<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN"> <HTML><HEAD> <META content="text/html; charset=iso-8859-1" = http-equiv=Content-Type> <META content="MSHTML 5.00.3019.2500" name=GENERATOR> <STYLE></STYLE> </HEAD> <BODY bgColor=#ffffff> <DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2>Dear List,</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2>Allen Foote, the founder of Dampp-Chaser Corp. = passed away this December.  Allen was a pure spirit who looked for the good in everybody and every situation.  I personally was honored to know = the gentleman.</FONT></DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2>What follows is a memoriam describing Allen's = career.  I will be away from the list for a week, but feel free to email me = privately, and I will respond at a later date.</FONT></DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2>Roger Wheelock<BR>Executive Vice = President<BR>Dampp-Chaser Corporation<BR><A href="mailto:roger@dampp-chaser.com">roger@dampp-chaser.com</A><BR></FO= NT></DIV> <DIV> <P><FONT size=2>In Memoriam</P> <P>ALLEN FOOTE, DAMPP-CHASER INVENTOR</P> <P>Hendersonville, NC- - Allen Foote, the inventor of the Dampp-Chaser = Piano Climate Control System, died December 13 at the age of 86 after a long = period of declining health. Allen conceived of the Dampp-Chaser when he served in = the military during WW II. He was stationed in tropical climates and became = acutely aware of the need for a device to protect valuables from humidity. After = the war, Allen began manufacturing the original Dampp-Chaser dehumidifier in = 1947 when he was 33. He and his wife, Edna, assembled the first 100 units in = their home’s garage in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. In his early career, = Allen carried quite a reputation as an inventor as evidenced by this newspaper = article: ". . .Allen Foote is one of America’s youngest inventors. His = "Dampp-Chaser" was "born" here, is manufactured here and someday will bring the kind of = recognition to the city that Ft. Lauderdale can well afford to use." In 1950, after = much research to find a new home for his company, he moved to Hendersonville, = NC.</P> <P>Initially, the dehumidifier was marketed to protect pianos, organs, = drums, and electronic equipment (televisions, radios and phonographs) from = humidity extremes. By 1950, the product was sold throughout the U.S. and through distributors in Central and South America. The dehumidifier was also = marketed separately as a "Storage Dehumidifier" to protect storage areas from = mold, mildew, musty odors and rust. The product’s rapid sales growth = could only be attributed to Allen’s exceptional energy, his natural gift for = marketing and his unique sales imagination.</P> <P>Allen understood the most important principle of selling: Give = something first to receive sales later. First, he established credibility with the = community of piano technicians in the U.S. by distributing free = dehumidifiers. Technicians tested them in pianos, and, excited about the positive = results, wrote favorable comments about the product in technical trade journals. = Thus, the most convincing "advertising" message did not come from Allen, but = from respected members of the technical community.</P> <P>Allen knew about humidity control but he admitted he didn’t = know much about pianos. He was eager to accept help and advice from technicians in the development of his piano protection system. For instance, when = technicians suggested the Dehumidifier needed a control unit to prevent the = over-drying of pianos, he invented the Humidistat and, later, the Humidifier to protect = pianos in overly-dry conditions.</P> <P>RPT Clayton Harmon played an extremely important role in the initial = testing of the Dampp-Chaser. He supplied Allen with tuning data which helped to strengthen the marketing message to technicians. PTG Hall of Famer, = Wendell Eaton also became a close friend to Allen and supporter of the system, frequently traveling from Maryland to the North Carolina plant to help = perfect the Humidifier.</P> <P>As a generous sponsor of the PTG, Allen was named the Man of the Year = at the national convention in 1968. He attended PTG conferences religiously, = exhibiting the Piano Life Saver. He handed out apples at his exhibit booth as a conversation starter and he did this with such regularity, he was = affectionately nicknamed, "Apple Allen" by many technicians. (Hendersonville, the = "home" of Dampp-Chaser, is well-known as an apple-growing center).</P> <P>In 1986, Allen retired, selling the company to engineer Robert Mair = and a partner. In 1994, Mair became the sole owner. Today, piano climate = control systems and the storage dehumidifier are sold worldwide; literally, = millions of Dampp-Chaser products are in use protecting pianos and other valuables = from humidity extremes. And, it all started with Allen Foote, a man who was = driven to solve an exacting problem and had enough focus, ingenuity and vivacity = to develop a unique, lasting solution. </P></FONT></DIV> <DIV> </DIV></BODY></HTML>