Elisabeth Pletscher

Contemporary witness of the 20th century: Elisabeth Pletscher, 1995

Elisabeth Pletscher (* October 12, 1908 in Trogen ; † August 11, 2003 in Heiden ) was characterized by her great commitment in the social field, culture and politics, especially in the women's movement . Among other things, she campaigned for the professionalization of the laboratory assistant profession, was significantly involved in the establishment of a girls' convent and the introduction of women's suffrage in 1989 in the canton of Appenzell Ausserrhoden .

Life

Elisabeth Pletscher always put her life in the service of the general public and was experienced by contemporaries as a formative personality who stood up for justice in an authentic and committed manner. Through her determination and moral courage she became a role model for many people, especially as an extra-Rhodian pioneer of the women's movement. The motivation for her lifelong commitment arose in her earliest childhood: Elisabeth Pletscher grew up in a modest financial situation in a women's household and in the first two decades of her life often witnessed injustice and oppression. She lived a modest life , spent her professional career at the University Hospital Zurich as head laboratory assistant and the second half of her life in her home town of Trogen . She also became a historical witness of the 20th century and made the acquaintance of several personalities. Robert Nef , sponsored child of Elisabeth Pletscher, remarked in retrospect: “Elisabeth Pletscher was actually only able to devote herself to her own life in the last years of her life - before that she was busy in her job and at her workplace, in the association, in her family, always others worried. "

childhood

Elisabeth Pletscher's birthplace and later home: Vordorf 48a in Trogen (today Altstätterstrasse 8)

Elisabeth Pletscher's mother Susanne Kern came from the Zellweger dynasty: She was the great-great-granddaughter of Landammann Jacob Zellweger-Zuberbühler (1770–1821), who had today's town hall built on Trogen 's village square as his business and residential building. In 1907 Susanne married the French and Italian teacher Theodor Pletscher, who was teaching at the Trogen Cantonal School at the time . Elisabeth was born in Vordorf 48a on October 12, 1908, and her sister Madeleine was born in 1911. Theodor Pletscher died in 1913 of pernicious anemia . The now fatherless children should have been given a guardian; However, Susanne Kern made sure that she herself remained responsible for her children, also legally. The 37-year-old widow was now forced to earn a living (in addition to the meager widow's pension) for her two children alone, which was made even more difficult by the outbreak of the First World War and the associated rationing . So it came about that she opened a boarding house for cantonal schoolchildren, as the capacity of the cantonal school's Konvikt was limited. At that time, most of the students were forced to live in Trogen while they were still at school, as public transport did not yet allow commuting ; only the Trogenerbahn has connected St. Gallen with Trogen since 1903 . That is why a number of families founded a pension in order to secure additional income in difficult economic times. The young Carl Seelig , with whom Elisabeth became friends, also lived in the accommodation that was run by her single mother Susanne Kern until 1915 . In the same year she started primary school, where she had drawing lessons from Otto Schmid (as she did later at the cantonal school) . During this time, the young student made her first experiences with humanitarian aid : “ During the war, the Red Cross had brought German soldiers into French captivity to Switzerland for humanitarian and health reasons. The height of 900 meters above sea level, as in Trogen, was considered particularly healthy. [...] When a train with these men pulled in at the station, we schoolchildren were waiting there with the first keystones that bloomed this spring. We stood there with our most beautiful Schöössli [aprons] while our mothers, that is, the women of the Trogner Society, looked after the prisoners. "

Cantonal School Trogen

The Trogen Cantonal School at the time of Elisabeth Pletscher: Knabenkonvikt (left) and «Old School»

After primary school, Elisabeth Pletscher attended the Trogen Cantonal School (KST) as the second Appenzell student in 1921 . She herself was and remained associated with the KST several times: Elisabeth's great-great-great-grandfather on her mother's side was the brother of Johann Caspar Zellweger , who in 1821 founded the «teaching and education institute for the sons of the educated classes». Elisabeth's grandfather, Michael Kern, graduated there in 1842. Her father Theodor worked as a language teacher at the KST from 1905 to 1911. The mother ran a boarding school for canton students. Decades later, her sister Madeleine taught English, Spanish and German to foreign speakers at the school. Elisabeth Pletscher joined the network of former students at KST, the Trogen Cantonal School Association (KVT), after graduating from high school, was on the board from 1934 for thirty years and was president of the association from 1964 to 1972. In 1968 she was in the service of the school again when she founded the Girls 'Convict, helped out in 1971 for the 150th anniversary of the KST and in the mid-1970s was on the building and operating committee of the new Boys' Convict.

When Elisabeth Pletscher entered grammar school, it was celebrating its centenary and has been headed by Ernst Wildi since 1904 . Regarding the rector's lessons, Elisabeth Pletscher said: “At the canton school, people dealt intensively with current affairs. Rector Wildi, he was an officer, built contemporary history into the lessons: the last hour on Saturday was reserved for citizenship lessons with discussions and lectures. These special hours were especially valuable, especially since you didn't know the radio or television. " Wildi was also instrumental in reorganizing the school shortly after taking office. One of the most important innovations was that girls were officially admitted. The first female students were taught at the KST as early as 1895; The initiative to take girls in came from Rector August Meier, who wrote to the Cantonal School Commission about this: «For the current year I would like to ask you a question that over time will become important for our school. More and more people are trying to open up new areas for their daughters and this has also happened in many places in the field of science. The discussion of the question of whether our school should also open the way for girls to study. […] I got the idea from my daughter 'Adeline', who is in the first year of the girls' secondary school, proves to be capable and very likely wants to study. " 65 years later, Adeline Meier recalled: “In the autumn of 1895 it was so far that Elise Frei von Rehetobel was allowed to join me in the second grade grammar school department. [...] In the spring of 1896, Sophie A. Lutz from the rectory in Speicher joined us as the third member of the group . [...] The event of entry to the canton school in Trogen, which is so important for us girls, did not cause a lot of waves, because Dr. Wiget never mentioned it in the annual report for 1895/96. " In 1907, Article 1 of the reorganized cantonal school contained the provision: "As far as the circumstances allow, girls should also be admitted." Many years later, Elisabeth Pletscher noted back with regard to the role of the schoolgirls: "We few girls in the canton school enjoyed a rarity, we felt very emancipated and of course wanted to do everything like the boys."

KST teaching staff with Rector Wildi

During this time, Elisabeth Pletscher began to grapple with the issue of equal rights : When Rosa Neuenschwander , one of the first career counselors in Switzerland, visited the school as a consultant, the young students came into contact with the women's suffrage movement for the first time : “I have how my classmates too, first heard of women's suffrage. At that time, the first motions on women's suffrage had already been submitted on the political stage , but such innovations had not yet penetrated the Appenzellerland . Rosa Neuenschwander's lecture impressed me and the other girls very much. We loved the issue of women's suffrage. " Elisabeth Pletscher summarized the unequal treatment of the different sexes from this period as follows: «And while it was a matter of course for the girls to help at home, be it cleaning or washing up after dinner, it was just as natural for boys that they didn't have to do anything like that. They didn't even clean their shoes themselves. The girls had to do that. During my school days I noticed again and again that the girls and the boys achieved exactly the same intellectual level - some girls were also more talented than most boys - but the duties and privileges were not evenly distributed. [...] The fact that I fought my way through school material with lots of boys for five years shaped me. I realized that boys and girls are capable of the same performance. " For the last five years at school, Elisabeth Pletscher was the only girl in the class and in 1928 she passed the best high school diploma (Latin and modern languages): “I was a child who loved to learn and wanted to go to school as long as I could was possible. In Trogen - in the whole of the previous hundred years - only seven girls before me had graduated from high school, six of them from abroad. Only one previous high school graduate was an Appenzeller, Melanie Zellweger, a cousin of my mother who later became a secondary school teacher. So I was the eighth girl and the second Appenzell girl to make it to the Matura. " On the graduation card for the closing ceremony, the Latin and Greek teacher Dr. Adam Marti shown with scythe and the heads of the students as ripe ears; Elisabeth's silhouette on the right of her classmates is easy to see. She sent one of these cards to her uncle in Brazil with the following words : “Cher oncle Victor, chère aunt Christina. Je pense, que cette carte de notre maturité vous amusera. Connais-tu Dr. Marti et moi? Les autres têtes ce sont mes camarades. J'ai fait le meilleur examen. »

