People and Happenings
Interments of Note by Lauren Marsh , Communications , Grants & Events Coordinator
Veteran , Businessman , and Loving Father
People and Happenings
Interments of Note by Lauren Marsh , Communications , Grants & Events Coordinator
Each individual interred at Mount Auburn has his own unique story , and we are so fortunate to be able to hear some of these remarkable personal histories . Though life took Henry Walter and Reinhard Frank down different paths , similarities in their past experiences connect them now in their final resting place .
Henry Walter was a young man in Vienna when the Nazis occupied Austria . He had been attending university in Prague in what is now the Czech Republic . After hearing that the Nazis were searching for young Jewish men , he tried twice to escape to the U . S . On his first attempt , he and a friend planned to flee to Poland after they heard that some Czech troops had escaped to freedom through the underground coal mines .
However , once they arrived there , the Nazis had already discovered this route . He and his companion were then told that if they could find a guide to take them , they could escape Nazi patrol , but that effort was unsuccessful . Henry returned to Prague where his father , a prominent businessman , was able to bribe a Czech official working for the Nazis to grant Henry an exit visa to leave the country . The visa in question happened to be in someone else ’ s name and did not match his passport . This risk paid off when the Nazi official on the train he was attempting to take to Poland failed to notice the discrepancy , and Henry was able to cross the border . In Krakow , an uncle helped him to the seaports where he took a steamship to London and from there gained passage to New York City . He arrived with less than $ 50 in his pocket . Later in the war , all the members of his immediate family escaped safely to the U . S ., but he lost most of his extended family during the Holocaust .
Working odd jobs between 1939 and 1942 , Henry also attained his citizenship . In 1942 , he was happily drafted and anxious to serve the country that had taken him in . He trained with the 10th Mountain Division ski troops in the Army , but soon found himself transferred to be in military government because of his ability to speak German . He served with distinction : not only was he part of the second wave of men who landed on Omaha Beach in the D-Day invasion , but he also fought in the Battle of the Bulge . After the war , he served as a Lt . Colonel in Stuttgart , Germany , where he met and married Ruth Stiles of Scarsdale , N . Y ., the love of his life . They returned to the U . S . in 1949 where Henry earned a Master ’ s Degree in Public Administration from Harvard and went on to have a successful career in
18 | Sweet Auburn
Henry Walter :
Veteran , Businessman , and Loving Father
( November 18 , 1916 – August 18 , 2010 )
investment analysis and counseling , first at J . P . Chase followed by Gardner , Preston , Moss and then Congress Asset Management . He also taught economics at Northeastern University ’ s School of Business .
Henry and Ruth were longtime residents of Wellesley and Needham , Mass ., and had four children : Jenni King , Chris , Ellen Sneider , and Matthew , who treasure their family ’ s special history and the memory of their parents . Henry ’ s legacy is multifaceted . It brims with the pride he felt about serving his adopted country as well as his love for his homeland .“ There was a BBC documentary series about WWII when I was growing up called World at War ,” relates Henry ’ s youngest son , Matt .“ I used to love watching
“ Pride for His Adopted Country ”
it with my father and having him relate his personal war experiences as they pertained to the program . It was one of the first times I really understood who he was and why he was not like other suburban dads . It was also the first time I really felt proud of him .” Eldest daughter , Jenni King , also reflects on this . “ He was very proud and positive about his service to his country . He considered it an honor
The exit visa that Henry Walter used to escape to Krakow .
to serve and to fight against the forces of the Third Reich that had wrecked such havoc on his homeland . When I was sixteen , my father took the family on a tour of the Europe that he remembered including Paris , Germany ( mostly Bavaria ), and Austria . He was proud of the beauty and history of Europe and took great joy in showing us all that he loved and remembered . For me as the oldest child , the trip was a wonderful experience and his enthusiasm made it all