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