May 5, 2002

Paul Klipsch, founder of Klipsch Audio Technologies originally of Hope (Hempstead County), died. Though some of its manufacturing and distribution operations remain in Hope, employing more than seventy people, Klipsch Audio Technologies is now based in Indianapolis, Indiana, using components from China. Specialty home speakers and commercial sound systems for movie theaters and the Hard Rock Cafe chain still garner Klipsch speakers high praise. Klipsch Audio Technologies makes some of the world’s finest concert-quality loudspeakers, speaker systems, and electronic audio products. The Klipsch Museum of Audio History in Hope is dedicated to the life and achievements of Klipsch, containing a replica of his office, model railroad trains he built, speakers, photographs, and other memorabilia.