European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - May 13, 1977, Darmstadt, Hesse The stars and stripes Page 9 China roots Stuttgart if you re Ever stranded 5 in a stalled elevator Hope that Albert and Galina Ginger Are your fellow Passen Gers. You won t want to leave when the Rescue squad arrives. The gingers. Both employee of the i cafes Europe Stuttgart area Exchange arc. To put it mildly interesting. And maybe unforgettable. But then How Many westerners do you know with roots in Mainland China it was a marvelous Gienger said in her husband s office Here. He is services Branch operations manager she is an operations clerk. But then the communists came and that was it. That was the end the beginning was 1910 for her. She was born in Harome. Manchuria the daughter of a German father and russian Mother. At one time her father worked in Coal mines along the Border of Tibet. We lived through All kinds of she said. Mrs. Gin Ger had lots of jobs at Vari Ous locations in China including journalist sales clerk Secretary and governess really a Large Field of experience along the Way she became fluent in five languages German russian chinese English and French. I m forgetting my chinese she said i Haven t spoken it in 26 years. Of course. I did t speak German for 14 years then i came Here and it All came Back. It s remarkable what you learn you never Learned to read and write Chi Nese. He got up to 400 characters but had to give it up. He could read the Gienger was born in 1911 at sen Lis France just North of Paris. With a Back ground in hotel management he landed Ajob in 1935 aboard a French Ocean liner that visited South Africa. Madagascar Japan and China. He moved to China in 1937."i had a Friend in Saigon a hotel Man Ager also who was offered a Job in peking. He had a wife and child however and was reluctant to go. So i took Over and went the Job was with the Hong Kong and Shanghai hotel Chain in Pekin the couple met in 1937 arid married in 1940.the years until their departure from China in 1950 Are captured in 15 scrap books neatly filled one to a Page with his photographs. She took the scrapbooks and her Library to France for safekeeping during a six month visit in 1948."sometimes, if i get depressed or sad. I look at these she said with on of the albums in hand. Then i feel belter. All my memories Are in China and they re All Happy look at the albums and their hand tinted photographs is to be transported to another place and summer Palace. Peking that was in our courting Days she said. It was one of our favorite he said. Other pictures other memories. For Bidden City june 1937 with Tony and Leo. French club peking. Tennis tournament. June 1839." and their Homes. Room 122. Peking hotel. Room 21, Wagon lits like a movie set a room in a chinese museum. On the whole it s been very interest ing " mrs. Gienger summed up. When the gingers left China they left behind More than memories we weren t allowed to take things of special value. Anyway what does it matter material things i m just glad to have she said touching the pres Des peking they lived and worked in Shanghai and Hankow in the end. They were Back in peking mrs. Gienger got her first taste of the Exchange service in 1948. For four or five months i worked in the f 5"6ecoffee shop at peking West Field. Chen Saul s flying tigers. I did t have w work in those Days. It was pocket then made he trip to France re tuning to China in october 1948. In de Cember the communists came and we were out of the people Gienger met while he 15 scrapbooks hold couple s memories All Happy ones of fhe far fast Albert and Ganger look through scrapbook that contains pictures such As the one above at right taken in peking in 1938. Was liquidating the affairs of the hotel before leaving was a Young chinese officer named Chou in Iai. We had our Little said Gienger. The communists were buying the hotel. They were imposing their Price really so we were almost giving it described the future Premier of China As extremely intelligent and too polite. He was educated in France you know and spoke French like i do but he would t say a word of French to me. We had to go through an they did t do anything to us because we did t own mrs. Gienger said. It was the Rich people the tycoons who had a lot of last Job in China was in Hong Kong with a big import Export firm. They wanted us to stay. But. Believe it or not we did t want to because of our two dogs. They would have had to have been quaran tined for six months so we in 1950. The gingers and their two Pekinese dogs moved to France. We lived in Biarritz for a she said then we read in the paper they were recruiting for Pic . Forces. We both joined the Good old French Central mrs. Gienger began her new life in 1951 As Secretary to the Exchange officer in la Rochelle. Later. I went to engineering safety and Security and he Gienger joined up the next year in retail. Both moved to Fontainebleau in 1963. 14419000where they stayed until february 1967. With the phase out of . Troops in France the gingers moved to Germany where they worked for the Wiesbaden area Exchange at Mainz Kastel until 1971. They worked for a year at Kaiser Lautem before moving to the Stuttgart area Exchange in october 1972."ironically." said or. Gienger. My Grandfather emigrated to France from Stuttgart. There Are still about 50 to 60 gingers in the phone Book couple will retire this year. But if leaving China was the big Jolt in their lives. Leaving the Job will be no Small tremor. She said. I m scared of retiring. I m going to miss the stress from s to 5. Albert has a Hobby painting but my Only passion is Reading. Of we both like classical music but of course that s Normal. Who does to they will make their retirement Home in France where he will continue to produce the oils and pastels that he docs for Myown enjoyment and As any of his Stuttgart coworkers will Tell you. His paintings mostly portraits and Oriental landscapes Are first rate but he has no plans to show or sell them a would t want to make a business of he said he will enjoy spending More time at the easel and Reading his Art and history books. Mrs. Gienger will stick to you Don t have to suffer with the people when you read books like that. If someone gets murdered it s usually be cause he asked for he then after two years you forget about it and can read it said she has 3.000 books stored in France. That s what i la love to see again. They re like old yes. I do have another she remembered. French cooking. First it s chinese food then French then a Little prodding the gingers could entertain you for hours with tales of life in China and friends they be made through the years with a a fes. In her eyes especially you can read a love for the old Days. But not a yearning. If the eyes sometimes get misty they always look straight would never try to go Back the gingers said. For old hands like us. It s . I still can say i love the chinese people she said. They re a Good Don t count. Politics can t change the character of people. But we could t go Back. It would be a terrible disillusion ment knowing the old China. Of course nothing Ever stays the same. But we could t go i would like to go to she said. I be never been to Russia but i guess i Llave to give up that dream. If Ever i win on the lottery. I m going to Book a trip on a cargo liner and write a Book. I intend to write my whole life All Over again and see what i did right and we he corrected gently. Of course. Albert you know what \ mean we re always science enrichment program students to join in Star trek 77 Kaiserslautern Star trek 77" a science enrichment program fur Dodd eur High school students is coming Here this a three week seminar. June 29 to july 8, two professors from Depauw University ind., will direct study of such advanced subjects As exploration of the relativity and wave Wayne Sabin. High school physics teacher who will serve As pm site coordinator of the seminar de scribes it As being for highly motivate science and math Sabin Hopes to attract next year s sophomores juniors. And seniors from any Dodd eur school. Those who Complete the course will receive one half unit in High school science. The visiting University staff will be or. Paul Kissinger physics and prof. Jack Anderson mathematics. Sabin. Who has had first hand experience with a program at icel Auw identical to the one planned for Kaiserslautern. Rates the instruction As 1 highly he predicts that Stu dents who enrol will Benefit from their increased ability to perform in mathematics physics and computer s physic science in High of tuition for the three weeks will be $75, with classes running from 9 a m. To 3pm daily. Sabin suggests that students from Kaiser Lautem. Baum older. Mann Heim. Heidelberg and Wei Brincken com mute but says that those from More Distant areas will have to arrange for local housing. Possibilities Are staying with friends getting rooms in boys or transient billets and staying in local hotels to apply for the seminar students should write to Wayne Sabin. Box 144, Kai ser Lautem dependent schools. Apo 09021. Or Call Kaiser Lautem 06371-2937after duty hours. Sam s duty phone is to a Chweh military 0029
