The German Way: Life in Austria, Germany, Switzerland
Interviews with Expats in Germany

Interview with Tom Urich in Wiesbaden


Tom works late
Tom Urich working late.
Photo: Tom Urich

As a young boy in Chagrin Falls, Ohio, Tom Urich’s first introduction to Germany came via his grandfather, Robert Urich, who had spent his military duty in Germany with the US Army. Before moving to Germany to work with the City Colleges of Chicago (CCC), Tom lived in Ann Arbor, Michigan. He was born in Cleveland, Ohio on March 31, 1955 and baptized a Lutheran. Grandfather Robert was a true showman in every sense of the word, and it became a “curse” which would repeat itself generations and decades later.

We interviewed Tom Urich from his home
in Wiesbaden, Germany.

Interview with Tom Urich (Part 1)

Tell me about your German grandfather.

My grandfather, Robert Urich, had spent his military duty in das Vaterland with the US Army. He was an actor, although quick to point out that his characters were almost always female! In what was then the “Entertainment Battery” (later the USO), he traveled throughout much of France and Germany during the First World War. More importantly, he was an “underground” engineer (having previously worked in Indiana for International Harvester), who would document specifications for the German panzers by cover of darkness.

Being fluent in Deutsch, by day he would work for the theater purchasing traditional women’s outfits on the German economy to be utilized in performances. The German military intelligence had him pegged as “non-threatening.” Little did they know what he actually hid under his skirt!

The plays and skits they performed always had my grandfather wearing a Dirndl — the Bavarian Bier-Kellnerin (waitress) outfit. You know, the white blouse with little embroidered flowers highlighting an ample bust.

Anyway, he had also purchased lederhosen for his first grandson, who was not even an idea yet. Robert Urich had two sons, the elder also named Robert, and the second, Thomas. My Uncle Bob never had children. So, it was I who received the pants.

Fast forward 30 years. My own father, also being an engineer in the automobile/transportation industry, had moved to the Detroit area in the early ’60s. In light of this, I consider myself a Michigander, and I am quick to proclaim such at every Michigan/Ohio State football contest. You could safely say that I am an ex-pat Buckeye. I graduated from the University of Michigan with a BMus degree (in music) in 1978. Anyone familiar with Big Ten Football can appreciate the intensity of that rivalry.

You were living in Ann Arbor before you went to Germany, weren’t you?

I returned to Ann Arbor after my second divorce. I went to work for the University of Michigan as a Project Officer in the Information Technology Division. This was natural since I had previously incorporated myself in a consulting firm doing massive network implementations in and around southeastern Michigan. Clients such as Parke-Davis, Ford Motor Co., and the City of Pontiac were common.

So what prompted you to go to Germany?

Sheer fascination with my original heritage and the excitement of living in Europe led to my move here.

Once I reached the age of 40, I began my second childhood. I dreamed of Germany just as I had as the young boy in the leather pants. Twice divorced without children (fortunately), I got my chance during a tour of Germany in Autumn 1997. I returned last December for a REAL Weihnachtsfest and my job interview with the City Colleges of Chicago. Needless to say, my dreams were fulfilled, and here I am!

Tom's neighborhood
Tom Urich’s apartment house (arrow) and neighborhood in
Wiesbaden. Sloping down from the Taunus hills, this
narrow residential Straße in the north of the city reveals
a mix of architectural styles... and what a nightmare German
parking can be! On the other hand, maintaining the
“front yard” is kein Problem. Photo: Tom Urich

What led to your German "tour of duty"? Tell me something about the organization you work with.

The City Colleges of Chicago are collectively the second largest community college in America, and one of four institutions holding a contract with the US Department of Defense (DoD) for the next five years. I now work in the European Instructional Technology & Development Division. We are implementing new technologies for teaching our broad student body of US military all over the European Theater. I am officially a contract civilian enjoying DoD privileges. Currently we are implementing new courses on the World Wide Web and also expanding the "satellite classroom" to those downrange areas (like Bosnia) where permanent facilities would be impossible.

What is the make-up of your student population?

