Only three years after the end of World War II, 1948 proved to be full of energy, change, and forward-thinking. Nations were eager to work together to prevent further conflicts. The Treaty of Brussels was signed, and the World Health Organization was established.
Fashions were changing as materials became more available after war rationing, and Parisienne designs began to emerge after the occupation. Young people were reading the stories of Pippi Longstocking, the Hardy Boys, and Nancy Drew, while the literary voices of Alan Paton, Graham Greene, and Pearl S. Buck spoke to adults.
It was also a good year for inventions. The Polaroid camera was introduced. Velcro started making connections in our lives. Long-play vinyl records increased one's time on the couch listening to the likes of Bing Crosby, Patty Lee, and Ella Fitzgerald.
It was into this milieu that Fisher Pen Company emerged. Paul C. Fisher, founder, was just 35 when he started the company to manufacture pens and pen parts. At the time, Paul owned Fisher Armour Manufacturing Company, a machine shop in Chicago, Illinois. He was approached by Milton Reynolds of Reynolds Pen Company about setting up a production line to manufacture a new pen. After studying the samples Reynolds provided, Paul returned them, saying, "They aren't any good, the concept is faulty, and I'm not interested in the job."
But the universe often plays its hand in things. One of Paul's best friends, Seth McGrath, was given a job at Reynolds Pen Company, and Paul ended up helping design and set up the company's production line anyway. He was not paid for his work, but he did get Reynolds's parts business.
Shortly thereafter, Reynolds Pen Company went bankrupt. By then, Paul's interest in the ballpoint pen industry had grown, and with Reynolds's permission, he started Fisher Pen Company as a division of Fisher Armour Manufacturing.
This story is from the June 2023 edition of PEN WORLD.
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This story is from the June 2023 edition of PEN WORLD.
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