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Ossie Langfelder

Born: 1926 in Vienna, Austria
Pen Name: None

Connection to Illinois: Langfelder's family moved to Chicago in 1940 and shortly thereafter settled in Springfield, Illinois. He is a former two-term Streets Commissioner and Mayor of Springfield.

Biography: Ossie Langfelder began his incredible journey in Vienna, Austria. He was born there on August 2, 1926. Born to a Lutheran mother and Jewish father, he was uprooted at the young age of twelve because of the Nazi uprising. Fleeing because of his father's religion, Switzerland and England became his temporary home. Upon receiving his temporary visa for the United States, he and his family traveled through Canada, and then arrived in New York City in 1940. Because of his father's job opportunity, his family moved to Chicago, and shortly thereafter, they came to settle in Springfield, Illinois. After enlisting in the army, he continued his college education at SCI in Springfield and Purdue University. Ossie married Mary Agnes Dunham and settled in Springfield and after years of working in the engineering field, he became Mayor of the City of Springfield. From a middle class family torn from their homeland by war and discrimination, his life story is one of courage, determination, and sacrifice. He hopes his story will inspire his thirteen children and thirty grandchildren and those who read his Incredible Journey.


Awards:

Primary Literary Genre(s): Non-Fiction

Primary Audience(s): Adult readers

Ossie Langfelder on WorldCat : http://www.worldcat.org/search?q=ossie++langfelder


Selected Titles

  My incredible journey
ISBN: 9781453808726 OCLC: 732356851

[CreateSpace], [United States] : 2010.

The former mayor of Springfield, Illinois recounts his early days as a refugee fleeing Hitler's invasion of Austria. He describes his family's life during their temporary stays in Switzerland and England, as well as their jouney to start a new life in the United States.

 

 

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