Sept.-Oct, 1936
president. In 1905, on the death of W. W. Kimball,
the founder, he was made president.
It was from an ancestry of this character that the
.IOHN ANDERSON
subject of this memoir inherited the sterling qualities
• Death has recently taken a very important figure of character, integrity and citizenship manifest in his
in piano building in this country. John Anderson, who everyday life. Qualities which, too, coupled with
died at his home, 53 Lombard street, Newton, Mass., manifestations of conservative traits gave a personality
was known as an adept in piano scale drafting and
of peculiar strength and influence to the music trade
piano construction.
and industries of this country.
Born in Sweden, he won a government prize as the
Mr. Kimball began the ways of life as a farmer
best student in cabinet making and with this prize
boy. He was given a thorough schooling and a sound
money he traveled on the continent of Europe, visit-
education in anticipation of seeking a commercial
ing various piano factories, and in 1884 landed in
pursuit, possibly with his uncle, W. W., at Chicago.
America and soon after reaching these shores secured
This inclination became a reality and he was not slow
employment at the Steinway factory. New York.
in acquiring the routine of things at the Kimball
When the Shaw piano factory was started at Erie,
I'a., he went with that concern and made the piano offices. He soon started road work and followed the
from scale to case. After an interval of several years, occupation of piano roadman for many years. So
thoroughly had he grasped every detail of the expand-
working assiduously at various locations he joined
ing Kimball business that upon the death of the
the Everett Piano Company at Boston and later the
founder he was made president of the corporation,
Mason & Hamlin Company and Chickering & Sons
at their Boston factory. The product of this genius a position he held until his passing, July 30th last.
is recognized as work of the highest grade in piano
WILLIAM R. PRICE
building.
• Another charming character in the music trade
• The late R. W. Wilson, who was known on the fraternity, Mr. William B. Price, passed aw T ay Sept. 29
air as "Uncle Bob," of broadcasting station WIND,
Chicago, had a large circle of friends among music at Johnson City, Tenn., where he had been since he
trade people. Before connecting up with radio Mr. gave up a position with Harris, Upham & Co., bonds
Wilson was identified with music publishing. He
used to be at the Chicago Piano Club for luncheons
and on one or two occasions was one of the speakers.
He was a congenial and much-liked exparte member
of the Chicago music trade fraternity.
3fn jHemortum
CURTIS N. KIMBALL
• A great fortune came to this nephew of the founder
of the house of W. W. Kimball who had been a faith-
ful servant, employee and official in Mr. Kimball's
activities up to the time of his death in 1905 and who
had much to do in the successful business which he
joined in his earlier days.
But this inherited fortune, measured in gold and
securities or in prestige, is meager and negligible to
the gift endowed by inheritance from a sturdy, stal-
wart, honest parentage.
The father of C. N. Kimball, a native of the state
of Maine, settled in Mitchell County, Iowa, some
eighty years ago where he was a farmer up to the time
of his death. The Kimball family home was not far
from the town of Osage. At this home Curtis Kimball
was born in 1862. His father, David Wheeler Kim-
\1
PRESTO-TIMES
W. B. PRICK 20 YEARS AGO.
and mortgages, 112 W r est Adams street, Chicago, last
April. Mr. Price went to Tennessee on account of a
fractured elbow, to be with his daughter, one of two
children whose mother was the former Mrs. Price
when their home was at Hendersonville, N. Car.
Mr. Price started his music trade career in a little
town in Tennessee. His activities and music trade
proclivities, coupled with a love and talent for music,
gained him a position with the Farrand & Votey
Organ Co. of Detroit, Mich., as traveling representa-
tive, with which concern he remained until Mr. Votey
joined the Aeolian interests in New York City. He
then joined the W. W. Kimball Company and re-
maining with them several years, went with the Cable
Company, becoming in due time the secretary of that
corporation. He relinquished his Cable Piano Com-
pany position to join Frank W. Teeple who had been
a Cable traveling man for a'long time, in the manu-
facture of pianos. The Price & Teeple Piano Co. was
established at Chicago and a prosperous and success-
ful piano manufacturing business was carried on up
to about nine years ago when the business went into
liquidation and the offices in the McClurg building
were discontinued.
convention, was reminiscent of the flash that came
to the Statler Hotel in June, 1918, telling of the death
of Charles Kohler, founder of the Kohler industries.
