Nov. 15, 2016
By Tim Marsh, Lakes
High School Class of 1966
During
the Lakes High School Class of 1966 50-year reunion in September 2016, I used
my iPhone and Skype so class member Derrel von Molnarffy, now living in
Germany, could “attend” activities. During a Skype session, I gave my phone to
classmate Patrik Lynch so he could chat with Derrel. Both were born in
Germany and came to the U.S. as children from that country. Listening in on the
conversation, I heard how they learned English after arriving in the States.
That’s the genesis of Pat’s story and Derrel’s Q&A. Enjoy.
From Germany to the U.S.: Pat Lynch,
Lakes High School Class of 1966
We
know him, our Lakes 1966 classmate, as Pat Lynch.
But,
he was born Patrik Wilhelm Zierbock in post-World War II Münich, Germany, on
July 29, 1947.
That
explains his faint accented English. “People hear me talk and ask me where I’m
from? That’s my German accent they hear,” said Pat in an October 2016
interview.
……
PHOTO CUTLINE: At the controls of a
John Deere 110 Tractor Loader Backhoe is Pat Lynch, Lakes High School Class of
1966.
……
Pat
lived in Munich from birth before moving in 1961, with his mother and father to
the U.S.”
“The
reason my first name is spelled Patrik is because those in the nunnery, where I
was born, didn’t know how to spell Patrick,” Pat said.
He
remembers a childhood in a Germany still showing signs of war. “My friends and
I played in a bombed out building with three walls and no roof,” he said.
Entertainment
growing up in Germany included going to a movie theater.
“You’d buy a ticket
and get to watch movies for six hours! My favorite movies were of ‘Dick und Dof,’
” filmed in the U.S. and dubbed from English to German, he said. (‘Dick and
Dof’ translated into English are ‘Fat and Stupid’ or ‘Fat and Dumb.’)
Pat’s
mother, Adelheid “Heidi” (Zierbock) Lynch, who celebrated her 90th birthday on
November 25, 2016, spoke and read German and English.
“She
was 17-years-old when she escaped from East Germany. Got a job with the German
telephone company. Because her English was so good, she was assigned to handle
phone calls by U.S. soldiers calling from Germany to the States.” In those days
you had to use a long-distance operator to make those international calls.
Speaking
English helped her meet a U.S. solider named George Patrick “Pat” Lynch, a West
Point grad and U.S. Army major from North Carolina, who lived his last 40 years
in Lakewood.
In
1961, Heidi and George married in Germany and he adopted Pat. “It was difficult
for German citizens to immigrate to the U.S. then. Adopting me assured my
immigration because I got a green card” issued by the U.S. federal government to
those who are lawful residents, he said.
“My
dad is my biological father,” said Pat. “My dad and mom married after they’d
been in a living together relationship. The marriage made it easier for her to
emigrate to the U.S. from Germany. My dad had been trying for several years to
move all three of us to the U.S. So, both my mom and I had green cards. She
passed her test for U.S. citizenship in the mid-1960s and became a naturalized
citizen.”
While
Heidi Lynch was fluent in English, Pat was not. “Well, I knew some of the
basics, ‘hello’ and ‘goodbye’, from English class in Germany, but that was
about it,” he said.
In
October 1961, the Lynch family – Pat was 14-years-old – flew from Münich to
Sea-Tac airport. They drove to Lakewood to live, because George’s last military
assignment was Fort Lewis before he retired as a U.S. Army brigadier general.
After that, George worked many years in both Germany and the Tacoma area in
life insurance sales for United Services Life Insurance Co. He died at age 91
in 1991.
Their
new home was a unit in Thunderbird Apartments on Steilacoom Boulevard across
the street from Thunderbird Shopping Center. “For three months we were there,
then we bought a house on Lake Steilacoom and moved into it. My mother is still
there in the same house,” said Pat. She takes advantage of the lake and still
rides a jet ski on it. “At age 90, she is probably one of the oldest persons
still riding a jet ski,” he said.
