Preliminary Guide to the Hirzel Family Papers, 1923-2011

Ellwood Hirzel (1907-2005) was born in Asotin, Washington. As a child, he learned to play multiple musical instruments and, after graduating high school in 1927, he formed his first dance band, as well as the first pep band at Clarkston High School. In 1931, his band, Hirzel’s Hoot Owls, toured Asia on a cruise liner. In July 1931, he opened Hirzel’s Music Company in Lewiston, Idaho, which he and his wife Mary were proprietors of until 1991. While music was the focus of this store, they also sold appliances, radios, records, and pianos, later adding toys, games and hobbies.

Mary Hirzel (nee Crozier) (1913-2019) was born in British Columbia and arrived in Washington with her parents in 1921, with the family settling in Clarkston in 1927. After high school, she attended the Kinman Business College in Spokane. Ellwood and Mary met in 1932 and were married for 70 years. They had three sons, all of whom were first generation college students at Washington State University.