Elmo Neale Pickerill was born May 24, 1885 in Greenridge, Missouri. Pickerill was an early wireless radio operator and enthusiast. He used his talents as a radio instructor in the United States Army Signal Corps during World War One, before joining the Army Air Service in 1918. Pickerill later claimed to have been an "Early Bird" (a pilot who flew planes prior to 1916) who made the first wireless radio transmission from a plane to the ground, but these assertions have been contested.
After the war, Pickerill joined the Radio Corporation of America (RCA) and in 1923 was assigned to work on United States Lines' ocean liner the S.S. Leviathan as the Chief Radio Operator. He held this position until the late 20s, when he continued his work for RCA on shore. Pickerill returned to his position aboard the S.S. Leviathan briefly in 1923, but by 1934, he was back on land until his retirement from the radio industry in 1950. Pickerill died in New York in 1968.
This collection is available to the public by appointment at the Steamship Historical Society. Objects that are fragile, significant, or require additional tools to access may require archivist assistance.
Use, reproduction, and/or publication of archival material is prohibited without prior approval of the Steamship Historical Society. Fees and/or restrictions may apply. Please contact the SSHSA archivist, Astrid Drew, at adrew@sshsa.org for more information.
Elmo N. Pickerill Collection, 1968.01, Steamship Historical Society of America Archives, www.sshsa.org.
This collection contains ephemera and objects from Pickerill's time as the Chief Radio Operator of the S.S. Leviathan, as well as ephemera and objects from his other travels and maritime-related activites. S.S. Leviathan ephemera includes documentation of Pickerill's position, as well as a scrapbook of photos taken by Pickerill of the ship's famous passagers. The collection also includes some furnishings from the S.S. Leviathan. Non-Leviathan objects include travel brochures and maritime mementos.
The Elmo N. Pickerill Collection is arranged in four series. Two series are dedicated to items from the S.S. Leviathan and divided by format, while the remaining two series are dedicated to other items, also divided by format.
This collection was received as a bequest from Pickerill upon his death in 1968.