Vera Meyer Family Collection

Gustav Meyer was born in Herford, in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. He studied law and was a member of the Alsatia fraternity in Leipzig. In 1911, he established himself as an attorney in Bielefeld. A soldier in World War I, during the war he met his future wife Therese Melchior, a nurse. They had three sons: Gerhard Rudolf (known as Rolf, born in 1917), Alfred George (born in 1920) and Hans-Joachim Gustav (called Hajo, born in 1924).

All three sons emigrated in 1939. Rolf Meyer went to Manchester, England, Alfred to family friends in California and Hajo to the Netherlands. In 1941 Alfred Meyer volunteered for the military, several months before the U.S. entered World War II. It was during his war training that he learned Russian. In 1944 Alfred was sent to Europe, and returned to Germany as part of the military intelligence. He earned a Bronze Star for his work during the war.

Gustav and Therese Meyer were unable to leave Germany. In 1943 both were deported to Theresienstadt. Hajo went into hiding in Amsterdam in 1943 until he was arrested and spent ten months in Auschwitz, which he survived. Gustav died in Theresienstadt in 1944, Therese died in Auschwitz-Birkenau in the same year.

After the war Alfred married Eva Apel; Eva was the daughter of Hans and Toni (née Werner) Apel of Berlin. Alfred and Eva Meyer had two children, Stefan and Vera. Alfred became a university professor and lecturer in the field of political science, with a focus on communism, Marxism, Leninism and Soviet studies. Over his long career he taught at many institutions, among them Harvard University, the University of Washington, Columbia University, Michigan State University and the University of Michigan and produced several books and publications in his field. At the University of Michigan he was also director of the Center for Russian and East European Studies.