William Gard

WMAX-TV Host Jim Hutton with NAMM Vice-President, Bill Gard.

 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

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 knownfor 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

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

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 NAMM Foundation’s 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. In 2000, Bob served as the president of the NAMM Foundation’s Museum of Making Music at the time when t

Linda Oberg grew up in a very musical family and was always surrounded by music at a young age. She took piano lessons and studied music in school, which ultimately prepared her to be a piano teacher herself. Linda taught organ with the Yamaha Electone System  and developed an interest in the sales side of the music business. In 1984 she opened her own business, Keyboard Gallery, and continued her work with the Yamaha method and joined the NAMM Board of Directors. While serving on the board and serving as the chair for the Educational Committee, Linda helped establish the William 

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

Lillian Siegh played a vital role in the inner workings of NAMM for over 35 years! William Gard hired Lillian as a secretary in 1949 and for a time she was the office manager before becoming Mr. Gard’s executive secretary. She helped plan many of NAMM’s events and was instrumental in the parties during the NAMM show including the memorable finale evening banquet. After Mr. Gard’s retirement in 1981, she became Larry Linkin’s assistant. She retired when NAMM’s headquarters was moved from Chicago to Carlsbad, CA, in 1984.  

Bernie Vance played the saxophone in a number of big bands during the swing era. He was drafted and served during World War II, only to come home and find that musical tastes had changed. The big band era was over so Bernie turned to what he knew best, his horn. If he couldn’t play it for a living, he would teach and sell. In 1946, the Vance Music Store opened in Bloomington, IN. However, the first year was a difficult one for the store (like so many others in his same situation). Bernie needed to learn about overhead and taxes, which he learned fast.