March. 1931
P R E S T 0-T I M E S
club had opened the door to many good things and
its work must go on.
Gordon Lattghead, one of the former presidents,
said he had traveled 15,000 miles this year and that
his contacts with piano dealers over the country
showed him that sales were up 1 from 50 to 100 per
cent. "The piano man is getting along better than
many of our brothers in the radio business," he said.
And in conclusion, Mr. Laughead said: "There is
more need for piano salesmen than ever and more
business for them to get."
Harry Bibb, another ex-president, who is in St.
Louis, did not attend the dinner.
Roger O'Connor for Journalistic Work
Roger O'Connor, ex-president, was announced as "a
man who had done a lot of promotion work in put-
ting piano music in the public schools of Chicago,'
and when he took the floor he made the very newsy
announcement that beginning on Monday, March 16,
he would be associated with the Chicago Herald-
Examiner as music promotion manager. Here, on
this great daily, Mr. O'Connor expects to do more
promoting of the piano than ever. He said: "This
change does not mean that I am leaving the piano
business, as I shall be closely associated with the
piano industry."
G. R. Brownell, ex-president, said: "I'm a baby
past president of the club. Therefore, I should be
seen but not heard." He said he had enjoyed the real
fellowship of this club, and every contact with its
members.
The latest bulletin received from Adam Schneider's
home during the meeting was that he was recovering
from a very severe illness and would soon be out
again.
Harry Meixell, executive secretary of the Music
Industries Chamber of Commerce, wished the club all
kinds of success.
Loomis Gets Much Encouragement
Delbert L. Loomis, executive secretary of the Na-
tional Association of Music Merchants, said he had
just received a letter from W. W. Bradford of the
Knight-Campbell Co., Denver, saying he would be
glad to serve as a member of the board of control
for the association. Mr. Loomis had received from
Youngstown, Ohio, and Dallas. Tex., as well as other
points similar words of encouragement from workers.
"This afternoon 1 attended a meeting of piano men in
Milwaukee," he said, "and Milwaukee has promised
to do everything in its power to promote the cause
we are all working for."
Leon Lang Entertains
Leon Lang, who works for Lyon & Healy eight
months every year—live months in spring and three
in the fall—entertainer for the evening, had made a
special trip from Cleveland to do his musical charm-
ing. He said he was born close to the line between
Belgium and Germany and could not speak any Eng-
lish when he came to California several years ago.
But music—the universal language—had brought him
language in many tongues, had brought him friends,
had made a man of him, had made a gentleman of
him. His work at the piano at the meeting included
a mother's lullaby, to her child and other heart songs
and his address was a forcible punctuating of the ne-
cessity to do piano selling from a human standpoint
and success was sure to be added. As an orator Mr.
Lang is as much of an artist as he is at the keyboard.
TWO GOOD BALDWIN STORIES
The new Starrett Netherland Hotel, Cincinnati.
Ohio, which is not only Cincinnati's finest but one of
the finest in the world, purchased two Baldwin con-
cert grand pianos last month. Here concerts can be
given and musician guests can play on them—making
a grand musical setting for a great and beautiful hotel.
Now, turning the searchlight for a moment on
Oklahoma and what do we observe? Behold, M. C.
Hullender, Baldwin dealer in Frederick, Okla., a town
of about 760 families. He operates from his home,
and his sales of Baldwin-made pianos are 37 per cent
of his sales for last year. He made $12,000 net in
three and a half years, and the $12,000 is absolute
net after paying all business expenses and maintain-
ing a family of four children.
WIDE REPRINTS OF BOND'S STATE-
MENT
The statement of President W. S. Bond of the
Weaver Piano Co., York, Pa., expressing his faith
in the piano business as a continuing one, and which
was published in a recent issue of Presto-Times, has
been widely quoted by weekly and daily papers
throughout the country. One item before the writer
as he is typing this, is from the Attleboro, Mass.,
Chronicle, and is headed in big black letters "Piano
Industry Is Coming Back." The item calls attention
to the fact that the Weaver Piano Co. sold more
pianos in December and January than they did a year
ago.
