In Memory of Helmut Großer - from Jarmila Gabrielová

Dear friends,

The sad news of Helmut’s death once more brought home the fact that the old OISTAT guard is slowly disappearing. After the departure of Eva Soukupová and Josef Svoboda I wanted to preserve memories of the founding and early days of OISTAT for sundry publications. But these are just only words and I am convinced that they don’t  render faithfully of that time enthusiastic atmosphere, which accompanied the founding of this new organization, especially when we consider the contemporaneous uneasy social and political situation – (in a part of the world.)

Today OISTAT changed, - is different. The people who participate in OISTAT activities are no longer the same; for the most part they only know the name of Helmut Grosser, one of the OISTAT founders, from hearsay and from the organization’s history. Helmut was for many years OISTAT president – magnanimous, tolerant and full of understanding for many a blunder, also with big ability for various ludicrous or sometimes unrealistic ideas, which he treated and resolved with admirable elegance, diplomacy and generosity. I often think about him. 

Jarmila Gabrielová