Play media file

Canton students build their first glider. Elisabeth Pletscher, who was a student at the canton school in 1928, commented on the filming 75 years later

Last year at KST, Elisabeth Pletscher witnessed the pioneering days of aviation: The "Albatros" was one of the first glider clubs in Switzerland , which built its own gliders in Trogen from 1928 to 1933 and also flew manned. What was special about the “Albatros” was that it was run exclusively by students from the Trogen Cantonal School, and that these young people sailed long distances without ever having an accident worth mentioning. The association was founded by Helmut Berg from Speicher , who had been at the KST since 1924 and had attended a gliding course in the Rhön low mountain range around 450 kilometers to the north in 1927 . After his return, Helmut Berg gave a lecture on his flying experiences in front of the assembled student body, including Elisabeth Pletscher, and shortly afterwards some students found themselves who shared Berg's enthusiasm and designed a glider training aircraft of the type ‹Zögling› der Rhön- Rossitten Society . In February 1928, the eleven members began building the aircraft (75–80 kg in weight, over five meters long and ten meters wide) and named the first glider “Kauz”. In October the finished glider was then transported on a two-wheel trailer, pulled by a motorcycle, from Trogen to Hirschberg , twelve kilometers away , and the first flights followed. By 2003 the third successor to glider flying existed in Trogen and the 75th anniversary of the «Albatros» was celebrated. Fréderic Fischer, an active member of the "IG Albatros", interviewed Elisabeth Pletscher as a contemporary witness of the "Ur-Albatros" shortly before her death by showing her the old film recordings from 1928.

education and profession

While at that time the life plan of marriage and family was intended for women, Elisabeth Pletscher chose a different path: She made a career and remained unmarried and childless all her life. The desire to study medicine arose in her early on . However, the family did not have the money to finance a degree; in addition, scholarships have not yet been given to girls. When the school leaver went to the careers advisor, he talked her out of her choice of profession on the grounds that this job was only suitable for men. Instead, he advised her to become a corset seamstress or a cook. Shortly after this disappointment, she discovered an advertisement in a magazine that advertised the laboratory assistant school founded in 1927 in the Engeried Hospital in Bern and its training as a "medical laboratory assistant". In what was then Switzerland, this field of work was a purely female occupation and Elisabeth Pletscher decided to attend the course from April 1929 to April 1930. She later commented: “I have always been drawn to medical science, and if I had been born as a boy I would certainly have become a doctor. But that's how I became a laboratory assistant and I don't regret it. " However, she had to complete a gap year before the training began. For this reason, she attended a home economics school above Lausanne in the summer of 1928 . The first Swiss Exhibition for Women's Work (SAFFA) also took place this year . The students at the household school made clothes and embroidery for SAFFA and attended the event for one day in Bern: “That summer marked a milestone for the women's movement in Switzerland at the time […]. SAFFA moved Switzerland: women who had no political say in the matter set up, organized, built, set up and carried out this exhibition. Rosa Neuenschwander , whose Trogner lecture in the 'Krone' on women's suffrage had so impressed us at the time, was one of the initiators of SAFFA in 1928. " In January and February 1929, Elisabeth Pletscher went to Paris as an au pair before entering the laboratory assistant school in Bern in April. During her training, which included the focus on laboratory and X-ray , she also attended lectures on Einstein's theory of relativity at the University of Bern . In February 1930, the women's clinic at the University Hospital Zurich was immediately looking for a head laboratory technician among the prospective laboratory assistants. Elisabeth Pletscher agreed and then began to work in Zurich, while at the same time continuing her training in Bern for two days and graduating in April. When she took up the job on February 16, she was given responsibility for the laboratory and the staff. The main tasks of her work consisted of taking blood samples and tests, producing laboratory results, assisting in lectures by doctors in the lecture hall, taking photos of patients or operations, examining tissue samples , urine tests, pregnancy tests, setting up bacterial cultures and caring for and feeding the laboratory animals . Elisabeth Pletscher said of her work: “Laboratory assistants are 'workers' in the truest sense of the word. They do not appear in public, they are the nameless employees of the "greats", the scientists, the doctors; they work on the development and progress of science, they try with their modest forces to help find ways and means to alleviate the suffering of people. " For 43 years, Elisabeth Pletscher lived under extremely modest circumstances in a staff room at the women's clinic. When her infrequent free time allowed, she went for walks or attended a concert or theater. Towards the end of the Second World War she took Italian lessons from Fernando Schiavetti , who was living in exile in Zurich at the time . In between, she kept traveling to Trogen to support her mother and sister. There was no time for a marriage or even a family of their own, although rumors about suitors surfaced. In a sketch by her laboratory colleagues, for example, a love affair with Max Schmidheiny was hinted at, who was at the canton school at the same time as Elisabeth Pletscher. Or there was the story of the wealthy Indian from Oxford , who called Elizabeth the woman of his life and whom she inadvertently had to abandon in a London park. When asked why she had never married, she said laconically: "Oh dear, I could have married a couple of times, but now I've just stayed unmarried."

Age

Elisabeth Pletscher in front of her birthplace and home in Vordorf 48a (today Altstätterstrasse 8) in Trogen

In conversation with Fréderic Fischer about the glider club "Albatros"

After more than four decades of professional commitment all over the world, during which Elisabeth Pletscher always remained connected to the Appenzellerland , she returned to Trogen in Vordorf 48a in 1973 to live with her sister Madeleine and lived there for the rest of her life. In the second half of her life, she was very committed to social issues and political offices. The most outstanding deeds in her retirement age were her tireless work for the introduction of women's suffrage and the establishment of the girls' convent at the Trogen cantonal school . When she was over 90, she was still familiar with the computer and then communicated with friends and relatives by e-mail. Many people experienced her as a charismatic personality in old age. For example, when the Scottish artist Andrew James Ward lived in Trogen in the 1990s, he met Elisabeth Pletscher, was fascinated by her character and painted several portraits of her. The older she got, the more she became a sought-after contemporary witness of the 20th century. This also applies to Fréderic Fischer, who recorded an interview with her shortly before her death and asked her about her memories of the “Albatros” gliding club 75 years ago. She increasingly received invitations as a speaker or guest of honor and met celebrities from local politics and the US ambassador Madeleine M. Kunin . Her media presence grew increasingly, especially when a multi-page portrait of her under the title Appenzeller Jungbrunnen appeared in the Tages Anzeiger magazine in 1997 . As a result, she became an advertising medium for the “Passugger” mineral water : The faces of Swiss personalities were depicted on large-format advertising posters throughout Switzerland, along with a matching sentence. Elisabeth Pletscher wrote: "A lot goes without men, nothing at all without women." However, she emphasized here, too, that she was not a feminist and she would have preferred to add the following sentence to the poster text: "It works best together in a real, equal partnership."

death

Trogen cemetery : Community grave without attribution with the ashes of Elisabeth Pletscher

