Ernst Oidtmann – Born in a town on the Maas river which comes into the Netherlands from France.There is a bishop there with a palace and cathedral.They have an expression that means “We’re down to earth people.”
Photo from The Lebanon Times
Winter Spring 2019
Ernst was born August 6, 1945.
His mother was liberated by the American 9th Army. His father spent a winter in the north of Holland where Germans tried to starve the Dutch at 900 calories a day.[Ernst finished reading his father’s diaries and now has to translate them!]. In Maastricht, father became secretary of the electric company and that’s where they lived.
Ernst is the oldest of 7 children.His last aunt died one month ago. She sat in Rommel’s lap in 1940 when he came through town when she was 14 or 16 years old.(Try that today!). Her family had been taken prisoner.
Maastricht was liberated by American 9th army.The high school behind Ernst’s home became the Army headquarters.Ernst showed a photo of Generals Eisenhower, Montgomery, Simpson and Bradley standing on the steps of his high school.
Another feature of Ernst’s modesty:
Grandmother spent 10 days in jail, father 3 months in jail, and Uncle Peter 3 years in San Quentin!
- Grandmother was betrayed by a neighbor who noticed during the occupation that grandmother would go to the attic. Neighbor surmised she was listening to the BBC.
- Father beat up a National Socialist collaborator in a swimming pool and got a 3-month sentence. Ernst thinks that cousins in the German army kept an eye on his grandmother and father when they were in jail.
- Uncle, despite all kinds of shenanigans in Maastricht against the Germans, emigrated to the US. At the end of his family doctor career in Berkeley, he volunteered to work in San Quentin for 3 years.
Hobbies – Ernst loves to play piano. It all started with Mozart. Parents received a radio and gramophone when Ernst was 12, finally giving him the opportunity to play the records he’d accumulated.His mother who poo-pooed them, but the first one was the Requiem by Mozart and he was hooked forever on classical music.
In 1972, Ernst was doing a research fellowship in British Columbia where he went to an evening recital of Mozart.Linda was sitting 5 seats away; during the intermission, he made his move.They went for a hike together and the rest is history, plus a couple of children.
Ernst also build extremely detailed, large scale ship models. As to real boating, he was out on Lake Tarleton in Piermont today with his kayak,
Ernst is a past president of Lebanon Rotary and has also served as community service chair.He became VP when Jim Howard moved away and then was president during Lebanon Rotary’s 75th anniversary year.Tim’s father, Larry Guaraldi, and Allan Hirsch brought him into Rotary in 1983 when the club was meeting at Landers Restaurant on Route 120.
Ernst’s father started a Lions club in their province of southern Lindberg.They met every two weeks in the best restaurant in Falkenburg.[NOT SURE IF THIS WAS ERNST HIMSELF OR HIS MOTHER OR WHAT.]
Ernst is passionate about the cleanliness of the Mascoma River and currently chairs Lebanon’s conservation committee.
Ernst wen into medicine because his grandfather was a “house doctor” who made house calls in the evening.When Ernst was in medical school, he drove his grandfather around on his home visits.
Ernst’s uncle in Berkeley was a mentor as well.Linda was a Canadian but Canada wouldn’t let Ernst into a residence program there.He heard of something in Michigan so wrote to them.A month later he was sent a contract from Dearborn by a guy who went to school with Uncle Peter.Ernst spent 3 years there 1979-1982, after which he
came into the Family Practice Group from which he retired in May, 2019.
Paul offered Ernst the chair of Lebanon Rotary’s “Support the Environment” committee.Ernst turned it down which Paul ignored and then thanked Ernst for his acceptance of the post.