Ruth Salzmann Becker Papers, Iowa Women's Archives, University of Iowa Libraries

Finding Aid

RUTH SALZMANN BECKER (1922-2007)
PAPERS, 1858-2007 (bulk 1900-1997)
QUANTITY: 4.75 linear feet and artifacts

Acquisition: The papers (donor no.186) were donated by Ruth Becker in 1997 and subsequent years.

Access: The papers are open for research.
Copyright: Copyright held by the donor has been transferred to The University of Iowa.

Preferred Citation: Box #, Ruth Salzmann Becker Papers, Iowa Women’s Archives, The University of Iowa Libraries, Iowa City.

Photographs: In Boxes 6-9, 11-14.
Audiovisual: Two audiocassettes (AC1300-1301) shelved in audiocassette collection.

Processed by: Kristen Rassbach, 1997; June Silliman, 2007.

Iowa Women's Archives
100 Main Library
University of Iowa Libraries
Iowa City, Iowa 52242

Phone: 319-335-5068
Fax: 319-335-5900
E-mail the Iowa Women's Archives

Biography

Ruth Henrietta Salzmann Becker, a nurse and community activist, was born in Berlin, Germany, in 1922 to Hans and Käethe Salzmann. As a young Jewish woman in 1939, Salzmann fled Nazi Germany by way of England, while her parents and younger sister Eva left via Cuba. The family met again in New York in 1940. Ruth Salzmann received her R.N. in 1945 from Mount Sinai Hospital School of Nursing in New York City and her B.S. and M.S. from Columbia University Teachers College in 1950 and 1952 respectively. From 1947 to 1952, Salzmann worked as an instructor of medical nursing at the Mount Sinai Hospital School of Nursing.

Ruth Salzmann married Samuel Becker in 1953. Together they raised three children. After her marriage, Ruth Becker worked part time in the College of Nursing at the University of Iowa in Iowa City. After her youngest child, Anne, was born with Down syndrome, Becker become active in various organizations that serve disabled persons, including the Johnson County Association for Retarded Children (now the Association for Retarded Citizens), Goodwill Industries of Southeast Iowa, and Families, Inc. She was also active in the Johnson County Democratic Women’s Club and numerous other organizations.

Becker has been featured in Who’s Who in World Jewry, Who’s Who in American Jewry, and American Jews: Their Lives and Achievements. She died in 2007.

Scope and Content Note

The Ruth Becker papers date from 1858 to 2007 and measure 4.75 linear feet. The papers are arranged in four series: Salzmann Family, Ruth Salzmann Becker, Photographs, and Artifacts. This collection provides a look into the life of a German Jewish family from Berlin during the early days of the Nazi occupation and the family’s subsequent immigration to the United States in 1940. The papers in this collection are not only from Ruth Salzmann Becker, but also from her parents Hans and Käethe Salzmann, her sister Eva Salzmann Vichules, and her uncle Curt Salzmann. A considerable amount of information is also included about Becker’s grandparents.

The Salzmann Family series (1858-1996) contains biographical information about Ruth Salzmann Becker, her parents Hans and Käethe Salzmann, and her sister Eva Salzmann Vichules. Hans Salzmann was a medical doctor in Berlin. After emigrating to the United States, he established a medical practice in New York City. Käethe Salzmann was a physical therapist and amateur athlete. The series also includes papers of Becker’s grandparents, Max and Henriette Salzmann, and Hugo and Jenny Salzmann. Max Salzmann owned a department store in Wittenberg, Germany. This series includes the family’s papers and identification cards from Nazi Germany in 1939 as well as letters and postcards written or received by the Salzmann family during World War II. A small amount of correspondence from relatives who had emigrated to the United States in the mid-nineteenth century is also included in this series. Many of the items in this series are written in German.

The Ruth Salzmann Becker series (1943-2004) consists of materials concerning Becker’s education, professional activities, and community activism.

The Photographs series (1911-1996) makes up the bulk of the collection. Most of the albums were compiled by Hans Salzmann; a number of them picture family vacations in Europe in the 1930s. The earlier albums include photographs of German soldiers in World War I. The captions in the pre-1939 photograph albums are written in German. The Familienbuch is a genealogy containing photographs and identifications of several generations of the family.

The Artifacts series include military items from World War I such as dog tags, Käethe Salzmann's decathalon medals, and political buttons. Several books in German complete the collection.

Related Collections

Ruth Salzmann Becker papers: Mt. Sinai Hospital School of Nursing, Alumnae Association
One Gustave L. Levy Place, Box 1143
New York, NY 10029-6574; This collection includes Becker's nursing school papers and yearbooks.

