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Early Years/High school in San Francisco
When Eva and Harry came to San Francisco, they each were sent to live with a different relative and attended different high schools. They saw each other on weekends, sometimes at family dinners at Tillie’s home. I don’t know why the decision was made to split them up. It always seemed heartbreaking to me that no sooner were they separated from their parents than they were separated from each other. Perhaps it was because of space or economics, or perhaps the relatives thought they would adjust to speaking English and living in another country if they didn’t have each other to lean on.
Eva lived with Helene’s first cousin Bertha and her husband George Schiller. They were in their late 60s while Eva was a senior at Washington High School. At this time, the Schillers’ son Arthur was almost 40 years old and living in New York. Not only would Eva have experienced culture shock, but a large generation gap as well!
Harry was sent to live with Helene’s first cousin’s daughter Hilda and her husband Nathan Firestone. Since he was under 18 years old, he was considered their ward. Hilda was just 35 years old and Nathan was 50, so he was living with people younger than his parents. Harry attended Mission High School.
Eva graduated from Washington High in June 1940 and Harry from Mission High in June 1941. Although she was already 18 years old, Eva hadn’t graduated from high school in Vienna (for their last few years in Vienna, they were not allowed to attend school) and she needed to complete a year of high school in the U.S. to earn a diploma. Harry must have placed into a higher grade than usual for his age, because he graduated from high school a year later at the age of 17.
I don’t know if it’s my imagination, but to me Eva looks very different in her high school photo from her American classmates. Most of their faces seem happier and more carefree, while she seems very severe. Her dark blouse adds to her seriousness.
During his first year at Mission High, Harry was interviewed for the school paper:
Eva and Harry playing tennis on the courts at Mission High in 1941:
