Bio: Willecke, Gerhard (19 May 1950)

Contact:  Stan

Surnames: WILLECKE

----Sources: Marathon County Register (Unity, Clark County, Wis.) 19 May 1950

Willecke, Gerhard - Local Boy Makes Good (10 May 1950)

A clipping from the Milwaukee Journal of May 10th announces that Gerhard Willecke, assistant professor of physics at Lawrence College, will resign at the end of the school term to become a permanent technical editor and physicist for the Miller Electric Mfg. Co. of Appleton, Wisconsin.

Gerhard Willecke was born in Halberstadt, Central Germany and came with his parents to Unity, Wis., when he was seven years old, Mrs. Willecke having an aunt living here.

They made their home with her. Gerhard had studied English for a few months in Germany. He entered 5th grade and went on to finish high school. He went to Stevens Point Teachers College for 3 years and for two years was roving reporter reporting over station WLBL. He came home to teach in high school for several years and then went another year to Stevens Point and obtained his Bachelor degree.

He was called to Keil High School where he taught 5 years and resigned to go to the University of Wisconsin. The same year he was called to teach at Lawrence College at Appleton.

During World War II he was in Dayton, Ohio at Wright Field as a physicist for the government.

From Dayton he was sent to Lima, Peru, South America, by the National Geographic Society testing electrical flying apparatus. Then he returned to Lawrence College.

He became a naturalized citizen in 1931 when his father was naturalized, but when he was working for Uncle Sam.

* The rest of the article is cut off and unavailable at the time of transcription.

** Gerhard Willecke married Margaret Freiberg, b. 23 Dec 1914, d. 5 Apr 2002

BioM: Freiberg, Margaret Ruth (1937)

----Source: Stevens Point Daily Journal, Stevens Point, Wisconsin, Tuesday, 28 Dec 1937, Page 3

Wlllecke-Freiberg Marriage

In a setting of Christmas greens and decorations, Miss Margaret Ruth Freiberg became the brideOf Gerhard K. Willecke at a quiet ceremony performed at 11 o'clock this morning at the home of her parents, Mr. and Mrs. Theodore A. Freiberg, 119 Jefferson street. Rev. Betram L. Davies, pastor of Frame Memorial Presbyterian church, officiated. The Wedding march was played by Miss Ruth Hamilton, who also accompanied the bride's brother, Robert Freiberg, for a solo, "I Love You Truly." There were no attendants.

A costume suit of dubonnet wool trimmed with gray kid skin was worn by the bride All her accessories were in matching gray. She wore a shoulder corsage of roses. Only immediate relatives were present at the ceremony and the dinner which was served at noon
after the ceremony. Out-of-town guests were the groom's parents, Mr. and Mrs. Karl Willecke of Unity, Wisconsin.

After January first the bride and groom will be at home at Kiel, where Mr. Willecke is an instructor in the High school. The bride been employed by the Hardre Mutual Fire Insurance company. Before the wedding the bride was entertained at parties given in her honor by Miss Annamae McNeely, Mrs. A. Razner, Misses Evelyn and Esther Feltz, Miss Marjory Tardiff and Mrs. Warren Sprague.

1940 Federal Census, Kiel, Kiel City, Manitowoc, Wisconsin, United States, enumeration district number: 36-9, family number: 202, sheet number and letter: 9B, line # 41

Gerhardt Willecke, white, married male
residence in 1935: Stevens Point, Portage, Wisconsin

Household Members
head Gerhardt Willecke M 27 (1913 Germany)
wife Margaret Willecke F 25 (1915 Wisconsin)

Wisconsin Death Index

Gerhard Karl Willecke
event: Death
event date: 26 Jul 1986
event place: , Outagamie, Wisconsin
residence: Outa, Wisconsin
certificate number: 017522

Social Security Death Index

Gerhard Willecke
birth date: 4 February 1913
social security # 286-24-8371
place of issuance: Ohio
last residence: Outagamie, Wisconsin
zip code of last residence: 54915
death date: July 1986
estimated age at death: 73

New York Passenger Arrival Lists, Ellis Island

Gerhard Willicke
last place of residence: Halberstadt, Germany
date of arrival: 26 Dec 1923
age at arrival: 10
ethnicity: German
port of departure: Kristiania, Norway
port of arrival: New York, NY
gender: Male
marital status: Single
ship of travel: Bergensfjord