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Episode Summary 

 

Before Stern Pinball Inc., which dominates the pinball landscape today, there was Stern Electronics, our second episode’s topic. We cover where Stern Electronics came from, Sam and Gary Stern’s early years, Dave mispronouncing names, the change from electro-mechanical pinball to solid state, the sketchiness around that transition, legendary designer Steve Kirk, Stern’s wild art, and the death of Stern Electronics.

 

Sources:

 

Dennis Kriesel’s Atari Article from Pinball News. Here

Stern Internet Pinball Database. Here  

Pinside at pinside.com

Wikipedia:

-          Chicago Coin. Here  

-          Stern Electronics. Here

-          Stern Electronics, Inc. v. Kaufman. Here

Encyclopedia of Pinball Volume 2 (1934-1936). Bueschel, Richard M. Silverball Amusements.

Shalhoub, Michael (2004). The Pinball compendium: 1970 – 1981. Schiffer Publishing, Lt. Here

Stern Pinball. Website. Here

Play Meter Magazine: September 15, 1978. Here

Patterson, Jeff (2008). Around the Playfield with Gary Stern. This Week in Pinball. Here

Ford, Anne (2013). The Chicago Reader. This Week’s Chicagoan: Gary Stern, Founder and CEO, Stern Pinball. Here

Author Unknown. Play Meter Magazine, 1978 and 1985. PDF Here

Flower, Gary. Remembering Steve Kirk. Pingame Journal. December 2006. PDF Here

Cianchetti, Matt. A Friend Remembers Steve Kirk. Pingame Journal. March 2007. PDF Here

Head to Head Pinball Podcas. #50 Here and #68 Here

Gizmonic Stern Collection Tour. Here, Here and Here

Heavy Metal Comic Book Art. Here