Kurt Stern - February 11, 2008
Thoughts on Winton
Kindertransport children.
Pardon?
Other Kindertransports.
Yeah, other Kindertransports. I mean, Winton personally saved six hundred and sixty nine children. You should come visit, you really should. He'd be so happy to see you. He's always very happy when I phone. He still plays Bridge, he still drives--locally, he says, only locally. He'll be thirty--nine in May.
Well, I have interviewed Vera Gissing...
Ah, yes?
...who is his assistant.
Yes, she is very uh, close to him.
When--he'll be ninety--nine in May? He'll be ninety--nine in May?
Yeah.
Still lively and good humored.
His sense of humor is unbelievable. When I phone to wish him a happy new year--your thing is still working?
Yeah. It's still on. Um, you phone him...
When I phoned him to wish him a happy new year and um, he--as I said he got better from his bronchitis then he had some problems with his leg and he says, "Oh, I'm slowing down," and all that this and the other and he says, "I'm not going to travel any--I don't think I'll be able to travel anymore." And I said to him, "Well, you never know, maybe we'll come to England." And you know what he said to me? He said, "Don't leave it too long." He is unbelievable. As I said he's been to Israel and the last time--I think it was in 2004--yeah, 2004--and I took him to the airport and I said to him, "You know you're one of the last flights out from the old terminal." So, he says, "I've done many things in my life but I've never closed a terminal before." He's unique.
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