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Charles T. Phelan Reminisces
After 65 Years of Traveling
Charles T. Phelan, who sold pianos
on the road for sixty-five years before
retiring, is now living at the Stone-
leigh Hotel in Dallas, Texas. Although
it might be said that Mr. Phelan is liv-
ing in retirement he states, "I have
not been entirely out of the old game all
these years, but have helped out the
boys here in Dallas in a retail way,
some of that time. Two of the leading
piano stores offered me just recently
one management of a suburban store
and the other one head greeter, but I
turned down both because I felt that
I did not care to bind myself down to
a regular routine job again. I might
have been wrong, but anyway, I did
and my only hobby outside of radio,
television and a lot of reading will have
to be my old sport fishing. My health
is fine, so my doctor tells me, and while
I know that the old tree must soon
start shedding its branches, I'm going
to hang on to the trunk as long as the
good Lord is willing.
'"It is one of the brightest spots in
my life to know that I left not only a
clean record but a host of good, warm
friends, lots of whom, of course, are
my dealers, many of whom write me
frequently to make a trip over the old
territory just for a visit. It does my
heart good and my soul rejoices in the
fact that what I did I did alone. No
help from any source. I took courage
from the many knocks and with re-
newed vigor pushed on and on and
had it not been for the war I might
have carried on a few extra years and
no doubt would have, for I have had
several offers from manufacturers since
the war but turned them down as I did
not want to do anymore traveling. I
have just passed my 85th year."
Traveled Until 1941
The last traveling position which Mr.
Phelan held was when he represented
\K inter & Co. in the southwestern ter-
ritory, from which he retired in July,
1941. He was 21 years of age when he
entered the music business, which he
selected because he had a cousin and
an elder brother in the business. His
first experience was with the D. H.
Baldwin & Co. branch store in Colum-
bia. Term, in 1889, and after holding
several retail sales positions in various
cities, he entered the employ of the
Cable Co. in Chicago as Texas repre-
sentative. Then as representative of
the George D. Bent Co., and the Had-
dorff Piano Co. before he entered the
employ of Winter & Co.
In commenting on his retirement,
THE MUSIC TRADE REVIEW, APRIL, 1953
Mr. Phelan said, "It was hard at first
to make up my mind definitely about
retiring, but having sold pianos all my
business life and then find that I could
not get any pianos to sell, and I found
top self in my closet, remain there,
for from what I could hear the travel-
ing game had become one of the trials
far greater than any I had ever en-
countered during my selling days, and
having a comfortable apartment with
a good soft bed and. fortunately, a few
thousand which I had, by hook or
crook, saved for a rainy day, I decided
that maybe 65 years was long enough,
and 72 old enough to call it a day,
which I did."
Bill Pollock Honored for
Kranich & Bach Design
CHARLES T. PHELAN
85 YEARS YOUNG
that I was really too old to start a new
career, I just had to say 'all right, old
boy, the jig is up and so are you'.
Retired At 72
I did loaf for a few years although
during the course of the war and after
it was over decided that I would let the
old traveling bag, still resting on the
Bill Pollock designer for Kranich &
Bach recently received an honorable
mention in the designer awards of the
Hardwood Industry Exhibit, sponsored
by The American Walnut Manufac-
turers Association.
His entry was the Kranich & Bach
Provincial model which recently re-
ceived the Fashion Academy Gold
Medal Award.
In making the award. Mrs. Burdett
Green, for the Hardwood Exhibit Com-
mittee, wrote Mr. Pollock as follows:
"We are pleased to tell you that
your entry Style 'A' French Provincial
Piano was chosen by the judges for
Honorable Mention and will be so pub-
licized.
Our entire Committee wishes to sin-
cerely thank you for your co-operation
in making this year's award contest
successful. We received three hundred
twenty one very fine entries."
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