Info. about Duofold Inventor, Lewis Tebbel

[Parkerfp]

I've been browsing the excellent Parker Duofold book by David Shepherd and Dan Zazove again, and I was interested to read that their research yielded no information beyond the time two or three years after the founding of the Duofold Pen related to what ever became of the pen's inventor, Lewis M. Tebbel.  This led me to use the resources I have to see what I could discover.  Here's what I learned (bullet points):

 

1. Lewis Tebbel was a regional sales manager for Parker in the 19-teens to twenties based in Spokane, WA.

2. As Shepherd / Zazove tell the story, Tebbel, who was in a sales slump, came up with the idea of creating a man-sized business pen with a two-tone (red and black) finish that featured a hard, large, manifold nib.  He talked some production managers in Janesville into making him some "Duofold" pens in 1921 that he could show to others / try to sell in his region.

3.  Because the pen met with almost immediate success, Parker pretty quickly adopted the Duofold as a marketable model.

4.  It took some time, but George Parker even credited Tebbel in his "Parkergram" in-house newsletters.

5.  Shepherd and Zazove include a picture of the Parker sales force in front of one of the Janesville buildings, and point out Lewis Tebbel.  They then state that no one knows what became of him.

6.  Tebbel was born "Luther Tebbel" Aug. 28, 1872 to James E. and Charlotta Tebbel in Midland, MI

7.  In 1900, Lewis Tebbel was a boarder and jeweler, living in Grafton, ND.  He was also a clerk in 1903 at Granrud & Vold in Grand Forks, ND.

8.  Lewis Tebbel and Inez Estelle Schwarz were married June 27, 1906 in Shelby County, Illinois.

9.  Lewis and Inez moved to Spokane, WA in 1906 or 1907, and he worked as a traveling salesman.  Uncertain when he started representing Parker pens.

10.  Lewis and Inez lived in several different places in Spokane between 1907 and 1940, starting with 814 Boone Avenue (no longer standing); 120 S. Cannon (ca. 1911); 634 E. 23rd Avenue; The Parsons Hotel (at the time of the Duofold invention); 1905 W. 2nd Ave.; 111 S. Madison; and 1118 W. 21st Avenue.

11.  The couple had no children

12.  Lewis Tebbel (according to his WWI draft registration -- 1918) was missing (3) fingers.

13.  Through 1935, I believe Tebbel continued as a sales rep for Parker, because the City Directory listing for him is: "Pens & Rubber Sundries"

14.  Around 1936 or 1937, Tebbel started his own business, "L. M. Tebbel Co." selling "Druggist's Sundries"

15.  Inez Tebbel died in June, 1940.

16.  Lewis M. Tebbel died of heart failure in the Finlen Hotel while on a business trip to Butte, Montana, Sep. 18, 1940.

17.  Lewis and Inez Tebbel are buried in Riverside Memorial Park in Spokane.

[inkstainedruth]

Fascinating research!  Thanks for posting the information!

Ironically, I have a friend in Spokane who's a pen person (just not really a Parker aficionado) -- I think that the last time I talked to her she had several Levenger pens, but IIRC didn't particularly like Levenger inks.

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[Parkerfp]

Want to add a few other discoveries about Lewis M. Tebbel I've found after posting yesterday:

 

• Lewis Tebbel's father was a life-long blacksmith.
• His parents and a brother and sister are listed in the 1880 Federal Census, living in Ingersoll, MI.  Lewis is not listed, though he would have been only 7 or 8.  Was he possibly raised by grandparents or someone else?
• Lewis Tebbel was an inventor with (2) US Patents for "self-filling fountain pens."  Both were issued during the Duofold era, and the first was assigned to Parker Pen Co.  The patents are for variations to the established "button filler" mechanism.  To me, this indicates his idea and naming of the Duofold -- one of the most iconic pen models of all time -- were not accidents.

Tim Barker

1484683 -- L_M_Tebbel_filler_patent_1_filed_Oct_1_1921.pdf 1554386 -- L_M_Tebbel_filler_patent_2_filed_feb_2_1925.pdf

[welch]

Thank you, Parkerfp. It seems that Lewis Tebbel became a classic saleman, dying on a sales trip. Reminds me of Willy Loman's homage to salesmen: something like "tyravelling on a smile". Was Tebbel fired from Parker? 

[AAAndrew]

Nice. This is the kind of basic information on some of the lost names in our industrial history that needs to be gathered. Nice job laying it all out. I use a lot of the same resources so could recognize where you got some of the information. I love city directories. 

 

I've been doing the same for our dip pen history. I've found that American Stationer and Geyer's Stationer will often have little mentions of salesmen when they are visiting places, especially if they are from big names and are visiting big cities, or touring a territory. I have info on these and other research resources in a section at the bottom of my steel pen site. (thesteelpen.com)