On July 17th, we received the following message from NAMM’s Dan Del Fiorentino:
William Petersen who served as president of the Selmer Corporation from 1975-1990 during a time of great growth, passed away yesterday at the age of 85.
Bill took over as the head of the renowned band instrument company after the retirement of his old boss and industry icon, Charlie Bickel. Under Bill’s direction the company acquired Ludwig Drums. While the marching drum division was a great fit with the company’s other band instrument products, Bill sought to ensure equal focus would be placed on the combo and kit drum division. He was among the first industry leaders to be interviewed for the NAMM Oral History program and supported us over the years in connecting with others that have since also been added to the collection.
To view a clip from Petersen’s 2002 NAMM Oral History interview, click here: https://www.namm.org/library/oral-history/william-petersen
