| Chapter 28 of the Society of Broadcast Engineers held its first official
meeting on September 29, 1970, at the WTMJ Auditorium. The very first presentation
was given by the legendary Lou Burroughs, whose series of talks on "Microphone
Applications" is a true classic of our industry.
Lou, who was VP/Broadcast for Electro-Voice in Buchanan, Michigan, was holder of 23 patents on electro-acoustic products, and developed the first noise-cancelling microphone during WWII. Among his other inventions: the variable-D dynamic microphone, and the first practical lavalier microphone. He was co-founder of Electro-Voice, Inc. Lou's presentations on mic construction and handling always included a demonstration on the ruggedness of the dynamic microphone. In the segment of the presentation that became known as the "Buchanan Hammer," He would unplug the dynamic mic he was using , proceed to use it to drive a nail into a piece of wood, then plug it back in and continue the show. Lou Burroughs was a Charter Member of the SBE, as well as a Fellow of the AES. Here is the information we have on the officers for that first meeting: 1. Chapter Founder: Jake Seagraves, WTMJ-TV
Special thanks to Todd Boettcher of the WTMJ stations for preserving this information in his detailed history of Chapter 28. |
