While still in his 40’s, Ger Nowack was fortunate enough to be in a position to retire from the professional life. He currently lives in Loveland, CO. and enjoys a schedule of travel, hiking, windsurfing, biking, fishing, golf, skiing, reading, doing the New York Times crossword puzzles, and spending time with his adoring wife.
Born Gerhard Paul Nowack in Pittsburgh, PA., the son of a Penn Central airline pilot and a lively stay-at-home mom, he is the grandson of the inventor of the iconic, nationally used Hav-A-Nap paper napkin dispenser. His grandmother was the first female pharmacist in the state of Wisconsin. At age two, Ger moved with his family to South Milwaukee, WI., where he spent his early childhood. At the age of nine, the Nowacks moved to Mound, MN., home of Tonka Toys, and a house on the shores of Lake Minnetonka. Living by the water was Ger’s great joy, and he became an expert water skier, performing tricks that delighted and entertained everyone who watched. In Mound High School, he was an A student and was a member of the golf team. He also liked playing baseball and football, and when winter came he exchanged those sports for ice hockey and snow skiing.
Ger did his undergraduate studies at academically elite Carleton College, where he majored in chemistry. In 1964 he began a Ph.D. program at Northwestern University where he followed an Organic Chemistry major, with a specialty in catalysis. It was during those years that he met and married Caroline Reichardt, the love of his life. In 1968 he accepted a position with Phillips Petroleum Co. in Bartlesville, OK. as a research chemist. During his tenure with Phillips, he earned 72 patents, wrote a number of papers, and was presented with the distinguished IR 100 Award for PROP, a new process for re-refined motor oil, that was chosen one of the best 100 industrial research ideas of the year.
Ger retired early from Phillips in 1991 and moved to Colorado in 1996. His daughter Amy is a trained interior designer in Tulsa. His son Nathan is a professional photographer in L.A.
