Si Spiegel was a World War II bomber pilot who flew missions over Berlin and became a pioneer in modernizing artificial Christmas trees after the war.
- Died: January 21, 2024 (Who else died on January 21?)
- Details of death: Died in New York City at the age of 99.
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Si Spiegel’s legacy
Spiegel’s life can be understood through two distinct experiences. The first is the tale of a World War II pilot who flew dangerous bombing missions over Berlin and crashed in Soviet-occupied Poland, making a daring escape weeks later. The second is the story of an innovator who, in the face of discrimination, created new processes that served a booming industry and made his mark on the world for decades to come.
Born in 1924, Spiegel was one of the last surviving B-17 pilots of World War II. Raised in Brooklyn in New York City to Jewish immigrants, he served in the United States Air Force and flew missions over Germany at the height of the war. On February 3, 1945, Spiegel was among an armada of aircraft that took off for Berlin. His B-17 took flak over Germany and began losing fuel. Rather than crash in Nazi Germany – certainly not as a Jewish pilot – Spiegel and his crew managed to make it to Soviet-occupied Poland. They were able to land safely but were not allowed to leave without approval from Moscow. Rather than wait, the small group of Americans formulated an escape plan and made their way back to England.
Unfortunately, Spiegel’s heroism had little effect on his life after WWII ended. Despite his skill, he had difficulty finding work as a pilot in the U.S. because of anti-Semitic discrimination. In 1954, he eventually found work as a machinist at a brush manufacturer in New York. When the company’s main source of business started to falter, Spiegel suggested repurposing the machines for a new type of artificial Christmas tree. Though skeptical, his bosses let him give it a try. The American Tree and Wreath division was formed under his leadership and proved a massive success. By the 1970s, most artificial Christmas trees in the U.S. were derived from his processes.
Spiegel secured patents for the techniques he developed, created his own new processes, and founded the Hudson Valley Tree Company in 1981. Just over a decade later, Spiegel sold the company in 1993 and retired as a millionaire. He spent the rest of his life as a philanthropist, particularly regarding educational, cultural, and social justice causes. At the time of his death, he was one of the few remaining American B-17 WWII pilots.
On being refused airline pilot jobs after WWII because he was Jewish:
“They were blatant about it. It wasn’t that they gave you some excuse. They told you, ‘We don’t hire Jews.’”—from a 2010 interview for the New York State Military Museum
Tributes to Si Spiegel
Full obituary: The New York Times
