Morris Kuchenbecker

Morris W. Kuchenbecker was born in Neenah, Wisconsin, July 15, 1928. At age 16, he worked for Ernst Mahler (1996 Hall of Fame inductee) as a gardener and occasional chauffeur. He graduated from Neenah High School in 1946, after which, he attended the Menasha Vocational & Technical School located in Menasha High School. He attended construction classes while working for his father’s construction business. Dissatisfaction with construction led him to take a job at the Institute of Paper Chemistry container laboratory.

He started working for Marathon Corporation in April 1948, and worked for the succeeding American Can Company and James River Corporation, retiring in 1992. He served as supervisor of the carton design department from 1954 to 1967, and as senior package design engineer from 1967 until his retirement.

During his career, Mr. Kuchenbecker had the unique ability to furnish packaging creativity on demand. He worked very closely with other product development personnel and machine development companies to furnish the customers with complete systems to take their products to market.

Mr. Kuchenbecker invented the first half-gallon ice cream carton to run on an automatic filling machine. He invented the only widely-used paperboard carton for the packaging of bacon. After exclusive manufacturing rights expired, many companies nationwide continued its manufacture. He also invented a combination paperboard carton inserted into a clear plastic sleeve. This carton won the Gold Award for Structural Design in the 1983 National Paperboard Packaging Competition. Perhaps the largest sellers invented by Mr. Kuchenbecker were ice cream cartons, bacon cartons, Waxtex boxes, frozen food cartons, and a microwave cook-in carton widely used by Pillsbury, Green Giant, Birdseye, and others.

In his 44 years of service, he amassed 79 U.S. patents in the area of package design directed toward the dairy, meat, frozen food, and other related businesses. He also is the recipient of 14 foreign patents in various countries. During his career, his inventions resulted in an estimated production of 393,000 tons of paperboard to manufacture nearly 11 billion packages.

Civic activities included service on the Board of Appeals for the City of Neenah, and as a leader for the Neenah Boys’ Brigade.

Mr. Kuchenbecker and his wife, Jean, have four sons, Steven, Dennis, Rodney, and Timothy, and one daughter, Julie.

Joseph Plank

Joseph J. Plank was born in Brillion, Wisconsin, December 30, 1881. He received his high school diploma at Appleton High School. He initially was employed as a designer at Appleton Screen Plate Company. While delivering screen plates to local papermakers, he noted the dandy rolls were arriving from Europe and the East Coast in damaged condition, causing long delays for repairs. He got permission to take a damaged roll home and repaired it successfully.

With a $500 family loan and an old horse barn, Mr. Plank founded J. J. Plank Company in Appleton, Wisconsin, in 1907. Today, the company is a multi-million dollar firm producing dandy rolls and auxiliary equipment for paper companies worldwide.

Mr. Plank’s company was dedicated to developing and producing dandy rolls, an important mechanical part of a paper machine’s wet end. Dandy rolls were designed to improve formation and to provide distinctive watermarks differentiating sheets.

He received two patents on the design of dandy rolls, both covering their improved construction. He also pioneered the transition of hand-formed watermarks to the electrotype process. The techniques in dandy roll construction significantly improved the durability and life of the rolls. Improved watermark clarity led to a superior production process for making watermarked grades of paper.

Among his civic contributions, Mr. Plank was commissioner of Appleton Water Works and was instrumental in taking the water utility public. He reorganized the corporation and modernized the facilities to make it safe and reliable.

Mr. Plank died October 17, 1949. At the time, he was survived by his wife, Henrietta Kamps, and children, Sybelle, Gertrude, Mary, William, Margaret, and Annette.

Stark Dillard

Stark Dillard was born January 22, 1894, in Lynchburg, Virginia. His education was comprised of eight years of grade school. But his success and accomplishments led to his being awarded an honorary doctorate in 1971 from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro.

In his early career, he was employed as a salesman with Alling and Cory. In 1916, he co-founded Caskie-Dillard Paper Company in Lynchburg, and in 1926, he founded Dillard Paper Company in Greensboro. Both companies became successful paper distributors. Mr. Dillard pioneered distribution relationships with many mills that, prior to that time, had sold their paper directly, without benefit of local distribution.

A strong personality, Mr. Dillard exhibited broad industry knowledge, crossing both the printing paper and industrial paper environments. He was recognized for his skills in hiring and motivating leaders and salespeople. He took Dillard Paper to employee ownership (ESOP) long before it became popular. Due to his leadership, Dillard Paper eventually grew to a net worth of $110 million in 1991, when it was sold to International Paper Company.

Mr. Dillard founded “Art on Paper,” a continuing collection of contemporary American artists, now owned by the University of North Carolina. This collection is still supported by the company and is used to promote the use of paper in art as it travels around America on loan to various institutions.

Mr. Dillard also founded the Printing Industry of the Carolinas, a PIA affiliate and served as president for the first two terms.

He married Alice Walker and they had four children, daughters Walker Kirby and Dorothy Burns, and sons Spotswood and David.

Mr. Dillard died on December 25, 1975.

Robert Flowerree

Robert Flowerree was born on January 4, 1921, in New Orleans, Louisiana. He earned a bachelor of arts degree from Tulane University in 1942. After graduation, he joined C.D. Johnson Lumber Company and held key positions until the company was acquired by Georgia-Pacific (GP) in 1951. Mr. Flowerree was manager of the Toledo, Oregon, mill at the time.

Active in timber research, Mr. Flowerree is credited for his plan of utilization and reforestation, working with GP’s founder, Owen Cheatham, to use second growth timber for production and to cut trees to make room for younger ones. This practice, controversial at the time, continues today.

He was instrumental in GP’s rapid growth during the late 1950s and 1960s. Acquisitions included Coos Bay Lumber, Hammon Lumber, Crossett Lumber, National Box & Specialty Company, and Oshkosh Corrugated Box Manufacturing Company. In 1963, Mr. Flowerree was named executive vice president of pulp and paper, and the company added Puget Sound Pulp and Timber, Hopper Paper Division, Vanity Fair Paper Mills, and St. Croix Paper Mills. This marked the company’s entrance into the tissue business. Later in the 1960s, they added Kalamazoo Paper, Port Hudson, Louisiana, and Hudson Pulp and Paper Corporation, Palatka, Florida.

