Category Archives: Front Page

2013 reunion photos

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Neuer Markt: site of the former IES offices and library
Back row, L to R: Bill Tringe (1963-64), Sheila Tringe, David Dornan, John Bennhoff, Ed Kizer, George Trask (Spring 1961)
Front row, L to R: Reade Day Dornan (1961-62), Connie Rock Brekken (1961-62), Lucia Guest Bennhoff (Spring 1961), Page Bradham Kizer (Spring 1961), Barbara Wybar
Photo Credit: Katie Strobel, IES Vienna Archivist.

Click here to see lots more photos that Katie Strobel and others took during our October 2013 reunion.

And click here for photos of other IES reunions.

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First photos of 2013 Vienna reunion

Click on each photo for a larger view

Top row: George Trask, Roger Sheffield, David & Reade Dornan, Bill & Sheila Tringe Bottom row: John & Lucia Bennhoff, Dr. Roswitha Benesch, Gail Reynolds Natzler, Connie Brekken
Top row: George Trask, Roger Sheffield, David & Reade Dornan, Bill & Sheila Tringe
Bottom row: John & Lucia Bennhoff, Dr. Roswitha Benesch, Gail Reynolds Natzler, Connie Brekken
Katie Strobel (IES Wien Archivist), Gretl Satorius (our IES tour guide), and Roger Sheffield (IES Chicago)
Katie Strobel (IES Wien Archivist), Gretl Satorius (our IES tour guide), and Roger Sheffield (IES Chicago)
Concert at Musikverein enjoyed during the reunion
Concert at Musikverein enjoyed by George Trask and Barbara Wybar during the reunion
Danube River in the Wachau on bicycle trip enjoyed during the reunion
Danube River in the Wachau on bicycle trip enjoyed by George Trask and Barbara Wybar during the reunion

Grinzing venue chosen for Saturday evening wine dinner

Crown Prince Rudolf’s favorite haunt: Der Rudolfshof

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Der Rudolfshof in the Grinzing district of Vienna has been chosen as the venue for the Saturday evening, October 26, celebratory dinner of the IES reunion classes of 1959-64.

This is one of the most appealing wine restaurants in Grinzing, dating back to 1848 when it was little more than a shack within a garden. Its real fame came around the beginning of the 20th century when Crown Prince Rudolf, son of Emperor Franz Josef, adopted it as his favorite watering hole.

A verdant garden, scattered with tables, is favored by Viennese apartment dwellers on warm summer evenings. Inside, portraits of Rudolf decorate a setting that evokes an old-fashioned hunting lodge.

Come here for pitchers of the fruity white wine grüner Veltliner and light red roter Bok. The menu lists schnitzels, roasts, and soups, but the house specialty is shish kabob.

Musical events will abound in Vienna during our reunion

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Vienna Staatsoper (State Opera)

Here are just a few of the musical events that will be held in Vienna during our upcoming reunion in October 2013:

Vienna Boys Choir, October 25, Friday

Concert, Musikverein, October 25, Friday

Vivaldi, The Four Seasons, Karlskirche, October 25, Friday

Mozart, Requiem, Karlskirche, October 26, Saturday

Concert, Musikverien, October 26, Saturday

Der Rosenkavalier, Staatsoper, October 27, Sunday

The Marriage of Figaro, Volksoper, October 27, Sunday

Please make your own plans for tickets to the opera or other musical events you might wish to attend. Tickets are often available the day of the event but you may want to book now via the Internet to get be sure to get a seat. Click here for details of all musical events and tickets. You can pay for tickets over the Internet by credit card.

Here are our class lists Fall 1959 through Spring 1964

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Everybody on these lists is cordially invited to attend our reunion in Vienna, October 24-27, 2013.

Fall 1959-Spring 1960

Fall 1960-Spring 1961

Fall 1961-Spring 1962

Fall 1962-Spring 1963

Fall 1963-Spring 1964

Click here for our reunion schedule in Vienna, October 24-27, 2013.

Special thanks to Jennifer Jerzyk at IES headquarters in Chicago for compiling these class lists for us.

