Classic Nerdwear; Pocket Protector, Image Projector
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By MICHELLE SLATALLA
Published: June 24, 1999
THERE was no such thing as a nerd back in 1947, when Erich Klein opened a small factory on Chicago's North Side and became one of the first manufacturers to make plastic pocket protectors.
''It slipped into a shirt pocket and was useful to anyone who carried a fountain pen or a ballpoint pen, which had ink leakage problems,'' said Randy Silton, Mr. Klein's grandson and president of the company, Erell Manufacturing. ''We still make hundreds of thousands a year, but most others have dropped them from their lines. I guess pocket protectors aren't so popular anymore.''