Carl Gerstacker; Former Dow Chemical Chairman

Carl Gerstacker, 78, former chairman of the board of Dow Chemical Co. Born in Cleveland, Gerstacker was the nephew of an original financial backer of the company. He earned a chemical engineering degree from the University of Michigan and joined Dow in 1938 as an engineer. He liked to say that his first job for the company involved washing test tubes. More oriented toward business and finance than engineering, Gerstacker soon moved to accounting and auditing. After serving the Army by managing artillery production during World War II, he returned to Dow and quickly rose through the ranks. He was made a director in 1948 and a year later was named treasurer. He became a vice president in 1955 and was named chairman in 1960 and served until 1976. He retired as a director in 1981. Gerstacker was also on the boards of directors for K mart Corp., Sara Lee Corp., Eaton Corp. and Chemical Financial Corp. On April 23 in Midland, Mich., of leukemia.