October 2013 reunion extended to five IES Vienna classes, 1959-1964

Excitement over plans for our upcoming Vienna Class of 1960-61 reunion, October 23-27, 2013, has risen so high that other vintage classes have asked to join us. So, we hereby officially extend our invitation to all members of the following classes (full year and spring) to join in Vienna October 23-27, 2013, for a reunion spanning five class years:

Class of 1959-60
Class of 1960-61
Class of 1961-62
Class of 1962-63
Class of 1963-64

Please note: The Spring 1963 class is having its own Vienna reunion in early September 2013. If you are a member of that class and would like to to come to our 1959-1964 Vienna reunion October 23-27, 2013, we cordially invite you too.

Map: London to Vienna, February 1961

London to Vienna

Click on the map for a larger view.

Page Bradham’s 1961 tour map of Europe has enabled us to recreate computerized maps of our various IES trips using the latest technology. This one shows our bus trip from London to Vienna (with side trips to Oxford and Chartres), a distance of 1,400 miles, after our sea voyage across the Atlantic.

What we’ve learned from comparing the 1961 map with a modern one is how much the primary road systems have changed. In 1961 the major highways were almost all two-lane roads that followed ancient routes while today everything goes by superhighways cutting across the terrain. Here’s our 1961 route, which went on roads that today are mere byways: Continue reading Map: London to Vienna, February 1961

David Maraist’s Journal: Spring Break 1961 Tour of Italy

Maraist

David Maraist’s Journal

By David Maraist

Postscript 2013: Gazing back over the past half century one sees many peaks and valleys in a lifetime. Spring Break of 1961 is definitely one of the highest peaks on my horizon. The time in Italy was fabulous. Life was really good. We had terrific weather, great Italian food, companionship and conversation. We saw the major works of the Renaissance first hand and strolled through incredible ruins of the Roman Empire. We were so young and so carefree. It is hard not to wax nostalgic in thinking about that springtime of our lives. Simon and Garfunkel would express this sentiment precisely on one of their albums. Continue reading David Maraist’s Journal: Spring Break 1961 Tour of Italy

Self-guided Vienna tour app–Gretl Goes: Vienna

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Greetings, IESers!

My name is Gretl. I’m a former IES Vienna student (Fall 2004) who fell in love with the city and stuck around to get a Master’s degree at the Uni Wien. During the 8 years or so that I’ve lived here, I’ve done a lot of work as a tour guide, and recently I turned the content of my city tours into a self-guided Vienna tour app called Gretl Goes: Vienna. Continue reading Self-guided Vienna tour app–Gretl Goes: Vienna

In memoriam

In memoriam

We have received notice that some of our classmates have passed away. In memory of them, we have set up this page. We know this list is incomplete and we will appreciate additions as they come to your attention. We express the grief and sympathy of our entire class to all family members.

Charles Newcomb (Spring 1961) passed away in October 2012. He is survived by his wife, Nane, reported to us by Joel Ziegler and Gordon Watson.

Christopher E. Hetzel (1960-61). He is survived by his wife, Susan Schumaker Hetzel (Spring 1961), who reported his death to us.

Laurie Rayburn (Spring 1961) passed away in November 2011, reported to us by Judy Tucker Earle and Gordon Watson.

Please help us identify everybody in this photo!

Click on photo for a larger view.

David Maraist found in his scrapbook this wonderful group photo of IES Wien Spring 1961 participants at our “formal reception” upon our arrival in Vienna, February 28, 1961. This photo is particularly significant because it is the only we have found so far that shows us in a University of Vienna setting. Below are the names we have been able to identify. Please click here to send us the names of the missing ones. Continue reading Please help us identify everybody in this photo!

February in Paris 1961

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In Paris at Lido Restaurant, February 1961, left to right: Heather Wade, George Trask, Judy Tucker, Page Bradham, Gordon Watson and Cindy Calkins. The couple in right background were not part of our group.

A trip to Europe via ocean liner in 1961 was a far cry from today’s hurried pace. We took trunks filled with clothes including evening gowns the girls wore in Paris with the boys in suits. Click on the photo for a larger view, look closely, and you will see pearl necklaces and white evening gloves. Those were the days! Continue reading February in Paris 1961

More IES 1961 photos discovered!

Page Bradham (Kizer) brought us her photo album, and she and Gordon Watson identified almost everybody for us. Please help us identify the missing names in these photos. Send us an email by clicking here and click here to see all the photos.

Click on each photo for a larger view

Page Bradham aboard RMS Saxonia, early February 1961, on our Atlantic crossing to Vienna
Page Bradham aboard RMS Saxonia, early February 1961, on our Atlantic crossing to Vienna

Continue reading More IES 1961 photos discovered!

