Black History Month: Groveland inventor was renaissance man

He worked as an electrician during World War I in the Brooklyn Navy yard, and then worked on the railroad at Groveland before opening a radio sales and repair shop in 1929.

Fire destroyed his Groveland Radio Laboratory only one year later, but Vialet determinedly reopened, and later became a founding officer of the Groveland Fire Department.

In 1938, he invented a testing device which determined the viability of radio antennas. He also operated a dance hall and restaurant, the Harlem Casino, for a few years, taking advantage of the popularity of African-American entertainment and music in white communities such as Groveland.

Vialet was elected president of the Frederick Douglass Mutual Benefit Association in 1936, an advocacy group for Black county residents.

After moving to Rochester in the 1940s and opening Radart Appliance Shop there, Vialet invented a “magic eye” burglar alarm. His shop having been burgled three times in 1947, led him to set up an invisible UV ray and buzzer system which alerted him to a fourth break-in. Swinging open a trapdoor to the roof and switching on a floodlight, Vialet fatally shot the two perpetrators. After submitting to questioning, he was not charged.

In the 1950s, Vialet organized the Kelly Street Music Center in Rochester and, with help from the Frederick Douglas Civic Association, provided free musical instruction to underserved children in the area. He led a neighborhood children’s band there for over a decade.

In 1965, Vialet returned to St. Thomas, passing away there in 1979.

He is remembered for his electrical, entertainment, and educational contributions to communities in Groveland and Rochester.

Holly Watson is historian for Livingston County.

EDITOR’S NOTE: The 1940 U.S. Census identifies David Vialet at living in Groveland with his wife, Daisy B. Vialet, 38; son Leon F. Vialet, 18; and daughter Jeanette L. Vialet, 17.