Arnold Grummer was born in Spencer, Iowa on August 19, 1923. He received his Bachelors degree in education from Iowa State Teachers College in 1949 and his Masters in education from the State University of Iowa in 1952.
Grummer’s early endeavors included high school teaching as well as marketing and public relations positions with Armstrong Cork and Aid Association for Lutherans. From 1960 to 1975, Grummer worked as a member of the Faculty Department of General Studies, Editor of General Publications and Curator of the Dard Hunter Paper Museum, all at the Institute of Paper Chemistry (IPC) in Appleton, Wisconsin, Following his tenure at IPC, Grummer started a traveling live exhibit, ôThe Great American Paper Machine.ö His extensive list of presentations includes six appearances at the Smithsonian Institutions, ten consecutive years at the Chicago Museum of Science & Industry, and twenty consecutive years at the Great Lakes Logging Congress. Also in 1976, Grummer founded Greg Markim, Inc. which became one of the worldÆs leading suppliers of educational supplies for hand papermaking. Grummer’s papermaking kits have reached schools throughout the United States, important learning centers such as the Paper Discovery Center in Appleton, Wisconsin and the home-art and hobbyist community. Grummer has authored five books on making paper by hand.Grummer’s impact is indeed far reaching. More than 62,000 Grummer papermaking kits have been sold to schools, institutions, and families. His books have had combined sales of more than 105,000 units. There have been more than 144,000 visits to Grummer’s YouTube video about how to make paper. It is estimated that more than 3,000,000 sheets of paper have been hand made using Arnold Grummer papermaking kits.
Grummer vastly contributed to widespread understanding of the wonder and science of paper through television, books, videos, demonstrations, and the internet. His pilgrimage in paper has taken him from the halls of the worldÆs premier paper training institute (IPC) to the corridors of museums and school classrooms. He did all this for the love of paper!
Today, Arnold Grummer resides in Appleton, Wisconsin with his wife, Mabel. In their late 80s, the Grummers continue to be very active in their efforts to foster societyÆs understanding and appreciation of paper and papermaking.
Two weeks after being inducted into the Paper Industry International Hall of Fame, sadly Arnold Grummer passed away.
