LarryC Posted November 30, 2015 Share Posted November 30, 2015 (edited) Norman C. Pickering, one of the greats in the development and evolution of vinyl playback, died of cancer on Nov. 18, at the incredible age of 99, The following draws from the NY Times obit: http://www.nytimes.com/2015/11/29/business/norman-c-pickering-refined-the-record-player-dies-at-99.html His claim to fame was the development of one of the really fine MM cartridge lines in the 1940's, '50's, '60's, and later. The obit presents a fascinating history of a most remarkable person. He became a french horn player after injuring his right hand as a baseball player (horn valves are played by the left hand). He went to Juilliard after graduating from engineering school in New Jersey. In 1937, he joined the horn section of the new Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra. He worked in aircraft instruments, was a founder of the Audio Engineering Society, and president of the Violin Society of America. Although his pioneering work on the phono cartridge appears to have been seminal for the industry, he was surprised at what he thought would be an aid for the broadcasting and recording industry became a widely popular consumer product. I'm not sure he was as singular in the development of phono carts as the article seems to say, but he was certainly widely recognized and honored in his time. Edited November 30, 2015 by LarryC Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikebse2a3 Posted November 30, 2015 Share Posted November 30, 2015 R.I.P Thanks for posting Larry miketn Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DizRotus Posted November 30, 2015 Share Posted November 30, 2015 Thanks for posting this. Pickering was quite the man. Reading about him prompted me to dig a little deeper. Pickering, apparently, invented the modern phono cartridge. He sold Pickering & Co. to Walter Stanton's Stanton Magnetic in 1950. Stanton manufactured Pickering and Stanton cartridges, many of which differed in name only. Stanton still manufacturers cartridges and other DJ equipment. I used Stanton 681-EEE cartridges in my DJ biz in the 70s. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChuckAb3 Posted November 30, 2015 Share Posted November 30, 2015 I tend to take so much for granted, never realizing the history of the products I use or the pioneers who made them possible. Thanks for sharing this article. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moray james Posted December 1, 2015 Share Posted December 1, 2015 what an amazing man. We lost a really great one. I would like to say RIP to Norman but I expect that he is busier than ever now. Best regards Moray James.. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr Morbius Posted December 7, 2015 Share Posted December 7, 2015 RIP Norman, you made us all hear a little bit better! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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