In the early summer of 2003, Elisabeth Pletscher had prepared everything for her upcoming 95th birthday in October. A public celebration was planned in the church of Trogen with the "Frauenstriichmusik" and a yodelling double quartet with men, followed by a meal with friends in the restaurant "Krone". It shouldn't come to that: on July 29th, she went to the village photographer who was supposed to reproduce pictures from her photo album for the Red Cross book for the 100th anniversary of the Red Cross service , because Pletscher had contributed an article about her active service . On the way home, she was hit by a car near her house, the driver of which was under the influence of drugs. The press release said on the following day: «A 94-year-old woman suffered serious injuries on Tuesday morning in a traffic accident in Trogen. A car driver coming from the direction of Altstätten [...] spotted a pedestrian walking out of the village on the left edge of the lane from the village square in front of the village center. The pensioner had to be taken to the hospital with severe head and leg injuries. A blood and urine sample was ordered from the driver who caused the accident and her driver's license was withdrawn. " Two weeks later, on August 11th, Elisabeth Pletscher died of the consequences of the accident in Heiden Hospital . Four days later, the public abdication ceremony took place in Trogen Church, which was followed by a number of obituaries. The St. Galler Tagblatt wrote, among other things: “Yesterday, the population and authorities said goodbye to Elisabeth Pletscher with a memorial service in the full Trogen church. Former Landammann Hans Altherr and National Councilor Dorle Vallender praised the late 'Grand Old Lady' as a fascinating personality. Elisabeth Pletscher, who died on Monday as a result of a traffic accident two months before her 95th birthday, was valued and respected by countless people. Her charisma fascinated everyone who came into contact with her in any way. This was shown by the parade from the great celebrities (especially the representatives of politics, culture and educational institutions) to the simple villager. [...] The funeral was framed by a top-class string ensemble and organ playing, which, at the express request of the deceased, also included a little zoo and a dance as well as the moving parish song . " The NZZ am Sonntag also published a detailed appraisal and again emphasized Pletscher's political merits: “She is certainly not an 'emanance', nor is she a 'feminist'. But no man was good enough for her as a husband. In any case, life is better without men. So she turned to the public budget instead of the private one and helped the women in Appenzell Ausserrhoden to get their voting rights. [...] It seemed natural to her that women should also exercise political rights in Ausserrhod. [...] 'You have to be persistent in life', she says; ‹One word has always appealed to me: especially!› [...] The lady, who belonged to the Trogen townscape like the houses of her ancestors, died as a result of a car accident. " Elisabeth Pletscher was cremated in St. Gallen according to her wishes and her urn was buried in the Trogen cemetery, in her humble sense, in a common grave without naming her name. Parts of her inheritance went to associations and institutions and she also thanked the Trogen community with 140,000 francs, as the following newspaper report reported two years after her death: «Elisabeth Pletscher was associated with the Trogen community for a lifetime and has it in her will as a Co-heir of her fortune. It has not attached any requirements with regard to earmarking. The council was thus free to decide what to use the inheritance share for. With the contribution to the ‹Landsgemeindeplatz› fund, the money is to be used at a later date for a purpose that has always been close to Elisabeth Pletscher's heart. "

Act

Elisabeth Pletscher's work went far beyond her professional commitment. She selflessly did what her conscience or necessity told her to do. In 1995 she wrote an obituary for Ruth Waeber, the second president of the "Swiss Association of Medical Laboratory Assistants" ". The following sentence from it also applies to Elisabeth Pletscher's actions: «It is the way of things that humans only stay on our earth for a relatively short time. Name and person are soon forgotten, but his works remain, even if there are mostly only small, anonymous building blocks in the joint construction. "

Professional commitment

Swiss Association of Medical Laboratory Assistants

Elisabeth Pletscher, portrayed by Andrew James Ward , circa 1997

The “Swiss Association of Medical Laboratory Assistants” had existed since 1930. Elisabeth Pletscher joined the board in 1931 and from 1956 to 1966 she was the third president of this professional association. During this time, she achieved a great deal for her profession: From the beginning, it was very important to her that basic vocational training was comprehensively improved, also by allowing the future laboratory technicians to complete an internship. She initiated courses for "medical laboratory assistants" and campaigned for better wages. Furthermore, she obtained that in 1941 women who had previously worked in medical professions were no longer referred to as "medical assistants" by deleting the word assistant. The results of Elisabeth Pletscher's efforts became apparent at the latest in 1962, when the profession with a diploma was recognized by the Swiss Red Cross . The training guidelines followed a year later and in 1965 the "medical laboratory assistants" finally had a job description (which also set them apart from the "chemical laboratory assistants"). The association journal for medical-technical specialists recognized Elisabeth Pletscher in 1978 with the words: "We thank your tireless efforts that our profession in Switzerland is regulated, monitored and promoted by the 'Red Cross'."

Editor "The Medical Laboratory"

When the “Swiss Association of Medical Laboratory Assistants” decided to publish a communication organ, Elisabeth Pletscher made herself available as editor from the beginning until 1972. The first edition of The Medical Laboratory appeared in June 1945 and contained notices, job offers and scientific articles (also written by Elisabeth Pletscher). In the same year she made contact with her German work colleagues and managed to get the journal published together across borders.

Professional Committee for Nursing

Elisabeth Pletscher was the first woman on the “Professional Committee for Nursing” of the Swiss Red Cross (SRK) and in this function she also represented physiotherapists , X-ray assistants and midwives in addition to the “medical laboratory assistants” . After her resignation in 1974, the President of the SRC wrote, among other things: "An important epoch of cooperation between the medical-technical laboratory staff and the SRC, which will remain inextricably linked to your name, is coming to an end."

First International Congress of Medical Laboratory Technicians

Elisabeth Pletscher recognized the advantages of professional exchange at an early stage and saw great potential in making international contacts in order to find solutions together or to adopt them from others (for example when discovering the Rh factor ). She had already established initial contacts with Germany , France and Great Britain by letter . However, she had something bigger in mind. From April to July 1953 she took unpaid leave and traveled with her savings to the USA , Canada , Cuba and Mexico for five months : “My special studies took me to various hospitals and medical institutes in large cities. In addition to professional training, contacting professional colleagues was particularly important to me, as international cooperation can be useful for solving various professional issues such as training and recognition in the relatively young profession of 'medical laboratory assistant'. " In a speech in Miami she called for cooperation: "If we unite our forces all over the world, proftiting by the progress made by others, we sure must succeed in the end." (Eng. «If we join forces around the world, benefiting from the progress made by others, we will certainly be successful in the end.») After her return to Switzerland, Elisabeth Pletscher began organizing the «First International Congress on her own for medical laboratory assistants ». In her free time, she looked for speakers for lectures, put together a program of events and organized accommodation and excursions for visitors. From June 18 to 22, 1954 the time had come: over 400 laboratory technicians from 17 countries and four continents met in Zurich for a congress for the purpose of exchange and further training. Thanks to her perseverance, Elisabeth Pletscher even managed to speak for five minutes about the profession of “medical laboratory assistants” on June 19 on the radio show “ Echo der Zeit ”, which was the most popular radio show at the time .

IAMLT

The professional pioneering work of Elisabeth Pletscher was not to be without consequences: The International Association of Medical Laboratory Technologists (IAMLT), which was founded in 1954, emerged from the 1st Congress in Zurich . An international congress has now been held every two years in different locations: Nottingham , Quebec , Amsterdam , Bristol , Hamburg , Strasbourg , Stockholm , Washington, DC , Edinburgh , Berlin , Helsinki , Copenhagen , Vienna or Chicago . The founder Elisabeth Pletscher was also present at most of the meetings. The 10th anniversary of the IAMLT took place from June 15 to 19 in Lausanne under the patronage of Expo 64 ; Pletscher gave the opening speech and chaired all the meetings. In 1970 a working group was founded which drew up guidelines for training for management positions; A year later, Elisabeth Pletscher was elected to represent Switzerland, and she then headed the working committee made up of men as chairman . Until 1973 she was the honorary (unpaid) secretary of the IAMLT and processed the extensive correspondence with laboratory assistants from all over the world, usually in her free time between 11 p.m. and 1 a.m.

