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My Story:  Klaus Burgarth

  After returning from Rochester to Hamburg in 1953, I completed the German high-school-equivalent, then I started a career in business with a rubber producing firm in Hamburg.  After a while this proved to be not my idea of a job, so I enrolled in Hamburg University for a full study of economics and English. 

   After getting my master's degree, I started teaching economics at a vocational school in Hamburg , later on I was a lecturer of applied economics and business administration at a number of private colleges and the Hamburg university, later on I was appointed as a supervisor of teacher training at a college for future teachers of economics.  The last 7 years of my professional career were spent as department head of a vocational school specializing in industrial commercial courses.  I was retired at 62 and have been enjoying early retirement ever since.

   I married at 25, we have four children and 11 grandchildren.  Since all of them live close to where we live we meet very often and enjoy close family ties.  Those are the source of my love for life.

   We live in the rural belt south of Hamburg, already the Bundesland of Lower Saxony, we own a pleasant - that's at least what we think - little house in a little village, right next to a large forest.

   I have been back to the US a number of times, though for rather short visits.  The last time was in summer of 1992, when ATAD was having their 40 years' reunion in Rochester .  I was surprised about the amount of change - but then, after all, things will change in 40 years....

   Since communication via the internet has become so easy, I enjoy surfing to the Democrat and Chronicle page every now and then, so I can see what is new in Rochester .  I especially enjoy looking at the webcams that give a few little pictures of Rochester .

   Klaus has also written: You can imagine how much that year in the US has influenced my life.  If anything, my message to the Americans at that time has been about the horrible effects of war - dreadfully true still today, especially in connection with the terrible event of September 11, 2001 .  My hope for global peace is still strong - though, as a realist, I rather doubt if mankind is the suitable race for living peacefully.....  I am very glad that after 50 years a connection has been re-established to that famous class of ’53 and Rochester .  The year at Monroe has been a year of a zillion memories for me.  I still sometimes dream a nightmare - getting lost somewhere in the endless corridors of a huge school building.....  I Remember Mrs Stolbrand - a teacher with a combination of motherly care and teacherly strictness.....  Still existing are family ties with the Northrop family, my then hosts.  In the 50’s communication with my parents took 6 weeks for ship-mail so it was 1/4 year for a duplex communication.  Nowadays it is like living next door.  A telephone conversation of one hour to Rochester from Hamburg is $2.  Let’s try to live next door a bit more than in the past 50 years.

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