The late, Great Stan Kann

[caligula]

Sorry about duplicated pics.

 

[dysonman1]

Alex

I do remember Peter Frye. What a nice man. You have so many interesting non-electric cleaners. Such early examples of suction cleaning.

Our pets are our children. 20 years is a testament to how well you loved and cared for him.

My new Shepherd/Husky puppy is Mr. Zakk. He loves vacuums of all kinds.

 

[dysonman1]

Stan Kann’s favorite. The Hoover model 700. All the machines in his collection have their original bags. So proud to display them to the public. He was not a Hoover snob. He loved other vacuums as well. He was not big into Kirby‘s. After the Hoover model 700, his favorite vacuum was the Airway upright.

 

[myvacsrock]

I had no idea

the Hoover Model 700 was Stan's favorite. It's mine as well, and it's one of the few that will never leave. It's essentially a perfect vacuum! (For the time)
I never got to meet the great, but I love hearing the stories about him!

 

[caligula]

Tom.

My pets were my kids too, nice puppy, give Mr. zakk a hug from me.

My favorite Hoover is the 541. I remember when I went to Los Angeles to see Stan, he lived next door to the apartment building owned by Mae West. I remember he took me to the basement where there were hundreds of boxes. Bags, attachments, hoses, and perhaps machines, all packed and staked, it was amazing.


My late partner, Charles, was quite impressed that I knew Stan. When he and I attended the Convention in 2006, he had to tour the Fox theater, and I mean to the top floor. Meeting Stan was a special treat for him. Sad to say Charles passed away a few weeks later, July 2. I'm convinced he stayed alive to meet Stan.

Here's a pic. of Charles at the convention in 2005, held in Los Angeles. He'd just bought his first vacuum cleaner, a 1930 upright Health-Mor, but was using this Electro Hygine in a cleaning contest as I looked on.

 

[dysonman1]

Kyle

Kyle, What a beautiful model 700 you have. Stan would have loved you for many reasons. He always enjoyed talking to people who could fix and restore vacuums.

Over the weekend, my dear friend Adam came by and we polished Stan’s Hoover model 725, and made a short video of it running. It has been a few years since Stan’s Collection was polished. They will all be gleaming by the third weekend in September for the vacuum cleaner convention.

 

[dysonman1]

The 725 was the first Hoover with a cooling fan attached to the armature. All the rest of the models were enclosed motors. As the most powerful motor they ever used, it produced enough heat that it needed its own cooling fan for the electrical system. You will note the orange band that surrounds the motor, indicating this is a model 725.

 

[dysonman1]

Happy Birthday to what used to be the Hoover Company. Any Hoover made before World War II was perfect with Stan. He loved the little “sing“, as he called it, when they started up at the very throw of the switch.

 

[dysonman1]

Hoovrah Shamoovrah. Stan always said the magnificent twin motor Air-Way was just as good as a Hoover. Must have been because of the rubber mounted “vibrators“ that beat the carpet. This particular model is the only one I have ever seen in my entire life. Stan gave it to me, on a rainy night, after dinner at his home. The last time I ever saw him use it was on the carpet runner in front of his sink. Right before he gave it to me. That’s the kind of man he was. The Air-Way Zephyr. Air-Way’s finest cleaner. Or as I call it “the Hoover Killer“.

 

[caligula]

Hey, that's a Modern Hygine in the far right corner. I have one, and love it. I have that model Air-Way too, as well as the first one, the Sanitation system.

 

[dysonman1]

Stan thought the world of his Ohio Tuec. He used to have two of them, until one of them was stolen. This one is in the safekeeping, and has been for years. I cherish his collection and show it off every day.

 

[caligula]

Ohio Tuec.

Remember the one Dave Watters used in the clubhouse of the V.C.C.C. in May of 1993.

 

[electrolux137]

 



Tom keeps trying to pull this thread back on-topic, and it keeps getting pulled back out into left field.

 

 

[electrolux137]

"A Visit With Stan Kann"

See link...



http://1377731.com/stan

 

[dysonman1]

Charles

Thank you for posting the link. Stan was also incredibly funny. I laughed out loud at his jokes many times.

Stan gave me this Singer many years ago.

 

[luxlife]

Keeping history alive….

Tom,

You’re such good steward of this collection. So much history in one room, certainly more than what remains in a defunct vacuum factory which is still struggling to reinvent itself as an office complex. I look forward to seeing these in person someday.

 

[dysonman1]

John

I agree. Walking around an empty factory and posing like a model for the elderly, is the result of drinking poison tea.

This is a General Electric from Stan‘s collection that he used to clean the vacuum bags out with, as they were all cloth bags except for the Air-Ways. I spent every other Sunday morning with him, and wouldn’t trade those experiences for all the “Tea” in China.

 

[kirbyklekter]

May I just say

This thread has been so enjoyable to read and I continue to check back every day for more comments to read. The interview with Mr.Kann was the best ever. I saw him maybe three of the 77 times he was on Carson's Tonight Show.

If I had met Mr.Kann and lived near him I would have offered to work on his vacuum cleaners with him or clean his house,take out the trash, anything just to be able to spend time with him and listening to his many many stories of his past. He seemed to have a great memory for details.

It's easy for me to see why those who were blessed to know him are still sharing memories of him and his many qualities and in a way "keeping him alive!" Thanks for sharing with the rest of us!

 

[dysonman1]

In 1932, Hoover celebrated their Silver jubilee, 25 years in business. This is Stan’s Hoover 425. The only coffee can Hoover to take a flat belt. By the way, the Hoover elite belt works perfectly. This bag is extraordinarily rare and Stan was quite proud of it. He has a story about how he came to obtain it from the Hoover engineering department themselves.

 

[electrolux137]

 


 


Bill C. Kinder: Thank you for your kind remarks about my interview with Stan Kann. When transcribing the tapes I made with him, I'd sometimes get to laughing so hard that I could barely type. He was indeed a "National Treasure" and one of the most interesting, sincere, kind people I have ever had the pleasure to meet.