Arnold N. Nawrocki, Cheese Innovator, Dies at 78 [INVENTOR OF INDIVUALLY WRAPPED CHEESE SLICES]

NYTimes ^ | Today | AP

[paulklenk]

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July 12, 2003

Arnold N. Nawrocki, Cheese Innovator, Dies at 78

By THE ASSOCIATED PRESSrnold N. Nawrocki, the man who made it practical to sell individually wrapped slices of cheese in the 1950's, died on June 30 at his home in Sun City, Ariz. He was 78.

The cause was complications of kidney disease, his family said.

Mr. Nawrocki first tried to wrap slices of cheese with wax paper before finding a profitable way to do it with cellophane while working at the Clearfield Cheese Company in Curwensville, Pa., in the 1950's.

Wrapping the cheese — which required a seal that would keep oxygen out — stretched the product's shelf life from about a week to more than six months, allowing families and shops to store it and the military to ship it to soldiers around the world.

Mr. Nawrocki was not necessarily the first to wrap slices of cheese individually, but "his was the first practical apparatus," said Vincent L. Zehren, the emeritus director at Shreiber Foods in Green Bay, Wis., and the co-author of the book "Process Cheese." "The company I work for, we were able to do it much better," he said. "But this was the beginning. This was the first."

Mr. Nawrocki left Clearfield Cheese in 1972 to work at the Pauly Cheese Company in Green Bay.

He is survived by his wife, Jean Kettring Nawrocki, three sons and two daughters.

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[paulklenk]

Come on, cheese lovers, cheese us a little cheese, please!

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Hint! Hint!Hint! Hint!Hint! Hint!

[ATOMIC_PUNK]

This should make the fast food places go into overdrive i know masses of humans will mourn the death of the cheesiest guy to unwrap an individualy wrapped cheese food product!

Its a shame he could'nt find a away to wrap the moose but the antlers made it impracticle !

[Captainpaintball]

First "The Cool Whip Guy", now "The Individually Wrapped Cheese slice Guy" ...

They always go in threes...I just added "Mr. Tampon Applicator Guy" to my dead pool list!!!

[Moonman62]

RIP for the guy who brought cheese to the masses.

[paulklenk]

I remember when the inventor of the shopping cart died. His hearse kept veering off to the left.

[<1/1,000,000th%]

He was a great man.

[paulklenk]

HE WAS A GREAT MAN

[Mr. Silverback]

Don't ell my kids about this, they'll go into mourning for a week. They practically live on the stuff.

[Mr. Silverback]

ROTFLMBO!!

[Mr. Silverback]

I remember when the inventor of the shopping cart died. His hearse kept veering off to the left.

< rimshot> Ba-dum-bum! </rimshot>

[Captainpaintball]

Paulklenk will be appearing at Zippy's Laugh Hut on July 19th through the 21st. Get your tickets at the door, or call Zippy at 1-800-YUK-YUKS.

[dr_who_2]

All my life I was raised to look down on processed cheese ...except on hamburgers. But one day I figured out that sharp chedder on a backyard barbeque hamburger is infinitely superior to that crap. It's hard to eat fast food cheeseburgers these days. If lots of people who grew up over the last half of the previous century were to reflect a bit, they'd realize how much time and energy they wasted longing for processed cheese, either melted (flavorless orange slime) or straight out of the wrapper (even more disgusting). RIP, cheese man.

[paulklenk]

Thanks, people.

[SMEDLEYBUTLER]

cheese