Presto

37
P R E S T O-TI M E S
January, 1930
The P. A. Starck Piano Company's store at 228-230
South Wabash avenue, Chicago, was rebuilt.
The Jesse French & Sons Piano Company estab-
lished wholesale agencies for the handling of its line
of radio receivers in Scranton, Pa., and in Dallas, Tex.,
and sales offices in Boston, Mass , under the manage-
ment of Lester G. Jones; and in Los Angeles, Cal.,
under the management of Marshall Breeden.
The Grigsby-Grunow Company announced the for-
mation of The Majestic Corporation, with offices at
33 North La Salle street, Chicago, to finance the
paper of its authorized dealers.
The National Carbon Company announced the new
line of Eveready radio receivers specially designed for
the company.
The third annual convention of the New York State
Music Merchants and Radio Dealers was held at
Binghamton.
The Schaefer Pipe Organ Company at Slinger, Wis.,
suffered a loss of $10,000 in a fire.
One piano man realized the average piano man's
dream of success. L. A. Troup of Troup Bros. Piano
House, 8 North Market street, Harrisburg, Pa., built
a $100,000 home.
Towns were selected for the 1929 Conn band con-
certs.
Stephen Alphonse Mondschein, 68, traveling repre-
sentative for the Edmund Gram Piano Company, and
a director of that company, died Friday, May 4.
John Fergus O'Ryan, managing editor of this paper
for more than twenty years past, died at his home
on May 11.
Willard A. Vose, preisdent of Vose & Sons Piano
Company, Watertown and Boston, Mass., died at his
home in Brookline, Mass., May 8.
John Merryweather, owner of the Grand Rapids
Electric Piano Co., Grand Rapids, Mich., died in his
home.
JUNE
The Music Industries' convention and the fifth an-
nual convention and trade show of the Radio Manu-
facturers' Association were held in Chicago during the
week of June 3-7.
A great line of exhibits spread over space in four
hotels was the foremost attraction. The music indus-
tries exhibited at the Drake. In addition to the Ste-
vens, the regular convention center of the RMA, two
other Chicago hotels, the Blackstone and the Con-
gress, were required this year because of the enlarged
radio exhibits.
The twenty-eighth annual banquet of the National
Association of Music Merchants Thursday evening,
June 6, was a fitting climax to the great trade show.
Elections of officers to head the various associations
of the music industries featured the closing hours of
the June convention. The presidents chosen for the
ensuing year were: Music Industries Chamber of
Commerce, Mark P. Campbell; The National Piano
Manufacturers' Association, Frederick P. Bassett;
Music Merchants' Association, Parham Werlein; Na-
tional Musical Merchandise Association, Fred Gretsch;
Musical Supply Association, W. A. Mennie; National
Association of Musical Instrument and Accessories
Manufacturers, H. C. Lomb; National Association of
Sheet Music Dealers. Robert T. Stanton.
Charles Sumner Norris, founder of a piano company
bearing his name at 181 Tremont street, Boston, died
at his home at Brookline, Mass.. on June 3, at the
age of 73.
Charles Healy Ditson, aged 84, music publisher,
president of the Oliver Ditson Company of Boston
and Charles H. Ditson & Co., of New York, died at
his home, 19 East Thirty-seventh street, New York,
on May 14, after a brief illness.
James Gerard, for many years a piano dealer of
Dayton, Ohio, died on April 26 after a short illness.
It was decided to hold next year's convention at
New York, in the Commodore Hotel.
The annual dinner of the National Piano Travelers'
Association, held at the Lake Shore Athletic Club on
the night of June 3, excelled all previous gatherings of
that organization in both democracy of spirit and the
skill of professional entertainers who enlivened the
evening.
The fourth annual national band contest was held
in Denver, May 23' to 25.
The first annual contest on a national scale for
school orchestra, which was held in Iowa City, Iowa,
on May 17 and 18, was an unquestioned success.
J. E. Broyles, former secretary of the Capehart
Automatic Phonograph Corporrtion of Fort Wayne
Ind., was made vice-president and manager of sales.
A. W. Greiner, manager of Steinway & Sons con-
cert and artist department, sailed for Europe on June
1 on the Statendatn, with Mrs. Greiner.
Twenty-three state governors issued a proclamation,
or a public statement, endorsing the sixth annual
Music Week, May 5-11.
