Hoyt Wimpy
b. 1895-d.1982
Born in 1895 in Lumpkin County, Georgia, Hoyt Wimpy was already an experienced automobile and motorcycle mechanic by the time he served in the U.S. Army in World War I. Hoyt Wimpy was an avid aviator between World Wars I and II, and served as state commander of the American Legion. During World War II he was appointed by Governor Arnall as commander of the Georgia State Guard He developed a great interest in electrical matters, including radio, during the war, which he would later pursue. Mr. Wimpy relocated to Thomasville after the war and in December, 1922 put WPAX, the third radio station in Georgia, on the air with ten watts of power feeding a "birdcage" antenna from his garage on Stevens Street. He also constructed and sold receivers, which were reputed to be of excellent quality, was an early experimenter with shortwave radio, and was a licensed amateur radio operator. In 1934 Mr. Wimpy oversaw construction of the present WPAX tower on Remington Avenue. He retained ownership of WPAX until the early 1960s. . He remained very much a radio enthusiast until his death in 1982.