Remembering Siegfried Brockmann, who escaped from East Germany in 1948 and became a VP at Cole Chemical Company

"Siegfried's remarkable life was one of contrasts, new beginnings, and lasting friendships. Childhood on the Geyersberg in the town of Dobeln in Saxony, Germany, was magical; a loving family, school friends, and the innate charm of the town made it so. But this was also a time in Germany of regimentation and uncertainty. Siegfried was drafted into the German anti-aircraft when he was 15. What followed under the communist regime was equally unpleasant."

"After a two-year apprenticeship in a pharmaceutical firm, which laid the groundwork for his later success, Siegfried escaped from East Germany in 1948. He left behind those he loved, but ahead were undreamed-of possibilities. Siegfried met Walter Brockmann, an American journalist working for the American Military Government in Munich. From the start, Walter stressed the importance to Siegfried of finishing his education. To enable Siegfried to immigrate to the United States, Walter adopted him."

Siegfried Brockmann died at home in Berkeley on his 97th birthday. He grew up on the Geyersberg in Dobeln, Saxony, with a loving family and school friends. At 15 he was drafted into the German anti-aircraft during a period of regimentation and uncertainty. After a two-year pharmaceutical apprenticeship he escaped East Germany in 1948. He was adopted by American journalist Walter Brockmann, which enabled immigration to the United States. A meeting with the Cole family led to a chemistry degree from the University of Virginia, a Harvard teaching fellowship, and a long career at Cole Chemical Company, where he became vice president. A bequest later brought him and Walter to live in a Bernard Maybeck-designed house in Berkeley, which he enjoyed sharing with visitors.

Read at www.berkeleyside.org