LIZ G . -R .
Member since 1973
How did you come to Hamburg ? My father was a colonel in the army and we moved often when I was growing up . I graduated from the Paris American High School . I guess it was natural that I got a job as a flight attendant for PanAm in 1965 . I married the brother of a German roommate of mine in New York . His work took us to Munich , Wolfsburg , and finally Hamburg in 1972 .
How did you find out about the club ? I actually first joined the German-American Women ’ s Club shortly after I arrived . Through that , I met a few women who were also members of AWCH . We had just come from Wolfsburg , where there were no other Americans , and I was starved for American company .
Is there a club memory or event that stands out ? I remember a joint potluck Thanksgiving dinner with the German- American Women ’ s Club on Buß- und Bettag , since that used to be a bank holiday . There was an interesting speaker and a raffle and my kids really had fun . Carol B . and Nancy F . organized the AWCH ’ s part in that .
How have you been involved with the club ? Less than I would have liked . I got a part-time job as ground crew with Lufthansa in 1977 and was raising two daughters . I worked for Lufthansa for 20 years , during which time I divorced and remarried . When I retired from Lufthansa in 1997 , my second husband and I
From left to right : Nancy B ., Carol B ., Thelma F ., Freda P ., Liz G . -R ., and Becky T ., 2020
moved to the US . My daughters still lived in Hamburg , and we just returned to Hamburg in 2019 to be near them .
How did AWCH change while you were away ? The club has grown so much ! Members are much more interested and involved in the community and Germany , and at the same time , more aware of what is happening in the US . I think the club represents the US in a much more positive way than back when I first joined . Currents is fabulous !
What does the club mean to you now ? It was so easy to take up again with Carol B . and Becky T . and other AWCH friends right where we had left off over 20 years ago ! A transatlantic move and downsizing from a big house and garden ( I ’ m a master gardener ) to an apartment has not been easy , and I have been grateful for their support and company .
FREDA P .
Member since 1977
Why and when did you come to Germany and , specifically , to Hamburg originally ? I came to Hamburg while still in school in 1954 as an exchange student . It was a completely different world then . There was no EU . By coincidence , my husband ’ s career brought me back to Hamburg , first from 1963 to 1965 , and then again in 1977 , after which we stayed here permanently and I joined AWCH .
You are not American . Why did you join AWCH ? No . I am British and German . My husband , who died in 2019 , and I took on German citizenship in 2016 because of Brexit . After our first stint in Hamburg , we lived in Canada , and much of my husband ’ s work was in Buffalo . So we had an affinity with North
America . I like the way Americans get up and do things . AWCH is very open to new ideas and new people . I appreciate the range of members with different ages and backgrounds . I also belong to the Anglo-German International Women ’ s Association e . V . ( AGIWA ).
How has the club changed over the years since you have been a member ? It has become far more professional over the years and become broader in scope . The newsletter has become a colored magazine .
Have you been active with the club ? I coordinated museum and artists ’ studio visits .
24 AWCH News & Events