Attended Our Lady of Victory Catholic parochial school before graduating from Elder High School in Cincinnati, Ohio, and holds a B.A. in Mass Communications from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio.
A native of Cincinnati, he is the middle child and second son of the Hemmer's five children.
His niece is an intern at the Cleveland Clinic.
His first job had him working, on school nights, until 2:00 A.M. and his mother had to pick him up at work. She finally encouraged him to find another job.
Son of William Hemmer, a mattress executive, and Georganne Knittle, a former high school teacher. They were married on August 5, 1961.