The First Class of Fulbrighters - Fulbright-Kommission

Aus dem Leben eines
Fulbrighters
by Reinhard Wittke
THE FULBRIGHT GRANT TO MUNICH, Germany
was without question a most significant career experience. It
was a turning point in my career, providing research for the
completion of the dissertation, spice and enhancement for a
teaching career, the catalyst for the Europe international
travel study program at Eastern Michigan University, which
I later introduced, as well as an appreciation and understanding
of not only Germany and Germans, but also
Europe in general.
The grant was also extra special to me and my wife,
Bert. It made possible a return to the land of our birth. Our
families emigrated to the States in 1926 when I was five and
my Bert was four.
Meeting with the 1953ers and attending the seminars at
the 50th anniversary program in Washington D.C. in October
2002 revived many of my memories for this account. My
Tagebuch and documents provided the details.
How different Germany was for the first Fulbrighters of
1953 and the years immediately following than for the subsequent
and more recent grantees. Perhaps even more so for
me and my wife. I went as a student grantee, although I
already had experience as a teaching assistant and college
instructor. My wife and I were no longer “students,” and we
were probably older than the average grantee and had lived
faculty lives.
The first Fulbrighters arrived in Germany just eight
years after the conclusion of World War II. Conditions then
contrast starkly with conditions now. The ravages of WWII
were still very evident. Cities showed the destruction of
mass bombings. Germany was divided into zones and Berlin
into sectors. The Wirtschaftswunder 1 was in its infancy, the
infrastructure just recently in place.
Indeed, it was different from the very beginning. Today
one can travel to Germany in a day. In 1953 we boarded the
S.S. Independence on September 4, arrived in the port of
Genoa, Italy, on September 13, and then took the night
train from Genoa to Bad Honnef am Rhein, our orientation
destination, arriving on September 14.
THE ORIENTATION PROGRAM was perhaps also
different. Accommodations were scarce and the Fulbrighters
numbered about 190. Bert and I were to be housed in the
Bürgerhaus Weis, however, it was not available until two
days after we arrived. In the meanwhile, we were placed in a
very nice private home in a room with a view of the
Drachenfels 2 and a very friendly and sympathetic landlady,
but with no hot water or bathing facilities. After two days
we transferred to the Bürgerhaus Weis, a small, pleasant,
homey hotel-restaurant. It was splendid. We were wonderfully
received and in our seventeen-day stay we were made
to feel like family, even by
the dachshund Etzel.
There were entertaining
evenings at the Stammtisch
and we were escorted to
numerous sites in the surrounding
area.
The orientation program
lasted three weeks.
There was a daily program
of lectures and orientation
classes. There were also
excursions that took us to
the Bayer Fabrik in Leverkusen,
and a drive
through the beautiful
valleys of the Ahr and the
Mosel, culminating in a
wonderful dinner reception
and wine party in
Cochem sponsored by the
Bürgermeister.
Our farewell to Bad
Honnef, on October 2, was
celebrated by a Fulbright
sponsored dance and an
intimate party given us by
the Bürgerhaus Weis.
Now quo vadis?
Munich, or? Since the winter
semester did not begin
until late October we
decided to visit Bert’s relatives
in Stuttgart and the
Allgäu. In Stuttgart we
became the owners of an
Opel Kapitän, an auto left
over from a prior visit by
Bert’s family. The vehicle
would be both a blessing
and a curse. We made
every effort to sell it, and
finally succeeded in April
1954. However, for the
time being we had easier,
immediate, and comfortable
transportation. That is
how we arrived in the Allgäu
to visit our relatives.
Reinhard Wittke was born in Drossen,
Germany (now Osna Lubice) in 1921.
His family emigrated to the United
States in 1926 and he was naturalized
in 1935. In 1947 he married
Berthilda Metzger and they had a
daughter Sigrid. Wittke studied at the
University of Michigan where he
received his A.B. 1943, M.A. 1945,
and Ph.D. in medieval history, 1959.
In between he spent 1953 in Munich
on a Fulbright grant. After earning
his Ph.D., he taught public school in
Trenton, MI, 1943-45 and Rogers
City, MI, 1945 before moving on to
Mankato State College, 1949-51, and
Eastern Michigan University, 1956-
90. Wittle conducted the European
Study Program at Eastern Michigan
University, 1960-90 and in 1993.
He has been honored with the Senior
teaching award (1981), the Higher
Education Award (1989), and the
Eastern Michigan University Board of
Regents University Service Award
(1989) and is a member of the Michigan
Association of Governing Boards.