Reinhold S. Schumann

Reinhold Siegmund Adolf Schumann, a long-time Concord resident, decorated World War II Lt. Col., noted historian and professor emeritus of Boston University, Knight of the Italian Republic, beloved husband, father and grandfather, died early Tuesday morning of congestive heart failure at the Rivercrest Nursing Home in Concord, Mass. He was 90. Dr. Schumann lived a life of scholarly accomplishment and personal sacrifice with a quiet humility that belied the depth of his character and intellect. A child of post-World War I Germany, he was born May 24, 1919, in Dusseldorf, the second son of a German Catholic engineer father, Robert Schumann, and an American Jewish pianist mother, the former Anne Marks of Cochocton, Ohio. His gifted intellect easily achieved the highest academic marks throughout a rigorous classical German education followed by study at the University of Rome where his love of Italy and life-long concentration as a medievalist historian became firmly established. He and his brother Helmut were accepted to Harvard University on scholarships and began their studies in Cambridge in the fall of 1938 as Germany slipped further into its darkest era under the Nazi regime. Unwittingly, they escaped the prevailing evil of that time, as did their fortunate parents who were visiting relatives in Ohio as Germany invaded Poland in 1939, blocking their ability to return home. A born scholar whose intellectual curiosity attained fluency in several languages, even taking on the task of teaching himself ancient Greek by reading the Bible, cover to cover, in its ancient tongue, Dr. Schumann advanced quickly through his Harvard undergraduate studies. He obtained his undergraduate degree in three years, summa cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa, and his PhD. from Harvard in 1950, following service in the US military. Upon graduation in 1941, Dr. Schumann was drafted as a private in the US Army, soon attracting the attention of superior officers and their recommendation to apply for officer training. As a US citizen he served with honor and distinction in Europe, under General George Pattons command, eventually retiring from the Army Reserves with the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. Well into his 70s, an ever-fit Lt. Col. Schumann ceremonially wore his army uniform with pride. Of particular note during his wartime service: His native fluency in German tapped him as the on-the-spot translator of Adolf Hitlers last will and testament as he was among the first US troops to enter a defeated and heavily bombed Germany. After the war, he led a section of investigators of the Provost-Marshallss office involved in investigating Nazi war crimes. A stoic member of The Greatest Generation, he never spoke in detail of the great personal suffering his World War II service must have exacted, saying only those were dark days of great suffering, but he did relay the following personal story with a smile: Wearing the uniform of a US army officer and making his way with his driver in their standard-issue army Jeep complete with holes in the floorboards that allowed glimpses of the barely passable roads beneath, Dr. Schumann entered the 90 percent destroyed city of Dusseldorf and knocked on the familys damaged but still standing factory doors of Firma A. Schumann. A stunned shop manager welcomed him with the relief in knowing that he and his family were alive and well, following the years of interrupted communication. Soon thereafter Dr. Schumann was assigned a command in Czechoslovakia where a chance encounter led him to meet a pretty young Czech girl, Jirina Schweizer, who would three years later become one of the first US war brides on Oct. 16, 1948, as they married in Cambridge, Mass. , enjoying as an Indian Summer honeymoon at the Concord Inn. The young couple could only afford a tiny apartment in Waltham as Dr. Schumann worked to complete his PhD. thesis and was hired among Brandeis Universitys first professorial staff. Sadly, after just one wonderful year at Brandeis, family obligations beckoned his return to Germany in 1950 to take on the challenge of rebuilding the manufacturing business of Firma A. Schumann in a still devastated German economy and infrastructure. Over the next dozen years, he and Jirina | whom he referred to throughout his 61 years of marriage as his greatest treasure -- built a life and a family welcoming their three children, Roger (1950), Jeannette (1954), and Edith (1960). In the summer of 1963, the family moved permanently to the US, settling in Concord. Only then did he begin to establish his scholarly career in earnest, first as a part-time professor of history at Harvard and Boston University, and eventually attaining the position of full professor of History at BU where he taught until his retirement at age 70 in 1989. That year he also received the great honor of being knighted by the Italian Consulate General for his service to Italy as a historian. Through various distinctions, Dr. Schumann was recognized as one of the pre-eminent medievalist scholars of his time, completing research, editing papers and giving occasional guest lectures into his mid-80s. His last guest lecture series was delivered in 2005 at the University of Parma, Italy, as the City of Parma celebrated its recent translation of Dr. Schumanns comprehensive lifes work: The History of Italy, first printing released in the 1970s. Without the slightest exception, he completely enjoyed his career in academia and never missed a day of delivering lectures or counseling his students in their doctoral studies. In his long retirement he thoroughly enjoyed his Harwich Port and Concord homes where he and Jirina gardened, enjoyed daily swims at their swim club or in the ocean, and visited often with their three grandchildren: Kirsten Schumann Wahl (1981), Andrea Schumann Ravenelle (1990), and Adam Schumann Ravenelle (1992). He was tragically pre-deceased by his daughter Jeanette in 1983. And he will be forever missed and remembered by his beloved wife, son, daughter, and sons-in-law Andre Ravenelle and Jurgen Wahl. Visiting hours were held on Friday, April 16th from 6 to 8 PM in the Dee Funeral Home, 27 Bedford Street, Concord Center. Funeral was held on Saturday, April 17th at 11 AM in Holy Family Parish, Monument Street, Concord Center. Burial was in St. Bernards Cemetery, Concord where officers of the U. S. Army presented military honors. Arrangements are under the care of Susan M. Dee and Charles W. Dee, Jr., Funeral Directors, Dee Funeral Home of Concord. For on-line guest book, visit www.deefuneralhome.com.