Then there is my space program stuff. Most of it was bought as surplus 30 -
40 years ago when the Apollo program ended and NASA told the contractors
that they could dispose of the stuff - that which had not been requested by
museums or universities or then sold at GSA sales - some even came out
thorough the old US surplus property disposal program. I used to get stacks
of catalogs in the mail every week and knew which bases would get space
program stuff. I've donated some, given away a couple of pieces, and sold
some off (at a spectacular profit - on which I have to pay taxes). If any
of you is interested, just look at the RR Auction sales. I think there is a
"Technology" sale coming up in December; there will be some space program
stuff in it. I have some rare bits - the Apollo Command Module guidance
system hardware (yes, including the computer and the DSKY) but my intention
is to donate that as I'd like to keep it together and make it available for
future STEM-interested kids to be able to see and no sit in some
billionaire's office somewhere.

My wife's greatest fear is that I will pass away and leave her still with a
basement full of stuff. Some of it she knows about and knows the value, but
the rest? I will at least try to let her know someone knowledgeable to
contact.

If you find it depressing to see Tek and other fine test equipment wind up
in landfills or scrap metal piles, I have stories about space program
hardware that are simply heartbreaking.

Steve Horii