The Light for January 26, 2016 (Jan 27, 2016)

Helen Oloroso boasted Jacki Mack for her extensive efforts at providing each new member with a weekly series of 16 emails. These weekly emails contain important information about the club in particular and Rotary in general. They also contain “tasks” that will make it possible for new members to become involved right after they join the club.

Ann Searles boasted Kristin Brown for making the Thought for the Day about Rotary’s purpose.

Program

The Children of LaHille

Speaker: Jeanne Reed on behalf of the late Walter Reed

Past District Governor Bruce Baumberger introduced Jeanne Reed, wife of Walter Reed, who agreed to speak about her late husband’s life’s work and his recently published book, The Children of LaHille.

Walter Reed, 1924-2016

Although Walter passed away only recently, Jeanne wanted to fulfill his promise to give a presentation to the club. Walter had made many significant contributions to the club and to District 6440 over the course of his lifetime, including newsletter editor, Vocational Service Committee, Humanitarian Grant applications and The Rotary Club of Wilmette Harbor's Youth Exchange program as host parents.

In 2012-13, Walter received the TRF Distinguished Service Award, following the TRF Citation for Meritorious Service in the past. Jeanne told the story of her husband’s early childhood and the events that led to his journey out of Nazi Germany, during which time he lost his entire family.

Through the magnificent efforts of the Belgian Committee of aid workers, Walter and hundreds of Jewish children were rescued from annihilation by being smuggled out of Germany and Austria, first to Belgium and then to southern France. Ultimately, the children of one group known as LaHille were taken to Spain for hiding, and finally to the U.S.

Walter was one of the children from LaHille who was able to emigrate to the U.S. in 1941, where he quickly adapted to life in America. He set about looking to the future, committing himself to not looking back over events and tragedies he could no longer do anything about. He became an American soldier from 1943 to 1946, working after the war as an interrogator of German prisoners in Gen. Patton’s Third Army, starting after the liberation of Paris in 1944.

Once he returned to the U.S. after the war, he enrolled in the University of Missouri’s School of Journalism and pursued a career in public relations that lasted for more than 40 years.

It was not until he and a colleague met the granddaughter of one of the Belgian Committee members that Walter committed to finding the stories of the children who had escaped with him. The research spanned a period of 13 years, culminating in the book, The Children of La Hille: Eluding Nazi Capture during World War II.

The book tells a collective biography of approximately 100 young Jewish children who lived through perilous escape from Nazi Germany. Because of his research and the work on the book, Walter became a strong supporter of the Illinois Holocaust Museum and a frequent speaker on the events of World War II and the effects of war on children.

Walter died shortly after the book was published, but was able to celebrate its release with a book party in December, not knowing that his life was coming to an end shortly. Despite the very recent fact of Walter’s death, Jeanne Reed gave a remarkable presentation of her husband’s life and his work.

She told the club that his heroes had been first, the parents who gave their children up in the hopes of their surviving and leading happy lives; the Belgian Committee who risked everything to get Jewish children out of harm’s way; the Swiss aid workers who led the children over the mountains to Spain, and finally, the children themselves, who banded together and helped each other through the most horrifying events of their young lives.

Our speaker, Jeanne Reed, with her prom date of long ago, our own John Searles

Guests and Milestones