Mr. Flowerree was named president of GP in 1975 and was elected chairman of the board and chief executive officer in 1976. He retired in 1984.

When asked to give his advice to young managers, he said, “…operate the plant like it is your money, not somebody else’s in Atlanta. You have to be real sincere about working for the stockholders and treating your jobs like you own the company. If people do that, they will succeed.” Regarded as the very backbone of Georgia-Pacific through the early years, Mr. Flowerree continued to influence the company until his death, May 1, 2006.

Mr. Flowerree and his wife, Elaine, have three living children, John, Ann, and David. A fourth son, Robert, died in 1985.

Jack Keller

John (Jack) Keller was born on November 9, 1918, in Appleton, Wisconsin. After attending grade school and high school in Appleton, he graduated from Appleton Business College in 1938. He received additional schooling in 1949 at the College of Advanced Traffic, and in 1950 from the Interstate Commerce Commission (ICC) Law School. He passed the bar exam and was admitted as an ICC practitioner.

In 1939, Mr. Keller joined Kimberly-Clark Corporation, working in traffic management. He established the motor carrier operations division and encouraged the corporation to procure airline equipment for corporate air travel service. Working with Kampo Transit, he helped create operations for handling and removal of sulfite waste liquor from pulp manufacturing for use in the road binder roadway program in Wisconsin.

Mr. Keller served in the U.S. Army from October 1942 through April 1946, enlisting as a private in the 9th Army. He served in the European Theatre through war’s end on May 8, 1945, as master sergeant major of the 548th Field Artillery Battalion. Mr. Keller authored the history of the battalion, which was published in Europe in 1945. He was discharged honorably, having earned several battle stars.

In 1951, Mr. Keller joined Kampo Transit, Inc, as vice president/general manager. He left the company in 1953 to found J.J. Keller & Associates to service regulatory problems for the paper industry and transportation services generally. The organization was incorporated in 1958 and continues to provide regulatory consulting and publishing nationwide. He served as chairman of the board until his death in 2007.

Today (2001), J.J. Keller & Associates has over 800 associates and employees and a cash flow in excess of $160 million. The corporation offers over 4,000 products and services to meet customer needs, including compliance publications, regulatory forms and supplies, software Internet services seminars and workshops, and consulting services.

In the 1990s, the Keller Foundation, Ltd., was established, and a donor-advised fund was created at the Community Foundation for the Fox Valley region, Inc., which, by the year 2001, had $5,500,000 in commitments and donations.

Mr. Keller was a life member of the Interstate Commerce Commission bar, past director of Delta Nu Alpha, past director of Associated Bank, and past appointee to the Ninth National Bank Region Advisory Committee. In addition, he was a member of the Fox Valley Traffic Club, and a life member of both the American Legion and the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks.

Jack and his wife, Ethel, had three sons, Robert, James, and Thomas.

George Weyerhaeuser

George Weyerhaeuser was born July 8, 1926, in Seattle, Washington. He graduated with honors from Yale University in 1949 with a bachelor of science degree in industrial administration.

He joined Weyerhaeuser Company in 1947, initially working in the woods as a logger. Then in 1949, he began working in the company’s pulp mills at Longview, Washington. He transferred to Springfield, Oregon, lumber manufacturing operations in 1951 where he progressed from foreman to assistant manager and then to wood products area manager in 1954.

In 1957, Mr. Weyerhaeuser was named assistant to the executive vice president at corporate headquarters in Tacoma, Washington. He was appointed manager of wood products in 1958 and was elected to the board of directors in 1960. He was appointed executive vice president for wood products and timberlands in 1961, followed by executive vice president for all manufacturing and timberlands operations in 1964.

In 1966, Mr. Weyerhaeuser became the company’s chief executive officer and ninth president. He served as chief executive officer until 1991. He became chairman of the board of directors in 1988 and continued in that role until his retirement in 1999.

Mr. Weyerhaeuser was an advocate for addressing environmental aspects of forest management well before it became popular. He sponsored a strong sustainable forest management ethic at Weyerhaeuser, with an emphasis on rapid replanting following harvest; improvements in forest growth and yield; and measures to protect water quality, soil productivity, and wildlife habitat. Tree farms and high-yield forestry practices that Weyerhaeuser Company pioneered have set the standard for private forest management through the forest industry.

During his career, Mr. Weyerhaeuser was a visionary in improving his company’s utilization of raw material, including use of wood residuals to manufacture composite panel products; biomass fuels; and recycled fiber for pulp and paper manufacturing. As a firm believer in the benefits of free trade, under his leadership, Weyerhaeuser Company became the leading exporter of forest products to the Pacific Rim and was the first to establish a strong forest products trade relationship with China.

Mr. Weyerhaeuser also served as a director of The Boeing Company; Chevron Corporation; and SAFECO Corporation. He was a member of The Business Council and Washington State Business Roundtable.

He and his wife, Wendy, were married on July 10, 1948. They have four daughters, Leilee, Susan, Phyllis, and Merrill; and two sons, George, Jr., and David.

Charles Boyd

Charles Boyd was born in Appleton, Wisconsin, on November 27, 1871. He was a student at Lawrence College in Appleton from 1888 to 1893. While there, he sold paper bags and writing paper to local merchants, which earned him the nickname “Paper Bag Cholly.” While selling a purely functional product, he saw the possibilities of paper with aesthetic appeal, and upon graduation, he sold fine papers for Moser Paper Company, Chicago, and then for George Whiting Paper Company, Menasha, Wisconsin and Whiting-Plover Paper Company, Stevens Point, Wisconsin.

In 1905, after twelve years of apprenticeship, he founded Charles S. Boyd Paper Company in Kaukauna, Wisconsin, to produce a line of sized and super-calendered cover paper. In 1907, he established The Appleton Coated Paper Company. Halftones, which require a smooth printing surface, were just coming into wide usage. Mr. Boyd could see the necessary up-grading of paper leading to volume production of coated paper. Although the original capital raised was $14,100, the investment capital was tripled by the following year.

The decision to produce coated paper displayed Mr. Boyd’s shrewd awareness, learned in the Kaukauna operation. He understood the challenges of competing with integrated mills producing sized and super-calendered paper. The developments of more precise printing demanded higher quality printing surfaces. His solution was coated paper.