WHERE THEY ARE;
WHERE ARE THEY?
Presto-Times' list of "Where They Are: Where
Are They?" in the February number of this publica-
tion so pleased the readers that a call for an addi-
tional list by several of them is heeded, and so a
number of others once prominent or still at the front
in the music trade who have changed location within
the past year or less is here presented.
Speaking of the February article, Charles H. Par-
sons of 19 South Oxford street, Brooklyn, N. Y., said
to a Presto-Times representative: "I found much
information regarding old friends in the trade with
whom I was associated at our conventions for many
years, and of whom I have lost track since retiring
from business, and I was delighted to hear of them
again. I only wish that you would carry on the list
still further, as I think you have the information and
it is intensely interesting to us who are no longer
active in the industry."
Presto-Times acknowledges its obligations to sev-
eral correspondents and friends who helped out won-
derfully in filling out points of information about these
war-horses^o^the trade in by-gone days and today.
They form an aggregation of business men that any-
one ought to be proud to know.
Dan J. Nolan, whose fame extended from coast to
coast as a wholesale piano man, is now representing
the General Motors Corporation selling the Kelvina-
tor refrigerators.
William C. Heaton, long prominent at the Kohler
Industries, where he was president of the Auto Pneu-
matic Action Co., later general sales manager of the
Welte-Mignon Corporation, New York, and then with
the Zenith Radio Corporation, Chicago, for a year
or so, is now located in New York where he has been
engaged in several, enterprises.
Matt J. Kennedy, piano manufacturers' representa-
tive, for many years located in Suite 532 Republic
building, Chicago, is now a free lance, working in and
about Chicago.
Frank F. Edgar, who served as general sales man-
ager at The Aeolian Co. in New York, is now general
sales manager for Ludwig & Co., New York.
Mr. Boosenberry, superintendent at the Starr Piano
Co.'s factory for many years, also for Smith & Barnes
and for Jesse French & Sons, has retired from active
work and is making his home in Washington, N. J.,
daring the summer and somewhere in Florida over
the winters.
E. S. Rauworth. whose career included the super-
intendency of the Cable-Nelson Piano Co. at South
Haven, Mich., and who became a piano manufacturer
on his own hook some years later at Bellevue, Iowa,
was last heard of at the factory of the Metal Prod-
ucts Co., Clybourn avenue at Lewis street, Chicago.
E. H. Hadley. who for many years created adver-
tisements for The Cable Co., and last year joined the
Grigsbv-Grunow Co.. is now promoting sales by
general publicity for the latter concern.
W. T. Ennis, formerly well known piano retail man
of California and Chicago, now in the insurance
business in Chicago.
(ieorge E. Mansfield, formerly with C. Kurtzmann
& Co., Buffalo, is now with the Everett Piano Co.
Julius and Richard Bauer, of the old firm of Julius
Bauer & Co., Chicago, are still making their office
headquarters in the old Julius Bauer & Co. factory,
1335-45 Altgeld street, Chicago.
W. M.' Plaisted, who died several years ago, was
famous as a piano traveler.
Lem Kline, who conducted special sales and for a
time had his own piano factory on Larrabee street,
Chicago, and made his headquarters in the Republic
Building, Chicago, is now residing at a well-known
South Side Hotel, Chicago.
E. J. Jordan, who was manager for a number of
years at Chicago for the wholesale interests of the
American Piano Co., is now president of the Jordan
Distributing Co.. located in the Franklin building,
Chicago, distributors of radio and Neon sign products.
Will T. Brinkerhorf, whose last position was with
Ludwig & Co., New York, is now living at his home
in Oak Park, 111.
E. M. Atherton, who was a well-known piano trav-
eler a few years ago, is now residing in Muskegon,
Mich. Mr. Atherton traveled for the Amphion Co.,
Manufacturers of piano actions, Syracuse, N. Y., and
later took over the Chase-Hackley Piano Co., of Mus-
kegon, which failed two or three years ago.
