Elmer Emil Block was born December 21, 1934, to Ben and Amanda Block in Lewiston, MN. He was raised in Utica, MN, and graduated from St. Charles High School in 1953. Following graduation, he joined the Air Force where he served for four years. After leaving the Air Force, he married JoAnn Krenzke on September 26, 1959, and settled in Rochester, MN. He built a career at IBM as a talented designer and machinist in the development lab. He retired in 1991 but he wasn’t done yet!