COMING TO AMERICA

One of Horst's best friends was Hans Joachim Becker. They met in Biology classes at Göttingen. While Horst went to Art school, Hans stayed an became a Geneticist. In 1957 he received a Fullbright scholarship to study at the Unviersity of California, Berkeley. While there he became betrothed to fellow student genetics student Gwen (?). The wedding was to be held by Gwen's family in the US. In (month) Hans contacted Horst to be his best man. So Horst met Hans in NYC in (month), purcahse an inexpensive car and began a trip across the country.

Neither one of them could drive, but that didn't matter. Their trip was life changing for both of them. But for Horst is became a one-way journey.

While Hans studied at Berkeley his landlady was Paticia Gundlefinger. When Horst arrived, she took quite a liking to him, and invited him to stay. Horst confessed to Hans that she was putting a lot of pressure on him. Horst had to return to Germany and we don't know what their arrangement was. But Horst returned within 9 months and married Patricia. After his studies in America, Hans returned with Gwen to Germany where he became a professor of genetics at the Max Plank Institute. Hans always expected Horst to return to Germany, but I doubt it ever crossed Horst's mind. He had assimilated into American life and culture, and drew energy and inspriation from the freedom, wide open spaces and youthful exuberance of the country.