Author: GSpear
Date: 2021-09-28 19:04
Did some more research on Yerke. Here's the extent of what I could find.
Walter R. Yerke was founder and president of W.R. Yerke, Inc., a
company that manufactured clarinets in Paoli and Mitchell, Indiana.
Yerke moved from Detroit, where he worked for the Conn Instrument Company, to Paoli with his wife, Fern. They had a son, Robert, and a daughter, Dorothy (LaPrairie). Yerke founded his company and began construction of his facilities in the Spring of 1946 near the northern end of Paoli town limits, at Hwy 37 and Hospital Road. Production of clarinets began in early July of that year. HIs brother may have also been involved in the company but no further info on the brother has been found. Clarinets were priced at $98. Details at these links.
https://www.newspapers.com/clip/43989031/the-times-mail/
https://www.newspapers.com/image/547569999/
Yerke moved the clarinet factory to Mitchell in the Fall of 1949 after facing production quality problems at the Paoli location. The Mitchell facility was located at 314 Mississippi Ave, which was formerly the Alvey Grocery. Production began in late September or early October of that year. Details at these links:
https://www.newspapers.com/clip/43988416/the-times-mail/
https://www.newspapers.com/clip/43988554/the-times-mail/
https://www.newspapers.com/image/547877828/
Yerke died on a trip to Chicago of a heart attack on March 11, 1952 at the age of 57. The clarinet company closed upon his death. His wife, Fern, lived on to the age of 96 in Mitchell and died December 12, 1988. Details at these links.
https://www.newspapers.com/image/547233541/
https://www.newspapers.com/clip/43988710/the-times-mail/
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The Clarinet BBoard
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