Hertha Gottscheer, verh. Kessler

Born:	04-29-1910
Faculty:	Philosophical School
Category:	Expelled student

Hertha GOTTSCHEER (married: KESSLER), born on April 29^th, 1910 in Vienna (entitled residency ("heimatberechtigt") for Vienna/Austria, Citizenship: Austria), as daughter of Raymond and Marie Gottscheer, lived in Vienna's 7^th district, Halbgasse 32. She had passed her secondary school-leaving examination (Reifepruefung/Matura) on July 3^rd, 1930 at the private Reformmittelschule der Elternvereinigung in Vienna 16, and from the fall term of 1930/31 to the fall term of 1934/35 she was enrolled at the Philosophical School and studied history. In 1938 she was no longer enrolled, but rather in the stage of final examinations. On March 1st, 1938, she applied for the leniency of proving knowledge of Greek before taking the viva voce examinations and submitted her dissertation: "Studies on August Zang". The indulgence of the Greek supplementary examination was granted immediately on March 3rd and the dissertation theses was approved by the examiners Prof. Wilhelm Bauer (1877-1953) and Prof. Hans Hirsch (1878-1940) on April 5th, 1938. The two viva examinations that were then planned (a one-hour philosophical viva with the examiners Prof. Karl Buehler (1879-1963) and Prof. Robert Reininger (1869-1955) and a two-hour subject rigorosum with the examiners Prof. Hugo Hassinger (1877-1952), Prof. Bauer and Prof. Hirsch) did not take place any more as she was forced to leave the University of Vienna for racist reason without a degree and doctorate. Hertha Gottscheer had to flee Vienna and emigrated to the Philippines and later to the USA. In the USA she married Austrian refugee Kurt L. Kessler (born March 28^th, 1912 in Vienna, died September 6^th, 1975 in the USA, he had still left the IKG|Jewish Community of Vienna on August 23^rd, 1938 in Vienna), who also emigrated in 1938 from Vienna to the USA, and they had two daughters: Evelyn K. Barnes, née Kessler (Newark, DE) and Ingrid K. Davidson, née Kessler (San Diego, CA). She worked as a teacher, partly in the American School in Manila, Philippines, partly in the USA. Hertha Rosina Maria Kessler, née Gottscheer, died on 11 January 11^th, 2012 at the age of 101 and was buried at All Saints Cemetery in Wilmington, Delaware, USA.

Lit.: Archive of the University of Vienna/enrollment forms ("Nationale") PHIL 1930–1935, final examination registry and file ("Rigorosenakt und -protokoll") PHIL 14276, PHIL GZ 8 ex 1937/38 ONr. 48; Lisl ALKER, Ed., Verzeichnis der an der Universität Wien approbierten Dissertationen 1937–1944, Vienna 1954, Nr. 925; www.genteam.at, www.ancestry.de.

Herbert Posch