James D (Jim) Nowatzki was born February 23, 1929, in Watertown, WI, the son of Bernhard and Dorothy (Biefeld) Nowatzki. He was a 1947 graduate of Watertown HS where he was a musician, playing the trumpet and French horn. He was a speed skater for the Watertown Skating Club, racing in events across the Midwest and trying out for the 1948 Olympic Team.