Trade Regrets: Henry Wickham

On July 1, NAMM’s Dan Del Fiorentino got in touch with the sad news that Henry Wickham passed away on June 29th:

Henry Wickham has passed away after a long illness, which showed the dedication and strength of his devoted wife Patricia.  Henry passed away on Monday at the age of 89.

I was first told about Mr. Wickham and his contributions to the music industry from the late Henry Steinway, who wrote a wonderful note encouraging us to include Mr. Wickham within our interviewed collection.  After that very special interview, which was completed back in 2003, I thanked Mr. Steinway not only for the idea but for the education I received when listening to Mr. Wickham’s incredible story.

The Wickham Piano Plate Co. (1889-1985) was established by his grandfather who turned the company over to his son, Henry’s father, in the years just before the Great Depression. Henry joined the company officially in 1949 after serving in the Navy during World War II.  Henry became the company’s president when his father retired.  The Wickham Piano Company, located in Ohio, created many of the metal soundboards for Steinway and other piano manufacturers both in the United States and Canada. 

Here is a segment from his NAMM Oral History interview: 
https://www.namm.org/library/oral-history/henry-wickham