Prior to the 1930s, paper mills were unable to make coated paper in an single operation. Most of the paper sold during the first ten years of operation was on special order, mostly solicited by Mr. Boyd himself. This period was called the “jobber brand era.”

Appleton Coated Paper Company became peëminent among non-integrated coating mills, manufacturing the widest range of specialty coated paper anywhere. When on-machine coating was developed in the 1930s, Appleton Coated met this challenge by concentrating on specialties. When technical programs and procedures called for resources beyond those available in the plant laboratory, they were submitted to the Institute of Paper Chemistry, of which the company was a member.

In 1953, Appleton Coated started developing a process to implement carbonless paper, an invention of National Cash Register Company, Dayton, Ohio. Appleton Coated’s research department, headed by Tom Busch, solved the very difficult coating problem in one year, problems that two other major companies were unable to address, and soon became NCR’s major supplier of carbonless paper. NCR bought Appleton Coated in 1970, and in 1978, sold it to British American Tobacco Industries, London, England, who teamed it with the Wiggins-Teape Group Limited, England, a former NCR licensee. In early 1990, B.A.T. spun off Wiggins-Appleton, which became part of today’s Arjo Wiggins Appleton, France. AWA is one of the world’s largest paper manufacturing and distributing organizations.

Mr. Boyd died on January 28, 1952. He and his wife has a daughter, Martha (deceased), who married William Siekman, chairman emeritus of Appleton Coated Paper. The Boyds have two grandchildren, Charles Boyd Siekman, Appleton, and Frances Siekman Romero, whose husband is governor of Guanajuato, Mexico.

Börje Steenberg

Börje Steenberg was born August 6, 1912, in Stockholm, Sweden, where his father was inspector of schools. He received his education in Sweden up to and including his doctorate from Stockholm University.He started his career at Royal Institute of Technology, where he was assistant professor of physical chemistry from 1939 to 1943 and associate professor until 1945. In 1946, he was named head of the paper department of the Swedish Pulp & Paper Research Institute (STFI), a post he held until 1968, when he became head of the Institute. In 1947, Dr. Steenberg was named full professor of paper technology at the Royal Institute of Technology, the first at that level emeriting, in 1979. He served from 1968 through 1974 at FAO Rome, first as director of Forest & Forest Industrial Division and then as assistant director general.

In his academic and industry career activities, Dr. Steenberg covered all aspects of papermaking research and development, from the forest to finished paper and wood products. He was consulted on the building of more than 20 paper machines He developed the concept of “paper as a visco-elastic body,” which not only led to an understanding of the physical properties of paper but also to means of controlling these properties when paper is being made. He also developed a screening theory and screening system designs which have been applied worldwide to improve quality and lower the cost of cleaned stock.

Dr. Steenberg is a member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Engineering Sciences and the Royal Academy of Forestry and Agriculture; a member of the Finnish Academy of Engineering Sciences; the Italian Academy of Forestry; International Academy of Wood Science; New York Academy of Sciences; 50 year member of ASC; TAPPI; PAPTAC; and SPCI. He was secretary from 1953 to 1959 of IUPAC division, Paper and Board; and served as chair and advisor to a number of FAO conferences (United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organization).

He has written more than 120 publications and has given formal papers at numerous conferences worldwide. He holds several patents relating to the paper industry. His honors include the TAPPI Gunnar Nicholson Gold Medal; SPCI Ekman Medal, Sweden; Mitscherlich Medal, Germany; and he was given an honorary doctorate of forest science in Sweden. Equally impressive, four of his former students have been awarded the TAPPI Gunnar Nicholson Gold Medal: Stockman, 1985; Bergstrom, 1991; Wahlstrom, 1992; and Wahren, 1998.

Dr. Steenberg married Dr. Elisa Hald on October 15, 1940. They have two children, Kjell and Ann.

Thomas Simons

Thomas A. Simons was born in Chicago, Illinois, in 1932. In 1944, his parents moved to Vancouver, British Columbia, where his father started H. A. Simons Ltd. He enrolled at Washington State College and earned a bachelor of science degree in mechanical engineering in 1954. He then joined General Electric as an engineer in training and, in 1956, returned to Canada to work at H.A. Simons Ltd. as a project engineer. In late 1956, he entered the U.S. Army and, after basic training, was assigned to Redstone Arsenal to work on the Redstone missile system.

In 1958, Mr. Simons returned to H.A. Simons. After many project engineering assignments, he was named president and chief executive officer of the company in 1968. Following the acquisition of Simons by Agra Inc. in July 1999, Mr. Simons became a member of the board of directors of Agra Inc.

Mr. Simons, as leader of H.A. Simons Ltd., continued an engineering practice initiated in 1914 by his grandfather in Chicago and expanded the company domestically and internationally through new offices, acquisitions, and the formation of international partnerships and alliances. Under his leadership, the firm has led the export of modern North American pulp and paper mill plant design concepts and equipment to a long list of global forestry industry firms in Latin America, Europe and Eastern Europe, Africa, New Zealand, Australia, and Southeast Asia. During his tenure, H.A. Simons became one of the two largest global consultants in the forestry industry and placed Vancouver, Canada, in the ranks of Helsinki, Finland, as a center of excellence for international pulp and paper design. When Mr. Simons was appointed head of the company in 1968, it had sales of $25 million and 700 employees. In 1998, the last full year before the sale, the company had sales of $370 million and 2,500 employees.

Mr. Simons has been dedicated to investing in new technologies and developing new areas of expertise in order to keep Simons at the forefront in its field. An intelligent Systems Group provides turnkey (computerized) custom services for advanced information and control solutions. This is used by companies, including a number of Fortune 500 companies, for process control design, project and construction management, and engineering and training to solve manufacturing problems. Considerable emphasis was placed on the development and implementation of project and construction management processes and procedures.

Simons was a founding member of SIMTECH, a one-of-a-kind networked technology and demonstration training center for industrial operations. The firm partnered with the British Columbia Institute of Technology and eight major technological suppliers, including ABB, Rockwell Automation, Hewlett Packard, and Oracle. The center is located in Vancouver at the Institute’s downtown campus and functions like a flight simulator for plant operations. The facility features the latest equipment and software systems for pulp and paper industry and for mining and manufacturing industries. It provides both students and industry the opportunity to test the very latest technology in virtual display and receive training in a simulated operating environment.

