George L. Brodschi papers
Collection — Box: 1
Identifier: 1991_040-UA
The George L. Brodschi papers document his academic and professional life. There is a concentration of material dealing with his early life and departure from Romania and subsequent pursuit of American citizenship but very little information on Brodschi's activities in the 1950's and following his retirement from the International Center at the University of Louisville. The material is arranged in series, i.e. correspondence, literary productions, legal documents, printed material, and photographs and within each series the papers are in chronological order. Included in his papers are some documents pertaining to, or written by his wife, Natalia R. Brodschi.
The correspondence includes letters of general information, 1945-1982. The early letters deal with the their attempt to gain citizenship after fleeing German occupation in World War II, while the later correspondence treats Brodschi's political involvement. There are letters of note from Nelson A. Rockefeller, Senator John Sherman Cooper, Vice-President Hubert H. Humphrey, Secretary of State Cyrus Vance, and an invitation to the White House. There are also three letters composed by Natalia Brodschi and other miscellaneous correspondence.
The literary material presented in the Brodschi Papers is limited in amount, but offer valuable insights into his personality. There is only one published work in the collection, People and Lands in a Changing World, and reflects Brodschi's interest in geo-politics. There are several literary works that are Biblically oriented and penned by Natalia Brodschi, while other unsigned literary Biblical works have been attributed to her.
Most of legal documents consists of birth certificates, marriage certificates, diplomas, and citizenship documents. Many of the legal documents included in the Brodschi Papers are composed in Romanian or Russian.
Of the printed material located in this collection, the awards garnered by Brodschi stand out as most imminent. He took pride in the fact that he was one of a small minority of Americans to receive both the Legion d'Honneur from France and an honorary doctorate from the University of Montpellier, in France. The clippings (1948-1980) succinctly document Brodschi's personal growth.
The copyright interests in the George L. Brodschi Papers have not been transferred to the University of Louisville.
1.25 linear feet (1 records center box)
George L. Brodschi was born on 11 August, 1909 in Ismail, Bessarabia, Russia. He attended the Academy of the High Commercial and Industrial Studies (State University of Bucharest, Rumania) where he completed his undergraduate degree in economics, statistics, and accounting and graduate work in political science, geography, and international law. He received his Doctorate in Economic Sciences in 1940. In August of 1938, George Brodschi married Natalia Rosca.
George Brodschi worked as an officer in the section of International Compensation for Rumanian State Railways from 1928 to 1931. From 1934 to 1941, he was a financial controller in Control and Budget Inventory, Gas and Electric Corporation, Bucharest, Rumania. George Brodschi and his wife, Natalia fled south to Turkey, and then to Egypt to escape the encroachment of German forces at the outset of World War II. They applied for and were granted British protection and employment. From 1941 to 1944, the Brodschis' worked as radio lecturers for the British Political Warfare Department. At the end of the war in 1944, George Brodschi worked as a control officer of expenditures for the British Colonial Department in Jerusalem. In 1948, he was awarded a research fellowship from the Seagram International Program and came to Louisville, Kentucky. George Brodschi and his wife applied for domicile in the U.S. owing to Communist usurpation of power in Rumania. In 1949, Brodschi was hired as Executive Secretary for the Louisville International Center. When the International Program was transferred to the University of Louisville Brodschi became its Director. He held this position from July, 1949 to July, 1979. On February 1, 1967, George Brodschi was tenured and appointed Professor of Cultural and Educational Exchange. In July, 1979, he retired and assumed the title Professor of Cultural and Educational Exchange Emeritus. George Brodschi died on 24 April, 1989.
George L. Brodschi was awarded the Chevalier of French Legion of Honor on 2 December, 1963. He was one of the elite few Americans to receive an Honorary Doctorate from the University of Montpellier, France on 16 March, 1974.
Part of the University of Louisville Archives and Special Collections Repository