Dr. Harold Chamberlin, 86, dentist, avid 'ham' operator
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Dr. Harold Chamberlin's Mercedes Benz started out like any other car, but his became a one-seater. The other seats in the car were all filled with gear for his favorite pastime: ham radio.
From his preferred vantage point atop a hill in Mount Auburn Cemetery in Cambridge, Dr. Chamberlin could connect with people all over the world. His call letters, W1PFX, were recognized across the globe.
From this network of radio enthusiasts, Dr. Chamberlin amassed hundreds of postcards with radio call signals on them. Dr. Chamberlin, who practiced dentistry in Wayland for 40 years, died Dec. 15 at Massachusetts General Hospital. He was 86.
Born in Newton, Dr. Chamberlin graduated from Kimball Union Academy in New Hampshire and attended Bard College in New York for three years before enlisting in the Army Air Corps during World War II. He served in the China-Burma-India theater as a radio operator, and completed his bachelor's degree at Boston University in 1947. He graduated from Tufts Dental School in 1953.
Patients often addressed their bills to "The Tooth Fairy," said his son-in-law Patrick Dolan, of Belmont. "He used to give out business cards that said 'The Tooth Fairy' on them," Dolan said.
He belonged to numerous ham radio groups, including the American Radio Relay League and the American Radio Lighthouse Society and the Minuteman Repeater Association, his wife said. He founded the Clay Center Amateur Radio Club at the Dexter School in Brookline. The club's membership includes four astronauts, his wife said.
Dr. Chamberlin's wife, Mary, said that he was an avid naturalist and birder and loved fishing and hunting. But, Dolan said, Dr. Chamberlin never kept the fish he caught. "He tied his own flies, knew all about nature, but he never kept a trout - he always threw them back," he said.
In addition to his wife and son-in-law, Dr. Chamberlin leaves two sons, Dr. Thomas of Falmouth and Austria and Harold of Scarborough, Maine; a daughter, Cynthia of Enterprise, Fla.; a stepdaughter, Alexis of Belmont; and six grandchildren. A memorial service will be held Jan. 3 at 12:30 p.m. at Martha Mary Chapel in Sudbury.
