Grason-Stadler Company

Rufus Grason worked in the Psycho-Acoustics Laboratory at Harvard University in the 1940s where he was responsible for the electronics shop. Steven Stadler was a Harvard student and technician building psycho-acoustic instruments. Recognizing a need to manufacture and standardize equipment, Grason and Stadler cofounded the
the Grason-Stadler Company in 1949 (although the partnership did not register the name until 1952). The original logo was a "g" crossed by an "s." A third partner, Paul W. Dippolito soon joined the group as chief engineer. The first instruments were for behavioral psychology. These were used in university psychology departments by researches such as B. F. Skinner, in the pharmaceutical industry for drug research, and by NASA Project Mercury for training Ham and Able, the first space chimps. In 1952, Grason-Stadler produced its first commercially available audiometer. Since then, it has manufactured medical and audiometry instruments.

According to a former employee's history of the Grason-Stadler (website.), the company's first offices were in Peg Grason's sewing room, but soon moved to a garage on Washington Street in Somerville, MA. During this period the price of instruments was based upon the number of vacuum tubes times $25.00. In 1952 the company needed more space and moved to 700 sq. ft. on Hampshire Street in Cambridge. It had two engineers and about eight employees. In 1955 the operation relocated to a 3000 sq. ft. facility in West Concord, Massachusetts. Over the years, large additions were made to that building.

In 1959, the Grason-Stadler incorporated. In 1962, its official trademark became the crossed "g" and "s" over the block letters GSC.

Today the company is known as the Grason-Stadler Incorporated and its trademark is GSI.