Care Review Committee for Johnson County Care Facility (County Home) records: Housed at the Johnson County Historical Society, Coralville, Iowa.
(Ruth Becker was active in the committee.)
Johnson County Democratic Women's Club records: Housed at the State Historical Society of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa
(Ruth Becker donated these materials to SHSI.)

University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics Medical Museum: Includes Becker's nursing cap and cape.

Samuel L. Becker Papers, University Archives, University of Iowa Libraries

Box List

Box 1
SALZMANN FAMILY: BIOGRAPHICAL
Hans Salzmann (1895-1963): Obituaries: Hans and Kaethe Salzmann, 1963-1965
Childhood medical information, 1896
Education: Certified translations of school records and diplomas, undated
Education: Dissertation abstract, 1922
Education: English for Foreigners, 1940
Education: Mitteilung an das Elternhaus, 1910
Education: Report cards, 1902-1904
Identification papers: Application for immigrant visa, 1939
Identification papers: Birth certificate (copy), 1895
Identification papers: Cuban immigration pass, 1939
Identification papers: German Reich papers and passport, 1938, 1939
Identification papers: German party book, Social Democratic Party of Germany, 1920, 1931
Identification papers: Reichsbanner Schwarz-Rot-Gold, Bund Deutscher Kriegsteilnehmer und Republikaner E.V., 1929
Identification papers: United States immigrant visa, identification card, and passport, 1939, 1961, 1962
Medical information, 1951
Medical practice: General, undated
Medical practice: German licensing information and university correspondence, 1919-1939
Medical practice: Licenses and diplomas, 1922-1963 [closed for conservation]
Medical practice: United States licensing and further education information, 1940-1943
Medical practice: Vitebergia, 1935
Medical practice: World Medical Association certificate, 1948
Military: Attempt to document activity in World War I effort, 1915-1918, 1933
Military: Dog tags, watch fob, bracelet, medallion and necklace [shelved in box 15]
Military: Gold for iron certificates, 1916, 1917
Military: General information, 1917, 1933
Newspaper clipping, undated
New World Club, 1924-1954
Prayer book fragment from burned synagogue in Berlin, 1938
Scrapbook, 1945-1963 [oversize: shelved in box 10]
Loose items removed from scrapbook, 1945-1961
Writings: “Candles Through the Night,” 1943
Writings: Influence of the Free Masons on World War I, 1919
Writings: “The Last Patient,” 1947
Writings: Poems, 1960 and undated
Writings: “Schicksal,” Mitteilungen der Jüdische Reformgemeinde zu Berlin, April 15, 1937
Miscellaneous, 1929, 1972

Käethe Salzmann (1897-1965): Autograph book, 1907-1914, 1944
Box 2
Käethe Salzmann (1897-1965): Birth certificate (copy), 1897
Correspondence, 1964-1965
Decathlon medals [shelved in box 15]
Identification papers:
Identification papers: Cuban immigration pass, 1939
Identification papers: German Party Book, Social Democratic Party of Germany, 1920
Identification papers: German Reich papers and passport, 1938, 1939
Identification papers: Jewish Sports Union membership card, 1937
Identification papers: Monthly train pass and work pass, 1936, 1937
Letter of reference, 1939
Life insurance policy, 1936
Medical information, 1947, 1956
Report cards, 1904-1914
Travel diary (South America), c. 1964
Work information, 1927, 1940
Ruth Salzmann Becker (1922-2007): Application for immigrant visa, 1939
Autograph book, 1932
Baby weight chart, 1922
Biographical information, 1955 and undated
Birth announcement, 1922
Birth certificates, 1922
Bund deutschjüdischer Jugend, undated
Childhood medical records, 1923, 1934 and undated
Confirmation, 1937
Declaration of a clean police record, 1938
Family tree by Judy Becker, undated
German party invitations and songs, undated
German Reich papers and passport, 1939
“Hawkeye-Wedding in Continental Village, June 14, 1953”
Marriage and birth announcements, 1953-1960
Mother’s Day and Birthday cards
Newspaper clippings, 1961, 1991 and undated
United States immigration information, 1939-1940 and undated
Box 3 Eva Salzmann Vichules (1931- ): German Reich identification papers, 1939
Impromptu conversation at the Iowa Women's Archives with Ruth Salzmann Becker and Eva Salzmann Vichules, 2004 [AC1300-1301: shelved in the audiocassette collection]
Marriage and birth announcements, 1952, 1959
Newspaper clippings, 1980, 1983
Vichules, Ruth, 1992
Wedding song, 1952 [Oversize: shelved in map case]
Extended family: American Immigrant Wall of Honor, 1993
Family history, undated
Galliner family
Hugo and Jenny (Adam) Salzmann family: Diary of Hugo Salzmann, 1923
Documents and correspondence, 1882-1926
Eulogy for Hugo Salzmann, 1925
Newspaper clippings, 1910-1937
Will, 1924-1925
Max and Henriette (Lindemann) Salzmann family: Curt Salzmann (1891-1914): Military career and death, 1913-1916
Curt Salzmann: School records and birth certificate (copy), 1905-1910
Dr. Erich Lindemann, newspaper clippings, 1952
Henriette Salzmann: will, eulogy, and last illness, 1918-1920
Linda Jacob Miller (Ruth Becker’s cousin), “Mostly About Wittenburg: Memories of my Childhood”
Max Salzmann (1864-1917): Apprenticeship information, 1880
Max Salzmann: Book of funeral prayers, 1917
Max Salzmann: Death notice, 1917
Max Salzmann: Military information, 1885-1887
Max Salzmann: Store in Wittenberg, newspaper clippings, undated
Sigfried Jacob dispute, 1923-1935
Max and Elsbeth Salzmann family, 1946-1952 and undated
Salzmann death register (1818-1845), 1926
Miscellaneous, 1941-1989 [scattered]
Close friends: Jacob, Hans, 1981
Klein, Rabbi Edward, 1980, 1985
Montagu, Lilian, 1948 and undated

