Norman Cahners (1921-1986)

March 30, 2014

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The Early Years:

Norman was born in Bangor, Maine, the son of James A. Cahners, described in one source as a "businessman, publisher, lawyer, artist, and management consultant". The father owned the Bangor Gas Company and Eastern Furniture Company.Norman as a boy attended Phillips Academy and then Harvard, where he became a leading track & field athlete.He and team captain Milton Green qualified for the trials to join the U.S. Olympic Team in 1936, but boycotted that event because the games were to be held in Nazi Germany. Norman and Milton were both Jewish, and their position was widely supported by American Jewish organizations.As if in compensation, Cahners was one of two Harvard undergrads selected to speak at the Harvard Tercentenery Ceremonies in 1936, before an audience of 10,000 alumni, and over a worldwide radio hook-up. Norman was also elected president of the Harvard Class of 1936 and was later inducted into the Harvard Varsity Athletic Hall of Fame.

 

From Materials Handling to Publishing Empire:

While directing the U.S. Naval Ordnance Materials Handling Laboratory in Hingham, Massachusetts during World War II, Norman started a newsletter called The Palletizer, taking its name from the pallet, then a relatively new technology used to move goods on and off ships and around bases.Norman was an important technical contributor to the nascent field of materials handling, inventing and patenting a 'four-way pallet' which became the military and later industry standard. The magazine gave contractors advice on how to ship goods for the Navy using the new pallet and forklift system.The Navy let Norman and his friend Saul Goldweitz (who became his lifelong business partner) take both the laboratory and the magazine private after the war and it became Modern Materials Handling.Norman began acquiring other magazines in 1956, starting with Metalworking, and launching still others.

Abandoning his first career in materials handling, he became one of the pioneers of 'niche-publishing', founding journals to appeal to specific business audiences and loading them with information and advertising.

Cahners Publishing had grown to 90 magazine titles by the time of Cahner's death, three weeks before he was going to retire.

 

I thought our first "ONE" should be dedicated to the man who stated it all.

 

J.R ( Bob) Murphy

Editor of "ONE"