Collection Summary
Ziemer, Gregor, 1899-1982.
Gregor Ziemer papers,
1912-1980
1926-1977
08176
43.41 cubic feet (46 boxes)
University of Wyoming. American Heritage Center.
English
Gregor Ziemer (1899-1982) was a journalist, educator, and writer during the twentieth century. His papers consist of correspondence and other materials related to his personal life and professional career.
System Requirements
Gregor Ziemer's Institute of Lifetime Learning presentations -- Audio tapes -- Reel to reel.
Gregor Ziemer's movies -- Motion pictures -- 16 mm.
Biography of Gregor ZiemerGregor Ziemer (1899-1982) was a journalist, educator, and writer during the twentieth century. He was born in Michigan and educated at the University of Illinois. From 1926 to 1928, Ziemer worked at an English language school in the Philippines. He served as a foreign correspondent for the "Chicago Tribune" in Germany from 1928 to 1940. During this time, he was also headmaster of the American School in Berlin. After returning to the United States in 1940, Ziemer was a news broadcaster for WLW Radio in Cincinnati, Ohio, where he reported on the progress of World War II in Europe. He returned to Europe in 1944 as a war correspondent, working as a broadcaster first for Radio Luxembourg, then for Voice of America. In 1945, he served as an embedded war correspondent with the U.S. Army's Fourth Armored Division in Germany. Ziemer later turned his attention to educational matters, serving as Director of Public Education for the American Foundation for the Blind from 1952 to 1964. From the mid 1960s to the 1970s, he was Director of the Institute of Lifetime Learning. In addition to his work as a journalist and educator, Ziemer wrote a number of newspaper articles, magazine articles and short stories. He was also the author of several books between the 1940s and 1970s. Ziemer's experiences in Nazi Germany directly provided the inspiration for the World War II propaganda film "Hitler's Children" (1943).
Scope and ContentCollection concerns Gregor Ziemer's career as a journalist, educator, and author. It contains Ziemer's correspondence (personal and business), radio broadcast manuscripts, short story and article manuscripts, and book manuscripts. Collection also contains Ziemer's file folders (containing correspondence, clippings, notes, manuscripts, photographs, and printed materials), photographs (of Ziemer and his family, his travels in Germany, and a few publicity photographs for the movie "Hitler's Children"), negatives, several scrapbooks (including those concerning pre-World War II Germany and "Hitler's Children”), and clippings by or about Ziemer. Reel to reel audio tapes of Ziemer's presentations for the Institute of Lifetime Learning, several 16 mm films, including a German army educational film ("Die Gruppe als Spaehtruppe") and a copy of "Hitler's Children," miscellaneous periodicals and newspapers (some containing articles by or about Ziemer), press kits, and miscellaneous printed materials are in this collection as well.
Access Restrictions
There are no access restrictions on the materials for research purposes,
and the collection is open to the public.
Copyright Information
Donor retains copyrights.
Related Materials
There are two other known Gregor Ziemer collections preserved at the Wisconsin Historical Society and the United States Army Military History Institute.
Acquisition Information
The Gregor Ziemer papers were donated by Patricia Lyon in 1983.
Processing Information
The collection was processed by Shaun Hayes in June of 2014.
Preferred Citation
Item Description, Box Number, Folder Number, Collection Name, Collection
Number, American Heritage Center, University of Wyoming.
Access Terms
American Foundation for the Blind.
Institute of Lifetime Learning.
WLW (Radio Station : Cincinnati, Ohio)
Foreign correspondents -- Germany -- 20th century.
Radio journalism -- United States -- 20th century.
Radio journalists -- United States -- 20th century.
War correspondents -- Europe -- 20th century.
World War, 1939-1945 -- Europe.
National socialism and education -- Germany.
National socialism and children -- Germany.
Blind -- United States -- Public relations.
Continuing education -- United States -- 20th century.
Educators -- Germany -- 20th century.
Educators -- United States -- 20th century.
Authors, American -- 20th century.
Journalism.
Education.
Germany -- History -- 1918-1933.
Germany -- History -- 1933-1945.
Audiotapes.
Motion pictures.
Photographs.
Negatives.
Scrapbooks.
Hitler's children (Motion picture)
Container List
1
Biographical information,
1918-1964
2
Biographical information,
1912-1961
3
Biographical information (oversized),
1960-1964
4
Photographs,
undated
5
Film negatives,
1938-1939
6
Photographs (oversized),
1929, undated
7
General correspondence,
1920-1929, undated
8
Philippines Islands correspondence,
1926-1928
9
General correspondence,
1930-1960
10
1
American Colony in Berlin correspondence,
1928-1939
10
2
American Colony in Berlin materials,
1929-1939
10
3
American Colony in Berlin materials,
1931-1939
10
4
2010 Days of Hitler clippings and promotional materials,
1940
10
5
2010 Days of Hitler correspondence and publication materials,
1939-1940
10
6
Hitler’s Children correspondence,
1943
10
7
Hitler’s Children clippings and promotional materials,
1942-1943
10
8-10
Hitler’s Children movie stills,
undated
11
1
American Colony in Berlin scrapbook (oversized),
1928-1931, undated
11
2
2010 Days of Hitler scrapbook (oversized),
1940
12
1
Hitler’s Children scrapbook (oversized),
1943
12
2
Hitler’s Children movie poster (oversized),
undated
13
Hitler’s Children film poster (oversized),
1943
14
Hitler’s Children film (reel one),
1943
15
Hitler’s Children film (reel two),
1943
16
1
Hitler’s Children electrical transcription,
undated
16
2
Public relations record,
1942
16
3
American School in Berlin recordings,
1937
17
Die Gruppe als Spaehtruppe (reel one),
undated
18
Die Gruppe als Spaehtruppe (reel two),
undated
19
WLW radio scripts,
1941-1943
20
WWII correspondent materials,
1945
21
International Enterprises materials,
1949-1961
22-24
American Federation for the Blind materials,
1956-1964
25, 41
Institute of Lifetime Learning materials,
1966-1970
26-34
Institute of Lifetime Learning recordings,
undated
35-40
Manuscripts,
1927-1979
40-41
Periodicals,
1929-1971
40
Research notes,
1970, 1973, undated
42
Research notes,
undated
43-44
Miscellaneous audiovisual materials,
1959-1963, undated
45-46
General correspondence,
1952-1980
40
Subject File: St. Paul American Lutheran Church, Altamont, Illinois, 90th Anniversary,
1956
40
Miscellaneous,
undated