Caldwell, Elwood 1923 - 2018 A native of Canada, Elwood grew up in the rural Manitoba village of Gilbert Plains, the eldest of four children of Charles and Marion Caldwell. He was predeceased by his parents, brother Keith, sister Betty Ann and sister Phyllis (Leslie), first wife Irene (Sebille), formerly of Medicine Hat, Alberta and second wife Florence (Flossie), and survived by sons John (Wendy) of Atlanta, GA and Keith (Lilian) of Eagan, MN, and four grandchildren between the 2 families. He graduated from the University of Manitoba in 1943 after having been a junior officer in the Canadian Army Signal Signals. He also worked as a cereal chemist in flour mills in Keewatin, Ontario and Medicine Hat, Alberta, while continuing in the Canadian Army reserve in Kenora and Medicine Hat for the duration of WWII. His subsequent part-time career as a musician began at that time, playing the organ and directing choirs as well as playing in a dance band (saxophone) and in a chamber orchestra (clarinet). Interest and activity in community affairs, to be resumed later in life, also began at that time with his membership in Kinsmen clubs in Keewatin and Medicine Hat. From 1947, he continued his education in Toronto, earning an M.A. in Food Chemistry and Ph.D. in Nutrition at the University of Toronto, interspersed by periods of technical employment in the brewing, vegetable oil milling, and cookie and cracker baking industries. He also served as organist and choirmaster in several churches in Toronto, and later in Chicago. In 1949 he and Irene Sebille, whom had first met in Medicine Hat, were married, and 1953 they moved to Chicago for him to join The Quaker Oats Co. as a project leader. Over the next 19 years, he moved up to become Quaker's Director of R&D and they moved to Barrington, IL where Quaker built a new R&D center, had two children (John and Keith), became U.S. citizens, and built a home in the village of North Barrington, where Elwood was active in community affairs and served two terms as mayor. Both were active members of Barrington's Salem EUB church. While with Quaker, Elwood earned a University of Chicago MBA in financial management and computer science, and had roles in new products developed during that period that are still major products of the company (now part of Pepsico), including Instant Oatmeal, Life Cereal, and Cap'n Crunch, the development of the last of which he directed. He was also the first to discover and publish the role of BHT in preserving the shelf life of breakfast cereals, now in use throughout the breakfast cereal industry. In 1972, Elwood was appointed to head the then-new Department of Food Science and Nutrition at the University of Minnesota, and the family moved to Minnesota. Under his direction for its first 14 years, the department has become one of the best known and highly regarded such units in the world of academic food science and nutrition. Irene died in 1977 after a long illness, and in 1979 Elwood married Florence Zar (Flossie), a longtime friend of both his and Irene's. Elwood and Irene had had active interests in both travel and camping, reflected in much travel both in the U.S. and in many countries in Europe. This now continued, but Flossie's preference for nature and outdoors added a dimension that resulted in numerous week-long canoe-camping trips in Minnesota's Boundary Waters over the next 20 years. In 1988 following retirement from the University, Elwood joined what is now AACC International, the major scientific society in the field of grain science, head-quartered in Eagan, MN. He was first its scientific director and then manager of analytical services, working there part-time until 2000. He was editor of its monthly Cereal Foods World for several years, and later developed the system of laboratory proficiency testing that AACC continues to offer to grain-based and other food industry companies. He is also coeditor and a principal author of the only comprehensive book on breakfast cereal technology ever published, entitled "Breakfast Cereals and How They Are Made". In a second edition, it is used as a reference around the world. During both his active and retirement careers, Elwood held office in several international and local scientific associations and was the recipient of numerous awards. Since then, his interests had turned back to community affairs, and he joined, held office in, and developed programs for the North Suburban Golden K Kiwanis Club. Flossie was a member of the University Womens Club, a past president and founder of several of its interest sections, and was known locally as a watercolor artist. After being members of North Heights Lutheran Church for over 30 years, they joined Centennial United Methodist Church in 2012. Flossie died in 2015. They had lived most recently in EagleCrest Terrace, a senior independent living community in Roseville. Memorial service to be announced later.

Published on June 3, 2018