When
the move from Germany to the U.S. happened, Pat was in the eighth grade. “The school
year started in the fall, like here. So, I transferred to Hudtloff Junior High
(not too far from Thunderbird Apartments and the Lake Steilacoom house) as an
eighth grader.
“At
Hudtloff, I was put in all eighth grade classes except for a 7th grade English
class. There was a German girl in that class. She spoke English and German.
That helped me a lot. By 9th grade I’d caught up and could easily talk and
write in English,” said Pat.
When
not in school, watching television was fun for Pat. And, it helped him with
learning English.
“The
one sport I was good at was soccer. But, there was no soccer at Hudtloff or
Lakes at that time. I tried my luck at Lakes with track and tennis. After about
three months, I decided track was not for me. I tried out for the tennis team
and was the last cut,” said Pat.
“In
Germany, there were two TV channels. I came over here and had more channels and
more to watch. It was a treat to watch the Walt Disney show in color. Roy
Rogers western TV show was fun. Really surprising was that I saw “Dick und Dof”
again. I learned their real names were Laurel and Hardy and I heard them
speaking English.”
Pat
and his wife, Diane Rhoades, married in 1994. They live in Orting (Pierce
County), Wash. She works as a CPA.
They
visit Pat’s mother often. Heidi Lynch has kept herself on a diet (breads,
sausages etc.) common in Germany and bought at a German deli in Lakewood. Pat
often eats German meals with her in the Lake Steilacoom home. They talk in
German to each other.
She’s
an artist (both oil and water colors) and paints scenery and works in the part
of the annual Puyallup Fair where paintings are displayed and sold.
After
Pat graduated from Lakes High in 1966, he studied at Tacoma Community College.
But, in 1969 he was not taking enough hours at TCC to be a full time student.
He was taking night classes at the college and working full time in the Auburn
State Game Farm, helping raise pheasants for release for bird hunters.
“The
Draft Board told me if I didn’t join the Army, I’d lose my green card and be
deported since I was still a German citizen. But, if I joined the Army they’d
expedite things and I’d become a U.S. citizen. That’s what happened. While in
Army basic training at Fort Lewis he was pulled out briefly, to take and pass a
naturalization test and be sworn in as U.S. citizen.
In
the Army he got his security clearance while serving at Fort Lewis and then
went to Fort Benning, Georgia, and took drill instructor training. He was a
sergeant assistant drill instructor. From Georgia, he was transferred to South
Korea, where he served 10 months before being discharged as a buck sergeant
(E-5) when his two-year military hitch was completed.
As
a civilian, Pat’s work life has included 33 years as a log truck driver. He has
his own shop and garage and for two years hauls things for hire. As a low boy
driver, he hauled equipment such as dozers, excavators and fork lifts and such
for Valley Equipment out of Pacific (King and Pierce Counties), Wash. “I
finally got a friend of mine to take over my Valley Equipment job, so I could
retire in December 2015,” said Pat.
Looking
back on his life, Pat says he has never wished he’d stayed in Germany. “It’s a
nice country to visit, but I’m not interested in living there again.
“Diane
and I made a brief visit to Germany in 1992. We rented an economy car, a German
Ford, and darn near got run over on the Autobahn, Germany’s freeway system,
traveling from Frankfurt to Bayreuth. The next day we traded in that car for a
more powerful Audi, which could keep up the traffic which goes about 120-140
km/ 75-85 mph.”
Pat
said those who have only lived in the U.S. “can’t appreciate what we have in
America. In Germany you can’t hunt or fish unless you are very wealthy and
belong to an exclusive club of nobility. In the States, you can own lots of
acres, with open land, to do with as you please. In Germany, the upper class
has houses with tiny lots, all fenced in and gated. Those in the middle class
live in apartments and condos. I’ve mentioned ‘class’ several times because
it’s still prevalent in Europe. People are judged by where they’re from and how
wealthy they are.”
