Category: Historical

In May 1965, Sidney N. Shure received a fan letter from George Shearing, a jazz pianist and composer. It read: Just a brief note to tell you how much I enjoy your microphone and phonograph [cartridge]. I consider the Shure equipment among the very best I have seen, and a joy to use. Thanks for everything. With every good wish for you and yours. Most sincerely, George Shearing. Mr. Shearing, blind since birth, typed the letter using a Braille typewriter.… -more-

The first Shure factory, located at 225 West Huron Street in downtown Chicago, served the Company during dramatic changes that took place from 1931 through the early 1950s. On November 27, 1954, at a plant meeting, Sidney N. Shure announced that a new plant would be constructed in Evanston, Illinois, a suburb adjacent to Chicago. At an all-plant meeting, Sidney N. Shure announces that the Company will move to Evanston, Illinois. Sharing the stage to talk about different aspects of… -more-

Beginning in the 1930s, Sidney N. Shure developed an interest in photography. He took his camera on sales trips throughout the United States, and his photos were often on display in the factory. His son Bob recalls his father’s passion for the art of image making: “He built a darkroom, studied processing chemistry, and did a lot of photographic studies of light on different objects. He considered it a hobby, but he approached it like a professional. As in anything… -more-

On May 5, 1995, Sidney N. Shure received a 70-year service award from the Company at its annual Service Awards Luncheon. The award was a tie tack replica of the Shure FP32A Mixer. Shure Associates presented a letter to Mr. Shure on this occasion that read: In 70 years you have built more than a company. You have helped thousands build fulfilling, rewarding lives.… You have created an environment that encourages and rewards creativity and innovation at every level.… Most… -more-

Starting in the early 1930s, Sidney N. Shure set out to establish a sales organization that could expand Shure microphone sales to every region of the country and overseas. Rather than open stores or develop a large sales staff, Mr. Shure chose to build a network of Sales Representatives, each with a defined territory. Each representative would sell and promote Shure products to stores, radio dealers, and other outlets, such as radio stations, recording studios, and concert halls. The representatives… -more-

Shure’s 1933 line of microphone accessories featured a large selection of stands, from the 51H Hand Model to the 53D Duplex Fixture, which allowed a standard floor stand to handle two microphones. Floor stands incorporated Shure “Microstan” technology. This allowed the stand to be raised, lowered, or turned to “stay exactly in the adjusted position.” According to sales literature, a Shure-designed Automatic Safety Lock “… holds the plunger in position through friction exerted by spring-supported leather washers. The action is… -more-

An Amateur Radio Station License granted by the United States Department of Commerce to Sidney N. Shure in 1913, when he was 11 years old. Amateur radio operators, known as “hams,” formed clubs, read hobby magazines, and exchanged cards that verified the contacts they made with their radios. In 1910, a popular magazine described the growth, popularity, and contributions of amateur radio: “Hundreds of schoolboys in every part of the country have taken to this most popular scientific fad and,… -more-

Sidney N. Shure believed the most important role of a manager was to manage people with fairness, honesty, and respect. After the Company moved to larger quarters suitable for manufacturing at 225 West Huron Street in Chicago in 1931, it established a parking lot a block away in 1943. At that time, few companies Invested in a separate parking lot because most employees traveled by streetcar or elevated train. In a memo issued when the lot was announced, Mr. Shure… -more-

“We are concerned on a daily basis with making our Company a good place to work – where each person can feel a sense of participation and pride in being part of an organization of integrity and responsibility, an organization of people who respect each other and know that they are serving society by working together to produce the finest products of their kind.” -SN Shure 1970

1. If a man thinks he’s going to tell me how to run my business-that’s just the man I want to talk to! He may have a good idea, and a manager should always have an open mind.
2. Enthusiasm is contagious and inspiring-stimulates high interest and extraordinary effort.
3. Everything the manager hears is true to a degree-and so is its opposite (to a degree). What degree? Finding the best answer to this question calls for wisdom and judgment.
4. Every job in

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