NAMM
Judith Delgado is the daughter of former NAMM President James Kleeman. Known around the NAMM building as the Professor, Jim was a strong leader who helped establish the Professional Development department at NAMM and who helped create NAMM University, a program that provides training classes for...
Karl Bruhn was the Bob Hope of the music industry, having received so many awards and accolades – an award should have been given for the most awards received. Karl gained his reputation as an advocate for arts education and accompished much on many levels to teach an understanding of music and...
Barbara La Mair is the niece of the late industry icon Louis La Mair. During her interview, she provided warm and insightful background into the personal life of this one-time NAMM President. Barbara and her friends just happened to be visiting the NAMM Foundation’s Museum of Making Music at the...
Mildred Kirschner was simply known as Millie around the NAMM headquarters office where she was hired in 1946. The Chicago based association was being run by Mr. Mills when a heart condition forced him to retire. A young William Gard became the next leader of NAMM who has since become a legend in...
James Saied, the founder of the Saied Music Store chain in Oklahoma loved the marches of John Phillip Sousa! In fact, he liked them so much that he teamed with then NAMM President Ziggy Coyle to create the bill Ronald Reagan signed into law in 1983 making the “Stars and Strips Forever” the national...
Joan Kramer was just out of high school when she was hired to do some office work at the NAMM headquarters building in Chicago. The year was 1947, a very important time in the industry’s history and NAMM’s own history. The association’s doors had been closed for two years during the war, affected...
Kay McDowell now (and may always) holds the record for the most NAMM shows attended --83 in a row! As a very young girl, she accompanied her father, the owner of Ludwig Aeolian of St. Louis, Missouri, to the show. Years later, her husband, Bob, took over that business and a very active role in the...
Robert McDowell was president of the NAMM Board of Directors from 1969-1971. During that time he assisted William Gard in the expansion of the NAMM organization, including more hands on involvement with AMC and its publication Music USA. As a retailer in St. Louis for Ludwig-Aeolian, Bob saw the...
Jerry Hershman was a regular fixture at the NAMM Show. In fact, in 50 years, he never missed a convention. During one of his last shows before his retirement, Jerry was interviewed for the NAMM Oral History program. His father formed a New York wholesale company called Hershman Musical Instrument...
Larry "Link" Linkin began his career in the industry as a salesman for the G. Leblanc Corporation and wound up the C.E.O. of NAMM, retiring the year that the organization marked its 100th anniversary. Link not only helped grow NAMM into an international association with ever-growing trade shows,...