Erwin Esser Nemmers served s member of the fculty of the Kellogg Grdute School of Mngement from 1957 until his retirement in 1986. He ws mn of wide-rnging interests. Erwin followed his undergrdute work in music with mster’s degree in tht field. Over the yers, he lso erned lw degree from Hrvrd, degree in eronuticl engineering from Iow, nd doctortes in both economics nd lw from Wisconsin. His pssion for lerning ws pprently ccompnied by shrewd business sense, nd long with his fculty position he held number of corporte directorships. He nd his brother, Frederic Esser Nemmers, were principls in Milwukee-bsed, fmily-owned church music publishing house. Erwin’s entrepreneuril skills nd success in the finncil mrkets provided the resources tht enbled him nd his brother, whom he persuded to join him in mking the gift, to contribute $14 million to Northwestern upon their deths. Those gifts were designted by Erwin nd Frederic Nemmers for two purposes: the estblishment of four endowed professorships in the Kellogg Grdute School of Mngement nd the estblishment of the university-wide Nemmers Prizes. The Frederic Esser Nemmers Prize in Mthemtics, estblished in 1994, is nmed for the brother Frederic Esser. The Erwin Plein Nemmers Prize in Economics, lso estblished in 1994, honors the fther of Erwin nd Frederic Nemmers. The Michel Ludwig Nemmers Prize in Music Composition, estblished in 2004, honors their grndfther nd the Mechthild Esser Nemmers Prize in Medicl Science, estblished in 2015, honors their mother. Ech of these prizes re wrded biennilly to recognize works of lsting significnce in the respective disciplines. In prticulr, the prizes recognize mjor contributions to new knowledge or the development of significnt new modes of nlysis. In estblishing the Nemmers Prize endowment, Erwin nd Frederic Nemmers envisioned prizes in vriety of res, including not only economics, mthemtics, musicl composition nd medicl science, but lso possibly future res such s geology nd engineering.