Mr. Simons served on the board of governors of the British Columbia Institute of Technology. He is a past director of the Vancouver Board of Trade and the British Columbia Trade Development Corporation. He also served on the British Columbia High Technology Strategy Group. He has received honorary doctor of law degrees from British Columbia Institute of Technology and Simon Fraser University. Mr. Simons received the Benefactor of the Year Award from Council for Resource Development, a North American organization dedicated to increasing the effectiveness of college educations. Philanthropists are recognized in the U.S. and Canada.

Mr. Simons is married to Dr. Jennifer Allen Simons who, in 1985, established the Simons Foundation, with funding from the engineering company, to actively promote education in peace, disarmament, global cooperation, human rights, social justice, and environmental issues. The Foundation is now funded by the Simons family.

Oscar Boldt

Oscar C. Boldt was born and raised in Appleton, Wisconsin. In 1948, he earned his bachelor of science degree in civil engineering from the University of Wisconsin, Madison, and joined the Oscar J. Boldt Construction Company. In 1950, he became its chief operating officer and, in 1963, its president, director, and chairman of the board. Later, he was named president of the holding company, The Boldt Group, Inc., and, in 1984, became its chairman and chief executive officer.

During more than 50 years with the company, Boldt developed a small family corporation founded in 1889 into the leading contractors in the pulp and paper industry with projects ranging from small rebuilds to $495 million, and with revenues more than doubled the second place firm. In 1999, the Engineering News-Record named Boldt Construction Company number 81 among the largest US construction management and general construction firms.

The Boldt Group worked through the United States, with occasional projects in Canada and Mexico. His firm played a key role in the April 1995 rescue operations after the bombing of the Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City and received national recognition. In managing the company, Boldt drew on skills acquired as a navigator on the 15th Air Force bombers on missions out of Italy in World War II. Boldt was also lectured frequently in the University of Wisconsin’s engineering and construction management program.

Virtually all sectors of the paper industry have benefited from these skills. Boldt has assisted owners in deploying capital in fiber supply end of the business from woodyards to pulping operations of all kinds, including deinking of waste paper. The company has erected and rebuilt paper machines in virtually every sector of the industry, including tissue and towel, groundwood coated and uncoated, uncoated freesheet, coated freesheet, specialties, and bleached and unbleached board. In addition, Boldt has served the finishing sector with experiences in the construction of complex coaters, calenders, winders, sheeting, and converting and packaging operations.

Boldt was a director of M&I Bank and Midwest Express Airline. For many years he served on the boards of Pierce Manufacturing, Integrated Paper Services, Lawrence University, health related industries, Community Foundation of Fox Valley, Appleton Rotary Club, and Appleton Family YMCA.

Boldt received the Silver Beaver Award, the Master Entrepreneur of the Year Award, and the 1988 Walter L. Rugland Community Service Award (with his with Patricia). He also received the Distinguished Service Citation from the University of Wisconsin College of Engineering and was inducted into the Chi Epsilon National Civil Engineering Society in 1996.

Edwin Cowles

Edwin Cowles was born in Cleveland, Ohio, and educated in the Cleveland school system. He earned a degree in marine architecture at Cornell University, Ithaca, NY.

Cowles founded Cowles Chemical Company in 1925 in Cleveland, Ohio, and Cowles Engineering Corporation in Sewaren, New Jersey, in 1930. He was a consultant and inventor for the Downingtown Paper Company in Downington, Pennsylvania from 1930 to 1938, and for Dilts Machine Works in Fulton, New York, from 1939 until his death in 1968.

Cowles invented a method of pressure screening and of defibering paper fibers, known as the “Classifiner”, prior to 1939. All modern screening via pressure screening, now combined with completely automated reject control, derives from his work. Cowles also invented and developed the Cowles Pulper, which was patented in 1944. This later became known as the “Hydrapulper (TM)”, a product of Dilts Machine Works, Fulton, NY. The Dilts company became a division of the Black Clawson Company in 1940 and later a division of Thermo Fibertek, Inc. In the 1930s and ’40s, the U.S. paper industry was considerably ahead of Europe and Asia because of Cowles’ inventions. After World War II, Black Clawson exported this technology worldwide. Today, all modern defibering of virgin and secondary fibers is done in an hydrapulper, or copy equivalent, totally controlled by advanced instrumentation. In his varied career, Cowles also invented laundry processes and equipment, and laundry chemicals, particularly silicates and stearates.

Cowles’ inventions greatly improved the quality and uniformity of fibers leading to improved paper machine efficiencies. Other additional advantages were decreased energy consumption and increased efficiency in the use of broke, waste papers and other grades of secondary paper. Thus, the door was open for the use of municipal solid waste as a source of fiber.

Cowles received 40 patents on his inventions. He was a member of the Technical Association of the Pulp and Paper Industry (TAPPI) from 1940 until his death in 1968 in New York City. His is buried in Cleveland, Ohio.

D.C. Everest

David C. Everest was born in Pine Grove, Michigan, and attended Gables High School. At age 16, a double tragedy struck. His father’s factory burned to the ground with a total financial loss and, soon after, his father died. Everest was forced to work to support his mother and sister. He started as an office boy but advanced fast. He worked first as a bookkeeper, then as assistant manager of paper companies. By 1909, he was sales manager of a machine company. While working on the jobs, he completed his high school education in 1899.

In 1909, at the age of 27, he was approached by the financial backers of a newly incorporated firm, Marathon Paper Mills Company, to build and manage the company. There were no employees, no equipment, no manufacturing plant, no definite plans, but lots of enthusiasm. The initial incorporation was for $750,000. Everest left a good job and joined them. The backers originally planned to produce newsprint, but he convinced them to enter the paper specialty field, which proved to be a wise choice; the business provided a stable demand.

Mr. Everest’s first big challenge came in July 1911 when flood waters brought thousands of logs smashing down the Wisconsin River from lumber mills upstream. Considerable damage was done to the mill, and the west end of the dam was dynamited to relieve pressure. The company was in danger of folding because of the costly damage, but it persevered.

Through the early years, Marathon sold much of its paper to Menasha Printing and Carton Company, which manufactured bread wrapper and paper pails for food containers in Menasha, Wausau and Ashland. Mr. Everest, a man of colorful quotes, stated frequently that “people will quit the eatin’ habit last.”