Humanitarian engagement

Women's service in World War II

The principle of the Red Cross to help suffering people, regardless of whether they are friends or foes, always seemed to guide Elisabeth Pletscher. So it was a matter of course for her that she made her professional skills available to the general public during World War II . When the University Hospital Zurich was under military command after mobilization in 1939 , she reported to the Military Women's Service (MFD) and was found fit for women's service the following year. During her assignments, she worked as a laboratory assistant for the MFD and had her first active duty assignment in the Beatenberg military sanitary facilities . In 1942 she attended a bacteriology course in Bern as preparation for possible epidemics , followed by another active service in Grindelwald in 1943/1944 . Elisabeth Pletscher later said of the end of the war: “In 1945 the so-called peace came, that is, the war was declared over. After everything had been knocked down, it had to be rebuilt. " She also wanted to help and in 1945 she signed up for a Red Cross mission abroad: She was then employed as a laboratory assistant in Merano , Italy , to treat injured people from war zones and Holocaust survivors from concentration camps (up to 15,000 of them stayed in Merano until 1947) . In October, Pletscher wrote a letter to Oskar Wohnlich, the rector of the Trogen Cantonal School , reporting, among other things: “The Italian Red Cross was hardly up to the sudden, immense task and therefore, at the request of the Allies, the largest Swiss one to date started on August 20 Medical mission to Merano. Around 80 people drove off to Zernez- Munster in the Engadine in the pouring rain in Zurich . At the customs we were picked up by Red Cross trucks, which were driven by German chauffeurs accompanied by Americans. We arrived in Merano late in the evening and moved into our poorly prepared quarters. [...] One lorry after the other drove into the barracks yard loaded with sick people. We laboratory technicians sat down at a long table and began to take down the personal details of each one. For four hours we wrote like the possessed in the midst of this noisy, sweating mass of human misery. [...] And what could we do for them? We still lacked everything, food, medicine, sanitary facilities, even the time to talk to them a little. For the time being, a short word or a friendly look had to suffice. [...] There were endless difficulties to be overcome before we were reasonably set up. Much still needs to be improved in order to meet our spoiled Swiss demands, but for a country like Italy, where everything is missing, where nothing is currently working reliably, we are already considered an efficient hospital. The main thing is that we can help as many of these poor war victims as possible to alleviate their physical suffering and what is certainly just as important, through loving treatment, through purposeful action and friendly encouragement, to regain faith and trust in others. " Because of the experience in Merano that the military laboratories and hospitals were in an extremely bad condition and that efficient help for the needy was hardly to be thought of, Elisabeth Pletscher has since done everything to improve laboratory facilities in war zones. From 1959 she completed several instruction courses of the Swiss Red Cross (SRK) and remained a member until 1967. In 1998, when contemporary witnesses of the Second World War were being sought for the largest Swiss oral history project to date, “ Archimob ”, Elisabeth Pletscher got in touch and told us in detail about her war experiences.

Political commitment

Elisabeth Pletscher became more involved in politics in the second half of her life. This took place in the form of letters to the editor, participation in panel discussions, lectures or speeches. Topics were, for example, the retention of the Landsgemeinde , the constitution of the cantons outside of Rhodes , the new federal constitution of Switzerland or termination of pregnancy and the regulation of deadlines . She came into contact with politicians such as Marianne Kleiner , Alice Scherrer , Ruth Metzler , Hans Altherr and Hans Höhener . In 1993 she joined the FDP at the age of 85 . The main focus of Elisabeth Pletscher's policy was the equality of men and women ; it began with the SAFFA event and continued in the struggle for women's suffrage . She explained: “I am in no way a woman who necessarily prefers women, but for me only the quality, not the quantity. I also did not advocate a quota system , but I wanted women to be represented in the most appropriate number on all committees. […] We all, men and women, will benefit from it. The cooperation of both sexes is always more successful and fruitful if there is not only one woman with all men or one man alone with all women. "

SAFFA

The “Saffa Island” in Zurich- Wollishofen named after the exhibition

Elisabeth Pletscher first came into contact with the Swiss Exhibition for Women’s Work (SAFFA) at the age of 20: In the summer of 1928, she and the class from the home economics school she attended in Vaud went to the exhibition for women’s work in Bern , which was the first there Times took place. At that time, the “Swiss Association for Women's Suffrage” appeared in the opening pageant. The latter pulled a wagon on which a gigantic snail was attached; On both sides there were banners with the words: “The progress of women's suffrage in Switzerland”. When the second SAFFA took place in Zurich from July 17 to September 15, 1958 , Elisabeth Pletscher was actively involved by taking part in the preparatory work and introducing the profession of "medical laboratory assistants": visitors' questions were answered in a makeshift laboratory and work demonstrated, such as determining blood groups or hemoglobin . At SAFFA 1958, Pletscher was decisively shaped for her further political commitment, as she became fully aware of the importance of women in the world of work. She described the key experience for her future work with women as follows: “What shaped me was the 1958 SAFFA in Zurich, the second Swiss exhibition for women’s work. I was just 50 years old. The professional association of "medical laboratory assistants", of which I was president at the time, ran a laboratory at SAFFA. We were involved in the planning, organization and implementation of this exhibition, and I saw first hand what women achieve - without ever receiving recognition for it. Even after the Second World War, I found it shocking how many tasks and duties women had taken on during the war without being granted corresponding rights. Back then, after the war, we took it for granted that women would now also get their political rights. But that didn't happen automatically at all. And at SAFFA, fifteen years later, so many women again showed what they can do. [...] At the time, I was also impressed by the commitment and the tremendous performance of the pioneers for women's concerns. [...] Since I was very busy professionally, I was never able to commit myself to the same extent as other women. So during the second SAFFA I decided never to say 'No' if someone asked me to stand up for something: What I can do, I do. [...] I do it out of gratitude and solidarity with the pioneers for women's rights and the concerns of women, as a small personal tribute for all that these women have to endure and endure. "

Women's suffrage

Over the decades, Elisabeth Pletscher has become a great figure working for women's suffrage in the canton of Appenzell Ausserrhoden . In doing so, she also had to regularly face verbal, letter and telephone hostility from anonymous opponents of both sexes, for example: "As an emanze and a man hater , you are personally to blame for the death of our venerable rural community - what a noble life's work, you are ashamed!" She said: “I defended our men when they were attacked outside the canton or abroad and insulted as backward, as natives. Their resistance was not primarily directed towards women. They were afraid for the Landsgemeinde, their dear tradition, which for centuries did without women. I could understand them, the men. As a student at the canton school, I was against it. Life taught me the opposite. "

Men at the Landsgemeinde . Linocut (1930) by Otto Schmid , former drawing teacher of Elisabeth Pletscher

Elisabeth Pletscher first came into contact with the issue of women's suffrage at the age of 16. At that time, a Polish woman who was married to one of Elisabeth's cousins ​​had pointed out the grievance to her. When they said goodbye on the village square in Trogen, she said that she was very happy to be able to leave Switzerland again, as things were already very backward-looking here; in Poland women have long been taking part in the votes. Elisabeth Pletscher replied soothingly that women's suffrage would also be introduced in Switzerland at some point, just not now. “This conversation stuck with me, I still remember where we were. She replied: 'Mais pourquoi pas?!' 'Mais parceque c'est seulement pour les hommes' was my argument. 'Et pourquoi pas pour toi?' She asked further, 'you go to a school with lots of boys and why shouldn't you later take part in votes and elections like them?' There is 'de Zwanzger' absence with me. I thought she was right. From that moment on, it took 65 years for women's suffrage to become a reality in the canton of Appenzell Ausserrhoden. " The trigger for Pletscher's political action was then the SAFFA in 1958. «At that time I was ashamed that I had no longer taken care of public questions, that I had done nothing to help us all achieve our rights. I didn't join a voting association, I still didn't fight actively, but I never stood by my side again. Where the situation required, I took a clear position. "

Elisabeth Pletscher made her first political appearance on January 26, 1959, during a panel discussion in the "Krone" hall in Trogen: The FDP of the Appenzell region organized the occasion for the upcoming referendum on women's suffrage. That evening, Pletscher took the favorable position against the Ausserrhoder head of government. On February 1, 1959, 66% of women’s suffrage was rejected in a federal vote; Trogen was against it with 85%. In 1971, women's suffrage came to the polls for the second time and was accepted by the male electorate on February 7 with 65.7% yes-votes. This introduced right to vote and suffrage for women only applied at the federal and municipal level. Cantonal votes were still carried out in Appenzell Ausser- und Innerrhoden in the traditional rural community, which women were still denied. Women's suffrage in the Trogener Landsgemeinde from 1972 also suffered a significant defeat. The main reason for the rejection was mainly the fear of losing the tradition of the rural communities, which had been carried out regularly since the 15th century. When Pletscher moved back to Trogen in 1973 after retiring, she had to realize: “Personally, I was recently transferred back from a full citizen in the canton of Zurich to a 2/3 citizen in the canton of Appenzell. [...] It is quite understandable that in our canton with its many Nagelfluh rocks more stones have to be cleared away than in areas that have been plowed for years. " In 1976 women’s right to vote and suffrage failed again at the Landsgemeinde.

