I followed up on Don Teach's lead concerning Jack Schott and called
Durrell Armstrong at the Player Piano Company. Durrell did know Jack and
said that he was active in Fort Worth in the 1950's until his death in
the 1960's. Durrell also confirmed the recollection that his wife Louise
did most of the hand work rebuilding organ parts.
The Schotts lived in a trailer with a big workshop-shed out in back.
Since, to Durrell's knowledge, Schott was the only person doing organ
work in Fort Worth, the "Fort Worth Organ Factory" was probably, as
Robbie suggests, a fancy name for that operation. Durrell described
Schott as "kind of a blowhard" who liked to put on a big front.
I am copying this information to Bryan Cather, who has kindly offered to
check out Schott in the local directories. I forgot to ask Durrell about
the name Lowell Stapf, whom, it was mentioned here on MMD, the Schotts
did work for. But I suppose that, as always, we start asking about these
people too late, after they are dead and gone, taking their knowledge to
their graves.
Matthew Caulfield
[ I hope you're already writing a big book, Matthew! ;) -- Robbie
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