In 1927, Everest purchased the Mensasha Printing and Carton Company. Later, he added printing capabilities and its own ink plant, making the then Marathon company the largest printer in the world. Marathon’s extensive operations were spread over five states. During more than 46 years of Everest’s management at Marathon, there was never a work stoppage or strike. He often emphasized that the “interests of employees and stockholders are identical.”

Everest received honorary doctorate degrees from the University of Wisconsin, Lawrence University, and Northland College. He was one of the original founders of the Institute of Paper Chemistry in Appleton (now Institute of Paper Science and Technology, Atlanta). He received the Gold Medal from the TAPPI, an award never before given to someone who had not received a technical education. Everest was also made a Fellow of Great Britain’s Newcomen Society, an honor in the field of engineering.

Charles Holmes Herty

Charles Holmes Herty was born in Milledgeville, Georgia, where his father, Bernard Herty, was the leading pharmacist. Young Charles was orphaned before he was 11 years old and was raised by an aunt, Miss Holmes, in Athens, Georgia.

Dr. Herty received a bachelor of philosophy degree from the University of Georgia in 1886, and his doctorate from Johns Hopkins University in 1890.

After working in many positions with various universities, associations, and industries, Herty, in 1928, opened a consulting office in New York to develop natural resources of the South. He focused on naval stores from pine trees and promoted production materials from cellulose that remained after oil had been removed from trees. This was ideal because by this time, while at Chattanooga Pottery Company, he had already perfected and manufactured his patent invention, the Naval Cup, a device for generating naval stores from pine trees. This was a major step in improving the extraction of turpentine from pine trees.

Parallel to his work in New York, he served as director of research for pulp and paper at the Georgia State Department of Forestry. In 1932, he established a pulp and paper laboratory in Savannah, Georgia, now the Herty Foundation, to prove that cheap, fast growing Southern pine could profitably replace Canadian spruce in the manufacture of newsprint. Dr. Herty was head of this laboratory until his death in 1938.

Dr. Herty’s technological contributions opened the door to the use of Southern pine as a fiber source, creating the Southern pulpwood industry. His work provided the pulp and paper industry in the Western hemisphere with a vast source of fiber, and significantly increased the manufacturing base of the Southern states. He led research on pulp by-products, including rayon. He also promoted the synthetic camphor industry and promoted industrial research in cottonseed oils, kaolin clays, and agricultural by-products. During his career, Dr. Herty authored 75 papers.

Dr. Herty was a member of the American Chemical Society and served as president from 1915 to 1916. He was on the board of governors and chair of the cellulose committee of the National Farm Chemurgic Council. He was a member of the American Forestry Association and TAPPI from 1915 to 1918, respectively, until his death. The Herty medal, now administered by the Georgia Section Society, remains the South’s most distinguished award for its chemists.

Dr. Herty received various medals from the above organizations, plus honorary doctorates from Colgate University, Oglethorpe University, University of Pittsburgh, University of Georgia, University of North Carolina, University of Florida, and Duke University. In 1940, the Charles Holmes Herty Memorial Highway was dedicated. In 1943, the Liberty Ship S. S. Charles H. Herty was launched.

Brian Attwood

Brian Attwood was born in Bristol, United Kingdom. He graduated from Merchant Ventures/Bristol College of Technology, now the University of West England. He earned his degree primarily through night school. In 1942, Attwood started work at St. Anne’s Paper and Board Mill Co. Ltd. as a production and technical trainee. After an absence of two years to serve in the Royal Air Force, Attwood rejoined St. Anne’s and quickly worked his way to become process and technical director. In 1981, he formed his own independent consulting company, St. Anne’s Paper and Paperboard Developments Ltd.

At St. Anne’s Board Mill, Attwood developed the twin-wire process which was commercialized by Walmesley-Beloit in the “Inverform” machine, which, in turn, influenced the design of the “Bel Bond” former at A.P.M. in Australia. This work led to the development of St. Anne’s subsidiary headbox, capable of supporting the twin-wire forming at consistencies of up to 2 percent. St. Anne’s received the Queen’s Award to Industry for the invention and development of the twin-wire process.

Attwood worked on dry forming with Karl Kroyer of Denmark. But the major part of his activities was associated with cylinder under felt forming that led to the development of the BRDA / St. Anne’s Former. There are over 400 such units in operation worldwide. Attwood also pioneered pressure forming and invented the Hydra Nip Press process. His other contributions include the study of formation using beta radiography techniques, elucidating the mechanism of suction box dewatering, and the mechanism of multi-cylinder drying.

Attwood is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry, a Fellow of the City and Guilds Institute, U.K., and a Fellow of the TAPPI. He also received many prestigious awards such as the Silver Jubilee and Gold medals from the U.K. Paper Industry Technical Association (PITA); the Gold medal of British Paper Industry; the EUCEPA Gold Emblem; and TAPPI’s 2000 Gunnar Nicholson Gold Medallion. He was a trustee of the British Paper Museum and an active and involved member of many professional associations in the U.K., Germany, Finland, Canada, and the USA.

Attwood has 30 patents to his credit and is the author of over 50 technical papers. He also jointly authored a textbook covering multi-ply forming technology.

Tad Bretting

H. Lyman (Tad) Bretting was born in Ashland, Wisconsin, on June 24, 1936. Following his graduation from high school, he attended the University of Notre Dame, where he earned a degree in business in 1958. Following in his father’s footsteps, he joined the family manufacturing company, which was founded by his grandfather, C. G. Bretting.

Established in 1890, C.G. Bretting Manufacturing Company originally built and repaired sawmill equipment. In 1930, Lyreart Bretting (Tad’s father) built the first four-web vacuum napkin folder. It was in 1960 that Tad Bretting saw a need in the paper converting industry and the company began to create machinery that revolutionized tissue products as we know them today. Many of the converting processes were labor intensive, which made tissue products relatively expensive. Mr. Bretting saw opportunities in the then emerging fast food industry for dispenser napkins. He also recognized the increased numbers in the work force and foresaw the requirement for additional hand towels to meet wash room demands. The processes by which these products were converted at that time were not efficient and could not meet the growing demands.

Mr. Bretting pioneered modern converting machinery and led his company into a worldwide leadership role. With his vision of growth for tissue and his leadership skills, he grew the company from sales of $120,000 per year with 11 employees to over $70,000,000, with nearly 500 employees today.