In 1983 Elisabeth Pletscher founded the "Interest group for political equality of women in the canton of Appenzell Ausserrhoden" together with the then director of the KST girls' convent Barbara Schällibaum (then Kühne). The IG collected over 1,800 signatures for a petition which called for a federal referendum to repeal Article 74, Paragraph 4 of the Federal Constitution (this article gave priority to cantonal law for votes and elections of the cantons and communes). A following of women, Elisabeth Pletscher in traditional costume, brought the petition with the signatures to the National Council and Council of States in Bern in September . However, the petition was initially not heard by the federal government because it was feared that the canton's autonomy would be undermined. When, in 1984, another initiative to introduce women's suffrage was rejected by the Landsgemeinde in Trogen , the supporters were very disappointed. In 1986, at the suggestion of Member of the Council of States Otto Schoch, a “women's suffrage” working group of around fifty people was formed, and in a federal ballot in September, the canton of Appenzell Ausserrhoden said “Yes” in favor of women's suffrage for the first time in a survey. On April 30, 1989, the cantonal women's right to vote and suffrage at the cantonal level in the Landsgemeinde in Hundwil came before the people again and was finally accepted narrowly. Pletscher was there for the last time as a spectator that day and then moved to the center of the media. This was especially true in the coming year, when the retired chief laboratory assistant at the University Hospital Zurich appeared in Trogen in Ausserrhoder costume and, at the age of 82, was allowed to participate in her first rural community as a voter. Appenzell Innerrhoden was the last canton to introduce voting rights for women. On November 27, 1990, the federal court ruled against the will of the male voters of the preceding rural community; the existing cantonal regulation was declared a violation of the federal constitution for the first time .

social commitment

After Elisabeth Pletscher's retirement from professional life, she was active in a number of ways in the municipality where she lived in Trogen : in 1975 she was on the commission that transferred the Trogen District Hospital to a nursing home. In 1977 she got involved in the anniversary committee “100 Years of Trogen Hospital” and raised 60,000.00 for new care beds with a fundraising campaign. In 1985 she was the OC president of the village festival and shortly afterwards she gave the speech for the 40th anniversary of the Pestalozzidorf in the presence of the founder Walter Robert Corti . She was also a member of the parish election committee, supported the annual Easter egg sale of the “non-profit women's association” and initiated a collection for the “Swiss specialist agency for alcohol and drug problems”. However, Pletscher rated the founding of the girls' convent as the highlight of her charitable work, which at the same time shaped a piece of canton school history and the advancement of women.

Girls' convention

Former girls' convent in Oberdorf No. 43

Elisabeth Pletscher tells how she became president of the KVT ^{? / i}

The history of the girls' convent at the Trogen Cantonal School is closely linked to the Trogen Cantonal School Association (KVT). This was created in 1921, the same year that Elisabeth Pletscher entered the canton school, on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the KST and responded to the need of alumni and friends of the school not to lose sight of each other. Pletscher himself joined the KVT immediately after graduating from high school and has been a member of the board since 1934. From 1964 to 1972 she was the first woman to hold the presidium and was supposed to found the "Staatliche Konvikt for the girls of the canton school Trogen" in this function, so that girls also have the same opportunities in education and vocational training as the boys. When the canton school started operating in 1821, dormitories for pupils had already been set up in the attic of the old building . Until 1907, the "institute" or "boarding school" had largely been a private company of the respective director. Afterwards it was renamed by the canton to the “Staatlichen Konvikt” and the position of a Konviktleiter was introduced. In its prime, the old boys' convent housed over 50 retirees. Since most of the schoolchildren used to be forced to live in Trogen while they were still in school because public transport did not allow commuting and the capacity of the boys' convent was limited, a number of families from Trogen founded a pension . Most of the cantonal school teachers also opened boarding schools with their wives, as the modest salaries at the time forced them to take such a step. The KVT's first annual report in 1923 said: «The salaries of teachers are modest, except for those who work with religious; the approaches are the minimum of what can be offered to a man with an academic background, i.e. also later employment opportunities. [...] Nevertheless, the teachers work with devotion and certainly not a little idealism. It has already happened repeatedly that teachers refused significantly better paid appointments because they did not want to disclose the humanly beautiful relationships with colleagues and students just because they were better off financially. "

Theater rehearsal 1925: Elisabeth Pletscher (2nd from left) and Helene Rohner (right)

During this time in the village boarding houses, Elisabeth Pletscher met Helene Rohner (1907–1989) from Heiden , who attended the one-year trading course at the Trogen Cantonal School in 1924. The two girls became friends and also played together at the 1925 student evening theater in Molières The Miser . Because it was extremely difficult for foreign girls like Helene Rohner to attend canton school at the time, she had the idea of ​​founding a girls' convent in addition to the “State Convict for Boys” and discussed it with her friend Elisabeth. However, the two girls dismissed this seemingly absurd thought as a pipe dream. Over three decades later, the two met again by chance in Trogen in 1957. In the meantime, they agreed, the time was ripe to implement the idea they had at the time. Rohner asked Pletscher to bring the matter to the board of the KVT, since the possibility of acquiring a suitable house was emerging. This property was the oldest house on Landsgemeindeplatz in Trogen, which was built in 1650 for the provincial governor Conrad Zellweger-Rechsteiner ; he founded the business of the Zellweger dynasty , which had flourished for centuries, and opened the canvas trade there in 1675. Centuries later, the house became a private pension for canton students: From 1919 to 1957 Fritz Hunziker (teacher at the KST for French, Italian and commercial subjects) ran the pension for 22 students with his wife and three employees. When Hunziker died in 1957, there was a possibility of realizing a girls' convention. The proposal by Helene Rohner and Elisabeth Pletscher was rejected by 18 votes to 12 at the general meeting of the KVT, despite the increase in foreign students at the KST. A year later, under President Alfred Hummler, KVT decided to purchase the property as an investment. However, the idea of ​​the girls' convention was not pursued any further. For the time being, the KVT house south of the Landsgemeindeplatz was rented to the cantonal school teacher Hans Ess (physics and orchestral direction), who with his wife continued to run a traditional school boarding house for six students and four employees.