Adam Schaaf, Jr., moved its factory plant from 1020
South Central Park avenue to 4343 Fifth avenue.
Chicago.
The Carter Radio Co.. Chicago manufacturers,
moved their plant from 300 South Racine avenue to
407 South Aberdeen street.
Direction of radio sales at the Gulbransen Com-
pany, Chicago, was taken over by Fred Wellman,
former vice-president of the Electrical Research
Laboratories (Erla).
Thomas H. Endicott resigned as general sales man-
ager of the Zenith Radio Corporation to become sole
Zenith distributor for Connecticut.
Conn dealers and branch managers assembled in
Elkhart, Ind., for the fifth annual gathering, a four
days' affair.
The new plant of the Stromberg-Carlson Telephone
Manufacturing Company, Rochester, N. Y., was com-
pleted.
At a meeting of stockholders and directors of the
Gulbransen Company, May 22, the number of direc-
tors was increased from nine to twelve. The three
additional directors are A. S. Wells, G. M. Gardner
and Frank Dillbahner.
Henry L. Mason resigned from the presidency of
the Mason & Hamlin Company.
B. K. Settergren, president of the B. K. Settergren
Piano Company, Bluffton, Ind., returned to Sweden
on his honeymoon for a short visit to his boyhood
home.
More than 1,500 radio dealers, jobbers and manufac-
turers contributed to the displays at the Western
Music and Radio Trades Convention, held at Salt
Lake City in mid-month.
Walter W. Timmerman succeeded William Chris-
tena, resigned, as head of the Christena-Teague Piano
Company, Indianapolis.
All attendance records were broken at the June
convention and trade show of the RMA in Chicago
when 31,589 members of the trade registered.
The big social event of the radio show at the
Stevens Hotel was the annual banquet on the night
of June 5. The program was broadcast from coast
to coast.
Stockholders of the Q R S Co., Chicago, manufac-
turer of music rolls and radio tubes, approved an
increase in the authorized common stock to 400,000
shares. Changing the name to Q R S-De Vry Corp
was also approved.
JULY
The new 16%-acre addition to the plant of the
Atwater Kent factory in Germantown, Pa., was dedi-
cated.
Prof. R. A. Fessenden, noted engineer and inventor,
joined Grigsby-Grunow Company.
Julius P. Witmark, music publisher of New York,
aged 59 years, died.
Charles Klauber, for 25 years associated with Music
Trade Indicator, Chicago, resigned.
Walter Kiehn resigned as advertising manager of
the Gulbransen Company and joined R. S. Williams
Co., and the Q R S Canadian Corporation at Toronto.
lightning struck the Story & Clark factory at
Grand Haven, Mich.
Frank Anrys, for many years the leading spirit in
the Wiley B. Allen Company, San Francisco, died
on July 4.
William H. Schmoller, president of Schmoller &
Mueller Piano Company, climbed the famous Mount
Tamalpais in California.
The Gulbransen Company, Chicago, entered the
radio arena.
Thomas' J. Northway, Inc., appointed Zenith radio
distributor for Rochester, N. Y., and vicinity.
Charles Sumner Norris, piano merchant of Boston,
died.
Fire caused $50,000 loss at the plant of the E. P.
Johnson Piano Company, Ottawa, 111.
Gulbransen dealers to the number of 264 dined
together in Chicago.
AUGUST.
Daynes-Beebe Music Company, Salt Lake City.
Utah, was appointed state distributor for Bush &
Lane radio receivers.
Thomas A. Edison, Inc., brought out two new
portable phonograph styles.
Harry Meixell succeeded Alfred L. Smith as gen-
eral manager of the Music Industries Chamber of
Commerce.
A. L. Rifldick resigned from the advertising depart-
ment of the Kohler Industries to be at the head of
the advertising department of the Pilot Radio &
Tube Corporation, Brooklyn.
J. O. Campbell, one of the original founders of Kok
Kohler & Campbell, New York, died.
Walter Gaulke, pioneer Milwaukee piano dealer,
died.
Alexander W. Greiner, manager of the concert and
artist department of Steinway & Sons, returned to
New York from visiting among distinguished artists
in Europe.
William H. Deutsch joined the Edison sales staff
in Pennsylvania.
