Walter SG Kohn

Walter Samuel Gerst-Kohn, ca.1950

Walter Samuel Gerst (born on May 16, 1923 in Lichtenfels , Upper Franconia , Germany ; died on November 27, 1998 in Urbana , Champaign County , Illinois , United States ), also Walter Samuel Gerst-Kohn (mostly without a hyphen) or Walter SG Kohn , was a German-American political scientist , university professor and author who researched, taught and published in particular on European and German politics, including the role of women in the European legislature .

family

He was the son of the hop trader Hans Gerst (born December 31, 1886 in Bamberg , Upper Franconia; died March 24, 1953 in New York City ) and his first wife Lilly Kohn (born March 12, 1892 in Lichtenfels, Upper Franconia; died on September 1, 1985 in Paramus , Bergen County , New Jersey ).

From his father's second marriage to Irma Silbermann (born on December 23, 1896 in Bamberg, Upper Franconia; died on November 26, 1960), Walter Samuel had a younger half-sister, Thea Maria Gerst (born on October 16, 1930 in Bamberg, Upper Franconia; died on August 23, 1974 in East Farmingdale , Suffolk County , New York ).

Walter SG Kohn married the Russian-born teacher, journalist and playwright Rita Tevelowitz (born October 10, 1933 in South Fallsburg , New York) on June 19, 1955 . The daughter Sharon Ruth Kohn and the two sons Martin Steven Kohn and Thomas David Kohn emerged from the marriage. His wife had also taught at Illinois State University from 1969 to 1973 and 1987/88 .

Family name and spelling

Before he emigrated to the United States in the spring of 1947 , Walter Samuel added the maiden name of his mother, Kohn, with a hyphen to his family name Gerst. In the USA, however, he later only used the family name Gerst as an initial like a third first name, so that the spelling Walter SG Kohn became common for him. He taught and published under this spelling of his name. His mother's preference for his mother's maiden name is likely due to the fact that his father had separated from his wife Lilly during Walter Samuel's toddler age and entered into a second marriage. Walter Samuel Gerst's bond with his mother Lilly was therefore more pronounced, at least for this reason.

School, emigration and studies

After attending the elementary school in Lichtenfels, Walter Samuel Gerst was expelled from the Lichtenfels Realschule (today: Meranier-Gymnasium ) during the National Socialist era in 1936 because he was of Jewish descent. His grandfather Samuel Kohn (1851–1922) was one of the five founding personalities and financiers of this school, a private foundation . As a result, Walter had to flee to England after August 17, 1938 under the name Walter Israel Gerst (see NS Name Change Ordinance ) due to National Socialist discrimination and marginalization ; his German citizenship was annulled, ie he was expatriated . The other members of England and the US visa in his German passport had him (and his mother) the administrative officer Wilhelm Aumer entered 1938 at the District Office Lichtenfels, although in accordance with applicable Nazi regulations the visa could only be issued for a single country. Even after half a century, Aumer's support for their emigration efforts was not forgotten in Gerst-Kohn's family.

In the spring of 1947 Walter S. Gerst-Kohn completed his studies in political science at the University of London with a Bachelor of Science (B.Sc.) degree and emigrated to the United States in March 1947. In 1949 he earned a Master of Science (M.Sc.) degree from the New School for Social Research (NSSR) in New York City and received his doctorate there in 1953. He was naturalized as a US citizen on August 14, 1952 in New York City .

Career

He then taught at Lawrence College in Appleton in the US state of Wisconsin , and later at the College for Teachers at the State University of New York in Buffalo , in the US state of New York .

For three decades he then taught as a professor at the Department of Political Science at Illinois State University (ISU) in Normal , Illinois , of which he was a member of the Senate and the Arts and Sciences College Council . He was involved for many years for the Library Network Corn Belt Library System , which he founded and at times directed. As president, he was founded by German-Jewish emigrants Loge Abraham Lincoln Lodge of BÂ'nai BÂ'rith ago.

In 1986 Walter Kohn retired . In 1995, his memories and thoughts, written in 1988 on the 50th anniversary of the pogroms on the occasion of the so-called “ Reichskristallnacht ”, as he had to witness it as a fifteen-year-old in Lichtenfels in Upper Franconia, were published in Germany in 1988 .

Most recently he lived in Indianapolis in the US state of Indiana . He died at the age of 75 on November 27, 1998 and was buried in the Indianapolis Hebrew Congregation Cemetery North in Westfield , Hamilton County , Indiana. His tombstone bears the inscription Repairing the World .

Walter SG Kohn Award

The Illinois State University annually awards the Walter SG Kohn Award to students of European politics.

Research note

Walter Samuel Gerst-Kohn's name and biographical data are often confused or mixed up with Walter Kohn , a physicist and Nobel laureate in chemistry, who was born in Vienna that same year, both online and in printed secondary literature .

