William Gard

 The NAMM Foundation announced today the final recipients of its 2010 Music Products Industry Tuition and William R. Gard Memorial Scholarships. The programs support the academic expenses of qualified individuals enrolling in college music education and business programs in the fall of 2010.

Following is a list of recipients for the respective programs:

Music Product Industry Tuition Scholarship Awardees

Kristina Borders-Jasper, Indiana

Annika Bugge-Fort Wayne, Indiana

 Howard Bailey was the executive account representative for the Freeman Companies, which serviced the NAMM show. Howard became a beloved part of the NAMM family and helped develop many benefits for the trade show attendee as well as the exhibitor. Beginning in 1964, Howard provided detail dimensions and locations of the exhibit space (first in hotel sleeping rooms and later in the great ballroom and convention settings), which provided great benefit to the exhibitor, allowing them to be more precise about the inventory they brought to the show.

Barbara Gard and Catherine Poruba are the only children of former NAMM CEO William Gard (1915-1987). Mr. Gard’s legacy is strongly remembered and archived by the people who worked with him over his long career. His daughters added vital background facts and family stories behind the man who built NAMM back up after World War II and took the association into the convention halls and early computer age. Catherine worked with her father in the Chicago office for three years beginning in 1966 and offered insight on his strong relationships with his employees as well as the leaders of the industry.
 

Jerry Gorby followed in his father’s footsteps by becoming a passionate advocate for music and music making. Jerry worked in the family music store, Gorby Music, in West Virginia, later becoming president of the store. Along the way, he was noted for his keen interest in preserving history and promoting the industry. Jerry served as President of the American Music Conference (AMC) and as a resource for the NAMM library when the Oral History program was being established. Jerry’s NAMM Oral History interview was completed on July 21, 2003.
 

Charlie Gorby was a true visionary for the music products industry and the founder of Gorby Music in West Virginia. As a lone store retailer, Charlie was a regular attendee at the NAMM shows beginning in the 1940s when the industry was trying to get back in swing after World War II. He spoke at a series of industry meetings along side his dear friend William Gard. Gard was the CEO for NAMM who often referred to Charlie’s forward thinking ideas in speeches and industry addresses during much of the 1950s and 60s. Mr.

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 the industry. Millie spoke of her role as office manager and the caring way Mr. Gard oversaw the staff. Mr. Gard was restructuring the association after the war and included the staff in many new projects. Millie was put in charge of one of Gard’s ideas to collect a copy of everything NAMM produced and mailed to its members. The files she started are now referred to as the bound book collection in the NAMM Resource Center.

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 by the shift to war needs as were many of its members. The years following the war were difficult at first but with such a boom, it was an exciting time. Joan worked with Bill Gard and six other office employees on the 1948 and 1949 trade shows. The latter was held in New York City and it was the first time Joan ever made it to the East Coast. When motherhood called in 1949, Joan retired to raise her beautiful family. 

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, but increased the global music market with summits, educational programs, and NAMM University. In 2000, another dream was realized when the Museum of Making Music was opened to the public.

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 need to launch a nationwide music promotion campaign in the early 1970s. “Discover Music” and other ideas championed by Bob became an important foundation for other promotional programs.

Catherine Poruba and Barbara Gard are the only children of former NAMM CEO William Gard (1915-1987). Mr. Gard’s legacy is strongly remembered and archived by the people who worked with him over his long career. His daughters added vital background facts and family stories behind the man who built NAMM back up after World War II and took the association into the convention halls and early computer age. Catherine worked with her father in the Chicago office for three years beginning in 1966 and offered insight on his strong relationships with his employees as well as the leaders of the industry.