This was the annual gathering of the National Music
Merchants' Association. The news came the second
day of the convention and was confirmed in a tele-
gram from Corley Gibson from New York, repeating
the cablegram he had received from Mrs. Kohler from
Paris. This message said: "Charley is gone. Passed
out this morning. Returning first steamer."'
Mr. Gibson was a nephew of Mrs. Kohler, who
was a sister of Mrs. Charles E. Byrne. It was in
the office of the Charles E. Byrne piano factory where
Charley Kohler was "taking care of the books" that
he met his future wife.
The Kohler Industries Corporation has been op-
erating in the interests of Mrs. Kohler by Mr. Gibson
since important changes took place in that business.
Mr. Gibson was popular in the trade; his friends em-
braced the entire music trade and industry, for his
virtues were many. Certainly his faults were few and
every omission long ago forgiven.
LOUIS <:. WAGNER
• Chicago music trade circles were shocked to read
in the Friday evening paper, Sept. 18, a notice of the
death of L. C. Wagner, manager of the Chicago Bald-
win Piano Com-
pany s t o r e . Mr.
Wagner was loved
and esteemed by a
l a r g e circle of
friends both in and
out the music trade.
He had worked as-
siduously in the in-
terest of trade pro-
motion and h i s
work in connection
with the Piano and
Organ Association,
of which he had
been president, was
v e r y beneficial to
that
organization,
and in fact a sus-
taining influence in
the welfare of the
association.
Mr. Wagner was
engaged by the late
H. C. Dickinson to
come to Chicago
and take charge of
the Baldwin piano
store in 1930. He
LOUTS C. WAGNER
had been with the
Henry F. Miller &
Sons Company in Boston previous to that and im-
mediately before coming to Chicago had been with
the American Piano Company in New York. His op-
erations in Boston also were with the Chickering
store in that city, which store for many years has
been under the management of H. C. Spain.
Mr. W r agner was born in Long Island, New York,
and his ashes will probably be taken back to the
family plot at Flushing. Mr. Wagner will be sorely
missed by those with whom he was formerly asso-
ciated and he is mourned by his many friends. Resolu-
tions of respect and sympathy have been drafted by
the Chicago Piano and Organ Association and will
be presented to Mrs. Wagner and her two sons, Robert
and Richard.
Mr. Wagner lias been succeeded as manager of the
Baldwin store by Mr. R. K. Fanning, who had been
an able assistant to Mr. Wagner and whose associa-
tion with Baldwin dates back about a score of years,
nearly all the time at the Chicago office. Mr. Fanning
is regarded as an able as well as experienced piano
trade man, a gentleman who will be well fitted to hold
the position to which he has been appointed with
honor and credit to himself and his employes.
The late Mrs. Price passed away upwards of ten
years ago. The Prices had made their home at the
Surf residence hotel, Chicago. Mrs. Price was a
woman of remarkable talents in literature, art and
music. She was composer of several songs, some of
them published by the Clayton F. Summy Company
of Chicago. Her last volume of poems contains many
gems in poetic thought and expression. She was a
linguist and scholar. Her passing was a severe blow
to Mr. Price and after her death he gave a memorial
FREDERICK A. HOSCHKE
for her, where numerous persons identified with cul-
C. N. KIMBALL 25 YEA US AGO.
• The death is announced of Frederick A. Hoschke,
ball, had come west a little in advance of his brother, tural organizations and men and women of talent
William Wallace, who located in Chicago and, as gathered to help Mr. Price do honor to his distin- who had been associated with the Everett Piano Com-
authentic music trade history tello us, started to sell guished and talented helpmate, Natalie Whited Price. pany in the production of the Orgatron electronic
pianos in the 50's. From this beginning the W. W.
organ put out by the Everett Piano Co. some time ago.
CORLEY GIRSON
Kimball piano business started in 1857, later becoming
Mr. Hoschke was the inventor of this instrument and
• The news of the death of Corley Gibson, which
the W. W. Kimball Company, the name it bears
was heralded, passed around the corridors and ex- brought it to its present standing as one of the out-
today and of which organization C. N. Kimball became
standing
electric
organ productions of the day.
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