I. Eugene Van Sickle, the owner of the Van Sickle Radio Supply Company, was born in Illinois in 1907. He arrived in Indianapolis sometime later, and graduated from Arsenal Technical High School in 1925. Before he graduated, he earned his Amateur Radio License, which was just the beginning of his career in the “ham” radio industry. In 1932, when Van Sickle was in in his mid-twenties, he founded the Van Sickle Radio Supply Company.
Van Sickle installed many of the early sound systems in famous Indiana venues: in 1939, he installed the sound system in the Indiana State Fairgrounds Coliseum; during that same year, he installed a similar system at the Purdue University Music Hall. In 1946, he installed a new sound system at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. He also created sound equipment for the military during World War II. Van Sickle worked at the Van Sickle Radio Supply Company until he retired in 1975. He passed away in 1997, and is buried in Crown Hill Cemetery.
This ad, from the 1951 Broad Ripple Riparian yearbook, features a picture of Van Sickle in his store and the ham radio tag, “Cq Cq,” which is a common invitational call over amateur radio.
