W. O. “Kris” Dean, KC7ICH (I Collect Hardware), was one of the last of the radio equipment collectors. I often told him that his place reminded me of Cortlandt Street of New York City’s “radio row” fame transported to the high desert of Central Nevada. Kris would often jokingly refer to his immense collection of thousands of tubes, vintage equipment and sundry radio parts as his “401K.”
Kris, in addition to having a life-long interest in radio, was an avid amateur mineralogist and geologist working at a mining museum, the Tonopah Historic Mining Park, as a front line staffer/impromptu tour guide and as the Vice Chairman of its Advisory Board.
Being a native Texan, Kris had a broad interest in the history of the West, which also made him an ideal choice to be appointed as the interim director of the Central Nevada Museum located in Tonopah.
Kris was always willing to lend a hand (gratis) to every function that the Town of Tonopah held; he was never too busy.