A. L. Jewett, who was referred to in the February
list as living in Boston, but whose present position in
the trade was not designated, is traveling in the East-
ern territory for the Starr Piano Co., of Rich-
mond, lnd.
F, V. Galloway, who for many years was in charge
of Henry Holtsman & Sons piano bench and scarf
business in Chicago, has been recently running a
gasoline station in California but at last reports he
was very ill.
W. B. Williams, for many years general representa-
tive of the Sterling Piano Co., has for the past several
years been the eastern representative of the Schiller
Piano Co. at 130 West 42nd street, New York city,
George B. Dow, who established the piano house
of George B. Dow, Inc., 338 West 63rd street, Chi-
cago, sold out his interest in that concern a few years
ago and has lived since in California. However, he
was in Chicago recently and is probably still in that
city.
Harry Markman, piano and stool salesman, who
was widely known, passed away some time ago.
Alexander McDonald, who for many years was ad-
vertising manager for Solimer & Co., New York, is
now in the advertising business in New Jersey, and
resides at 104 Munn avenue, East Orange, N. J.
George Gittins, who was head of the Estey Piano
Co. and later of the Welte Mignon Corporation, is
now a stock broker operating in Wall street.
E. E. Walter, who was active for years as a Cable
Co. eastern representative, is now conducting an
antique shop in Poughkeepsie, N. Y.
A. B. Furlong, who three years ago was president
of the National Piano Travelers Association and was
with the piano manufacturing concern of Ludwig &
Co., New York, is now with a washing-machine dis-
tributing agency and making his headquarters in
White Plains, N. Y.
M. Levien. of Weser Bros., 520-528 West 43rd
street, New York, is still an executive of the same
house.
George H. Hevcrly, formerly of the Story & Clark
Piano Co. New York branch, is now selling electric
:
s gns in New York city.
Henry G. Johnson, formerly of J. V. Steger & Sons
Piano Mfg. Co., later a piano manufacturer at Belle-
vue, Iowa, is now entirely out of the piano business
and is running a lunch establishment on the Dixie
Highway at Steger, 111.
Henry F. Peltier, piano, playerpiano tuner and voic-
ing expert connected with some of Chicago's largest
establishments, is now living in Englewood, 111., but
not working full time and is open for a better engage-
ment.
W. C. Golden, Stultz & Bauer wholesale man for
many years, is said to be retailing pianos at Nyack.
New York.
Dan E. Fabyan. long in the service of the Poole
Piano Co., Boston, is now living at Peabody, Mass.,
and is in quite poor health, as report says.
Charles McConville, traveling piano salesman
known far and wide, formerly with the Gittins "aggre-
gation," is now living in Philadelphia and at the pres-
ent time unattached.
Gustave Behning, of the Behning Piano Co. family,
is still with the Kohler Brambach interests; not trav-
eling but operating from the factory.
William Knabe, one of the Knabe sons, the last
one engaged in the piano business, is now residing
at Larchmont, N. Y., and is in the brokerage business
with E. Paul Hamilton, and has also been in the air-
plane business. By the way, Mr. Hamilton is an ex-
president of the National Association of Music Mer-
chants. He had a long career in the piano business
as a retail manager in Brooklyn, at Newark and else-
where.
H. S. Buttell. formerly a well-known piano traveler,
and at one time a partner in a piano factory at Des
Moines, Iowa, is now in the radio business at Boise,
Idaho.
William Klumpp, formerly well-known traveling
piano man, is now out of the piano business.
William Klemme, formerly well-known piano trav-
eler, is no longer engaged in the piano business.
J. A. Krumme, ex-president of the National Piano
Travelers Association and for some time traveler for
C. Kurtzmann & Co., of Buffalo, N. Y., is at La
Crosse, Wis., most of the time.
W. B. Marshall, who for several years was general
representative for Krakauer Bros., New York, is now
carrying on the business of the Packard Piano Co. at
Fort Wayne, lnd.
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