True Family Collection on Charles D. Herrold
Finding aid created by History San Jose Research Library staff using RecordEXPRESS
History San Jose Research Library
2023
1661 Senter Road
San Jose, California 95112
(408) 287-2290
research@historysanjose.org
http://www.historysanjose.org/
Title: True Family Collection on Charles D. Herrold
Dates: 1890-1959
Collection Number: 2021-23
Creator/Collector:
Herrold, Charles D.
True, Stephen
Greb, Gordon
Extent: 9 linear feet (10 boxes)
Online items available
Repository:
History San Jose Research Library
San Jose, California 95112
Abstract: Papers and photographs originally belonging to Charles "Doc" Herrold, documenting his early wireless inventions and pioneer
KQW radio broadcasting in San Jose, as well as his later career through the 1930s at stations in Oakland.
Language of Material: English
The collection is open to the public for research by appointment.
Contact History San Jose Research Library for reproduction and publication.
[Identification of item]. True Family Collection on Charles D. Herrold. Collection Number: 2021-23. History San Jose Research
Library
Donated to History San Jose in 2021 by the True family.
Biography/Administrative History
Charles David Herrold is best known for broadcasting the first regularly scheduled programming from his radio station in San
Jose, California, known originally as FN and later KQW. In 1949 it became KCBS. Herrold was an astronomy and physics student
at Stanford University, before leaving to pursue his wireless inventions and founding the Herrold College of Engineering and
Wireless in downtown San Jose. Herrold went on to work at Oakland's KTAB and sold advertising for multiple radio stations
in the Bay Area. He died in 1948 in Hayward.
Scope and Content of Collection
Papers originally belonging to Charles "Doc" Herrold, documenting his early inventions and pioneer broadcasting in San Jose,
as well as his later career through the 1930s.
Most of the papers were assembled into eight binders by Herrold's grandchildren Jim and Steven True, with the help of broadcasting
historian Gordon G. Greb, who used the material as research for his book with Mike Adams, "Charles Herrold, Inventor of Radio
Broadcasting." A typed index of the documents in the binders was compiled by Greb and Stephen True.
The collection also includes several folders of early notes from Herrold's astronomy courses at Stanford University, as well
as material from the 1959 "Golden Anniversary of Broadcasting" and several clippings on Herrold's legacy dating to 2009.
The collection includes one photo album with many images of Herrold and his wireless students conducting outdoor experiments;
the True family; Herrold's early inventions; Station KQW and Herrold's radio engineering school in San Jose.
Radio broadcasting--History
Inventors
Radio stations
Newby, Ray
Portal, Emile
Sanders, C. Kenneth
True, Sybil
KQW (Radio station: San Jose, Calif.)
KTAB (Radio station: Oakland, Calif.)
San Jose (Calif.)
Oakland (Calif.)
Santa Cruz Mountains (Calif.)