Walter Eugene “Gene” Clair, of Lititz, one of the Clair “Brothers” Audio entrepreneurs, died December 3, 2013. He was 73. Gene, as everyone knew him, was born May 6th, 1940 to Roy B. Clair and Ellen Mae (Ulrich) Clair, in the Lititz area, and lived there all his life.
He graduated from Warwick High School in 1958 and was awarded as one of the top athletes of his class. He went on to get a two-year degree in Engineering from Penn State York campus. While working in the Foreign Language lab and as general electrician at F&M College, Gene and his brother, Roy, set up the sound for a visiting group — The Four Seasons. The group was so impressed with the sound they asked for the brothers to tour with them, and so the business began. Gene continued to be a sound engineer/mixer for bands such as Elton John, the Moody Blues, Michael Jackson and Peter Wolf, to name a few, and traveled all over the world.
Gene sold his end of the business to his son, Troy, in 1995 and split his time between Lititz and his mountain home in Sinnemahoning, PA. Gene joined the Pennsylvania Forestry Association on the Board of Directors and spent every Penn State home game entertaining friends and family with tailgating extravaganzas.
Walter Eugene “Gene” Clair died Tuesday at 73. A lifelong Lititz resident, Clair and his brother, Roy B. Clair, started Clair Brothers in 1966 by providing sound for a concert by The Four Seasons at Franklin & Marshall College.Clair Global is now the world’s largest provider of concert audio systems and technicians, which it rents to touring rock, pop and country groups. The company has handled the sound of such megastars as Bruce Springsteen, U2 and The Rolling Stones through the years.
Elton John dedicating his performance to Gene Clair.
