Paul Wilbur (Photo) KLIPSCH (FAMOUS)

Paul Wilbur Klipsch

March 9, 1904 - May 5, 2002

Inventor Pioneer Entrepreneur Pilot Engineer Scientist Legendary Eccentric Lieutenant Colonel Geophysicist

Paul Wilbur Klipsch was born in Elkhart, Indiana to Oscar Coleman Klipsch and Minna Pearl Eddy Klipsch. Oscar was an instructor of mechanical engineering at Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana. Oscar died in 1916 when Paul was 12 years old. Paul and his Mother moved to Silver City, New Mexico. Then later, they moved to El Paso, Texas. He built his first speaker using a mailing tube and earphones when he was 15. He graduated from El Paso High School, El Paso, Texas and enrolled at the New Mexico State University. He was active in the university band, as a cornet player, which helped to develop his love of music and musical interments. He was, also, an award winning member of the school rifle team. After graduation he went to work for General Electric designing radios which were sold to RCA. In 1928, he responded to a notice on the GE bulletin board, which sent him to a new job in Chile maintaining electric locomotives for 3 years. Paul met Eva Belle Hulling in 1928 when visiting his Mother on his way to his new job in Chili. Belle’s family lived directly across the street in El Paso, on Montana Ave. He saw her on the front porch and it seemed to be love at first site. He wanted her to go with him to Chili but her (Step) father would not allow her to go. Paul left alone, established quarters, and sent for Belle. Mr. Quaid was a Mason, as was Paul. Belle was accompanied by Masons on a freighter to Chili for “protection”. Upon arrival, Paul ferried out to the ship and they were married on board by Captain Renault. It was at Latitude 20-17 S / Longitude 70-17 W. Belle was a School teacher and and served as a “Secretary” for Paul.
In 1934 he enrolled in graduate school at Stanford University. After receiving his EE (Engineers degree) he worked for a Texas oil company as a geophysicist.
He served in the U S Army during World War II, earning the rank of Lieutenant Colonel.
Stationed at the Southwest Proving Grounds in Hope, Arkansas gave him time to refine his corner horn speaker design that would change the world of audio engineering. He received a patent on his loudspeaker (Klipschorn) in 1945, and he was working out of a tin shed in Hope, Arkansas, He registered the name Klipsch and Associates in 1946 and made each loudspeaker himself until he hired his first employee in 1948. The Klipschorn is still manufactured and sold worldwide. His acoustics career spanned from 1946 to 2000 when the Journal of the Audio Engineering Society published one of his papers. Over his life time he lived in Hope, Arkansas, Houston, Texas, Palo Alto, California, Tocopilla, Chile, Schenectady, New York, Las Cruces, New Mexico, El Paso, Texas, Lordsburg, New Mexico, Silver City, New Mexico and Elkhart, Indiana.
His Honors were many. In 1878 the Audio Engineering Society’s second highest honor the Silver Medal for his contributions to speaker design and distortion measurement.
In 1997, he was inducted into the Engineering and Science Hall of Fame, in 2004, at the International Consumer Electronics Show (CES), he was inducted in to the Consumer Electronics Hall of Fame
In 1997, he was inducted into the Engineering and Science Hall of Fame In 2004, at the International Consumer Electronics Show (CES), he was inducted into the Consumer Electronics Hall of Fame
Klipsch received a Bachelor of Science in electrical engineer’s from New Mexico State University, in 1926, an EE (Engineer’s degree) ) in electrical engineering from Stanford University in 1934, and a Doctor of Laws from New Mexico State University (NMSU) in 1981. The NMSU engineering department was renamed the Klipsch School of Electrical and Computer Engineering in 1995, in honor of Paul W. Klipsch.
The eccentric touch and no-compromise spirit of Paul W. Klipsch is well known in the industry. For example, Many of the eccentricities of Paul W. Klipsch were captured by author Jim Shahin in a 1989 interview for American Way Magazine, who told of his taking notes during sermons so as to better take issue with exasperated ministers after the service. Parishioners even remember his walking over pews to get out of church. He also retells of an audio retailer’s recollection of Klipsch drilling a hole through the top of his Mercedes to install a gauge of some kind.
While the official company motto is “The Ultimate Sound Experience,” the unofficial one is “Bullshit. Klipsch started using the slogan after reading a competitor’s loudspeaker add that made claims of supposed “breakthroughs.” After that, he wore a yellow "Bullshit" button behind his lapel and showed it to anyone he felt was making an outlandish statement.
Paul’s family was of the Methodist Faith and Paul attuned an Adobe non-denominational church, when living in Silver City, New Mexico with his Mother. Later in life he became a member of the Presbyterians, and then later the Episcopal Church. He met and married his second wife, Valerie Booles at St Mark’s in Hope, Arkansas in 1976
Klipsch’s interest in science and engineering, sound, and music endured throughout his life time. He was the ultimate Pioneer in the field of audio engineeting
He died at the age of 98, in Hope, Arkansas.

Sources: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia,
Paul Wilbur Klipsch the Life...the Legend
by Maureen Barret, Obituary, Information from the online family website.

Contributed on 10/29/13 by tootied
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Record #: 939712

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