Correspondence: General, 1900-1995 and undated
Cuban waiting list and internment camp, 1938-1939
From Berlin, 1939
From relatives in the United States, 1858-1859
Government takeover of garden area in Berlin, 1935
Hans Salzmann to Selective Service, the War Manpower Commission, and the Office for Emergency Management, 1942-1946
Käethe Salzmann, incoming and outgoing, 1904-1916
Box 4
Correspondence: Letters and information regarding passage to the United States, 1939-1998
Lydia Thiesenhausen (paternal aunt), 1899-1917
Postcards, 1931-1948
Regarding restitution payments, 1955, 1963
Search for relatives lost in the Holocaust, 1952, 1992-1996
To Thea in England from Berlin requesting help leaving Germany, 1939
RUTH SALZMANN BECKER (1922- 2007)
Biographical: Obituary, 2007
Address book
Temple service books [Hanukkah home service], 1939 (in German)
Wedding anniversaries, 1952-53
Education: General, 1979 and undated
Correspondence 1949-1956
Elementary schoolwork, 1927-1928
High school diploma, 1942
Report cards, 1922-1942
Education: Teachers College, Columbia University: Diploma, BS, 1950
Diploma and newspaper clippings, MA, 1952
Transcript, 1952, 1957
Education: Mt. Sinai Hospital School of Nursing: Alumnae,1945-1994
Diploma, 1945
Newspaper clippings, 1944, 1952
Yearbook, 1945
Box 5
RUTH SALZMANN BECKER
Community activism: General, 1995-1997
Awards, 1963-1999
Democratic Party, clippings
Newspaper clippings, 1973-1995 and undated
Crisis Center Capital Campaign Committee, 1990s
Families, Inc., 1978-1994
Goodwill Industries of Southeast Iowa: General, 1982-1990
Goodwill Industries of Southeast Iowa: Annual reports, 1983-88
Iowa City Committee on Community Needs, 1981-1989
Iowa City Community School District Equity Advisory Committee, 1980
Iowa City Hospice, 1980-2003 (2 folders)
Iowa City Public Library, 1997
Iowa City School Elections, 1992
Iowa City Senior Center, 1995
Iowa City/Johnson County Association for Retarded Citizens, 1975-1980 and undated
Iowa Humanities Board, 1997
Johnson County Board of Supervisors, 1976-1992 and undated
Johnson County Care Facility, 1980
Johnson County Democratic Women's Club, 1969-1970, 1980
Jury Commissioner, 6th Judicial District, 1977-1988
Political buttons [shelved in box 16]
Systems Unlimited, 1986, 1993 and undated
UNICEF, 1966-1975
United Way, 1977-1996 and undated
University of Iowa Volunteer, 1991-2004
Wysall & Thorpe Women’s Institute, 1964
Box 6
RUTH SALZMANN BECKER
Professional activities: Blood donor and Red Cross Cards, 1943, 1950 and undated
Nursing registration, 1945-1946, 1953
Nursing licenses, 1952-1956
State University of Iowa appointment papers, 1953-1962

