16 | DECEMBER 21 • 2023
you that I found Günther a
most intelligent and respon-
sive boy who should make an
excellent adjustment to this
country. He spoke and under-
stood English so well that I had
no chance to air my haphazard
German with him.
”
Not long after his arrival,
Stern made an acquaintance
with someone who volunteered
to help him finance and navi-
gate the process of securing the
sponsorship needed to bring his
family to America. However,
in a cruel turn of events, a
heartless United States attorney
thwarted Stern’s efforts just
when his mission seemed to
be within reach. Stern’s father
Julius, mother Hedwig, his
younger brother Werner and
sister Eleonore would be denied
their reunion.
Eventually, his family was
uprooted from their home in
Hildesheim and transported
to the Warsaw Ghetto. They
would all perish there sometime
during 1944.
WARTIME RETURN
TO EUROPE
Stern became a U.S. citizen and
tried to volunteer for the U.S.
Army during World War II but
at first was turned away because
he was German. But later, in
1943, he was drafted. Bilingual
and a skilled negotiator, he and
a select group of enlisted men
became known as the “Ritchie
Boys.
” Many of them were
Jewish-German immigrants
who fled to America to escape
persecution from the Nazis.
They were so named due to
their training at Camp Ritchie
in Maryland — interrogating
German prisoners of war,
gaining their confidence and
securing vital information for
the allies.
Stern landed on Omaha
Beach in Normandy three days
after D-Day, or as it commonly
referred to as D+3. “The beach-
es were still littered with car-
nage,
” said Stern of the haunting
images he witnessed.
The Ritchie Boys are credited
with securing more than 60%
of the actionable intelligence
gathered in Europe during
World War II. Stern rose to the
rank of master sergeant in the
Army and was decorated with
a bronze star for his innovative
methods of extracting informa-
tion from German POWs.
A high honor for Stern
came in January 2017, when
he received the Knight of the
Legion of Honor, presented by
the French Consul General. It
is that country’s highest order
of merit.
FROM THE ARMY
TO ACADEMIA
Stern also had a distinguished
career in education after
the war; he received a Ph.D.
in German literature from
Columbia University and
served as senior vice president
and provost at Wayne State
University (WSU), and as grad-
uate dean for the University
of Cincinnati. Additionally,
he taught at Ohio’s Denison
University, the University
of Maryland, and received
five guest professorships in
Germany. He was the recipient
of many awards recognizing his
scholarly excellence.
Roslyn Schindler, associate
professor of German (Emerita)
at WSU, was mentored by Stern
and has called him a cherished
friend and colleague for 52
years. “He was an incredibly
kind, generous, brilliant, joyful
man with a wonderful sense of
humor and a winning smile,
”
said Roslyn. “He was a real
mensch. His light will continue
OUR COMMUNITY
COVER STORY
continued from page 15
Guy Stern (center)
and fellow Jewish
War Veterans at the
dedication of the Ann
Arbor VA Medical
Welcome Center
ART FISHMAN