Kurt Mosauer (später Curtis Mason)

Born:	07-15-1915
Faculty:	Medical School | Medical University Vienna
Category:	Expelled student

Kurt MOSAUER (later: Curtis MASON), born on July 15^th, 1915 in Baden/Lower Austria (entitled residency ('heimatberechtigt') for Vienna/Austria, Citizenship: Austria), son of Dr. Karl Mosauer (dentist, born 1877 in Prague) and Rosa Mosauer (nee Plessern, born 1885 in Poland), lived in Vienna district 4^th, Frankenberggasse 7. He was enrolled finally in the spring term 1938 at the Medical School in the 4^th year of his studies (Leaving Certificate ('Abgangszeugnis') was issued on July 18^th, 1938). He was forced to emigrate and succeeded to flee to the USA. He could finish his medical studies and earned an "M.D."-degree. He naturalized and changed his name to Dr. Curtis Mason and became an optometrist in Downey, California/USA. 10 years earlier his older brother Dr. Walther Mosauer (1905-1937) emigrated to the USA after finishing his medical studies at the University of Vienna in 1929 with a "Dr. med." He specialized in reptiles and anatomical studies at the University of California at Los Angeles UCLA, but died on a reptileexpedition in Mexico 1937. Also his brother Heinrich (later: Henry) Mosauer was forced to emigrate to the USA and later lived in North Hollywood, California. Their parents were able to escape to Italy but were interned and were arrested in Camp Lago Negro (Italy) where his father Dr. Kurt Mosauer died on May 6^th, 1942. His mother Rosa Mosauer survived Camp Lago Negro and also Camp Melfie (Italy), where she was arrested until 1945 for racist reason. She could join her sons in the USA in 1945 and became an American citizen until she died in Los Angeles in 1960. Dr. Curtis Mason died on December 25^th, 2008 in Downey, Los Angeles, California/USA.

Lit.: POSCH/INGRISCH/DRESSEL 2008, 441; Archive of the University of Vienna/Enrollment forms ("Nationale") MED 1937-1938; USC Shoah Foundation Institute for Visual History and Education, University of Southern California, Interview 38134; information from Dr. Barbara Sauer, Vienna; Austrian State Archive/Archiv der Republik/06-Finanzen/Hilfsfonds; www.geni.com; REITER-ZATLOUKAL/SAUER 2022.

Herbert Posch