Rose Wernes Drake

Oral History Information

Interview Date
Birth Date
Deceased Date
Job Title
Salesperson
Company Name
Winter Piano Company
Tags
Winter Piano Company, Music Manufacturers, Pianos, Deceased, Women in the Music Industry, Wilton Syckes, University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA)

Rose Wernes Drake traveled with her husband, Ivor, when he became the second salesperson hired for the Winter Piano Company following World War II. He often said the company got two for the price of one as she soon became as good an asset to the company as he was. It was Ivor’s idea to train her on all aspects of the business and she traveled with him on most every trip. She got to know his many accounts and became friends with many of the retailers and their wives. Together they became one of the most recognized couples in the industry before Ivor passed away in the early 1970s. Years later Rose married famed UCLA coach, Ducky Drake.