Early in his career, Mr. Bretting visited many tissue converters and learned first hand the challenges they faced. As a small company, Bretting employees — including Mr. Bretting — had to wear many hats.

He assisted in the design, machine assembly, and installation of the early machines. He continually reinvested in the company, putting dollars into technology that could solve problems. The Bretting designed and built machines made converting much faster and less expensive, thereby allowing for development of new products. Mr. Bretting’s vision had a direct impact on the increased per capita usage of tissue products world wide.

Bretting machines fit a multitude of applications. Mr. Bretting directed the development of machines to fit small converters as well as the very largest. Bretting machines are built to produce efficiently with minimal waste. The machines are easily utilized on recycled products and can employ printing methods that are environmentally clean.

Far beyond the machinery developed by Bretting Manufacturing is the commitment to keeping a customer satisfied, a standard set by Mr. Bretting, which is unequaled in the industry today. His key contribution to the paper industry is the assurance that he gave to those who put their faith in him that his work was good and that he would be there in the event of a problem. He has never compromised that commitment.

Mr. Bretting’s leadership wasn’t restricted to the company. He worked unselfishly and tirelessly for his community. Ashland, a traditional mining and logging town, has suffered periods of economic depression. Through Mr. Bretting’s entrepreneurial vision and leadership, many good jobs were created. He gives generously to the community, and many local charities receive funding they need to meet their objectives.

In 1989, Mr. Bretting received both the Wisconsin Small Business Person of the Year award and the United States Small Business Person of the Year.

He served as chairman of the board of directors of M&I National Bank of Ashland; member of the board of directors of Northern States Power; vice president and director of Ashland Foundation Board; former coach and an originator of Ashland Little League Baseball; past board member of Wisconsin State Chamber of Commerce; former trustee of Northland College of Ashland; past president of Ashland Area Chamber of Commerce; former director of First American National Bank of Wausau; and past board member of St. Joseph’s Hospital.

Mr. Bretting and his wife, Barbara, raised five children, four of whom represent the fourth generation working for C.G. Bretting Manufacturing. In his leisure time, Mr. Bretting enjoyed hunting, fishing, and golfing. (Mr. Bretting died in 2003)

Stephen Baisch

Stephen J. Baisch was born on October 28, 1917, in Ironwood, Michigan. He was one of four children. His family moved to Green Bay, Wisconsin, when he was two years old. Later, they moved to Antigo, Wisconsin, where Mr. Baisch attended public school. He graduated from Antigo High School in 1935. He attended the University of Wisconsin and graduated in 1942 with a bachelor of science degree in mechanical engineering. While a student, he joined the Army ROTC. After graduation, he served under General Patton in the invasion of French North Africa and later in Sicily. By the time his military service was over, he had earned the rank of major.

In 1945, Mr. Baisch joined Thilmany Pulp and Paper Company as chief design engineer and was responsible for the overall engineering for three new paper machines, as well as a new woodroom; new screen room; new brown stock washing installation; relining, and replacement of digester, converting machines, and a warehouse.

On January 15, 1958, he ended his career at Thilmany when he founded his own consulting and engineering firm, S. J. Baisch Associates lnc., in Kaukauna, Wisconsin.

For many years, Mr. Baisch managed all of the active projects. By creating a strong personal relationship with the owner and then following through with technical expertise and ethical business dealings, he was able to build a strong foundation of repeat clients. He had a keen eye for dedicated and skilled employees, whom he guided and instructed in what became the “Baisch tradition.”

Mr. Baisch created a benchmark of expertise and client service that some owners in the industry have come to expect from their consultants. The Baisch philosophy is to work closely with the owner and other members of the project team to determine the most cost-effective solution to a specific challenge. The company was built on handshakes and trust, and trust remains an integral part of the Baisch tradition. Owners came to view Baisch engineers as friendly faces backed up by years of proven experience.

Through his technical expertise, business know-how, and motivational abilities, S. J. Baisch Associates Inc. expanded to more than 50 employees by the mid-1980s. Today, 40 years after he began building his dream, the company has grown to nearly 100 employees and has maintained a strong and respected presence in the pulp and paper industry.

Mr. Baisch’s technical abilities and leadership skills integrated various equipment and process technologies, which assisted owners in exceeding production goals and return on investment

Through his efforts, Baisch Associates participated in several pulp and paper firsts in the U.S. The firm provided engineering services for the first Voith flotation de-inking system, the first triple Fourdrinier linerboard machine installation, the first installation of the Tem-Sec press, and the first installation of a silent felt roll drive.

Mr. Baisch and his staff’s contributions benefited the paper manufacturing sector of the paper industry from woodyard to converting by providing the integrating link between new paper equipment and process technology and their practical application in the manufacturing process.

During his career, he held membership in several professional societies, including American Society of Mechanical Engineers; National Society of Professional Engineers; Wisconsin Society of Professional Engineers; Wisconsin Society of Professionals; Technical Association of the Pulp and Paper Industry (TAPPI), where he served as chairman of Lake States TAPPI and past chairman Corrosion Committee Engineering Division. Mr. Baisch has had numerous technical articles published during his career. In addition, he holds patents for the Oscillating Shower used on paper machines; and the String Inserting Machine for reinforcing paper. He has received honors from Wisconsin Men of Achievement; Who’s Who in Engineering; and Who’s Who in the Midwest. In 1983, he became a partner in the Potsdam Power Company. He serves on the board of Potsdam Paper Corporation, Potsdam, New York, and on the board for Petretex Paper Company, Peoria, Illinois. Public service activities have included Rotary Club, where he served as president for his local chapter; Elks Club; Boy Scouts; Girl Scouts; American Legion; School Board; Regional Plan Commission; and 4th Degree Knights of Columbus. He continues to be active in his church and St. Paul’s Nursing Home.

Mr. Baisch and his first wife, Edith, raised three sons, two of whom are adopted Korean twins. After being widowed for several years, Mr. Baisch married Patricia Schaefer Flanagan.

Mr. Baisch sold the company in January 1985 and retired in 1990. He and Patricia divide their time between homes in Kaukauna and Eagle River, Wisconsin, and Punta Gorda, Florida.