Four more IESers identified in Saxonia photo

Four more Wien 1961 IESers have been identified in the group photo taken on the Saxonia on the trip across the Atlantic in February 1961:

four

Margot Bussard Knoll is #7 (identified by Rosemary Gage Murphy)

Rosemary Gage Murphy is #8 (identified by herself)

Laurie Rayburn (deceased) is #9 (identified by Judy Tucker Earle)

Keith Manatt is #10 (identified by Judy Tucker Earle)

Click here to see the Saxonia photo.

IES Wien 1960-61 50th reunion photos – updated

Twelve thousand American college students have attended the University of Vienna through the auspices of IES since Paul Koutny, an Austrian, and Clarence Giese, an American, founded IES in 1950. Members of the class of 1960-61 held our 50th reunion in Vienna the weekend of October 21-23, 2011. This was the first-ever official reunion of an IES class in Vienna. Below are photos of the event.

1960-61 alumni enjoy student concert at IES Wien Center, Oct. 21, 2011.
Continue reading IES Wien 1960-61 50th reunion photos – updated

George Will writes critique of Kennedy in Vienna

In the 50th-anniversary month of the construction of the Berlin Wall, George F. Will has written in The Washington Post today, Sunday, August 14, 2011, a stinging critique of President John F. Kennedy. Kennedy met with Nikita Khruschev in Vienna while we were there in June 1961 then goaded the East Germans into erecting the Berlin Wall in August 1961. A few months earlier, in April, Kennedy authorized the Bay of Pigs disaster. Will says Kennedy’s was “the most incompetent first year of any presidency. Click here to read George Will’s essay, titled “JFK’s Berlin Blunder”.

George Trask’s photos: President John Kennedy’s June 1961 Vienna meeting with USSR Premier Nikita Khruschev

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President Kennedy arrived at Vienna's Schwechat airport at 10:45 a.m., Saturday, June 3, 1961, a rainy, chilly day, and we IES Wien students were there to greet him

President John F. Kennedy and USSR Premier Nikita Khruschev held their summit meeting in Vienna early June 1961 and we IES Wien 1960-61 students were there! Continue reading George Trask’s photos: President John Kennedy’s June 1961 Vienna meeting with USSR Premier Nikita Khruschev

IES Wien Spring 1961 University of Vienna group photo found

Help us identify everybody

Click on photo for a larger view.

David Maraist found in his scrapbook this wonderful group photo of IES Wien Spring 1961 participants at our “formal reception” upon our arrival in Vienna, February 28, 1961. This photo is particularly significant because it is the only we have found so far that shows us in a University of Vienna setting. Below are the names we have been able to identify. Please click here to send us the names of the missing ones. Continue reading IES Wien Spring 1961 University of Vienna group photo found

reLearn German


For the few of us slow learners who didn’t become entirely fluent in German during our time in Wien in 1960-61 :-), it’s not too late to relearn German. The German newspaper Deutsche Welle has an extensive English-language website that includes a superb German course, hundreds of hours of instruction, all for free. Now is the time to brush up on your German in anticipation of our IES Wien 1960-61 50th reunion in October. Continue reading reLearn German

IES Wien 1960-61 Bulletin uncovered

Paula Scheidecker Lowe was rummaging through her 1960-61 Wien memorabilia recently and uncovered a copy of the entire IES Wien 1960-61 Bulletin, 48-pages crammed with information about our Vienna experience. This is a really important document because it gives a wealth of information about every aspect of the program and includes lots of photos. Each of us received the bulletin before we departed the USA. In case you’ve forgotten, here’s a copy of the entire bulletin: Continue reading IES Wien 1960-61 Bulletin uncovered

More IESers identified

Ann Foley

Ann Foley sent the following nice note the other day as she helped identify classmates in the London group photo. :

“Just heard about the reunion, and found all this information. What a delight! Thought I’d identify a few of us on the group photo. Was only able to magnify half of it so couldn’t do more: 1 Ann Foley, herself, 2 Nanci Schulson, 7 Janet Bratmuller, 15 Carol Garcia, 16 Sharon Leary. Hope to send some photos later. Ann”

Continue reading More IESers identified

Our reunion weekend includes great music events

Wiener Staatsoper (Vienna Opera House)