Writings: Draft and notes for colon article, undated
“Interpersonal Relations--in the Basic Program,” The American Journal of Nursing, 55/8 (Aug. 1955)
“Nursing Care in Proctology and Colonic Surgery,” Modern Medicine, 20/10 (May 15, 1952)
Memoir, undated
Oaknoll diary, 1999
“What Should Medical and Surgical Supervisors Do?” 1952

PHOTOGRAPHS
Salzmann, Hans: Miscellaneous, 1944-1948
Exercise group, 1930-1932
Extended family, 1889-1956 and undated
Krankenhaus Friedrichshain, 1924-1925
Salzmann, Hans and Käethe
Salzmann, Käethe: Extended family, 1869-1920 and undated
Becker, Ruth Salzmann: Childhood, 1922-1954 and undated
Goodwill Industries of Southeast Iowa, 1989
Mt. Sinai Hospital School of Nursing, 1942-1945
Portraits, undated
With Eva Salzmann, [1934?]

Box 7 PHOTOGRAPHS

Becker, Ruth and Sam: Family, 1955-1997 and undated
Family dishes, 1991; Wedding, 1953
With President Carter and with President Clinton, 1991, 1996
Vichules, Eva Salzmann: Miscellaneous, 1931-1952 and undated
Wedding, 1952
Miscellaneous: Close friends, 1932-1959, 1990 and undated
Employees from Max Salzmann's store in Wittenberg, Germany, 1912
Family collage,undated
Grave of Curt Salzmann in Belgium, 1939
Grave of Henrietta Salzmann in Berlin, 1947
House in Berlin, 1930
Parties, 1921-1927, 1954 and undated
Salzmann family portrait, 1944
Victoria, former maid, 1940, 1977
World War I
1923-1949
Undated (2 folders)
Albums: Berlin and England: 1911-1915
1915-1916
Box 8
PHOTOGRAPHS
Albums: Berlin and England: 1917-1920; 1919-1932
1935-1936
Box 9
PHOTOGRAPHS
Albums: Berlin and England: 1938-1941, 1997; Undated album
Familienbuch (genealogy with photographs), undated [Oversize: shelved in box 11]

Albums: Vacations: 1934; 1935 [Oversize: shelved in box 12]
1936; 1937
Albums: United States of America: 1942-1948 [Oversize: shelved in box 13]
1947-1950 [disbound]
1951-1959 [Oversize: shelved in box 14]
Loose pages, 1934-1961 [shelved in map case]

Box 10
OVERSIZE: Hans Salzmann scrapbook, 1945-1963

Box 11
PHOTOGRAPHS
Albums: Berlin and England: Familienbuch, undated [genealogy]

Box 12
Albums: Vacations: 1935

Box 13
Albums: United States of America: 1942-1948

Box 14
Albums: United States of America: 1951-1959

Box 15
ARTIFACTS
Salzmann, Hans: Military: WW I dog tags, watch fob, bracelet, medallion, and necklace
Salzmann, Käethe: Decathlon medals
Box 16
ARTIFACTS
Ruth Becker Salzmann: Community activism: Political buttons

Box 17
BOOKS: Hebrew Bible
: Die vierundzwanzig Bücher der Heiligen Schrift nach dem
masoretischer texte [The 24 books of the Holy Scriptures from the
masoretic texts,] 1935
: Der Vanderer Zwischen Beiden Welton, 1918
[The wanderer between both worlds]
: Teubners Frdfundliches Sinterrichtswerf für höhere Lehran stalten,
1933 [Teubner’s basic lessons for higher and educational
establishments]
: Mein Kampf
: Sagada, 1925

Die Judischen Gefallenen Des Deutschen Heeres…, 1914-1918
[The Jewish deaths of the German army, marine and guards]

Taschen Kommersbuch, [songbook]

Der Zuplgeigenhansl, 1916 [guitar handbook]

Lebensworte don Benno Gjollfchalt, 1918 [words for life from
Benno Gollfchalt]

Aufzeichnungen aus einem Erdloch, 1948 [sketches from a trench]

Unfere Wanderlieder, 1931 [songbook]

Untere Noelt, 1928 [poems]

Deutsche Tonkunst, 1927 [songs]

For more information about this collection contact the Iowa Women's Archives.

Iowa Women’s Archives, University of Iowa Libraries, Iowa City IA 52242.
Please send comments to: lib-women@uiowa.edu
URL: http://www.lib.uiowa.edu/iwa

Page created December 2007.