Alvin Devane
Amateur radio operator, police lieutenant, and namesake of an Austin street.
Alvin Earl DeVane (November 2, 1923 – January 1, 2012) served as a sergeant in the Army Air Forces, later became a lieutenant with the Austin Police Department, and was an avid amateur radio operator. A street in Austin, Texas has carried his name since its opening in 1984. He was also a longtime member and former president of the city’s barbershop singing community.
Born in Elba, Alabama, in 1923, DeVane enlisted in the Army Air Corps in 1943. During World War II, he worked as a radio operator on a C-47 in the Pacific Theatre, assigned to the 318th Troop Carrier Squadron of the 3rd Air Commando Group.
DeVane joined the Austin Police Department in 1957 and retired in 1983. He spent most of his career as a patrol officer, eventually earning the rank of lieutenant and working in the traffic office. In May 1981, he was photographed in uniform at a disaster center during a major Austin flood.
As he neared retirement, one of his daughters wanted to give him a street named in his honor. She first wrote to a popular newspaper columnist at the *Austin American-Statesman*, then looked into renaming the street he lived on, but found that too complicated. Instead, she contacted a friend in the city’s Street and Bridge department, who helped connect her with a developer planning a new development in southeast Austin—the future site of Advanced Micro Devices. The developer agreed, and in December 1984, the street was officially named. The city made a sign and a plat map for her to present to her father. The event was covered by a local TV station and later picked up by the Associated Press, appearing in a Dallas newspaper.
While stationed at Austin’s Bergstrom Field during the war, DeVane met his future wife, Antoinette “Toni,” at a USO dance. They married in September 1944 and had four children and seven grandchildren. His namesake, Alvin DeVane II, lives in Dallas.
DeVane was a fan of Texas Longhorns sports and especially their marching band during the DiNino era. He sang with The Chordrangers barbershop chorus and served as president of Austin’s chapter of SPEBSQSA, the Barbershop Harmony Society. As a ham radio operator, he used the callsign WB5HZQ.
Quick Facts
- Birth Date
- November 2, 1923
- Birth Place
- Elba, Alabama
- Death Date
- 2012-01-01
- Resting Place
- Oakwood Cemetery, / Austin, Texas
- Known For
- 26 years with the Austin Police Department and namesake of Alvin DeVane Boulevard
- Spouse
- Antoinette ("Toni"; m. September 1944, d. November 2011)
- Children
- 4
- Callsign
- WB5HZQ
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
DeVane was born in Elba, Alabama in 1923 and enlisted in the Army Air Corps in 1943. He served as a C-47 radio operator in the Pacific Theatre, assigned to the 318th Troop Carrier Squadron (Commando), 3rd Air Commando Group. During his military service, he was stationed at Austin's Bergstrom Field, where he met his future wife, Antoinette "Toni", at a USO dance; they married in September 1944 and had four children and seven grandchildren.
After the war, DeVane joined the Austin Police Department in 1957, spending much of his time as a street cop before achieving the rank of lieutenant and serving in the traffic office. He retired in 1983. The American-Statesman pictured him in uniform among others at a disaster center for a May 1981 flood in Austin.
DeVane was an amateur radio operator with the callsign WB5HZQ. He was also a member of The Chordrangers barbershop chorus and a former president of Austin's chapter of SPEBSQSA, the Barbershop Harmony Society. He was a fan of local Texas Longhorns sports and their marching band, particularly during its DiNino era of directorship.
Reader's Guide
DeVane's legacy is most visibly marked by a street in southeast Austin named for him, opened in 1984. The naming originated as a retirement gift idea from one of his daughters. She first wrote to a popular Q&A columnist in the Austin American-Statesman, Ellie Rucker, then explored renaming the street he lived on, but found that too cumbersome. She instead contacted an acquaintance in the city's Street and Bridge department, who helped connect her with a developer planning a new development that would become the site of Advanced Micro Devices. The developer agreed to name a street after DeVane. Street and Bridge made a street sign for her to present to him along with the city plat detailing the location. The event was covered by a local news television station and picked up by the Associated Press, appearing in the Dallas paper. His amateur radio activity and leadership in the barbershop harmony community further reflect his engagement with Austin's civic and cultural life.
Did You Know?
- He met his wife at a USO dance while stationed at Austin's Bergstrom Field.
- A street in Austin, Texas has been named for him since December 1984.
- He was a former president of Austin's chapter of the Barbershop Harmony Society (SPEBSQSA).
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