Inhabitants of the girls 'convent of the Trogen canton school in front of the entrance, 1984. Third from right: Barbara Schällibaum, director of the girls' convent from 1979 to 1985

In 1964 Elisabeth Pletscher became the first KVT president and just a year later she again pointed out the lack of a girls' convent. In 1967, another impulse should lead to the founding: From an expert opinion prepared by the sociologist René Riesen, the conclusion was drawn, among other things, that the Trogen Cantonal School would not be viable as a state secondary school without pensioners and commuters. Therefore the new building project of a boys' convent with cafeteria was born . Elisabeth Pletscher was now vehemently in favor of a girls' convention so that girls would finally have the same opportunities as boys. When Hans Ess also terminated the tenancy in the spring of 1967, the President made specific suggestions to the KVT Board, which were now accepted in all points. The cantonal government got involved and suddenly everything happened very quickly: the house was furnished, a suitable Konvikt management was looked for and this was found in Annemarie Elmer-Schultheiss, who was married to Fritz Elmer, a commercial teacher at the KST. After the spring break in 1968, the girls' convent was opened, almost 150 years after the founding of the KST. Right from the start, the Konvikt was fully occupied with 15 schoolgirls, plus 30 female commuters who took advantage of the lunch menu (until 1979 the KST cafeteria opened); In the later years four rooms from the neighboring house had to be rented. Annemarie Elmer managed the hotel for eleven years, until Barbara Schällibaum in 1979 and her then husband Felix Kühne took over the management until 1985. During this time, Barbara Schällibaum and Elisabeth Pletscher also founded the «Interest group for political equality of women in the canton of Appenzell Ausserrhoden». Charlotte Jacquemart led the girls' convent from 1985 to 1991 before Susan Romer took over the fourth and final direction. Towards the end of the 1980s there was an initial decline in the number of female residents; the same decrease in pupils could then also be observed in the boys' convent. For economic reasons, the girls 'convent was closed again in the summer of 1996 after 28 years and merged with the boys' convent until it was completely closed six years later. Since 2013, the house has been part of the “Trogen Cantonal School Foundation” . In the following year, the apartments were renovated in order to give those interested in KST shared accommodation (e.g. sports and exchange students at KST) a place to live in close proximity to the campus.

Cultural engagement

Since Elisabeth Pletscher was very dear to Trogen's heart, she was also active culturally for the village several times. So she repeatedly led tours through Trogen for guests from all over the world and brought them closer to the history of the place and the patrician family of the Zellwegers ; She also helped with the search for donation funds for a Zellweger exhibition in the Appenzell Ausserrhoden canton library . And thanks to their initiative, a memorial plaque was attached to the Zellwegerhaus “Lindenbühl”, which since then has referred to the temporary stay (1891–1893) of the Red Cross founder Henry Dunant .

Summer Music Weeks Trogen

In 1974 Elisabeth Pletscher started the “Trogen Summer Music Weeks” by organizing four-week master classes with international musicians from the USA: She contacted the artists, arranged for accommodation, food and instruments, established press contacts and took on administrative tasks with the authorities. In 1974, 1976, 1977 and 1980, top-class concerts were held in Trogen and the surrounding area with musicians such as the concert pianist Mack McCray , the Rowe string quartet and John Adams . The latter visited the Pletscher sisters for a month in 1983 and composed parts of the film music Matter of Heart for a documentary about Carl Gustav Jung .

Sophie Taeuber-Arp

The artist Sophie Taeuber-Arp lived in her youth (1902 to 1908) on the same street as Elisabeth Pletscher afterwards, in Vordorf 45b. When the portrait of Taeuber-Arp was depicted on the new 50 note in 1995 , the Dadaist was suddenly relevant again. In this context, Elisabeth Pletscher was interviewed more and more as a contemporary witness, even though she had not met the future artist personally. She also took part in the screening of the documentary “Sophie Taeuber-Arp” by Christoph Kühn and the exhibition in the Appenzell Ausserrhoden canton library. HR Fricker also provided advice on a work by HR Fricker about Sophie Taeuber-Arp and had worked to ensure that a plaque was attached to the “Sophie-Taeuber-Haus”.

Honors

Elisabeth Pletscher's versatile commitment has been recognized several times. She was an honorary member of the KVT, and in 1972 the IAMLT also awarded her honorary lifelong membership at the Congress in Vienna. In 1990 she was granted municipal citizenship in Trogen and Ausserrhoder land rights. And for her 90th birthday, where she lived she organized a birthday party; Elisabeth Pletscher thanked her with the words: “Actually, a new life begins every day and every day there is surely something to thank for. You just have to see and notice it. Then the nagging goes away by itself; no one can thank and nag at the same time. "

Ausserrhoder Cultural Foundation

In June 1997 the “Ausserrhoder Kulturstiftung” presented Elisabeth Pletscher with an award in the cantonal council chamber in Herisau . The then Landammann Hans Höhener placed her in the ranks of the great Appenzell women like Gertrud Kurz or Clara Nef , the founder of the cantonal women's center. He also honored her for her tireless work and struggle for women's suffrage: “Stubborn, but never stubborn, persevering, but not impatient, if it had to be alone, but she always stood up for it with all her heart, gave me courage. Sentence by sentence, year after year, until it finally happened in 1989. " Elisabeth Pletscher accepted the award on behalf of all women who also deserved an award.

Honorary doctorate

Certificate of honorary doctorate , awarded by the University of St. Gallen , 1998

In June 1998, Elizabeth Pletscher from the University of St. Gallen of the honorary doctorate Dr. hc ( honoris causa ) awarded. The following reason was stated on the certificate:

«The University of St. Gallen , University of Economics, Law and Social Sciences (HSG), awards Ms. Elisabeth Pletscher [...] the honorary doctorate in political science (Dr. rer. Publ. Hc). The University of St. Gallen honors her for her exemplary commitment to equal rights for women in education, politics and work, as well as for her long-term commitment in connection with political, social and cultural tasks in her Appenzell homeland. "

At the public presentation on June 6, at which Ikujirō Nonaka , Bruno S. Frey and the Pakistani human rights activist Asma Jahangir were also honored, Pletscher said: “I would not have given myself such a title. I'm neither an academic, nor have I invented or achieved anything groundbreaking. "

Proposal for the "Prix Courage"

In the summer of 1997, the magazine Der Beobachter launched the “ Prix ​​Courage ” for the first time . Concrete projects and actions as well as the long-term commitment or life's work of a certain person in or from Switzerland were worthy of the award. To this end, the observer editors nominated various people or organizations. The 20 selected candidates included Jean Ziegler , Ruedi Lüthy , Tim Guldimann , Bruno Manser , Christoph Meili and Elisabeth Pletscher. She was proposed for the “Prix Courage” with the following reason: “The 89-year-old lady was professionally successful, independent and committed all her life. And yet Elisabeth Pletscher has only been a full citizen for eight years. Since 1989 she has been allowed to participate in the rural community together with all women from the canton of Appenzell Ausserrhoden. Without the work of Elisabeth Pletscher, it would definitely have taken longer. For more than 40 years she worked as head laboratory technician at the gynecological clinic in Zurich, she founded the professional association of “medical laboratory technicians” and served in women's military service and in the Red Cross during the war. In addition, Elisabeth Pletscher was and is active in many commissions and associations in Trogen. This year, her commitment was honored with the Appenzeller Kulturstiftung award. Her keen sense of justice has made her a great role model and an intrepid fighter for equality for women. " In a second nomination phase, ten candidates remained, including the Appenzeller from Trogen. An independent jury, which also included former Federal Councilor Otto Stich , finally selected Angela Ohno and Hanspeter Heise as the winners of the “Prix Courage” 1997 (the two officials exposed the Zurich sewage sludge scandal and therefore lost their jobs).

