Kurt C. Duecker, of Sheboygan, Wisconsin passed away unexpectedly on May 5, 1998 at age 60. Kurt was born January 1, 1938 in Sheboygan, and attended Sheboygan schools graduating from Central High School with the class of 1955. In 1959, Kurt graduated from Ripon College with a Bachelor of Arts degree, and in 1960, he graduated from State University of South Dakota with a Master of Science degree in Biochemistry. On February 13, 1965, Kurt was married to Charlotte VanderJagt. He had three children; David, Thomas, and Maribeth and was employed for thirty-six years at Schreier Malting Company in Sheboygan. Through the years he had many positions in the company. Most recently in 1994, he was named Senior Vice President, International Development & Special Projects; 1995, President, COO, PETNA Limited, Hong Kong; 1996, Chairman, Board of Directors, CUC Nanjing Malt Ltd; and in January, 1998, Kurt retired as Executive Vice President of Schreier Malting Co. Kurt looked forward to a retirement dedicated to his family and his passion golf, telling his friends that he hoped to die playing golf many years down the road. Unfortunately, he died of an apparent heart attack while golfing shortly after his retirement. Kurt was a long time member of the American Society of Brewing Chemists, serving as its President in 1982-83 and was also actively involved in the Master Brewers Association of the Americas. Kurt served for many years as a member of the American Malting Barley Association Technical Committee and also served on its Board of Directors. He was a strong supporter of public sector barley research, advocating for its funding and helping to foster productive collaborative relationships between industry, barley researchers and growers.