ard Combs grew up in the Miller Park area of Omaha, Nebraska. During the summer of 1932, Mr. Combs, having recently graduated from Central High School, was working at the local drug store, intending to pursue a university degree in pharmacy when his father was stricken by a cerebral hemorrhage and unable to return to work. Ward, the oldest of three children, was forced to find full-time employment in order to support his mother and family. The family doctor encouraged Ward to try selling “Presto-Pax” – a red squill formulation used to induce vomiting in humans or as rat bait. This marked the humble beginnings of what would be become Presto-X.