"Pletscher-Linde"

Willi Eugster , the 14th Rector of the Trogen Cantonal School , with guest of honor Elisabeth Pletscher at the inauguration ceremony of the "Arche Building", 1995

Elisabeth Pletscher had played a key role in shaping the surroundings of the Trogen Cantonal School in the course of her life and was therefore honored twice: In 1995 she was the guest of honor at the inauguration of the “Arche” , the largest construction project to date at KST. When asked about the new building, she said in an interview: “Well, I regret that the trees on the slope, which have been a landmark since the school was founded, had to give way to the new building. But trees are replaceable, and I am convinced that after the completion of the 'Ark' the area will be greened again. The school has always distinguished itself through its close connection with nature: A school area without trees, bushes and meadows - unthinkable! I like the 'Ark'. According to the development it is beautiful. " Pletscher's desire for greening after the completion of the “Arche” was to become reality just three years later: When she celebrated her 90th birthday in 1998 and she invited several KST teachers to the “Krone”, a group presented her with Invited as a thank you from the school a linden tree as a symbol of justice. The "Pletscher-Linde" was planted at the entrance to the canton school area, east of the new "Arche" building. Two years after her death, Rector Willi Eugster and KTV President Markus Brönnimann unveiled a commemorative plaque at the KVT's general meeting : hc Elisabeth Pletscher (1908–2003) donated by a group of friends and planted in autumn 1998 ». On this occasion, KVT also gave the canton school the large-format portrait of Elisabeth Pletscher (whose individual dots of color only emerge into a face at a distance of 20 meters), which the artist Andrew James Ward had created in the 1990s. Also this year, the Appenzell Ausserrhoden Cantonal Library gave the school the work of art photographic extract # 5 elisabeth pletscher to the artist Daniela Wettstein. Since then, both works have been hanging in the eastern stairwell of the “Arche”.

"Elisabeth Pletscher Award"

The International Association of Medical Laboratory Technologists (IAMLT), initiated by Elisabeth Pletscher and founded in 1954 , was renamed the International Federation of Biomedical Laboratory Science , IFBLS for short, at the 27th World Congress in Stockholm in 2004 . Pletscher would have been invited as a guest of honor on this occasion, but as a result of the fatal accident could no longer witness how the Elisabeth Pletscher Award was brought into being for the 50th anniversary of the association and her in honor . The purpose of this award is to recognize an IFBLS member for their achievements in biomedical laboratory science through further education or other activities and to promote the goals of IFBLS. Since then, the plaque and the associated certificate have been awarded to a winner every two years by the IFBLS President.

literature

The Girls' Convict on the cover of «KVT-Mitteilungen» No. 74 (1995)

• Elisabeth Pletscher: From the life of a laboratory assistant. In: KVT-Mitteilungen , No. 17. Self-published, Trogen 1938, pp. 49–54.
• Elisabeth Pletscher: When someone goes on a journey ... In: KVT-Mitteilungen , No. 35. Self-published, Trogen 1956, pp. 32–34.
• Elisabeth Pletscher: Letter to Oskar Wohnlich about the Red Cross mission in Merano. In: KVT-Mitteilungen , No. 24. Self-published, Trogen 1945, pp. 44–45.
• Leni Rohner: In the retail trade. In: KVT-Mitteilungen , No. 32. Self-published, Trogen 1953, pp. 33/34.
• Adeline Meier: The first canton students. In: KVT-Mitteilungen , No. 40. Self-published, Trogen 1962, pp. 26/27.
• Elisabeth Pletscher: A look back at self-experienced «emancipation of women». In: KVT-Mitteilungen , No. 52. Self-published, Trogen 1973, pp. 42–45.
• Elisabeth Pletscher: Culinary reminiscences from the old Trogen. In: KVT-Mitteilungen , No. 69, self-published, Trogen 1990, pp. 64–65.
• Elisabeth Pletscher: Trogen, the school village in the twenties. In: KVT-Mitteilungen , No. 74. Self-published, Trogen 1995, pp. 71–73.
• Elisabeth Pletscher: The history of the Trogen Cantonal School. In: Special edition of the heartburn for the ark inauguration. Self-published, Trogen 1995, pp. 6-12.
• Erwin Koch, Christian Känzig: Appenzell fountain of youth. In: Tages Anzeiger Magazin , April 26, 1997.
• Markus Brönnimann: "Mögä toeni anyway" - Improvised, coherent reception for Dr. hc Elisabeth Pletscher in Trogen. In: KVT-Mitteilungen , No. 77, self-published, Trogen 1998, p. 19.
• Rachel van der Elst: A trip to Passugg - The story of Elisabeth Pletscher. Competition on the topic of «Women's Rights - Human Rights». Self-published, Trogen 1998.
• Canton of Appenzell Ausserrhoden (Ed.): Contemporary witnesses - Appenzell stories in words and pictures. Appenzeller Verlag, Herisau 1999.
• Rudolf Widmer: The Pletscher-Linde in the canton school area. In: Annual report of the Trogen Cantonal School. Self-published, Trogen 1999, p. 92.
• Renate Bräuninger (Ed.): Women's life Appenzell - Contributions to the history of women in Appenzellerland, 19th and 20th centuries. Appenzeller Verlag, Herisau 1999.
• Elisabeth Pletscher, Matthias Weishaupt: History of the girls' convent Trogen. In: KVT-Mitteilungen , No. 81. Self-published, Trogen 2002, pp. 6–21.
• Hans Altherr, Dorle Vallender: Obituary. In: KVT-Mitteilungen , No. 82. Self-published, Trogen 2003, pp. 20–26.
• Various: KVT-Mitteilungen , No. 84. Self-published, Trogen 2004/2005
• Christof Dejung, Thomas Gull, Tanja Wirz: Landigeist and Jewish stamp - memories of a generation 1930–1945. Limmat Verlag, Zurich 2005, ISBN 978-3-85791-414-0 .
• Hanspeter Strebel, Kathrin Barbara Zatti: There are things that take time - Elisabeth Pletscher, contemporary witness of the 20th century. Appenzeller Verlag, Herisau 2005, ISBN 3-85882-410-0 .
• Saminathan Ratanam: From IAMLT to IFBLS - Fifty-four Years of Good Laboratory Practices. The History of IFBLS. 2008.
• Levin Engler, Reto Kefes, Viviane Schindler: Through time with the KST. High school diploma thesis at the vocational school in economics. Trogen 2015, 63 pp.

Web links

Commons : Elisabeth Pletscher  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

• Kathrin Barbara Zatti: Pletscher, Elisabeth. In: Historical Lexicon of Switzerland .
• Elisabeth Pletscher on contemporary testimonies - Appenzell history online
• Website of the canton school Trogen
• Documentary “Farmers and Palaces” (with Elisabeth Pletscher from 10:45 to 14:40 and 1:07:39 to 1:08:37) on YouTube
• Image film of the Trogen Cantonal School (with Elisabeth Pletscher's portrait of Andrew James Ward from 0.49 sec.) On YouTube
• Website of the Trogen Cantonal School Association
• Trogen becomes a film set - shooting of the comedy ‹ The Divine Order › about women's suffrage.

