Extremely Devoted Former NAMM Employee, Lillian Siegh, Passes Away at 84

NAMM’s longest living employee, Lillian Siegh, died peacefully on Nov. 23, 2011 at the age of 84. She played a vital role in the inner workings of NAMM for more than 35 years, where she began her career as a secretary, before retiring from NAMM in 1984.

One of her most important and enduring contributions to the NAMM membership was the creation of the NAMM Bound Book collection. She created these archives by collecting member collateral, press releases and official executive letters. These bound books are an invaluable resource to this day, documenting NAMM’s interaction with members and industry history through a chronological record of activities from the late 1940s to present day.

Throughout her time at NAMM, Siegh was the office manager and later the executive secretary to William Gard, NAMM executive vice president, until his retirement in 1981. She then became the assistant to former NAMM president and CEO Larry “Link” Linkin.

“Lillian was smart, determined and a dedicated NAMM employee,” said Linkin, NAMM president and CEO from 1981-2001.  “She handled any task that was given to her with professionalism and passion. She was certainly missed when she did not move to California with us.  But, she did attend our grand opening and was quite proud to see how far we had come from 222 W. Adams Street, Chicago,IL.”

Siegh planned many high profile NAMM events and NAMM Show parties, including the memorable finale evening banquet at the show during her tenure from 1949 to 1984.

It was with a heavy heart that Siegh made the extremely difficult decision to retire rather then uproot herself and move across the country when NAMM’s headquarters were relocated from Chicago to Carlsbad, Calif. in 1984. A celebration of her life was held earlier this year to remember and honor Lillian’s intelligence, incredible foresight and the kind of woman that she was.

To learn more about Lillian and her many contributions to and insights on the music industry, watch her NAMM oral history.