Donald Lewes Hings

The inventor of the Walkie-Talkie

 

 

HINGS - Donald Lewes, of Burnaby, BC, died peacefully in his home on Capitol Hill at the age of 96 on Wednesday, February 25th, 2004, to join his beloved wife, Rakel, who predeceased him in December, 1999. He is survived by his sister-in-law Arla Saare plus his four children, Donald P. Hings (wife Ann), Doreen Player, Elaine Cramer and Mary-Lynn (ML) Burke, as well as 15 grandchildren and 25 great-grandchildren.

 

Don was born in Leicester, England, November 6, 1907, and moved to western Canada as a young boy. He was a pioneer in the field of telecommunications, and best known for his invention of the Walkie-Talkie during WW II. In 1946 he was awarded the Member of the British Empire by King George VI and fifty-five years later in 2001 he was presented with the Order of Canada by Governor General Adrienne Clarkson. Self-taught, he was a lifetime member of the Professional Engineers Associations of BC and Ontario, the American Geophysical Union and the Canadian Signal Corps where he had been very adept at tapping Morse Code. VE7BH was his HAM radio call sign, with which he talked to the "HAM boys" well into his 90s.

 

His life work includes a wide-range of antenna, radio technologies and geophysical exploration techniques using electromagnetic instrumentation that he developed. He has more than 55 patents to his name in both Canada and the US. Hings was described by his US Patent Attorney has being the most creative thinker he had ever encountered.

 

The presence of this unassuming pioneer and family man shall live on in the hearts of all who knew him, and his influence within the realm of communications shall continue to unfold.

 

A celebration of Don's life was held at the Burnaby Funeral Directors, 4276 E. Hastings, on Thursday, March 4th at 3:00 PM.