Mention the special day once known as Armistice Day to some folks and they might make a connection with the date of Nov. 11. Other folks can explain that this name was the official predecessor to the present Veterans Day.

For folks with memories of the past, the name of Armistice Day is firmly associated with one word: blizzard. And the one former resident so closely connected with the infamous Armistice Day Blizzard of 69 years ago is Sherman (Sherm) Booen.

On Nov. 11, 1940, Booen was the announcer-engineer at Radio Station KATE. The station had been on the air for just over three years and was confronted with what may have been its first major crisis.

In a contribution Booen made to the 1985 book about the blizzard, “All Hell Broke Loose,” by William H. Hull of Edina, he wrote that Nov. 11, 1940, was “a mild morning until about noon when the sky became cloudy and a light rain began to fall. … The barometer was falling rapidly. … Then the rain changed to sleet, then snow grains, and the wind sprang up; by mid-afternoon it was snowing heavily and the winds were at gale force.”

Booen said he checked the teletype and discovered that no weather forecast had been made for what was evolving as one of the worst blizzards of the last century.

Some area people still recall one of his special announcements which resulted because of the storm. Edgar Hayek, the station’s manager, had messages broadcast to his son, John Hayek, and his friend, Paul Jensen, to stay at the family’s cabin on the island in Pickerel Lake and not even attempt to come to Albert Lea. They heard the messages and remained where it was safer.

Booen said it was then against federal radio regulations to broadcast person-to-person messages, but the station decided to air public service announcements anyway.

The station was supposed to sign off at sundown. However, KATE stayed on the air and continued to broadcast personal messages so stranded people could reassure their friends and families that they were safe. And all evening the main message on the dial was, “Stay where you are!”

The roads and railroads became blocked by deep snowdrifts, and utility poles and telephone and telegraph lines outside the city came down. Albert Lea was soon completely isolated from the rest of the nation — except for KATE radio.

In order to establish communications with other localities and to continue its public service work, Booen instigated a then-unusual radio link. KATE broadcast a request for another station to reply on its frequency. Thus, an on-air connection was established with KYSM in Mankato where some telephone circuits were still operational to other areas. (Local telephone service within Albert Lea was also possible.)

However, Booen’s communications activities continued beyond his radio station job. He didn’t get much sleep for several days because at home he was soon on the air with Albert Lea’s other radio link with the rest of the nation. His amateur short wave station, W9RHT, was the only one of its type then in the city. Operating on the 75-meter band, he worked with other amateur operators, also known as “hams,” in the Twin Cities, Fort Dodge and Cedar Rapids, Iowa, and in Illinois to relay voice messages for the railroad companies regarding train locations and schedules. Messages were also relayed for the police, power companies, and between families and friends in different locations.

As a result of his work at the two stations in November 1940, Booen actually became Albert Lea’s only connection with the outside world for about three days during the Armistice Day Blizzard.

On Nov. 14, 1940, the Tribune published an article based on Booen’s volunteer work as an amateur radio operator during and shortly after the blizzard. In this article, Booen explained how atmospheric conditions at times made direct communications between Albert Lea and Minneapolis, for example, almost impossible. Yet, a message for the local M.& St. L. Railroad depot could be sent to another operator in La Porte City, Iowa, (located to the south of Waterloo) who then served as the link by contacting Booen. In this way, a third person provided a vital link in relaying messages during the three-day period.

This article concluded with, “A total of 100 messages were originated relayed, or delivered by W9RHT, Albert Lea.” (Booen’s station was located at 710 S. Washington Ave. in 1940.)

Today, Booen is retired and lives in Richfield. After leaving KATE and Albert Lea in the early 1940s, he served in both World War II and the Korean War as a Marine aviation officer. Booen rose to the rank of colonel in the reserves and retired from military service in 1974.

The former Albert Lea resident continued his announcing career with WDGY and WCCO-TV in the Twin Cities. His television program, “World of Aviation,” was on WCCO-TV for 28 years. He was also the founder (in 1960) and editor/publisher of the “Minnesota Flyer” magazine. Booen has also been elected to both the Minnesota Aviation Hall of Fame and the Minnesota Broadcasting Hall of Fame.