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Hanspeter Strebel, Kathrin Barbara Zatti: There are things that need time - Elisabeth Pletscher, contemporary witness of the 20th century. Appenzeller Verlag, Herisau 2005, ISBN 3-85882-410-0 , p. 153.
2. ^ Elisabeth Pletscher: Trogen, the school village in the twenties. In: KVT-Mitteilungen No. 74, self-published, Trogen 1995, pp. 71–73.
3. ↑ Hanspeter Strebel, Kathrin Barbara Zatti: There are things that need time - Elisabeth Pletscher, contemporary witness of the 20th century. Appenzeller Verlag, Herisau 2005, ISBN 3-85882-410-0 , p. 61.
4. ^ Elisabeth Pletscher: Processing 1. World War and contemporary history. In: Special edition of the heartburn for the ark inauguration. Self-published, Trogen 1995, p. 10.
5. ↑ August Meier: Letter to the Cantonal School Commission of June 11, 1895. State Archives Appenzell Ausserrhoden, D.027.
6. ↑ Adeline Meier: The first canton students. In: KVT-Mitteilungen No. 40, self-published, Trogen 1961, pp. 26/27.
7. ↑ Elisabeth Pletscher: Review of self-experienced «emancipation of women». In: KVT-Mitteilungen , No. 52, self-published, Trogen 1973, p. 42.
8. ↑ Hanspeter Strebel, Kathrin Barbara Zatti: There are things that need time - Elisabeth Pletscher, contemporary witness of the 20th century. Appenzeller Verlag, Herisau 2005, ISBN 3-85882-410-0 , p. 90.
9. ↑ Hanspeter Strebel, Kathrin Barbara Zatti: There are things that need time - Elisabeth Pletscher, contemporary witness of the 20th century. Appenzeller Verlag, Herisau 2005, ISBN 3-85882-410-0 , p. 82/92.
10. ↑ Hanspeter Strebel, Kathrin Barbara Zatti: There are things that need time - Elisabeth Pletscher, contemporary witness of the 20th century. Appenzeller Verlag, Herisau 2005, ISBN 3-85882-410-0 , p. 79.
11. ↑ Hanspeter Strebel, Kathrin Barbara Zatti: There are things that need time - Elisabeth Pletscher, contemporary witness of the 20th century. Appenzeller Verlag, Herisau 2005, ISBN 3-85882-410-0 , p. 93.
12. ^ From the 'Albatros Club' in Trogen. In: Swiss Aero Review , Zurich 1929.
13. ^ Elisabeth Pletscher: From the life of a laboratory assistant. In: KVT-Mitteilungen , No. 17. Self-published, Trogen 1938, p. 49.
14. ↑ Hanspeter Strebel, Kathrin Barbara Zatti: There are things that need time - Elisabeth Pletscher, contemporary witness of the 20th century. Appenzeller Verlag, Herisau 2005, ISBN 3-85882-410-0 , p. 97.
15. ^ Elisabeth Pletscher: From the life of a laboratory assistant. In: KVT-Mitteilungen , No. 17. Self-published, Trogen 1938, p. 54.
16. ↑ Hanspeter Strebel, Kathrin Barbara Zatti: There are things that need time - Elisabeth Pletscher, contemporary witness of the 20th century. Appenzeller Verlag, Herisau 2005, ISBN 3-85882-410-0 , p. 86.
17. ↑ Hanspeter Strebel, Kathrin Barbara Zatti: There are things that need time - Elisabeth Pletscher, contemporary witness of the 20th century. Appenzeller Verlag, Herisau 2005, ISBN 3-85882-410-0 , p. 296.
18. ↑ Homepage of the «Frauenstriichmusik»
19. ↑ Severely injured pedestrian. In: St. Galler Tagblatt , July 30, 2003.
20. ↑ Hanspeter Strebel: "She fascinated everyone" - memorial service for Elisabeth Pletscher in Trogen church. In: St. Galler Tagblatt , August 16, 2003.
21. ^ Willi Wottreng : Appenzell veteran - Elisabeth Pletscher, who helped Appenzell women to vote, died at the age of 94. In: NZZ on Sunday , August 17, 2003.
22. ↑ Inherited 140,000 francs. In: St. Galler Tagblatt , November 2, 2005.
23. ↑ Hanspeter Strebel, Kathrin Barbara Zatti: There are things that need time - Elisabeth Pletscher, contemporary witness of the 20th century. Appenzeller Verlag, Herisau 2005, ISBN 3-85882-410-0 , pp. 173/174.
24. ↑ Hanspeter Strebel, Kathrin Barbara Zatti: There are things that need time - Elisabeth Pletscher, contemporary witness of the 20th century. Appenzeller Verlag, Herisau 2005, ISBN 3-85882-410-0 , p. 180.
25. ↑ Hanspeter Strebel, Kathrin Barbara Zatti: There are things that need time - Elisabeth Pletscher, contemporary witness of the 20th century. Appenzeller Verlag, Herisau 2005, ISBN 3-85882-410-0 , p. 180.
26. ↑ Elisabeth Pletscher: When someone goes on a journey ... In: KVT-Mitteilungen , No. 35. Self-published, Trogen 1956, p. 33.
27. ↑ Hanspeter Strebel, Kathrin Barbara Zatti: There are things that need time - Elisabeth Pletscher, contemporary witness of the 20th century. Appenzeller Verlag, Herisau 2005, ISBN 3-85882-410-0 , p. 184.
28. ↑ Hanspeter Strebel, Kathrin Barbara Zatti: There are things that need time - Elisabeth Pletscher, contemporary witness of the 20th century. Appenzeller Verlag, Herisau 2005, ISBN 3-85882-410-0 , p. 163.
29. ↑ Bettina Spoerri: When the Alps became Aryan. In: Jüdische Allgemeine from August 2, 2007.
30. ^ Elisabeth Pletscher: Letter to Oskar Wohnlich about the Red Cross mission in Merano. In: KVT-Mitteilungen , No. 24. Self-published, Trogen 1945, pp. 44–45.
31. ↑ Hanspeter Strebel, Kathrin Barbara Zatti: There are things that need time - Elisabeth Pletscher, contemporary witness of the 20th century. Appenzeller Verlag, Herisau 2005, ISBN 3-85882-410-0 , p. 264.
32. ↑ Hanspeter Strebel, Kathrin Barbara Zatti: There are things that need time - Elisabeth Pletscher, contemporary witness of the 20th century. Appenzeller Verlag, Herisau 2005, ISBN 3-85882-410-0 , pp. 20/21.
33. ↑ Hanspeter Strebel, Kathrin Barbara Zatti: There are things that need time - Elisabeth Pletscher, contemporary witness of the 20th century. Appenzeller Verlag, Herisau 2005, ISBN 3-85882-410-0 , p. 286.
34. ↑ Hanspeter Strebel, Kathrin Barbara Zatti: There are things that need time - Elisabeth Pletscher, contemporary witness of the 20th century. Appenzeller Verlag, Herisau 2005, ISBN 3-85882-410-0 , p. 292.
35. ↑ Hanspeter Strebel, Kathrin Barbara Zatti: There are things that need time - Elisabeth Pletscher, contemporary witness of the 20th century. Appenzeller Verlag, Herisau 2005, ISBN 3-85882-410-0 , p. 91.
36. ↑ Elisabeth Pletscher: Review of self-experienced «emancipation of women». In: KVT-Mitteilungen , No. 52, self-published, Trogen 1973, p. 44.
37. ↑ Elisabeth Pletscher: Review of self-experienced «emancipation of women». In: KVT-Mitteilungen , No. 52, self-published, Trogen 1973, pp. 44/45.
38. ^ Elisabeth Pletscher: Trogen, the school village in the twenties. In: KVT-Mitteilungen , No. 74, self-published, Trogen 1995, pp. 71–73.
39. ↑ Otto Ritzmann: Appeal to the former pupils, to the friends of the canton school Trogen and to the parents of the canton pupils. In: KVT-Mitteilungen No. 1, self-published, Trogen 1923, p. 1/2.
40. ^ Elisabeth Pletscher, Matthias Weishaupt: History of the girls' convent Trogen. In: KVT-Mitteilungen No. 81, self-published, Trogen 2002, pp. 6–21.
41. ↑ Hanspeter Strebel, Kathrin Barbara Zatti: There are things that need time - Elisabeth Pletscher, contemporary witness of the 20th century. Appenzeller Verlag, Herisau 2005, ISBN 3-85882-410-0 , p. 286.
42. ↑ Hanspeter Strebel, Kathrin Barbara Zatti: There are things that need time - Elisabeth Pletscher, contemporary witness of the 20th century. Appenzeller Verlag, Herisau 2005, ISBN 3-85882-410-0 , p. 281.
43. ^ Willi Wottreng: Appenzell veteran - Elisabeth Pletscher, who helped Appenzell women to vote, died at the age of 94. In: NZZ on Sunday , August 17, 2003.
44. ↑ Prix ​​Courage - We are looking for the bravest act. In: Observer , June 27, 1997.
45. ^ Elisabeth Pletscher: The history of the canton school Trogen. In: Special edition of the heartburn for the ark inauguration. Self-published, Trogen 1995, p. 12.
46. ↑ From IAMLT to IFBLS - Fifty-four Years of Good Laboratory Practices. The History of IFBLS by Saminathan Ratanam