Q&A with Derrel von Molnarffy,
Lakes High School Class of 1966
Q&A:
Derrel von Molnarffy’s answers in response to questions from Tim Marsh, both
Lakes High School Class of 1966. Q&A took place in October 2016.
What’s
your name now and what was it while you were in Lakes Class of 1966? Why did it
change?
“Derrel
von Molnarffy has always been my legal name. I used ‘Darrel’ in the States for
easier pronunciation. The non-usage of my ‘von’ nobility title was a gesture of
American integration.”
Where
do you live and what do you do for a living?
“Heide
in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany, close to the North Sea coast. A national survey
shows for the fourth consecutive year those living here are the happiest of
people living anywhere in Germany. I’m retired but continue to do things in
fields of my interest: mentor and guide students in thesis papers; give
individual training in English, especially executives weak therein; do
translations, mostly legal or business related; give critique on film scripts
for those I know working in the industry; also am active promoting artists in
various fields. I’ve done this for the past 25 years; before that I was
actively involved in Christian Mission and Development work, concentrated
mainly in Eastern Europe and, for a time, India.”
Where
were you born? Where did you grow up before coming to the U.S.?
“Münich,
Germany on 9/25/1948. Lived and went to school in Switzerland and Bavaria as a
child. Post-war conditions prevailed but I had a very happy childhood playing
along the Danube River, along the banks of Straubing, Bavaria, in wide fields
that had not long before been scenes of battles. Europe offers many
mystical surroundings that can translate you back many centuries…as if
experiencing them in the now. Love Switzerland and it remains a second home to
me always.”
When
did you come to the U.S. and why?
“I
came to the U.S. in 1956 with my family upon invitation of a close Hungarian
family friend, Dalma Hunyadi, a professor of English at the University of
Chicago and well known not only for her cultural TV show but also in becoming a
leading worldwide literature expert on Thornton Wilder.”
How
old were you when you came to the US and in what grade in school?
“I
emigrated from Europe at 7-years-old and entered grade school in Chicago.”
Where
did you live in the States?
“Chicago
1956-57; Sunnyvale, California 1958-59 and in the Lakewood area 1960 to 1969 where
I attended DuPont and Clover Park district schools. I had a great time at
DuPont in the seventh through early part of ninth grade when I transferred to
Mann Junior High. Then, I went to Lakes High and graduated and eventually
studied at PLU. Looking back my American school experience was very
positive and enriching. There was a good ethnic mix, especially with African
and Asian Americans.”
……
PHOTO CUTLINE: Derrel von Molnarffy,
Lakes High School Class of 1966, at the center of where he lives and works,
Heide in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. Behind him is the St. Jurgens Lutheran
town chapel and the well-known St. George slaying the Dragon Monument next to
him. On the horizon in the photo are town house tops in typical north European
style.
……
How
did you learn English?
“My
family (Austro-Hungarian mainly) has a strong connection to English in that our
heredity lines go back also to England and Scotland. I am related to Winston
Spencer Churchill. Grandfather Bela was fluent in English. He lectured for a
time at Columbia University in New York on the military concept of the
Hungarian Hussars, the model for all other national Hussars. Once I moved with
my family to America, English was always spoken, Hungarian on occasion and
German not at all…although I showed interest to speak such with my Grandmother,
Alice Grace. She had been quite ingenious in taking me to see matinee
movies nearly every day (in those huge Chicago palace theaters of the time). It
was marvelous learning American English that way. Plus, we always had a lot of
books around to read. I still had an accent with the ‘th’ Dental Fricative
sound in the fifth grade in Sunnyvale (California) but, sessions with a speech
therapist helped eliminate that.”
These
days, in Germany, when you speak English do you do so with an American accent?
“I’ve
got a bit of an American accent. However, having lived in Canada and India and
many years abroad, most people think I’m English or Dutch.”
How
long did you live in the U.S.?
“About
16 to 17 years. I arrived 4/30/1956 and departed 12/24/1973, principally to be
a non-violent freedom fighter for Hungary.”
