March 17, 20 & 22, 1939: Antioch - Only Girls Please

Miss Louise Clancy

AFSC, Immigration Service

165 W. 46th St. Room #1602

New York City

Dear Louise Clancy:

      I have a letter from Mrs. Fressa Baker Inman, Director of Admissions at Antioch College, saying that she will be in New York City for a few days, beginning March 17. She will be at the Hotel Roosevelt. Students who wish to see her about scholarships or admission to Antioch should telephone for an appointment on Friday, Monday or Tuesday. It occurred to me that Harry Bodansky ought to see mrs. Inman. I am notifying a few other students, who are in New York or whose relatives and friends are there. These are Sabine Heller and Thomas Doeppner. 

     Will you let me know definitely as soon as you have word about Dr. Schirokauer. I'll need to pull in other lines that I have put out for him. 

     Laura Rubin sent me the record of Dr. Lowenfeld. It seems to me that the New York Institute for the Blind could give the best leads for him since they must be well acquainted with the other blind schools. I hesitate to barge in on this case, if you or Mrs. Rubin have already been in touch with them. If you prefer that I write them and work on the placement of Dr. Lowenfeld from this point on, I'll be glad to do so.

Sincerely yours,

Charlotte S. Salmon

Placement Worker

Refugee Services 

Miss Sabine Heller

103 E. Marie Street

Hicksville, New York

Dear Sabine Heller,

      Mrs. Fressa Baker Inman, Director of Admissions, Antioch College, Yellow Springs, Ohio, has notified us that she will be in New York beginning March 17. She will stay at the Hotel Roosevelt. Students who wish to see her, should telephone for an appointment on Friday, Monday or Tuesday.

      I don't know whether you are too far from New York City for it to be possible to see her. However, I am sending the information to you in case it could be convenient. There are other possibilities of scholarships, I believe, in mid-western schools so I think this will not be your only chance. However, Antioch is a good college. I have sent information about you to Mrs. Inman.

Sincerely yours,

Charlotte S. Salmon

Mrs. Fressa Baker Inman
Hotel Roosevelt
New York City

Re: Sabine Heller & Thomas Doeppner

Dear Mrs. Inman:
     Thank you for sending me word of your trip to New York. I have passed it on to a few students who are in the vicinity. I am especially interested in Sabine Heller, whose story I enclose. I hope she may be able to get in to see you.
     Thomas Doeppner is another student who is well recommended by our representatives abroad.

Sincerely yours,

Charlotte S. Salmon
Placement Worker
Refugee Service

Caroline G. Norment

Dean of Women

Antioch College

Yellow Springs, Ohio

Re: Sabine Heller

      Mrs. Inman wrote me that she would be in New York, and would interview candidates for scholarships. The most promising one about whom I sent her information is Sabine Heller. I think she may be able to come to New York City for an interview. Her picture shows her to be an alert, bright girl. The family are friends of Caroline Solmitz.

     Hertha Kraus will spend her spring vacation in Cuba looking into the situation in regard to a transit camp there.

Sincerely yours,

Charlotte S. Salmon,

Associate Secretary,

Refugee Section

Dear Charlotte Salmon:

     Thanks for your letter of March 20. We shall look forward to what Mrs. Inman has to say about Sabine Heller. As I wrote you, if the right girl appeared I should be glad to have a woman student from the refugee group. 

     I am much interested in Hertha's Cuban trip, and shall eagerly await news of it.

Sincerely yours,

Caroline G. Norment

Dean of Women.

These letters show two primary things. One - How many things Charlotte is juggling. She is talking about so many things with so many people and coordinating it all. I don't know how she kept it straight, but she did. The reason why we are sharing this because for but a brief moment, Opa was thrown out for Antioch college. As you can see in the last letter, they were only interested in female students. But I appreciate that Charlotte thought of Opa because she knew he has some family connection in New York who might speak on his behalf while this woman is traveling through. That is a pretty specific connection for her to make, remember, and seize upon. The fact that she paid attention to even that kind of detail is pretty impressive. But alas, Opa gets thrown out of the race pretty quickly because they are looking for a woman. And we just happened to find these series of letters in Sabine Heller's file. So we can only imagine how many other schools knew of Opa's case that weren't in hs file. Charlotte is working hard and trying every angle to get these refugee students placed successfully at an American school.