Our student body specifically consists of active military, civilian support, spouses and family members thereof, and US retirees. Enrollment numbers fluctuate constantly, as we are specifically a “Distance Learning” Institution, and we must remain flexible to the deployments and PCS (permanent change of station) of all American military serving in the European Theater. There have been enrollments of up to 15,000 - the “average” size of the student body does not accurately signify anything. On the other hand, the “average” number of college employees and staff is 240, not counting scholastic faculty, as this changes with the enrollment demands.

The City Colleges of Chicago are part of the Harold Washington College in Chicago, Illinois. This European Division was created in 1963 specifically as a “benefit” for US Military Armed Services in all branches.

Our courses are all lower-level liberal arts leading to assorted associate degrees in the arts and sciences. Because we are a “distance education college,” versus a correspondence school, we have 66 office sites throughout Europe, mostly existing on military bases. Our student body consists of all ages, and their families, plus, all DoD civilian employees, and all spouses of same. Our mission is to provide quality college education to those serving the foreign service interests of the United States of America.

Very soon we will be expanding (as a result of our contract renewal) to include alternative delivery modes — computers, Internet, WWW, CD-ROM, satellite, and video conferencing. Worldwide, City Colleges of Chicago has over 200,000 currently enrolled students.

Are you working at a military base?

No, we’re not on a military base. We have commercial office space in a pleasant industrial park south of Wiesbaden, north of Mainz and the Rhein river.

Have you noticed any particular differences in business/work cultures in Germany?

Oh yes!! Although I work for Americans, and teach US military exclusively, I live on the German economy (off-base... way, way off-base!), and my best friend is a tall German ex-policeman name Jürgen Theus [pron. TOYCE]. Germans are much more committed to their employers than Americans are. There are many qualities of self-reliance and a “stick-to-it” attitude which America could stand to revive for itself. Being “politically correct” here is almost humorous. The whole Monica Lewinsky affair became the definition of “stupid Americans.” In Germany, either you are one thing or you are not. No gray areas in thinking. I like it.

Tom parties
It’s not all work for Tom. The “Fasching Gang,” (clockwise)
Claudia Heiby, Jürgen Theus, Tom Urich and girlfriend
Barbara Dieterich, is about to set out for Wiesbaden’s
annual two-hour Fasching (Mardi Gras) parade. Their day
began at 11:00 am with a breakfast of Lachs (salmon),
Käse (cheese), Fleisch (meat), Frucht (fruit) and Sekt
(champagne)—typical Hessen holiday fare. Photo: Tom Urich

Is there any way you could have been better prepared for your stay? Are there any areas you would have liked to have more information about?

There are few ways to prepare for something that you have no real feel for. I expected challenges at every turn — where to live, what to drive, what to wear — and everything lived up to my curiosity. I was in a dream-like trance for the first two months. I found connections with other ex-pats living in Wiesbaden.

Once I slaughtered my self-taught Deutsch with the authentic Hessen dialect, it became a lot easier to get around.

More information, you ask? Heck, there is already a huge information overload every time you open your eyes! It is very different from planning a vacation, that is, planning a new life. The joy and excitement of newness gave me the adrenaline necessary to move forward. If I were to do it again, I probably would request more logistical support for my move here.

You mentioned your own German heritage. Has that played a role in your stay? How?

I was always proud of my grandfather and our German ancestry. I remember getting into squabbles at school over it! Germans are not widely regarded as artistic or sensitive, but I was convinced by my grandfather that Americans did not know very much about people they presumed were anti-everything-American (remnants of WWII). Public school history classes don’t teach the whole story, only the worst events. I now am acquainted with many East Germans and ex-Nazis, and they are just as compassionate as anybody. What image comes to mind when you think of Germany? Soldiers, tanks and gas chambers are only a small fraction. What is that compared to the Spanish Inquisition or the genocide of the American Indian? I sometimes apologize to my German friends for things like McDonald’s, Kentucky Fried Chicken and Pizza Hut. Although “fast-food” is convenient, it does not have the same quality and fat content. The capitalist “aura” of America via these restaurants detracts from a lot of honestly good culture, now diminishing here. Wal-Mart recently purchased Spar, the largest store chain in Germany, and I envision further dilution.

I should note that I’m currently writing a book documenting the influences of America upon Germany since the Second World War for the Verein Großloge von Deutschland (German Freemasons).

Continued in Part Two

NEXT > Tom Urich - Part 2

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