W. Howard Rapson

W. Howard Rapson was born in Toronto, Ontario, Canada on Sept 15, 1912.

His studies at the University of Toronto Department of Chemical Engineering and Applied Chemistry earned him a doctorate degree in applied science in 1941.

Dr. Rapson was a research chemist at Canadian International Paper Company prior to joining the University of Toronto as a professor of chemical engineering in 1953.  He became a professor emeritus in 1981 until his retirement in 1997.

Dr. Rapson can be considered to be the father of chlorine dioxide bleaching, one of the major developments in the history of the pulp and paper industry. The ability of chlorine dioxide to successfully bleach kraft pulp to high brightness without sacrificing strength was a significant advancement.  It led to the wide-spread use of elemental chlorine free (ECF) bleaching sequences that are much friendlier to the environment. This advancement also broadened the use of kraft pulp in making white papers.

His leadership in the field of bleaching is illustrated by the fact that he was editor of the industrial textbook of the day, The Bleaching of Pulp (1963). He also has over 117 publications.

Dr. Rapson died on March 16, 1997. He and his wife, Mary Campbell Rapson, also deceased, had four children: three daughters (Margaret, Lorna, and Linda) and a son William, Jr.

Robert C Buchanan

Bob Buchanan was born May 13, 1940, in Appleton, Wisconsin.  A 1962 graduate of Lawrence College of Appleton, he also attended Dartmouth College earning his master of business administration in 1967.

Mr. Buchanan joined Fox River Paper Co. as assistant to the president in 1967.  Gaining experience in the paper industry as he moved from mill superintendent to company president in 1974, he immersed himself in all aspects of the business, guiding marketing and sales strategies and running the mill in Appleton.

Fox River Paper’s position as a manufacturer of premium paper products was enhanced through Mr. Buchanan’s approach to internal expansion and product positioning.  Beginning in 1989 he undertook a program of investment in technology and the purchase of existing mills.  Fox River Paper has grown from $6 million in revenue to more than $200 million and is among the market leaders in the premium writing, text, and cover papers market.

Mr. Buchanan’s management style and his focus on the importance of employer/employee relations have been significant factors in the growth of Fox River Paper.

In its October, 2000 issue of Papermaker, PIMA (Paper Industry Management Association) named Buchanan Executive of the Year. PIMA observed that a small paper company can prosper in a land of ever-consolidating giants.

Mr. Buchanan and his wife of 44 years, Bonnie, have two sons, Gus and Philip, and one daughter, Emily.

Bob Buchanan was born May 13, 1940, in Appleton, Wisconsin. A 1962 graduate of Lawrence College of Appleton, he also attended Dartmouth College earning his master of business administration in 1967.

Mr. Buchanan joined Fox River Paper Co. as assistant to the president in 1967. Gaining experience in the paper industry as he moved from mill superintendent to company president in 1974, he immersed himself in all aspects of the business, guiding marketing and sales strategies and running the mill in Appleton.

Fox River Paper’s position as a manufacturer of premium paper products was enhanced through Mr. Buchanan’s approach to internal expansion and product positioning. Beginning in 1989 he undertook a program of investment in technology and the purchase of existing mills. Fox River Paper has grown from $6 million in revenue to more than $200 million and is among the market leaders in the premium writing, text, and cover papers market.

Mr. Buchanan’s management style and his focus on the importance of employer/employee relations have been significant factors in the growth of Fox River Paper.

In its October, 2000 issue of Papermaker, PIMA (Paper Industry Management Association) named Buchanan Executive of the Year. PIMA observed that a small paper company can prosper in a land of ever-consolidating giants.

Mr. Buchanan and his wife of 44 years, Bonnie, have two sons, Gus and Philip, and one daughter, Emily.

Bob Buchanan was born May 13, 1940, in Appleton, Wisconsin. A 1962 graduate of Lawrence College of Appleton, he also attended Dartmouth College earning his master of business administration in 1967.

Mr. Buchanan joined Fox River Paper Co. as assistant to the president in 1967. Gaining experience in the paper industry as he moved from mill superintendent to company president in 1974, he immersed himself in all aspects of the business, guiding marketing and sales strategies and running the mill in Appleton.

Fox River Paper’s position as a manufacturer of premium paper products was enhanced through Mr. Buchanan’s approach to internal expansion and product positioning. Beginning in 1989 he undertook a program of investment in technology and the purchase of existing mills. Fox River Paper has grown from $6 million in revenue to more than $200 million and is among the market leaders in the premium writing, text, and cover papers market.

Mr. Buchanan’s management style and his focus on the importance of employer/employee relations have been significant factors in the growth of Fox River Paper.

In its October, 2000 issue of Papermaker, PIMA (Paper Industry Management Association) named Buchanan Executive of the Year. PIMA observed that a small paper company can prosper in a land of ever-consolidating giants.

Mr. Buchanan and his wife of 44 years, Bonnie, have two sons, Gus and Philip, and one daughter, Emily.

Michael J Kocurek

Dr. Michael Kocurek was born on January 6, 1943, in New York City.  He was educated at the State University of New York and received his doctorate degree in Paper Science and Engineering in 1970. He is one of the world’s most recognized educators in pulp and paper.

