Roger Stern, Enkel von Hugo Stern, hat als Alumni an seiner ehemaligen Universität in Chicago einen kurzen Bericht über die Namenserweiterung unserer Schule verfasst. Er nahm mit seiner Frau, seiner Cousine und dessen Tochter an der Feierlichkeit zur Namenserweiterung teil.
“And finally, Roger Stern writes, “In November 2022, Vicki and I helpedcelebrate the naming of a new secondary school in the remote, rustic town of Ruthen in Westphalia in honor of my grandfather Hugo Stern, Ruthen is where the German Jewish side of my family resided for hundreds of years.
My grandfather Hugo Stern, born in Ruthen in 1889, was amember of the regional judicial bar, ultimately serving as adistrict judge in the Essen Regional Court until his employment was abruptly terminated in 1933. After spending the war years in Cuba and Cleveland in nonlegal occupations, he was reaccepted and gradually rose to be reinstated as a district judge in Dusseldorf in the 1950s. Hugo Stern died in 1958 and was the last Jew buried in the beautiful Jewish cemetery in Ruthen, which is over 400 years old and is considered the oldest cemetery in Westphalia. The local schoolchildren in Ruthen researched and nominated Hugo Stern to be the school’s namesake. Ruthen’s gesture in naming the Private Sekundarschule in honor of my grandfather Hugo Stern was deeply meaningful to me and my family, including our daughter Kelly
Stern, ’20, and would have meant a lot to my dad, Henry Stern, ’50. Hugo Stern was adistinguished jurist. While his love of country and his town was betrayed, the school naming represented agesture of respect and love to Hugo.
“The town was quite generous and kind to us, and its action was consistent with Ruthen’s formally adopting an ethical culture of remembrance. If you ever get achance, visit the Privat Sekundarschule in Ruthen, in the Westphalian region of Germany. It is quite beautiful, and you will not be disappointed. Also, the local beer is delicious, much better than Jimmy’s or the Tiki Lounge! The school maintains extensive materials regarding Hugo Stern, including Hugo’s memoirs, on its website.” ”
Chicago Law — The University of Chicago Law School Record. Fall 2023. Alumni Class Notes. S. 62