What
memories do you have from living in the U.S., from sports to friends and
everything in between?
“Living
in Chicago, New York and on the West Coast gave me amazing positive big city
experiences. I acquired some American smart street toughness in Chicago,
fighting off bullies every day, walking to and from school.
“In
Sunnyvale (California) our neighbor, Harvey Moon, was an airline pilot. He had
flown us from Chicago to San Francisco. The Moons were an all-American family
who invited me, an only child, along on camping trips up in the Redwood Forest
area. It was great American style fun with the kind of neighbors that make
America great.
“I
loved and still love baseball. I played it well in my early States-side times,
later giving it up and at Lakes running cross-country and track in hopes of
improving my speed. That kind of running experience teaches you to never
give up, to carry on regardless of the pain and always give all to cross the
finish line. In Europe school athletic programs are kept to a minimum.”
“Another
school highlight was after overcoming my accent, winning an all-school speech
competition at DuPont and being master of ceremonies for the talent show. I was
presented the DP Award, given out to only a handful of students each year….a
kind of citizenship civil excellence award-although I never became a US
citizen.”
“My
time at Lakes was absolutely grand. Few students in Europe have as much fun in
school as do American kids. Friendships from that time mean a lot to me…and
that through all these years they still remain. Often more to their credit than
mine. I’m thinking of one classmate in particular.”
After
Lakes, what did you do? You mentioned attending PLU.
“I
had a couple of jobs earning money to attend PLU. In downtown Tacoma, I handled
the shipping department for Tacoma Rubber Stamp. After that I sold shoes on
commission for Leeds. It paid better. Though Catholic, my PLU experience was
the catalyst that brought me into a Christ Jesus Bible foundational
relationship and not long later on to front line mission work principally East
Bloc orientated. I’m a college dropout but somehow have managed to work
academically…’a man’s gift maketh room for him’….”
Any
American food favorites you don’t get in Germany?
“There’s
a long list. It includes beef jerky, root beer, Coke floats, ice cream sundaes,
pizza with hot pepperoni sausage, original subway sandwiches and thick milk
shakes. None of which I would make a habit of chowing down on now…..well …beef
jerky is an exception.”
You
were drafted for U.S. military duty?
“Yes.
But, being a staunch anti-Communist, I volunteered instead. However, during my
junior year at Lakes during PE playing baseball, I had a knee and thigh injury.
I had surgery at Lakewood General Hospital. Because of that, I was later
classified 1-Y and exempted from military. But, I fought in another way by
leading a highly dangerous, but fruitful underground Christian mission project
reaching into all of communist Eastern Europe including Russia. This was an activity
of non-violent militancy. I retired from that 20-year work a couple of years
after the Iron Curtain came down.”
Any
concluding thoughts?
“Through
marriage to an American I took on six very young kids that were not my own
biologically and raised them all. They live in the US today: Chicago, Los
Angeles and on the Big Island in Hawaii. All are US citizens. I’ve fathered
three sons and a daughter, the youngest. Two of whom are American citizens and
two are German.”
“Although
I never became a US a citizen and in spite of the brevity of my years living in
the States, I have pretty much remained American all my life. American English
is my principal language and orientation.”
“My
spiritual mentor since 1991 has been an American Franciscan priest Fr. Richard
Rohr. I highly recommend his writings and Center for Action and Contemplation
based in New Mexico.”
“The
world sees the US quite critically these days. But, one thing should never be
forgotten. Nowhere is there as much free access to information, freedom of
press and expression as in America. Vittorio Hösle, the great German-Italian
philosopher of Notre Dame reminds also that, contrary to general opinion,
America also provides the greatest cultural reservoirs and most excellent
universities. What this produces in such innovative places as Silicon Valley
and the Puget Sound area speaks for itself.”
Note: This story was originally posted
Nov. 15, 2016, at the website of The Suburban Times, Lakewood’s online
newspaper with headline, “Lakes alums from Germany re-connect at 50th Reunion.” URL for that
posting:
