Photoessay #1898 - Maier and me

So here I am, continuing to commune with Maier. That would be Maier Zunder (1829-1901), my great great grandfather, born in Bavaria, apprenticed to a printer, emigrated to the US. He went to New Haven CT in 1852 when his brother Samuel died and Samuel's widow with a baby asked him to come and help with the small grocery business. From there he became prosperous and successful. Built up the business with a partner, served as a bank president at the same time. Etc etc readers of this blog have already heard about him plenty.

However, he cared most about his involvement with the Board of Education. I admire Maier because he cared so deeply about all aspects of the public schools. The teachers, the buildings, the reading books, the boilers, the children, the classrooms, the locations, the plumbing. He did not grandstand, did not come in with an agenda like some.

I believe that he must have had tremendous social and persuasive abilities to get so much accomplished. Plus he always knew how many votes he had. In one of his obits, one reporter commented on his photographic memory. The reporter said that when he needed to know what had happened thirty years ago, he could ask Maier and he could recall exactly. So when the moment came in 1878, when all the eyes were upon him, in New Haven and beyond regarding a controversial school prayer decision, he quietly and competently turned the tables on an august and distinguished array of senior clergyman who wished to institute an elaborate devotional exercise curriculum.

Sholem Macher – a peacemaker He always had a sensible comment ready to bring the many sides together.

Realistically, as a woman in his family, Maier probably would not have had much to do with me. He was known as devoted to his family, but he was used to running things traditionally. My grandmother had written that her own mother Delia (Maier's daughter) complained that she didn't have much to do after finishing high school, the only option was to teach, and even that was not open to her because of her father's resources and position.

Another likeness of Maier, supposedly in 1875, in his late forties.