Bob L. Boldt
An engineer by training, Bob has had a life-long fascination with cars, boats and any mechanical device that exhibits beautiful design. He was drawn to Fleur du Lac by the remarkable life of its creator Henry J Kaiser, and the sheer beauty and mystique of the iconic Lake Tahoe Estate. After a career in banking and investments provided the means, Bob and his wife and co-author Paula became one of the lucky owners of a home at Fleur du Lac, and have even acquired one of the original Kaiser family wooden boats. This book was written as homage to the families that have made Fleur du Lac what it is today.
Bob has been the CEO and CIO of organizations entrusted to manage some of the largest pools of capital in the world including the Abu Dhabi sovereign wealth fund, the State of California Public Employees Retirement System funds, and the endowment funds of the University of Texas System. After a lifetime of international business travel and numbers-filled spreadsheets, Bob now enjoys traveling for fun with his wife Paula, writing, photography, playing with his grandkids, and spending as much time as possible at beautiful Fleur du Lac.
Paula Nelson Boldt
The second child of five in a young middle class, post-World War II family, Paula was raised to appreciate her country and to dare to chase dreams wherever those might take her as she lived in
small towns in America while her father built dams for the Bureau of Reclamation. Joining forces with her husband Bob after they completed degrees (hers a BA in languages) at the University of Texas and moved to Chicago, Paula pursued a professional career in International Banking. Once the family relocated to the San Francisco Bay Area, Paula abandoned her career to raise the family and become active in school and community leadership positions. Paula and Bob have for over 50 years aspired to embrace adventure, learn about, contribute to and enhance the communities in which they lived and travelled. While raising three daughters in the Bay Area, they summered regularly at Lake Tahoe embracing family time and a community of boaters and skiers. The first book on which they have collaborated, “Fleur du Lac: Stories from Behind the Walls of the Flower of the Lake”, shares the fascinating history of the retreat which Henry Kaiser (the classic example of a man who acted upon his dreams) had built in under 30 days, as a celebration of the completion of Hoover Dam. Acquiring a home at modern-day Fleur du Lac, Paula and Bob tirelessly researched and explored the rich history
(including uncovering the “true” stories of what took place) at Fleur du Lac; the result was a huge collection of fascinating stories and pictures that needed to be shared.
Paula and Bob currently divide their time between Lake Tahoe and Austin, Texas, traveling, sharing time and chasing dreams, when possible, with their three daughters and six
grandchildren.