Donald Baumgartner left his mark on Milwaukee.
Baumgartner was a driving force behind the construction of the Milwaukee Art Museum’s stunning Calatrava addition – a beloved landmark that has become a symbol for the city.
He and his wife, Donna, have been key contributors to the art museum, Milwaukee Ballet, Florentine Opera Company, Milwaukee Film Festival, Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra, Next Door, and many other organizations.
And a decade ago, Baumgartner made international news when he and his son, John, announced they would turn over their successful longtime manufacturing company, Paper Machinery Corp., in Milwaukee to their employees.
Baumgartner, 95, died Saturday surrounded by his family at his home in River Hills.
He left behind a legacy of beauty, art, adventure, fun, and family – and love for his hometown.
His son, John Baumgartner, said his father was focused on helping the city and the community of Milwaukee.
“He wanted to give back to the community where he lived and loved,” he said.
“There’s a pinboard down in the basement of all the places that they’ve been. And it’s just filled,” his daughter E. Keller “Kelly” Fitzsimmons said. “And he said, ‘I’ve been everywhere, and Milwaukee is the best place to live.’ That was his absolute conviction. That Milwaukee was a gem and the best place on earth to live.”
Baumgartner left quite a legacy.
“A testament to his life is he left Milwaukee better than he found it,” said Andy Nunemaker, chairman of the Board of Trustees for the art museum.
Successful businessman who turned over company to employees
Baumgartner credited his parents with teaching him the value of hard work.
His father, J.R., launched old-line Milwaukee firms Reliable Tool and Mercury Engineering. His mother, Mae Greenwald, owned and operated a restaurant, Glenn’s Grill, on the corner of Capitol Drive and Port Washington Road.
Baumgartner graduated from Shorewood High School in 1949, where he played football, and went to University of Wisconsin-Madison.
In 1951, he joined his father’s company, Milwaukee Shipbuilding Corp. A few years later, he became the sole owner and president of the company. Its name was changed to Paper Machinery Corp.
His son, John, joined the company in 1971. Together they grew it into a leading manufacturer of machines used to produce paperboard cups and containers. Their growth followed the rise of the fast-food and coffee industries. The Baumgartners pushed for improved health and dental insurance for their employees.
In 2016, Baumgartner and John handed over the company to stunned employees through an employee stock ownership plan, a change that over time put millions of dollars into the retirement accounts of longtime workers.
The announcement was made at an employee meeting in a big party tent on the company’s parking lot, with plenty of beer, food and a jazz band. Not knowing what to expect, some workers were initially worried that Paper Machinery was being sold to another company.
Baumgartner, who was 85 at the time, continued to serve as chairman of the board of directors and his son remains on the board.
“I intend to keep an eye on these guys,” Baumgartner said with a smile in a 2016 interview with the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
Baumgartner remained chairman of the board until he died.
“He was that committed to Milwaukee and to the people who made him so successful,” Fitzsimmons said. “He and my brother John decided to make that decision, and it was an extraordinary thing.”
A legendary philanthropist, patron of the arts
Baumgartner married his wife, Donna, in December 1979. She opened his eyes to the world of art and the satisfaction that comes with being a philanthropist and patron, and he introduced her to the beauty of opera.
“Dad’s appreciation of the arts certainly grew after he married Donna,” his son John said.
A past president of the Milwaukee Art Museum’s Board of Trustees, Baumgartner served as chairman of the museum’s building committee during the construction of the Calatrava addition.
The Baumgartners became close friends with the renowned architect, Santiago Calatrava, who stayed at their home.
Baumgartner was especially proud of the Calatrava addition, and his work with the team to help make sure the project was completed.
“Dad’s vision was for a first-class museum,” John Baumgartner said. “He wanted an iconic building”
When it came to fundraising, Baumgartner believed that if you built a top-notch building, people would want to put their names on it.
“I think Dad was of the mind of the old saying, ‘If you build it, they will come,” Baumgartner added.
“At one point there was a proposal for swapping out the white marble for linoleum, and my dad personally saw to it that that was canned,” Fitzsimmons said. “My father was very much instrumental in ensuring that the project was properly funded.”
The Calatrava addition, which opened in 2001, is hailed as an artistic and engineering masterpiece. Time magazine named it the best design of the year that year. It’s graceful wings, officially called the Burke Brise Soleil, stretch across the sky – opening, flapping and closing each day.
