Discoverer of the first man-made satellite
Posted by Mike on April 27, 2008, from New York, New York
Lloyd “Tyke” Riddick (R) and interview partner Angela Bray (L).
Lloyd Riddick is the kind of person who could tell you stories all day. From his beginnings in “Harlem, USA”; to joining the Air Force as a radio intercept operator; to becoming a top salesman at IBM. Mr. Riddick has done it all and then some, but he has one story for the history books. One night during the Cold War, while stationed in Germany as a radio intercept operator, Mr. Riddick discovered a signal he had never heard before. He passed off his transcription of the dots and dashes coming over his headset, and the next day learned that he was the first person west of the Iron Curtain to capture the signal coming from Sputnik, the Russian satellite. However, it was more than 40 years later, long after the Space Race had ended, that he was honored for his contribution, and able to publicly share his story.
May 4th, 2008 at 2:24 pm
I am thankful that Storycorps exsists and that i had a chance to participate. It enabled me to communicate my story. Everyone has a story they should share. Do not keep it bottled up. Thanks again. Tyke.