Publications (excerpt)

• The sovereignty of Liechtenstein . In: American journal of international law , Vol. 61 (1967), ed. v. American Society of International Law , Washington DC, p. 547–558, as special print OCLC 891731525
• Governments and Politics of the German-speaking Countries . Nelson-Hall, Chicago 1980, ISBN 0882292625
• Women in National Legislatures - A Comparative Study of Six Countries . Praeger, New York City, ISBN 0030475910
• Samuel Kohn - A picture of life . In: Vom Main zum Jura - Heimatgeschichtliche Zeitschrift for the district of Lichtenfels , Issue 5, ed. v. Josef Urban, Verlagsdruckerei Schmidt, Neustadt / Aisch 1988, pp. 79-88 OCLC 83733423
• 50 years after the deportation of the last Lichtenfels Jews - thoughts on November 9, 1988 . In: Lichtenfelser Hefte zur Heimatgeschichte , 5, ed. vd Stadt Lichtenfels, self-published, Lichtenfels 1995 OCLC 163433523
• The Life of Samuel Kohn , ca.1995 OCLC 78465191

See also

• 13 Driving Licenses - Thirteen Jewish Fates (PDF file; 11.8 MB), scrapbook for the historical exhibition of the same name . Project of the P-seminar history of the Meranier-Gymnasium in Lichtenfels under the direction of study director Manfred Brösamle-Lambrecht on the initiative of the district administrator Christian Meißner , school year 2017/18, 2nd, corr. and exp. Edition, Lichtenfels 2019 (Walter SG Kohn: p. 6–7, 98 of the scrapbook and p. 4, 50 of the PDF file)

