Donald Klaber oral history interviews

Collection — Box: OH

Identifier: S6009

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

The collection consists of interviews by Professor Richard Hudelson, Ph. D. of Donald Klaber on July 22, 1999 and March 2000. The focus of the first interview was Donald Klaber's life and coming of age in Europe and Palestine, volunteer military service in the British Army during WWII, his life and choices as a non-religious Jew, life in England, all prior to his arrival in the United States. The second interview covers Mr. Klaber and his WWII military experiences.

There is a transcript of the interviews of Donald Klaber, page 14 begins the March 2000 session.

Dates

1999-2000
Majority of material found in 1999, 2000

Creator

Klaber, Donald, 1916 February 28- (Person)

Conditions Governing Access

Open for use in the Kathryn A. Martin Library, Archives and Special Collections.

Conditions Governing Use

This collection may be protected by the Copyright Law of the United States (Title 17, U.S. Code). It is the user's responsibility to verify copyright ownership and to obtain all necessary permissions prior to the reproduction, publication, or other use of any portion of these materials. Researchers may quote from the collection under the fair use provision of the copyright law.

Biographical / Historical

Donald Klaber was born February 28, 1916. He grew up in Essen, Germany where he and his mother observed French soldiers in 1920 march up the street on which they lived. One soldier struck a German laborer, who was moving dirt in a cart, with the butt of his rifle. Post World War I, the French felt the reparations were not coming to them fast enough and took out there anger on the German population.

Mr. Klaber spent much of his youth in northern Germany on his grandfather's large farm. Klaber's father died of a kidney ailment when Donald was nine years old. At age 14, Donald Klaber's political consciousness began to take form. Donald's mother remarried, and her second husband adopted Donald. At age 17, he was part of a discussion group in his teacher's home where Hitler was the topic. In 1933, Klaber knew "I had to leave."

Klaber lived in Europe, Palestine, and England, volunteered for military service in the British Army during WWII, lived his life and made his choices as a non-religious Jew, all prior to his arrival in the United States.

He arrived in New York in 1946. He married Margot in 1950, whom he met at a Quaker meeting, the Fifteenth Street Meeting. The Klabers relocated to Chicago where Donald Klaber worked for Swift & Company tracking inventory and they were part of the Fifty-Seventh Street Quaker Meeting. At the Quaker group he met the general manager of the Hyde Park Co-op where he became employed and through them he became employed at the Duluth Co-op in 1956. He became employed in the New York Life insurance industry. The Klabers had three children.

He and Mrs. Klaber are members of a Quaker group in Duluth, Minnesota. Mrs. Margot Klaber was interviewed separately.

Extent

3.00 Linear Feet

Language of Materials

English

Additional Description

Abstract

The collection consists of interviews by Professor Richard Hudelson, Ph. D. of Donald Klaber on July 22, 1999 and March 2000.

Physical Location

This collection is located at the University of Minnesota Duluth Archives. For more information about this collection or to make an appointment, contact us at libarchives@d.umn.edu or 218-726-8526.

General

This collection is owned by the Minnesota Historical Society, but is housed at the University of Minnesota Duluth Archives.

Subjects

Associations, institutions, etc. Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
Audio Recordings Subject Source: Local sources
Biography Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
Business Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
Childhood and youth Subject Source: Local sources
Duluth (Minn.) Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
Education Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
Families Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
Finnish Americans Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
Immigrant families Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
Neighborhoods Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
Oral history Subject Source: Local sources
Oral history interviews Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
Organizations Subject Source: Local sources
Peace activists Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
Political activists Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
Religious groups Subject Source: Local sources
Social justice Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
Society of Friends Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
Teachers Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
Violence Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
War stories Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
World War I Subject Source: Local sources
World War II Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings