Paul W. Klipsch Museum open for public visits
The Paul W. Klipsch Museum located in the Foreman Engineering Complex at New Mexico State University has been updated and is now open for public tours on Tuesday and Thursday afternoons from 1:30-3 pm.
A new highlight of the museum is one of only two sets of Klipsch Golden Jubilee speakers in existence. Kipsch's design for the full-range, horn loaded, two-way loudspeaker was completed in 1998 when he was 94 years old. It was his last design and only one prototype was built. After his death, Valerie Klipsch commissioned a former employee at the Klipsch and Associates plant to replicate it and construct three additional duplicates of the prototype jubilee speaker. Upon completion of the speakers, Mrs. Klipsch christened them the "Golden Jubilee" as the original prototype was introduced 50 years after the founding of Klipsch and Associates. The engraved plaque mounted on the front of each speaker reads "Klipsch Golden Jubilee." One set of the Klipsch Golden Jubilees is on display in the Klipsch Musem and the other is in possesion of Mr. Michael Klementovich, author of the book "Paul Wilbur Klipsch...The Life...The Legend." The speakers on display in the museum work and can be demonstrated, along with five sets of various Klipsch speakers on display.
Also new to the museum is a replica of Klipsch’s personal office, and exhibits of train sets that he built. The museum also includes new photos of Klipsch, documenting his life beginning in his high school years.
Klipsch, a 1926 graduate of NMSU, pioneered audio systems by using scientific principles to develop a corner horn speaker that sounded more lifelike than any of its predecessors. In 1978, he was awarded the Audio Engineering Society’s Silver Medal for his contributions to speaker design and distortion measurement.
He was inducted into the Audio Hall of Fame in 1984. In 1997, he was inducted into the Engineering and Science Hall of Fame, an honor shared by Thomas Edison, George Washington Carver, the Wright Brothers and other distinguished individuals.
The museum is a tribute to Klipsch and his wife Valerie, who have given the NMSU College of Engineering memorabilia from the audio engineering field spanning more than eight decades. Exhibits include historical photos of Klipsch, many of his working papers containing his calculations and research results, and original publications containing articles by or about him. Additionally, the museum contains antique audio equipment owned by Klipsch, demonstrations of his various speaker designs, and awards he received.
One of the goals of the museum is to catalog and make available for research the technical correspondence of Klipsch, who during his active professional career maintained regular contact with famous engineers in the audio and related areas.
Klipsch graduated with a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering in 1926 and received an honorary Doctor of Laws in 1981. He earned a master’s degree in electrical engineering from Stanford University in 1934.
NMSU’s Klipsch School of Electrical and Computer Engineering is named for Paul W. Klipsch. Over the years, the Klipschs have established endowed scholarships that support more than 40 students each year and four departmental professorships.
For more information, or to schedule a private tour, call (575) 646-2913.
Linda Fresques
Oct. 29, 2008