In 1970, Dr. Kocurek led the creation of a new academic program oriented to pulp and paper processes at the University of Wisconsin at Stevens Point.  The Department of Paper Science and Engineering at the UW-Stevens Point rapidly gained national recognition.

In 1986, Dr. Kocurek became executive director of the Herty Foundation in Savannah, Georgia.  During Dr. Kocurek’s ten years with this applied research and development foundation, he brought about significant expansions and improvements.

Since 1997, Dr. Kocurek has been department head of the pulp and paper science program at North Carolina State University. Dr. Kocurek has refortified the academic program and the research activities within the Department of Wood and Paper Science.

Since 1970, Dr. Kocurek has taught over 5,000 paper industry employees from more than 50 corporations in regional and in-mill short courses.  He is the editor and/or author of numerous other written and video paper industry publications.

Dr. Kocurek and his wife, Margaret Carol Hatton, have daughters, Monica and Anne, and one son, Michael, Jr.

Johan Erik Gullichsen

Johan Gullichsen was born on June 28, 1936, in Pihlava, Finland.  He received a master of science degree in 1962.  In 1988, he was awarded a Doctor h.c. in Technology (Honorary Doctor) from Åbo Akademi University.

Professor Gullichsen started his career as a research assistant at the Finnish Pulp and Paper Research Institute from 1962-1964.  He then became a project engineer at Ekono until 1970, at which time he co-founded Arhippainen, Gullichsen & Co., serving as president. In 1989 he was appointed professor, Pulping Technology, Helsinki University of Technology, serving until the end of 1999.  He also served as department head of Forest Products Technology from 1990-1992 and dean of the faculty of Process Engineering and Material Science, 1993-1996.

Professor Gullichsen is an innovator in the processing of pulp fiber suspensions at medium consistency.  Medium consistency processing allows a three-fold reduction in water usage. This technology, created and developed by him, provides significant benefits to pulp quality, reduces environmental impact, and thereby, improves the profitability in pulp and paper production. It results in reductions in chemical usage, fiber losses, effluent and energy.  It has been especially valuable in the processing of recycled waste paper.

He is the recipient of more than 60 patents and has over 180 publications around the world.  In addition, he currently holds chairmanships with the Ahlstrom Corporation, the Walter Ahlstrom Foundation, the Runar Bäckströom Foundation and the Viapori Warf Foundation.

Professor Gullichsen and his wife Anna have two daughters, Maria Gullichsen and Maire Gullichsen-Ehrnrooth, and a son, Johan Gullichsen.

James F. Kress

James Kress was born on June 11, 1929, in Green Bay, Wisconsin.  He received his bachelor degree in business administration from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 1951.

In 1958 Mr. Kress assumed leadership of operations for Green Bay Packaging.  He became president and director in 1963, taking over the company founded by his father, George F. Kress.  He then became chairman in 1995.   During his 54-year tenure, Green Bay Packaging grew from 640 employees and four divisions to 2,632 employees and 24 divisions.  Today he continues as chairman of the board of the largest privately-held corrugated manufacturer in the United States.

During Mr. Kress’ tenure, he believed that the company’s products could be produced in a more ecologically-responsible manner.  The Green Bay Mill closed its pulp mill in 1991 and began production of linerboard and corrugated medium from 100% recycled fiber.  The conversion allowed the company to recycle more than 400,000 tons of wastepaper annually.  Numerous other companies have followed Green Bay Packaging’s lead in the production of linerboard made with wastepaper.

The company’s Green Bay Mill permanently converted to a closed water system in 1992, making it one of the first mills in the world to have such a system.

James Kress is married to Julie-Anne Kress.  He has four children (William, John, Meg Kress Grunwald, and Ginny Kress) and five step-children (Michael Van Laanen, Allain Van Laanen, Jennifer Christie, Susan Reinfeldt, and Mary Smith).

Bruce Barton Purdy

Bruce Purdy was born November 2, 1917, in Appleton, Wisconsin.  He attended Appleton public schools and Northwestern Military Academy.  He graduated in 1940 from the University of Michigan with a degree in mechanical/industrial engineering.  He enrolled for several years in the Harvard Business School before leaving to join Douglas Aircraft to help with the World War II effort.

In 1944 Mr. Purdy joined Appleton Wire Works.  He retired in 1973, but remained active in the company as a director of Albany International Corporation (the result of a merger of Appleton Wire Works with Albany Felt Company) until 1990.

In 1954, Mr. Purdy transformed the wire weaving technology of the early 1900s for papermachine clothing with the revolutionary development of an automated wire looming operation.  Prior to the development of the automated loom, it took four years of training as an apprentice to become a weaver.  On the first official day running the automated loom at Appleton Wire Works, May Tournow, the forelady of the winding department, successfully ran the largest loom in the plant, with the most expensive wire and with no problem in that first run.  She had never run a loom before.

Purdy was instrumental in creating significant other paper machine clothing manufacturing and performance improvements.
He and his wife, Barbara, have five children, ten grandchildren and six great-grandchildren.