Our IES Wien 1960-61 50th Reunion on the weekend of October 21-23, 2011, will include numerous opportunities to enjoy Vienna’s incomparable music. The reunion will begin at 12:30 p.m. on Friday, October 21, with a greeting, concert and reception at the IES Center with music performed by current IES music students. Our weekend together will end at 10:30 a.m. on Sunday, October 23, with an orchestra and choir mass at the Jesuitenkirche, Haydn’s home church located just in front of the great hall of the old University of Vienna. In between will be numerous opportunities to attend music events for which you must purchase tickets, including La Traviata, Salome and Fidelio at the Opera House. Below is a list of the music events requiring tickets we have found so far: Continue reading Our reunion weekend includes great music events

19 Wien 1960-61 IESers look forward to 50th Reunion

Nineteen (19) stalwarts, now age 70, from the group of 213 youths who studied together at the Institute of European Studies in Vienna, Austria, during the school year 1960-61 have declared their best efforts to attend our 50th Reunion in Vienna on the weekend of October 21-23, 2011. Of those, seven (7) have said they will definitely attend and are already getting their airplane tickets and hotel reservations. Others will surely come forward to swell our reunion group, which will include not only the IES participants but also their spouses, significant others and perhaps family members and friends. Continue reading 19 Wien 1960-61 IESers look forward to 50th Reunion

IES Wien Spring 1961 group photo on Saxonia rediscovered

IES Wien Spring ’61 group photo on Saxonia; Help us identify everybody!

Spring 1961 group photo on Saxonia rediscovered

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Well, it’s not a photo of all of us Spring 1961 IESers on the way to Wien on the Saxonia, but this is as close to all of us on the ship as we’ve been able to uncover. Kathy Reilly (Steadman) sent this from her album, and what a nice photo it is. Continue reading IES Wien Spring 1961 group photo on Saxonia rediscovered

IES Wien 1960-61 group photo: Amelia Stevens identifies herself

IES Wien 1960-61 group photo: Help us identify everybody!

Amelia Stevens identifies herself

Click on photo twice for largest view

Amelia Stevens recently wrote to let us know she’s #36 in the photo. From Omaha, Texas in 1960-61, Amelia now lives in San Rafael, California.

Kay Kramer sent this wonderful photo of almost all of the IES Wien 1960-61 group, taken in London soon after arrival on the Maasdam, Holland America Line, sailing from New York. We have numbered everyone on the photo to help with identification. Please click on the photo twice for a really large view and click here to send an email to help us identify everybody. Here’s our tentative identification so far: Continue reading IES Wien 1960-61 group photo: Amelia Stevens identifies herself

October 2011 50th Reunion in Vienna taking shape

October 2011 Reunion in Vienna taking shape

SAVE THE DATE: Friday, October 21 to Sunday, October 23, Vienna, Austria

Dear Vienna 60-61 Classmates,

This is a reminder that if you are planning to join us in Vienna for our 50th class reunion (and I hope you are!), please make sure that you have already or are in the process of booking your air and hotel reservations.  Remember that your spouse or significant other is more than welcome to join us! Continue reading October 2011 50th Reunion in Vienna taking shape

A Student in Vienna by David Maraist

A Student in Vienna by David Maraist

David Maraist was an IES Wien Spring 1961 participant from the University of Notre Dame. He kept a detailed contemporaneous diary of his Vienna experiences, portions of which we are publishing in segments at this website. A native of Louisiana, David now lives in Lafayette, Louisiana. This is his current recollection of his months in Vienna in 1961, a look backwards at the memories in his diary. Continue reading A Student in Vienna by David Maraist

David Maraist’s Journal: New York to Vienna, February 1961

David Maraist’s Journal:

New York to Vienna, February 1961

The ship that took us to Europe, Cunard liner RMS Saxonia

Introduction by David Maraist, March 2011: It was with great expectations that I left Louisiana for the spring 1961 semester in Wien. I decided to keep as detailed a log as possible since I felt that one day I’d enjoy revisiting that time. I have edited certain incidents and mostly left out personal references for obvious reasons. My log was not meant to be a great literary effort expressing deep thoughts and emotions but merely a listing of occurrences to jog one’s memory. So, please bear with  me as many of the entries were written by flashlight in the wee hours of the morning. Continue reading David Maraist’s Journal: New York to Vienna, February 1961

Update on IES Wien 50th Reunion plans

Update: IES Wien 50th Reunion plans

SAVE THE DATE: Friday, October 21 to Sunday, October 23, Vienna, Austria

Dear IES Abroad Vienna 1960-61 classmates,

Your response to our 50th Reunion planning has been heartwarming! We’re just eight months away from gathering in Vienna for a weekend to reconnect and remember our time abroad.

