Lives lived and lost

The Feb. 6 article on Klaus Goldschlag *49 was a reminder of how thankful we are for the lifelong friends we made in Princeton. After 68 years of marriage, our life is still filled with those memories.

Harley, my husband, was a student in architecture, and I was secretary of the philosophy department for five of the six years we lived in the Harrison Street project. Among our friends was Klaus, who with others from the Graduate College loved to come to our house for a home-cooked meal, a game of bridge, and a break from an all-male environment.

We continued our friendship with Klaus when he returned to Canada to join the Department of External Affairs. In the following years, we visited Klaus and his lovely wife, Shan, in Ottawa, Toronto, and in both Italy and Germany, where he served as Canadian ambassador.

In Germany, he suffered the medical mishap that left him paralyzed and without speech. After their return to Canada, he and Shan visited us in Wilmington, Del., and the four of us drove to Williamsburg. En route we visited some of his colleagues in Washington, including Ambassador Allan Gotlieb, and others from Klaus’ time as ambassador to Turkey. It was painful to observe Klaus’ frustration at his inability to communicate, but also heartwarming to observe the admiration and love expressed by his fellow diplomats. 

We visited him only once after Shan’s death, but we kept in touch. Knowing this brilliant, lovely man was a rare privilege.