Reinhardt Sabee

Reinhardt Sabee was born north of Cloquet, Minnesota, on September 26, 1914, to Norwegian immigrant parents. He had two brothers and a sister, and the family lived in a log cabin built by his father. As a child, Reiney, as he was called, knew what it was like to roam free in the forests and blueberry swamps, to live among wolves, and to catch fish in the lakes. By the time he was nine, the family had moved to Racine, Wisconsin. When he entered school, he could not speak English, and had never seen an automobile nor indoor plumbing.

After graduating from Racine High School in 1932, he entered the University of Wisconsin – Madison. In 1936, before completing his degree, Mr. Sabee was hired by Fairbanks Morse as a design engineer. In 1939, he earned a bachelor of science degree in mechanical engineering and went to work for Kimberly-Clark Corporation as a machine designer. He left Kimberly-Clark in 1942 and served as design engineer and chief engineer for Micromatic Hone Company, and in 1943 he joined Safeway Industries, both of Detroit, in the same capacity.

For a long time, Mr. Sabee had wanted to be in business for himself, and this long-standing desire became reality in 1945 when he founded The R. Sabee Company in Appleton, Wisconsin. Initially, the company designed and constructed manufacturing machinery, much of it focusing on packaging and paper converting.

Mr. Sabee developed a reputation throughout the paper and related industries as an innovator. He was known not only for what his machines were capable of producing, but also for their ease of operation. They were designed to be operated by workers with a minimum of skill and training, rather than requiring the attention of an engineer.

The firm gained a reputation for solving difficult manufacturing problems. For many years, The R. Sabee Company designed and produced manufacturing machinery for other companies, including some of the largest corporations in the country. Mr. Sabee holds nearly 70 patents and several companies have been licensed under those patents. When numerous pharmaceutical companies or consumer goods suppliers requested disposable products covered by his patents, he designed and built machines to produce these products. In some cases, he produced the fabric or other material to manufacture these newly-developed products.

In the early 1950s, The R. Sabee Company took advantage of its founder’s design ability and began to manufacture products other than machinery — disposable diapers among them. Mr. Sabee’s development of spun-bonded fabrics allowed the company to expand its line of products, including disposable hospital garments, surgical underpads, and drape sheets. The company is also a component supplier for pharmaceutical companies, which assemble the materials into products that make up medical procedure kits. In addition, the company manufactures disposable napkins and towels for the airline industry.

Disposable consumer hospital and nursing home products must be affordable, and the Sabee high-speed machine designs make this possible. The use of disposable products eliminated the high cost of labor and product by doing away with the need for laundry, sterilization, contamination, and unsanitary situations.

Other companies he founded include Circle Machinery and Supply Company; Draper Products Co.; and Tuff Spun Fabrics Co.

Mr. Sabee held memberships in three honorary fraternities, Tau Beta Pi; Pi Tau Sigma; and Phi Eta Sigma.

Mr. Sabee was a strong believer in teaching and sharing knowledge of product and machine design. He passed on his enthusiasm and knowledge to his three children and ten grandchildren, many of whom worked with him. For many years, his wife, Lois, worked by his side, and is familiar with all aspects of the business. She has drawn details of new machines and holds many copyrights.

Joseph Parker

Joseph D. Parker was born in Norfolk, Virginia, on August 24, 1928. Following his graduation from Maury High School in 1946, he attended Bullis Preparatory School, from which he graduated in 1947. He was appointed to West Point Military Academy by Senator Harry Byrd, Sr., and was accepted with the highest examination score on record, 99.6. Mr. Parker’s military career was cut short in 1948 when he received an honorable discharge due to a football injury. He enrolled in the College of William and Mary and later received his bachelor of chemical engineering degree from North Carolina State University in 1952. In 1954, he received his master of science degree from The Institute of Paper Chemistry.

While he was attending the Institute, he served three engineering internships: Combined Locks Paper Company, Combined Locks, Wisconsin, in 1952; North Carolina Pulp Company, Plymouth, North Carolina, 1953; and Crown Zellerbach Corporation, Camas, Washington, 1954. Mr. Parker earned his doctorate from the Institute in 1958 and was hired by Beloit Corporation as a research engineer. He served as a visiting research scientist for the Swedish Forest Products Research Institute in 1963 and 1964, after which he was promoted to senior research associate for Beloit Corporation, followed by associate director of research from 1962 until his untimely death in 1972.

Dr. Parker contributed significantly to the understanding of fluid mechanics in the areas of sheet formation, paper machine design and general papermaking. His accomplishments include: supervised the development of the Twinverform paper machine; participated on the lnverform development team; developed the Beloit Converflo hydraulic headbox; developed the Beloit Sheet Splitter and the fiber optic flocculation and consistency probe; and was on the development team for the Bel Baie twin wire former. Included in his many publications was the TAPPI monograph “The Sheet Forming Process”, which is considered the definitive work in the fluid mechanics of pulp suspension drainage. He conducted fundamental research and development, pilot plant work, and field equipment installations in the areas of headbox design; Fourdrinier foil design; flow and formation of high consistency suspension; twin wire forming; flow of turbulent fiber suspensions; and fiber dispersion and orientation in high shear fields.

Dr. Parker held 22 patents, and his many contributions allowed the development of faster paper machines with better formation, which leads to higher production rates of better quality paper. His work on fiber orientation and sheet formation has allowed the papermaker to have better control over sheet characteristics, such as burst, tear, tensile, and porosity.

Dr. Parker was a TAPPI fellow and was an accredited professional chemist, fellow, in the American Institute of Chemists. He was a member of the American Chemical Society; Knight of St. Patrick, North Carolina State; Tau Beta Pi; Gamma Sigma Epsilon; and Phi Eta Sigma.

Dr. Parker enjoyed youth related activities in his free time and served as a troop leader for both the Boy Scouts and the YMCA Indian Guides. He headed the Beloit YMCA fund drive, to which he contributed generously, and served as Sunday School Superintendent, First Congregational Church. He enjoyed playing handball and was the Beloit city champion for three years.

Dr. Parker was 44 years old when he died on July 21, 1972. He was survived by his wife, Dorothy, and four young children.

John Strange

John Strange was born in Neenah, Wisconsin, on September 17, 1911. He was educated in the public school system through the eighth grade, after which he enrolled in St. John’s Military Academy in Delafield, Wisconsin, for his high school education. In 1932, he graduated from Lawrence College, Appleton, Wisconsin, Phi Beta Kappa and summa cum laude with a bachelor of arts degree. During high school and college, he was an enthusiastic athlete and became a top-ranked varsity tennis player.

