Nurnberg High School


Nurnberg Hi 1948 view Nurnberg Dependents High School has had an impressive and long history. Construction of a Girls' High School was begun on November 1, 1906 and completed one year later. From then until 1940 it served as a Girls' school. In May of that year it became a German Army Hospital. The US Army took over on 12 November 1945 and continued its use as an Army Hospital until the American Military Community in Erlangen moved its school of 59 students to Nurnberg in April 1947. Here I am in front of the school, the Schossgarten. The school remained there until January 1952.

A High school was built on the present site and has been there until it was closed in 1995 .

The school had 100 students 1948 but peaked at 180 in the graduating class of 1978. After the Berlin wall came down in 1989 the graduating class steadily dwindled until 1995 graduated 32, just slightly more than 1949.

War Damage This is what it looked like when my family arrived in the spring of 1946 on the President Tyler, there were piles of rubble in all the streets. Only in the suburbs were there structures that were whole. Cigarettes were the common currency, a carton sold for $60 in 1946 dollars. The Mark was worth 10 cents. Today this is about like a dollar. Shortly after we arrived there we went to military currency and the new DM was set at 25 cents, but letting each German exchange only about $800 wiping out the wealth of many people. We would take the strassenbahn from Furth to Nurnberg by using our dependents ID card. The bumper cars at the carnaval were a cigarette per ride. Chocolate was especially valuable.

Football Team The football team played their home games in Hitler's large stadium across town. 1948 was not a good season for the Eagle eleven they only managed to tie Munich, while losing to Heidelberg and Frankfurt. Munich beat us the second time around that year in their home turf 19-7. I might add that at that time we were known as the Nurnberg Tigers, colors, green and white because that was what special services had in the way of uniforms.

Ned Pointier was the captain until he was injured in the first Munich game early in the season. He had a nasty injury. His cleats were set in the ground as he was tackled and his knee could not turn with his body and many ligaments were torn that afternoon. Ouch!
Boy's Dorm This is the boy's dorm which was located on Dr Mack Strasse about 2 blocks from the school. The girls' dorm was next door. We ate our meals in the school cafeteria. Dinner was at the school at 6 PM. There was a dorm mother for the girls and dorm father for the boys as well as a live in cleaning lady for each dorm. The first boy's dorm was an old GI barracks at Erlangen Air Force base. Later on it was moved to what had been a private home.

Eagle of the year Our first alumni president,Terry Jorgensen as he was in 1963, Terry is shown here while filming the Great Escape with James Colburn on site in Bavaria. Terry had graduated the year before and was vacationing in Southern Germany. This was his first and last film.

Diane Probably our most famous alum, or with the boys any way, is Dianne Wiest two time acadamy award winner shown here with her daughter, Emily. She won in 1986 best supporting actress Hannah and her Sisters and again in 1995 Bullets over Broadway. From 2000-02 she appeared on TV in the show Law and Order as the District Atty, Nora Lewin.

Browne NHS class of 1951 meets NHS class of 1961. At a recent Association of Naval Aviation meeting El Toro Marine Corps Air Station, California. Vice Admiral Herb Browne '61 meets Ted Wilson '51. Browne was the featured speaker at the meeting. After the meeting Admiral Browne took questions, The last question of the afternoon was "Why do so many Admirals come from Texas?".

Early Yearbooks

Colorado reunion

Las Vegas reunion

Sign my Guestbook Ted Wilson '51

More History and Colorado Reunion