The Odenwaldschule became the Ecole when Paulus and Edith packed up the whole school (children and faculty) and fled to Switzerland to escape the Nazis. That is a very interesting story in itself. Wolfgang Haas, a retired teacher of the school, could tell you about it as he was a part of the evacuation. His daughter was married to Dr Drake’s brother who still lives in Meiringen. Dr Drake used to see Edith every morning at the teachers’ meeting at the Ecole.  All of her brothers went to school there, and she taught there in the early 1970’s. Her oldest brother knew Paulus.  Edith Geheeb was good friends with Indira Gandhi -  Indira’s children attended the Ecole, and she and Edith corresponded for years until Indira’s untimely death. So there was a strong connection with India as well.

			This is a true story involving Edith Geheeb - one of the last anecdotes in her life. When she was in her eighties, a man from India by the name of Aurobindo came to stay at the school. He was in his seventies, but was very naive, so Edith took him under her wing. He was a short man with a round face, and he spent a great deal of time wandering around the school and up and down the roads. As fall turned into winter, Aurobindo took a great deal of interest in the local skiing. There was a ski slope called the “schwarze Piste” that came down the Hasliberg and ended up at the school.  (The “schwarze Piste” was the toughest trail on the mountain - very steep, through trees and around rocks.) The expert skiers among the students would come flying down the slope, jump the road and land on the school grounds. Aurobindo was very impressed with the skiing and began to nag Edith to give him skis. “Where are my skis, Edith? I want to ski”. This went on day in and day out. Finally Edith gave in and bought Aurobindo skis and boots and poles for Christmas. At the next opportunity Aurobindo with his skis over his shoulders joined the students at the lift and disappeared up the mountain. At the end of that glorious day of skiing the students returned and appeared for dinner. No Aurobindo! An inquiry began. Had anyone seen Aurobindo? Had he returned? Edith was very concerned. It was now night, and the mountain was totally dark. The ski patrol was summoned, students joined in, and they disappeared up the mountain carrying torches and calling for Aurobindo. Hours later they returned, bringing Aurobindo with them. Where did you find him? Is he hurt? No, he isn’t hurt. We found him at the top of the skilift. What happened? Well, he got off the lift, strapped on his skis, and then he looked down. -  He remained standing, affixed to the spot, too frightened to move. Edith immediately confiscated skis and poles and boots. The rest of the winter one continued to hear the plaint: “Edith, where are my skis....” [With thanks to Dr Sara Drake 12 Dec 2005 - Dr Drake knew Edith Cassirer Geheeb when she was living in Switzerland at the Ecole d“Humanite, which several of Dr Drake’s family members attended and where she taught for a while in the early 1970s.]

			Geheeb was a part of the movement in German education that rejected the authoritarian, rigid structure of the German schools of his time. He felt that the students ought to have a say in their eduation and future. Therefore, he allowed students to choose their own courses and work at their own pace. They were given a broad structure as to what it would take to get into the university, but then allowed to arrange the courses in this structure. There was also a school assembly, in which the students participated in full voice, that made, along with teachers and administrators, many decisions for the school. In addition, the students were expected to do part of the work of maintaining the school. There were rotating assignments for dishwashing, floor washing, raking, etc. This both saved on school expenses and kept the students down to earth. Many the son or daughter of a nobleman or a tycoon spent his/her time cleaning in a group of his peers. It eliminated any possible class distinctions from the school society. Later Summerhill in England and other schools followed in this revolutionary pattern. There was an open attitude about nature. If there was a good snowfall, classes were cancelled, and everyone has a Ski Day. In the fall there was several days set aside for trekking through the mountains. Led by groups of teachers, the students would go off to some place and go hiking for several days. They were given a small amount of money and expected to pay all the expenses of the trip with that sum. In the spring there was a whole week set aside for the trekking. I took a group of about 15 students. We decided we wanted to go to the French Alps. So we took a train to Montreux and set off on foot with our backpacks and rain parkas, buying supplies along the way. We had something like 75 cents per day per person. We slept in barns and garages and even in the Town Hall of one town. We spent several days traipsing through the mountains south of Lake Geneva, then went to Evian and took the lake steamer back across the lake to Vevey, drying our damp clothing inthe breeze on the rails of the elegant boat. We thought we would get a tour of the Nestle chocolate factory and free chocolate, then hopped the train back to the Brunig Pass and the bus to the school. We had a little money left over, so the group celebrated an extra night with fondue at a local restaurant. There were complaints that I had given the students wine, because they were so exuberant. But these complaints were frivolous. The only wine they had was in the fondue - which didn’t count re: that particular violation of the Swiss code of conduct. [Dr Sara Drake 15 Dec 2005]