Hannah Kirby,Hannah Kirby|Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
If you’ve seen the comedy “Mean Girls,” you probably recall the famous line, “I don’t think my father, the inventor of Toaster Strudel, would be too pleased to hear about this.”
But, what is it actually like to grow up with a dad who’s the inventor of an American staple?
Ann Nassoura and Brian Goerke, children of Campbell Soup executive Donald Goerke, the Waukesha-native who introduced the world to SpaghettiOs 53 years ago, opened the lid on what it was like growing up Goerke.
“We always had dinner together,” Ann Nassoura said.
When their dad got home, the first thing he did was give their mother, June Goerke, a kiss.
“He was a very loving, romantic kind of guy,” she said.
Don and June met at Carroll College in Waukesha, where he studied mathematics and she majored in music. Don continued on to the University of Wisconsin-Madison for his MBA.
He came of age in Waukesha. In fact, for a city that calls itself Guitartown USA, in honor of celebrated hometown inventor and musician Les Paul, it could just as easily be called the hometown of the Daddy-O of SpaghettiOs. Like Paul, he made his way out East, eventually.
He started his career in the marketing department of Valentin Blatz Brewing Co. in Milwaukee. In 1955, he joined Campbell. All three Goerke kids grew up in southern New Jersey, which is where Campbell isheadquartered.
Brian Goerke said when he was in seventh grade, his family lived by the eighth hole of the Riverton Country Club. One of his favorite memories is walking across the street to play three holes of golf in twilight before dinner withhis dad andyounger brother David.
Even when Donald Goerke would have to finish up work at home, he’d do it in the den after dinner, Brian Goerke said.
No, the family didn’t eat SpaghettiOs for every meal, or Chunky Soup, which their dad also created.
Nassoura said her mother was like a gourmet cook who made sure to serve a protein, starch and veggie for dinner.
SpaghettiOs were more of an after-school snack for her. Brian Goerke would eat it with a PB&J for lunch — and still does.
When their dad retired from the company in 1990, Brian Goerke said he had a custom SpaghettiOs golf bag made for him. Nassoura said her dad loved the game. “I think he liked to be outside and it was a game you could never master,” she said.
Brushwith fame
The Goerkes might soundlike a typical American family, but being the child of aninventor definitely had its perks.Nassoura said they sometimes overflowed, like when Lassie attended her birthday when she was a young teen.
One of the positions Donald Goerke held during his time with Campbell was president of Champion Valley Farms, which produced dog food that Lassie was the face of.
“I remember Lassie coming to my birthday party in a limo,” she said.
Since she was the birthday girl, she got to be rescued just like on the television show.
The kids not only got to brush elbows with famous pups, butpeople, too.
Donald Goerke represented the company at Miss America pageants and Nassoura said she got to tag along.
“These women were so impressive, not just physically beautiful, but intelligent,” she said.
She got to meet the contestants and watch rehearsals.
“As a young girl, that was pretty exciting,” she said.
Following in dad's footsteps
“We learned a lot from our dad and enjoyed what he was doing and went in that direction ourselves,” Brian Goerke said.
Brian Goerke was in marketing at PNC Financial for 27 years and worked at advertising agencies prior.
“I obviously got something out of my dad’s work,” he said.
And so did his daughter, Morgan Goerke.
Brian Goerke said his daughter seemed to always have an interest in marketing and his father would always encourage her. She isnow head of women’s training apparel at Under Armour. “It’s a little broader, but marketing is still at its core,” he said. Don and June haveseven grandchildren altogether.
Nassoura said she got her dad’s math mind. He was hertutor throughout high school. She said she could give him any problem and he could solve it and teach her how to do it.
She got her MBAand worked in finance and accounting for 15 years.
One of the things that made Donald Goerke special was that he was both mathematical and creative,Nassoura said. Her parents had that creativity in common.
She said anytime her parents went to a birthday party, they couldn’t just attend it.
They had to write a jingle, song or poem for the person. She said they would think of what the person reminded them of and come up with rhymes.
“They were a good team together,” she said.
June Goerke died in 2008 and Donald Goerke, January 2010, at the age of 83.
It’s unclear if these Goerkes are connected to Goerke's Corners, a former unincorporated community in Waukesha County. Both children said they think they are, but the Waukesha County Historical Society said they were unable to find a connection in their people and genealogy books. But that does not mean there isn’t one, said John Schoenknecht of the historical society in an email.
