Westward. Encounters with Swiss American Women

“In 1949 I gave birth to our son Fred, in 1953 to our daughter Hester. For 30 years I lived in this community, until 1978. These were years that deeply shaped me. Howard worked as an engineer in the large harbor of the US Navy in Philadelphia. We participated in political protest marches to Washington in support of black Americans and protested against the War in Viet Nam.” Ellen did not have a profession “until there was a need for a kindergarten teacher for all the children in our settlement. I thought, I would try it and opened a kindergarten for our community that was also open to children from outside. It was great fun. With the children I did everything that as a child I had not been allowed to do myself. We even burned the Böög of the Zurich Sechseläuten near our creek.” [Following an old custom, old man winter is burned publicly one day in early spring when all the church bells toll the summer hour of 6 p.m.]

“I was one of the first hospital teachers in the United States, and in our team I had equal status with psychologists and psychiatrists.”