Here are the people who have said they will definitely attend or will attend if they possibly can: Continue reading Update on IES Wien 50th Reunion plans

In London: Year 1960-61 group photo–Help us identify everybody!

In London: Year 1960-61 group photo

Help us identify everybody!

Click on photo twice for largest view

Courtesy of Kay Kramer McGinnis. Kay yesterday (December 23, 2010) sent this wonderful photo of almost all of the IES Wien 1960-61 group, taken in London soon after arrival on the Maasdam, Holland America Line, sailing from New York. We have numbered everyone on the photo to help with identification. Please click on the photo twice for a really large view and click here to send an email to help us identify everybody. Here’s our tentative identification so far: Continue reading In London: Year 1960-61 group photo–Help us identify everybody!

February 25, 1961: Arrival in Austria

February 25, 1961

Arrival in Austria

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Photo by George Trask. At this border station we crossed from Germany into Austria, Saturday, February 25, 1961, more than three weeks after we departed the United States. Look at that blue sky, the mountain and the quietude of that place in 1961! Our two IES buses are in the left background. We rode from here to Vienna on the Austrian autobahn.

February 17, 1961: In Paris on our way to Vienna

February 17, 1961

In Paris on our way to Vienna
Who are these people?

Please help us identify these Spring 1961 IESers.

Click on photo for larger view.

Photo by George Trask. Above: IES Spring 1961 students in front of Louvre, Paris, February 17, 1961. We were on our way from arrival by ship (Cunard liner R.M.S. Saxonia) at London via bus to Vienna to begin our spring semester. The man in the hat who looks like Charlie Chaplin was our tour guide in Paris.

Click here to help identify people you know in this photo. For starters:

Upper left: Tom Wolf
Far right with folded arms: Cindy Calkins

February 15, 1961: First stop on the Continent, Bruges, Belgium

February 15, 1961

First stop on the Continent, Bruges, Belgium

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Photo by George Trask. First stop on the Continent for the Spring 1961 group was the canal town of Bruges in Belgium. Here a portion of the IESers gather in the square. You can click on the photo above to see a larger view. Please click here to help us identify everybody in the photo.

Continue reading February 15, 1961: First stop on the Continent, Bruges, Belgium

February 14, 1961: Crossing the English Channel

February 14, 1961

Crossing the English Channel

Photo by George Trask. On the day we departed London, Tuesday, February 14, 1961, we boarded buses that took us over the course of the next two weeks all the way to Vienna. These same buses also took us in the early spring to Italy and to Spain at the end of the semester in June.

Continue reading February 14, 1961: Crossing the English Channel

February 2, 1961: Departure New York

February 2, 1961: Cunard liner RMS Saxonia heads to London with IES Spring 1961 participants bound for Vienna

Departure New York

Postcard rendition of the ship that took IES Vienna Spring 1961 participants to Europe in February 1961: Cunard's RMS Saxonia

By George Trask, IES Spring 1961 participant from Davidson College, hometown Beaufort SC, written November 2, 2010.

If the weather had been as glorious as this postcard depicts with sunshine on our ship, Cunard’s liner RMS Saxonia, our departure would have perhaps not been so memorable. As it was, the weather our departure day was awful–temperature 2 degrees below zero with alligatored ice covering the water; wind roaring down the canyoned streets of Manhattan; and clouds that brought a 7-inch snowfall crippling the metropolis the next day. But our outcome was wonderful. Continue reading February 2, 1961: Departure New York

February 1961: A trek through history and Meditations on crossing the Mediterranean fourth-class

A trek through history, by Ginny Cornyn, IES Year 1960-61 participant from Winnetka, Illinois, and Bob Earl, IES Year 1960-61 participant from Encino, California, first published in “Sonderfahrt” (which means “Side Trips“), the IES 1960-61 student publication distributed at the end of our school year.

Meditations on crossing the Mediterranean fourth-class, by Pat White, IES Year 1960-61 participant from Beaumont, Texas, first published in “Sonderfahrt” (which means “Side Trips“), the IES 1960-61 student publication distributed at the end of our school year.

Continue reading February 1961: A trek through history and Meditations on crossing the Mediterranean fourth-class