Peter Hermann Löwy
| Born: |
01-03-1914 |
| Faculty: |
Philosophical School |
| Category: |
Expelled student |
Peter Hermann LÖWY (Peter H. Lowy), born on January 3
rd, 1914 in Vienna/Austria (entitled residency ("heimatberechtigt") for Vienna/Austria, Citizenship: Austria), son of Robert Löwy (merchant) and Marianne, née Rosenberg, lived in Vienna's 3
rd district, Vordere Zollamtsstrasse 11/11He had passed his school-leaving examination at the Bundesgymnasium in Vienna 3 on June 2
nd, 1932, and began studying chemistry at the University of Vienna in the fall term of 1932/33. He was last enrolled in the fall term 1937/38 at the Faculty of Philosophy in the 6
th year of his studies
He had already registered for the viva voce ("Rigorosen") on October 13
th, 1937, had completed his dissertation, which he had written under the supervision of Prof. Ernst Spaeth, and had also passed the first viva ("Philosophicum") with Professors Robert Reininger and Karl Buehler on October 23
rd, 1937.
However, the "Anschluss" interrupted the examination procedure. He was unable to complete his studies under National Socialism for racist reasons and was forced to leave the University of Vienna.
He had to flee Austria and was able to emigrate to the USA via Rotterdam/Netherlands on the
SS Nieuw Amsterdam as early as June 2
nd, 1938, arriving in New York, NY on June 9
th.
He then lived with his parents in Rochester, Monroe, NY in 1940, still working as a counterman in April, and by October he was already working at the National Testing Laboratories in Rochester, his parents Marianne (49) and Robert (58) worked in a lunchroom/restaurant.
On August 30
th, 1940, he married Ruth Schlosberg (1917-1990), with whom he had three children: Judith Jacobson, née Lowy, Richard Lowy and Robert Lowy, and became a U.S. citizen.
From 1946 he lived with his family in Pasadena, where he had begun working as a biochemist at the
California Institute of Technology, William G. Kerckhoff Laboratories of the Biological Sciences. In December 1946 he approached the University of Vienna from there, referring to the studies he had completed, the viva he had passed, the dissertation he had completed, and that he had been denied a doctorate in 1938 because he was Jewish:
"I very much hope that the changed circumstances will make it possible to give me the doctorate in absentia".
Rector Adamovich forwarded the letter to the Dean of the Faculty of Philosophy, physicist Hans Thirring, for direct action. However, the dean's office then informed Peter Lowy on January 17
th, 1947, that there were only the documents about the completed studies and the passed viva voce examination in Vienna, but nothing was noted about the dissertation. Since Prof. Späth had died two months earlier, he could no longer be questioned about it:
"Under these circumstances, the Dean's Office sincerely regrets not being able to grant your wish."
Without any indication of the conditions under which a doctorate might still be possible, the doctorate was once again made impossible. Apparently, however, Peter Lowy did write and submit a - new - dissertation "1. on coumarino-alpha-pyrone, 2. on a new dioxytropane, and 3. on carpaine" which was very positively evaluated by the two reviewers Prof. Wessely and Ebert: "
The experiments are carried out with great skill and the theoretical treatment of the problems also corresponds very well to the requirements to be made of the doctoral thesis". They approved it with "very good" on June 14
th, 1947, after which, however, the doctoral procedure ended again and finally.
Peter H. Lowy continued to work as a biochemist at Caltech even without a doctorate from Vienna, until 1965 as a research fellow, and from 1965 as a senior research fellow, where he researched and taught until his retirement in 1982.
In addition, he was, like his wife, very committed to blind and visually impaired people, actively supported "Recording for the blind" and also for the "Huntington Library".
Peter H. Lowy died on May 2
nd, 1993 in Pasadena, Los Angeles, California/USA.
Lit: Archives of the University of Vienna/enrollment forms ("National") PHIL 1932-1938, final examination file and registry ("Rigorosenakt- und protokoll") PHIL 13783; POSCH/INGRISCH/DRESSEL 2008, 433; obituary in Pasadena Star-News, May 6th, 1993; www.ancestry.de; www.genteam.at.
Herbert Posch
