BY GINNY RAUE
He has a German name and accent so you may assume he is from Germany – but you’d be wrong. Hans Niederstrasser was born and raised in Mexico City to a German-English mother and a father who had emigrated from Germany to Mexico in 1926.
Niederstrasser, 72, was educated in a German elementary school in Mexico and his English teachers were German – therefore the accent.
“When I came to the States, I thought I’d get rid of my accent. But I’m glad I didn’t lose it – it’s my heritage,” he said.
By the time he finished middle school he spoke German, English and Spanish and later in his life he added Portuguese to the list.
He went to high school and college in Mexico, graduating with honors from the Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico in 1964 with a master’s degree in chemical engineering. He then spent a year on scholarship studying in Germany. In later years, he earned a master’s degree in business administration.
As fate would have it, he not only received his degree in college but he also met his life partner, Christina.
They were both studying chemical engineering and were dating by the time he left for Germany. They continued the romance through “paper and ink” and married in 1967.
Residents of West Milford for 31 years, the couple have three sons: Carlos Guillermo, Hanspeter and Oskar, and three grandchildren. Outside of their home hangs a sign that reads “Tamocalito,” a salute to Christina’s great-grandparents’ Mexican cattle ranch.
Niederstrasser was working as a plant production manager for American Cyanamid in Mexico City when in 1983 the company moved him to its headquarters in Wayne. The Niederstrassers holed up in a Howard Johnson motel until they purchased their West Milford home.
When his company changed hands he was sent back to Mexico, supposedly for three years. After only four months, that firm was bought out by a French company who eventually sent him to Rio de Janeiro for three more years.
With the assistance of his employers and a local caretaker, the Niederstrassers kept their West Milford home and came often to visit their sons, by now college age. Throughout these years they remained parishioners of St. Joseph Church.
“It was an important part of our local life. Verna, the parish secretary, sent us the church bulletin every week. We never lost contact,” he said.
In 2003 his employer summoned him to Paris and offered him a retirement package. He happily accepted and came back to West Milford.
“I was ready to retire but I wanted to continue doing things.”
He got his wish. Today he is a member of the North Jersey Highlands Historical Society and the West Milford Heritage Committee and Museum. He is the education/museum chairperson at Long Pond Ironworks and his son, Oskar, is a member, too. He also goes on pastoral visits to Chilton Medical Center.
As you may have surmised, Niederstrasser is a student of history. He is currently working alongside Bert Prol of Ringwood Manor, translating the biography of Peter Hansenclever from German to English.
In the 1760s, Hasenclever founded the Long Pond and Charlottenburg ironworks; the latter now lies under the Charlotteberg Reservoir. He brought in German laborers, although German authorities declared the exportation of skilled workers illegal.
Last year Niederstrasser visited Germany to meet with the Hasenclever family, then travelled to Poland to visit where he died. He hopes to add the historical information to the translation.
“Long Pond Ironworks could be considered the cradle of West Milford. Before, it was mainly farms, spread around, but the ironworks were organized communities,” he said.
A tour of Long Pond takes you back to colonial times. Houses still stand, as do Civil War era water wheels. The volunteer Friends of Long Pond Ironworks organized 28 years ago to help maintain the site.
Niederstrasser credits his teachers with piquing his interest in history by explaining the story behind the history. He feels it important to understand local history.
“Know the environment that surrounds us. Understand why we have what we have, who put in all the efforts. What were the positive things they were able to do?”
When he doesn’t have his head in a history book, he and Christina like to globe trot.
“We don’t go to Atlantic City, we save our money and travel.” Staying at inexpensive hotels they seek out historic sites.
At home he enjoys reading and music. So much so that he has a collection of 1,800 vinyl albums, preferring a record player for its quality of sound.
He likes to cook and does so while Christina still teaches at Ramapo University. He has lots of recipes to choose from within his cookbooks – all 250 of them. He bakes 22 different types of Christmas cookies using recipes from around the world. He sent in a recipe for his mother’s crumb cake.