Not far from the art museum is the Baumgartner Center for Dance in Milwaukee’s Historic Third Ward. The building, which opened in 2019, is home to the Milwaukee Ballet’s administrative offices, its rehearsal and training facility for company dancers, and the ballet school’s downtown branch.
“The arts, he and Donna just contributed so much – not just money, but also their time in helping them out,” said Ben Abrohams, who was Baumgartner best and oldest friend.
Abrohams, a retired partner at Foley & Lardner, is also on the Paper Machinery board.
‘Such a zest for life’
Baumgartner had an endless sense of adventure. He and his wife, Donna, traveled the world together.
He loved driving fast cars, skiing, taking his family on adventures on chartered yachts, and enjoying performances of the Florentine Opera and the Milwaukee Ballet. He also cherished time spent at his mountain home in Colorado, often inviting friends and family to join them
Back in 1979, Baumgartner found out his father was going to ship a 57-foot Hatteras long-range cruiser to Europe. He volunteered to take the yacht across the ocean with his then-fiancee Donna and his son, John. Baumgartner joked to the Journal Sentinel in 2016 that he might have made the offer to go after having one too many martinis.
“He had an enthusiasm for life that just didn’t quit,” said Kurt Chandler, author of “With the Wind at His Back: The charmed and charitable life of Donald Baumgartner.”
“He sailed across the Atlantic. Set foot on all seven continents. Built his family business into a global leader. … Donald didn’t hold back,” Chandler said. “I enjoyed every word he shared with me, those that made it into the book and those that didn’t.”
Baumgartner was also known for his sense of humor.
“He had just a really clever, wry sense of humor,” Abrohams said. “Some of his (jokes) probably aren’t printable.”
H. Carl Mueller, the founder of Mueller Communications, said that he and Baumgartner went on a trade mission to Europe together with former Milwaukee Mayor John Norquist, which involved an overnight trip on a train – but one that came screeching to a stop every four or five miles.
“The mayor says, ‘Don, did you sleep okay?'” Mueller recalled. “And he said, ‘Oh yeah, absolutely. I slept like a baby. I woke up every half hour and cried.'”
Baumgartner never slowed down.
“I think he was 90 when he did ice racing in the Arctic Circle in his McLaren,” Fitzsimmons said. “On a glacier.”
Baumgartner especially loved spending time with his family.
“Dad was a family man,” John said. “You bet he was.”
John said that for as long as he can remember, the extended family gathered for every Christmas and Fourth of July.
Baumgartner’s granddaughter, Reiley, was part of Young Company at First Stage, and he made it to every Young Company show, Fitzsimmons said.
“Few people leave the world better than they found it. My grandfather did,” his granddaughter Tamara Kaakani said. “Through his leadership, extraordinary generosity, and unwavering belief in others, he built a remarkable business, strengthened an entire community, united generations of family through his love and example, and left a legacy that will endure for generations to come.”
Cherished husband and best friend of Donna Baumgartner. Loving father of Sally Jarrar Baumgartner, John Preston Baumgartner, the late Lisa Lynn Baumgartner, and Elizabeth Keller (Jeff) Fitzsimmons. Proud grandfather of Jennifer Jarrar; Tamara (Talal) Kaakani; Jessica, Robert, and August Baumgartner; Gabriel Aguad Baumgartner; Jacob Gardner; and Brynn and Reiley Fitzsimmons. Adored great-grandfather of Bella and Kareem Kaakani. Beloved brother of Jean (Frank) McGrath, Carolyn (Edward) Maruggi, Roberta (Michael) Axelrod, and brother-in-law of Nancie Flaxman. Treasured uncle of Alyson Kauth Jones, Sheryl Kauth-Gullett, Jessica (Jay) Reed, and Ben, Johnny, and Danny Axelrod. Dear great uncle of Wyatt (Mirandia) Jones, Dylan Kauth Gullett, and Ruby Reed. Great-great uncle to Indiana Jones. Further survived by other loving cousins and many fond friends. Preceded in death by his parents Mae Lucille (Elmer) Greenwald and John R. (Thelma) Baumgartner and his favorite aunts, the renowned Hayes girls.
There will be a celebration of life on September 8 at the Milwaukee Art Museum.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Donald Baumgartner, a businessman and philanthropist who reshaped Milwaukee, dies at 95
Reporting by Mary Spicuzza, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Mary Spicuzza, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel | USA TODAY Network
