It was 1946 when John Wentzel opened Aladdin Radio in the Inner Sunset in San Francisco. Harry Truman was our 33^rd President and Dinah Shore could be heard on the radio melodically singing, “Shoo Fly Pie and Apple Pan Dowdy… makes your eyes light up, your tummy say, howdy.”

It was just one year later, when Harry Truman addressed Congress with his message,

“America was not built on fear. America was built on courage, on imagination and an unbeatable determination to do the job at hand.”

And isn’t that the same message our 44^th President, Barak Obama reminded us as he gallantly took his oath on January 20, 2009?

As a young man John possessed those very virtues: courage, imagination and determination.

While in High School in Newton, Kansas, he began constructing small radios.

“Back home people didn’t have telephones, but everyone had a radio.”

After college, he enlisted in the Air Force where he maintained and installed radio equipment. John’s sister, Stella was in the Army and stationed at Tinkerfield, Oklahoma. Before being shipped out, John visited his sister. He met Louise, a Captain in the Army and eight years his senior.

“After the War, we got together and got serious.”

Mr. and Mrs. Wentzel headed West. John was stationed in the Mohave Desert what is now known as Edwards Air Force Base. After he served his Country, John and Louise opened their doors and Aladdin Radio began. John did all the repairs and restoration on radios, while Louise was the Bookkeeper. They lived upstairs from their shop and began their family; two sons, Jim and Robert.

Today, John and Louise have three grandchildren and one great grandchild.

As television began to enter people’s lives, and John tells me it was 1949 when the first television channel appeared. The need for radio repair diminished and he took heed and moved onto television repair.

“It was mostly service calls-all over the Sunset, the Richmond and the Mission. In those days, people left their house open. I’d leave the bill on the kitchen counter and they’d mail me a check. It was very trusting.”

I asked him about the most satisfying aspects of the business.

“Customers would call me up and thank me. They’d tell me how good their television worked.”

There is a photograph on the wall of Aladdin Radio’s service truck- A white 1954 Ford panel truck with red lettering, Aladdin Radio. Underneath the photograph is a model truck, a replica of the original truck, hand built by a friend.

John leads me around his shop and explains that radios are symbolic in a family and many people want to restore their family radios and preserve a piece of their history.

He stands in front of one of these family radios.

“This recently came in to be re-built. It’s a 1938 Philco. I’m waiting for a grill cloth. We move an inch and he shows me a black radio.

“This here is one of Hitler’s people’s radios. You see the swastika? He managed to get everyone to listen to his propaganda broadcasts. These radios were inexpensive. If people had other radio’s they were not allowed to listen to short wave broadcasts from other countries. They had these little tags with warnings that they were forbidden from listening to radio from any other country.”

There is somberness in John’s voice. He and his wife are of German descent.

I follow his lead around the shop and he shows me the wooden Play Pal radio. He demonstrates.

“The sides open up.”

Miniature liquor bottles stand erect and John opens the other side of the radio and vintages shot glasses stand in place.

“The top has poker chips, cards and dice.”

He chuckles.

“People would play games, drink and listen to the radio.”

He shows me a French radio, a 1925 Atwater radio and a 1948 Hallicrafter television. He pushes the button and the black and white set comes on and together we watch a snippet of The View.

At the end of 2007, John closed the doors of Aladdin Radio. Today he maintains it is no longer a business, but a hobby and he repairs and restores antique radios for friends.

I see mist in his eighty six year old light blue eyes.

“My wife got sick and I had to put her in a home. It’s hard to be separated. We did everything together.”

I thank John and as I leave these doors, I see an audio recording of Bing Crosby, Two For Tonight. In that movie, Bing sang, I Wish I Were Aladdin.

NEXT WEEK: MEET TIZIANA, BAKERY MANAGER, CAFE GRATITUDE.