References and footnotes

1. ↑ ^{a b c d e f} Obituary Walter SG Kohn. In: The Pantagraph (Bloomington, Illinois) December 9, 1998; Quote: “Walter SG Kohn, 75, of Indianapolis, formerly of Normal, died Nov. 27, 1998, at Carle Foundation Hospital, Urbana. […] He was born May 16, 1923, in Lichtenfels, Germany. He married Rita Tevelowitz. She survives. Other survivors include one daughter, Cantor Sharon Ruth Kohn and her husband, Richard Simon, of Cincinnati, Ohio; two sons, Martin Steven (Elizabeth) Kohn, Clifton; and Thomas David Kohn, Minneapolis; and six grandchildren. Dr. Kohn was a professor of political science at Illinois State University for 30 years, retiring in 1986. A 1947 graduate of the University of London, he received a masters's degree in 1949 and a doctoral degree in 1953, both in political science, from the New School for Social Research, New York City. Before coming to ISU, Dr. Kohn taught at Lawrence College in Appleton, Wis., And the State University of New York College for Teachers, Buffalo, NY He was the author of "Governments and Politics of the German-speaking Countries" and "Women in National Legislatures," and published numerous articles in scholarly journals. He served on ISU's Academic Senate and also was a member, as well as chairperson, of the Arts and Sciences College Council. He was a board member of the Midwest Model United Nations in St. Louis. He was elected to two six-year terms on the town of Normal Library Board, and served as board president. He was a founder, and later treasurer, of the Corn Belt Library System. Dr. Kohn was a board member of Moses Montefiore Temple in Bloomington, also serving as an officer of the board, and served as president of the Abraham Lincoln Lodge of BÂ'nai BÂ'rith. He and his wife, Rita, were strong supporters of Community Players and were active in Friends of the Arts. "
2. ↑ ^{a b c d e f g} Walter Samuel Gerst Kohn , Curriculum Vitae, on: prabook.com
3. ↑ The passenger list of the MV Britannic from Liverpool to New York City (departure on May 3, 1940, arrival on May 11, 1940) shows under item 10 the 53-year-old passenger Hans Gerst, born in Bamberg, as a married German citizen with the occupation name Hops Merchant (= hops dealer). Under item 11, the passenger list shows the 43-year-old Irma Gerst as a married German citizen who was born in Bamberg and does not specify her profession as the wife of Hans Gerst named under item 10. Item 12 identifies 9-year-old Thea Maria Gerst as a single, German citizen born in Bamberg, a scholar (= student) and daughter of the couple listed under items 10 and 11. The family indicated the term Hebrew (= Hebrew) under the column Race or People (= race or people) and identified themselves as having knowledge of German and English. The visas for the family of three were issued on April 11, 1940 by the US Embassy in London, SEC. 5 QIV 26428 for the father, SEC. 5 QIV 26429 for the mother, SEC. 5 QIV 26430 for their daughter. In England the family last lived in Hove in the county of East Sussex . Quoted from: List or Manifest of Passengers for the United States Immigrant Inspector at Port of Arrival , No. 7 (1940)
4. ^ Rita Kohn , Curriculum Vitae, on: prabook.com
5. ↑ Kohn, Rita Tevelowitz , on: lifestoriesproject.net
6. ↑ ^{a b} The passenger list of the RMS Queen Elizabeth from Southampton to New York City (departure on March 15, 1947, arrival on March 21, 1947) shows under item 11 the 23-year-old passenger Walter S. Gerst-Kohn, who was born in Lichtenfels single stateless Germans with the profession of farmer (= farmer). Under item 10, she identifies his 54-year-old mother, Lilly Kohn, as a divorced, stateless German born in Lichtenfels with the profession of housekeeper (= housekeeper). Both gave the term German (= German) under the column Race or People (= race or people) , in contrast to other fellow travelers of Jewish descent who had indicated Hebrew (= Hebrew) there. Both stated that they knew German and English. Visas for both were issued by the US Embassy in London on November 21, 1946, SEC. 5 QIV 15439 for the mother, SEC. 5 QIV 15440 for their son. In England, the mother last lived in London, the son in Aylesbury in Buckinghamshire . Quoted from: List or Manifest of Passengers for the United States Immigrant Inspector at Port of Arrival , No. 124 (1947)
7. ↑ Samuel Kohn was born on July 18, 1851 in Baiersdorf , Middle Franconia , as the son of Jondoff Kohn (born on May 18, 1811 in Baiersdorf, Middle Franconia; died on May 4, 1888) and his wife Mina Kohn (born on May 28, 1812 Born in Baiersdorf, Middle Franconia; died on April 27, 1858, ibid.). He died on December 28, 1922 in Bamberg, Upper Franconia.
8. ^ Walter SG Kohn: Samuel Kohn - A picture of life . In: Vom Main zum Jura - Heimatgeschichtliche Zeitschrift für die Landkreis Lichtenfels , Issue 5, self-published, 1988, pp. 79-88 OCLC 83733423
9. ↑ Walter SG Kohn: The Life of Samuel Kohn , manuscript, ca.1995 OCLC 78465191
10. ↑ Susanne Troche: Resistance against Hitler - individual examples from the Lichtenfels area (= Fränkische Heimat am Obermain , issue 32) . Supplement to the annual report 1994/95 of the Meranier-Gymnasium in Lichtenfels, chapter 6.4.3 Wilhelm Aumer ; Quote from Walter SG Kohn (1988): “As the Nazi regime then anchored itself deeper and deeper and the anti-Semitic measures increased in number and intensity, it became more and more difficult to emigrate. [...] I still remember that I was asked for a certificate that I was not a member of the Hitler Youth . And how did you get these documents when every visit to the authorities could be a sacrifice where you could be yelled at and insulted, if not mistreated, if the authorities were enjoying it? In this respect we were lucky in Lichtenfels, because Mr. Aumer, a decent civil servant from the old school, sat in the district office. "
11. ^ Text excerpt from a letter written in Indianapolis by Walter Samuel Gerst-Kohn of September 14, 1993 to Susanne Troche, a student at the Meranier-Gymnasium in Lichtenfels. Quoted from: 13 Driving Licenses - Thirteen Jewish Fates , Scrapbook for the historical exhibition of the same name. Project of the P-seminar history of the Meranier-Gymnasium in Lichtenfels under the direction of study director Manfred Brösamle-Lambrecht on the initiative of the district administrator Christian Meißner, school year 2017/18, 2nd, corr. and exp. Edition, Lichtenfels 2019, p. 98; Quote from Walter SG Kohn (1993): “The few people who went to Jewish shops up to November 1938, who came to our side of the street (sic!) To greet us, were heroes at that time. [...] There were a handful of Lichtenfelsers who stayed with us until the very end, not many and not through large demonstrations. Nobody dared to do it anymore. But a few people let us know that they were with us - and many, many fell victim to their own cowardice. Mr. Aumer was sitting in the district office and had the passports under him. [...] To be able to go to an authority without being yelled at was a rarity. Claude (Klaus) Bamberger described how Mr. Aumer came to his mother one night [in the Villa Sonnenhaus ] to warn her that her passport would be confiscated in a few days and to advise her to open it as soon as possible to travel [meaning: to emigrate]. I didn't know where I was going abroad and so we asked Mr. Aumer to issue the passport for two countries, England and North America. "I'm not allowed to, but you can't do a lot today," he said and did so. None of these were heroic deeds, but such little episodes were extremely beneficial and made life a lot easier. "
12. ^ Walter SG Kohn: 50 years after the deportation of the last Lichtenfels Jews - Thoughts on November 9, 1988 (= Lichtenfelser Hefte zur Heimatgeschichte , 2), ed. vd Stadt Lichtenfels, self-published, Lichtenfels 1995
13. ↑ Gravesite Walter Samuel Gerst Kohn , on: findagrave.com
14. ↑ The Walter SG Kohn Award is given to one student each year. Quoted from: Written information from Illinois State University , Department 4600 Politics and Government , Jennifer Han, July 20, 2020
15. ^ Walter SG Kohn Award from the Department of Politics and Government at Illinois State University : "Political Science undergraduate or graduate students with at least 3.0 GPA who have demonstrated interests in European politics, attended at least one course on European politics, and would continue to pursue issues relevant to the understanding of contemporary politics of European countries will be eligible for the award ".