In 1932, Mr. Strange joined The Institute of Paper Chemistry. In his early years at the Institute, he served in leadership positions with two governmental agencies. During the National Recovery Administration, he served as secretary of the Central Grading Committee. During World War II, he served as chief of the War Products Development Section of the War Production Board. Mr. Strange was secretary, treasurer, and vice president of the Institute and became president in 1955.

Through a remarkable forty years of service at the Institute, Mr. Strange helped guide the educational and research contributions of the institution. As third president of The Institute of Paper Chemistry, Mr. Strange led the institution during a period of enormous change in the paper industry and higher education. He was instrumental in strengthening the Institute both academically and financially. He inspired others to take on the challenges of increasing the breadth and depth of the lnstitute’s research at a time of rapid and scientific technological change and increasing economic and social complexity. His annual presentations at the lnstitute’s Executive’s Conference, regarded as one of the industry’s most prestigious events, were eagerly awaited as learned dissertations on the role of education in addressing the industry’s scientific and technological needs, the economics of paper manufacturing, and emerging trends in industry-related research.

Through graduate education and innovative research, the Institute, under Mr. Strange’s leadership, helped set major directions for the paper industry, providing many of the resources the industry needed to address changing technologies and market forces. It was Mr. Strange and his colleagues who early on pushed for stream surveys and pollution analysis, anticipating the role environmental issues would play in the industry’s future.

Under his leadership, the Institute spearheaded technological developments in many areas, including chemical marking, coatings, and the strength of paperboard. Mr. Strange played a major role in drafting key industry guidelines. The Institute was a leader in expanding the use of nonfibrous additives to facilitate paper production. Nearly all of the original adaptive work on soybean protein was done by the Institute.

During his tenure, the Institute supplied many of the professional technical personnel who were critical to the research and development successes of the industry, as well as a high percentage of CEOs and higher management. The Institute itself, under his leadership, was responsible for groundbreaking advances in many sectors that contributed directly to the prosperity of the paper industry.

In addition to membership on various committees and groups in the pulp and paper industry, Mr. Strange was a member and secretary of the Sulfite Pulp Manufacturer’s Research League. He was also a long-time member of the Fourdrinier Kraft Board Institute, Inc., having joined when it was founded in 1944.

He has served as a director for Cutler-Hammer, lnc.; First National Bank of Appleton; Fox Valley Corporation; Outagamie Corporation; George Banta Company, Inc.; and the Green Bay Packers. He was director and president of The Green Bay & Mississippi Canal Company.

Mr. Strange’s public service activities included serving as a trustee for Lawrence University (for over 50 years) and Wayland Academy. He was a member and president of the Appleton School Board and participated in committees and served on boards of the YMCA; Boy Scouts of America; and Appleton Medical Center.

He received two honorary doctor of science degrees, one from Lawrence University and one from Ripon College. He was also awarded an honorary doctor of laws degree from Beloit College.

Mr. Strange died at home in Appleton, Wisconsin, on August 30, 1992. He and his wife, Mary, raised three children. She continues to reside in Appleton.

Herbert Ortner

Herbert Ortner was born May 7, 1932 in Graz, Austria. In spite of World War II, he had a very happy childhood with his parents, Hermann and Louise, and his elder brother, Gerhard. He considered himself fortunate to be able to study in his hometown, and earned his engineering degree in mechanical engineering and pulp and paper technology in 1958, as well as his doctorate in mechanical engineering from the Technical University in Graz in 1961. Unfortunately, his father died in 1956 at the age of 58 and, therefore, did not see Dr. Ortner’s achievements.

After his studies at the Technical University, plus a year and a half of work as a shift foreman at the Leykam Paper Mill at Gratkorn, Austria, Dr. Ortner began his assignment as a research engineer at the Voith Paper Research Institute, Heidenheim, Germany, on October 1, 1959. Here, among other responsibilities, he was decisively engaged in the development of the flotation-deinking process for the recycling of printed waste paper and introducing this recycling process to the world wide paper industry.

When he completed his doctoral degree in 1961, his thesis was entitled “On the Application of Flotation for the Cleaning of Printed Waste Paper, Especially for the Removal of the Printing Ink”. At the end of 1965, he was transferred to technical sales of the newly established Voith Stockpreparation Division and, in 1967, he was promoted to chief engineer of this department. In 1970, he became mill manager of the Pulp and Paper Mill Brigl & Bermeister at Niklasdorf, Austria, Styria.

Dr. Ortner returned to Voith in 1972 as chief engineer of the Integrated Pulp and Paper Mill department. He was appointed head of the Voith Stockpreparation Division in 1973. In 1976, he was promoted to vice president and general manager. The division received world wide recognition and an excellent international reputation under his leadership. Since October 1994, he has been senior vice president Integrated Paper Mill Projects of Voith Sulzer Paper Technology, with main emphasis on Far-East and Southeast Asia.

The hallmark of Dr. Ortner’s professional career at Voith was the application of science and fundamental principles to advance papermaking and paper recycling, including flotation de-inking. He combined his vast knowledge of the entire papermaking process with his innovative and creative thinking to develop new processes and to improve existing ones to meet the needs of the industry. When he began this work in 1959, only a few mills were deinking recovered papers. By 1978, about 125 flotation de-inking plants were in operation, with an annual production of over 2.5 million tons. Dr. Ortner continued improving and promoting flotation so that by 1985, there were 230 flotation de-inking plants world wide producing about 7 million tons.

Dr. Ortner’s presentations at conferences and his list of publications and patents have covered a broad range of topics, including coating, refining, sizing, surface treatment of paper, screening, recovered paper repulping, dispersion and kneading, high consistency pulping, and overall plant system design.

Dr. Ortner is a member of Academic Engineers Association at the Technical University, Graz Austria (APV); Austrian Pulp & Paper Chemists and Engineers Association (OEZEPA); German Pulp & Paper Chemists and Engineers Association (Zellcheming); and Technical Association for the Pulp and Paper Industry (TAPPI).

On September 30, 1998, at age 66, Dr. Ortner retired. He continues to be available for the company as a special consultant. Dr. Ortner and his wife, Christa, have raised two children. His leisure activities include skiing, tennis, biking, swimming, sailing, and mountain biking.  (Dr. Ortner died in 2013)