Alfred L. Smith, formerly general manager of the
Music Industries Chamber of Commerce, appointed
executive vice-president of C. G. Conn, Ltd., Elk-
hart, Ind.
William C. Heaton began work as sales promotion
manager of the Zenith Radio Corporation.
The National Association of Piano Tuners, Inc.,
met in annual convention at the Hotel Sherman, Chi-
cago.
Otto Schulz, president of the M. Schulz Company,
Chicago, died.
George H. Kiley was appointed general merchandise
manager of the Radio-Victor Corporation of America.
Oscar Schmidt, head of Oscar Schmidt, Inc., Jer-
sey City, N. J., died in Germany while he was on
vacation.
The Welte Mignon organ business was sold at
auction.
Walter C. Hepperla became eastern representative
for the Everett Piano Co. and the Cable-Nelson Piano
Co., South Haven, Mich.
Meyer & Weber moved into the Carbide and Car-
bon Building, Chicago.
The Swedish Club gave a banquet to Thure A.
Johansen, general superintendent of the Cable Com-
pany, on the occasion of his 60th birthday.
Mrs. Clayton A. Grinnell of Detroit, died.
The Steinite Radio Company moved its general
offices from Chicago to Fort Wayne, Ind.
SEPTEMBER.
The Ohio Music Merchants' Association of Ohio
held an interesting convention at the Deshler-Wallick
Hotel, Columbus. The round table method of con-
ducting a convention was carried out with the clear-
est-cut success.
Will T. Brinkerhoff resigned as general manager
of Ludwig & Co., New York.
Rufus H. Caldwell was named as chief engineer of
the Colin B. Kennedy Corporation, manufacturers of
radio, South Bend, Ind.
Joseph P. Jordan, proprietor of the Baltimore
Music Company, Baltimore, Md., died.
G. R. Brownell was elected president of the Piano
Club of Chicago.
G. Dunbar Shewell was appointed musical device
sales manager of the Radio-Victor Corporation of
America.
Earl H. Hadley, former advertising manager of
The Cable Company, joined the Grigsby-Grunow
Company on its sales promotional staff.
Leedy Mfg. Co., Indianapolis, and Ludwig & Lud-
wig, Chicago, were merged with C. G. Conn, Ltd.,
Elkhart, Ind.
S. P. Walker, of Charles M. Stieff, Inc., Baltimore,
died.
OCTOBER
Some two hundred representatives of the Chicago
public schools dined on October 11 at the Medinah
Club and talked over the advancements, problems and
prospects of things musical in their departmental
work.
Charles Jacob, New York piano manufacturer, re-
turned from a trip to Switzerland.
George E. Horton of E. F. Wilks, music dealers of
Sydney, Australia, visited Chicago.
P. E. Conroy, president of the Conroy Piano Com-
pany, St. Louis, died.
H. A. Brown became retail manager of the Bald-
win store in Chicago.
Jubilee celebration held October 21 honoring
Thomas A. Edison on 50th anniversary of his in-
vention of incandescent lighting system. The princi-
pal event was held at Dearborn, Mich.
Alonzo Wookey, piano dealer of Peoria, 111., died.
Herman T. Spain, famous as a piano man in
Indianapolis, later in the East, died at Rockport,
Mass.
B. F. Bush, one of the founders of Bush & Lane
Piano Company, died in Evanston, 111.
Henry C. Brown, known for years as head of the
advertising service of the Victor Talking Machine
Company, died.
Lionel Tompkins joined the Baldwin Piano Com-
pany in Cincinnati in the publicity department.
James T. Bristol joined the Majestic radio service
in financing with offices at 33 North La Salle street.
Chicago.
NOVEMBER.
Secretary E. C. Boykin. of the National Piano Man-
ufacturers' Association, New York, sent out a mes-
sage telling dealers that pianos can be sold and
urging them to work hard.
William R. Steinway arrived in New York from
Europe for a stay of several weeks in this country.
Gilman Anderson joined the Gulbransen Company.
Alvin H. Waite, piano man of Seattle, Wash.,
died.
The Capehart Corporation, Fort Wayne, Ind., broke
ground for a large addition to its factory.
Emil W. Wolf was elected president of the M.
Schulz Company, Chicago.
Fred P. Bassett was elected president of the Chi-
cago Piano Manufacturers' Association.
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