alon Royal Lamphier - K8ABP - *1928-1985* Born to Vernon (county worker) and EdnaLamphier 31 May 1928 Chippewa Lake Village, Median County Ohio. Our subject Ealon
was one of three kids, the youngest. He accomplished more in this life than many of us. It
appears his home as a boy was Chippewa Lake-Lafayette Twp. Lamp was a U.S. Navy veteran.

EYour author was first aware of Ealon at a
popular ham radio convention in the early
1970s at Findlay, Ohio. Findlay is a modest
city, but somewhat industrial town in western
Ohio south of Toledo. Ealon was out in thewarm September sun one weekend at the citypark amateur radio festivities, pictured below.
Lamp was a wheel chair quadriplegic painting
amateur radio scenes there on canvas in oil.
He was also offering for sale many of his
paintings at the Findlay meet. He sufferedfrom Polio and was making the best of hislife. I didn’t know at the time that he wasliving in the Akron/Stow area, Clevelandregion.
Later on I found the picture posted here in aradio publication, keeping it all these years in
my files. I’m glad there is still information on the internet about our subject left behind forposterity. Lamp’s personal drive and ambition to support himself is an amazing story.
When Lamp lived over here in eastern Ohio at Seville (Akron area) he was residing in a home whichallowed him plenty of comfort in a room for his ham radio equipment and painting avocation. He
enjoyed amateur radio SSB and the Six Meter band as viewed from the photos I have. He also founda love and met Ruth Carolyn Swindell who was a widow and was married November of 1970.
Ealon pictured at Findlay, Ohio in the early 70s - His personally painted Christmas cards were
widely published said his friend Carl Peterson CEO of Accelerated Schools, Denver.
At one point the Leohr family in Seville Oh werecaretakers of Lamp at their facility. Lamp was apowerful artist for 30 years before his death.
We find Lamp suffered Polio at age 21 while
he was in Colorado, which was in 1949. He
would later receive a full fellowship art course
scholarship from Accelerated Schools.
Pres. Carl Peterson of Accelerated Schools
advised he knew Ealon well in Colorado.
When Ealon contracted polio he was treated at
Fitzsimmons Army Hospital, Aurora, Colo.,around 1950. Continued on page two.

Carl Peterson didn’t meet Ealon again until years later in Rittman, Ohio. Ealon’s works werefeatured at the Medina County Fair in 1958 and he won a Second Place Ribbon!
Mr. Lamphier was a member of International Association of Handicapped Artists. Ealon’s
select group of about 70 men and women throughout the world whose work is professionalenough to be saleable. They are now known as “The AMFPA” world wide.
Lamp had gone another step, at one time, his first one-man show of 24 paintings, hung at
Parma’s Center Gallery. Prize winning artist at Lodi, Franklin Bates, worked with Ealon for
5 years with his watercolors to oils. Mr. Ealon (Lamp) K8ABP made this statement in theBeacon Journal “I want my work to say something – to be more than pretty pictures. I want
to do things that will make people think. That’s on my agenda for tomorrow, for next week,forever. Lamp said.”Your author didn’t have the opportunity to chat with Ealon on the mike or key but somehow
doing this research makes me feel I knew him and one day will meet him face to face. Should
you have a Lamphier oil or chalk painting, I would love to purchase one.
Lamp, it was later
revealed had expired 24
Jun 1985 in Hinckley,
Ohio - leaving his wife
Ruth and her previousfamily.
To this very day I
remember this talented
guy painting with thebrush held in his teeth,
dutifully in the warm sun
at the Findlay Hamfest
nearly 40 years ago.
Many articles appeared
nationwide in the press
about our subject and I
found one dated 25 Sept
1959 which read in part; “Paralyzed Artist Uses His Teeth” It typified the grit this man had. “ExNavy man stricken with Polio, I want to be recognized as a painter, not as a cripple who paints,Lamphier said.”

W8SU 2008 and added 2012