Dr. Ted Fritsche remembered

BY KEVIN SWEENEY

Journal Editor

NEW ULM -- Dr. Ted Fritsche was remembered Friday by some who knew him well as a New Ulm icon, a humanitarian, a skilled and respected physician, a diplomat and public servant, and as gentleman and a friend to all he met.

The news of Dr. Fritsche's death came as a shock to many of his friends and colleagues in city government.

Former Mayor Carl Wyczawski recalled Dr. Fritsche's career as a gymnast at the University of Minnesota, as a physician with his brothers in New Ulm, as a humanitarian and as "a true New Ulm icon."

"He was a dear friend, and he was so highly respected, everywhere he went," said Wyczawski.

"When I was mayor I often went to him for counsel and advice. He was kind of a conservative, but he was a man with a good mind, and he stayed the steady course all the time."

Dr. Fritsche and his wife Lois were active participants in New Ulm life. said Wyczawski. "They were at just about every event I went to, at Turner Hall or some civic event. And they were always smiling, always happy."

Dr. Jim Seifert, another former mayor and city councilor, called Dr. Fritsche "Mr. New Ulm."

"He was a most remarkable man, and such a New Ulm devotee," said Seifert, "he was just Mr. New Ulm. He was respected throughout the community, and with his contacts overseas... He was such a dear man, he was everybody's friend."

"One word that describes him is ecumenical," said Seifert. "One thing I remember is the great respect and concern he showed for everyone. No matter who you were, or what you did, he made you feel important."

Seifert mentioned Fritsche's connection to New Ulm history. "His grandfather was one of the founders of New Ulm, and of Turner Hall. All the people, dignitaries from Germany, who would come over here had to stop and see Dr. Fritsche. He was a link to the past that is broken now, and can never be replaced."

Denis Warta called him "one of the truly fine gentlemen of New Ulm. He represented New Ulm in a unique way, with his connections that went back to the founding of New Ulm."

Warta said he was instrumental in building New Ulm's Sister City relationship with Ulm and Neu Ulm, with connections that go back to the 1920s with people in Neu Ulm. Wyczawski said that Dr. Louis Fritsche, Ted's father, took his sons with him after World War I to deliver badly needed food to Germany.

Later, after World War II, Fritsche made contact with Hans Joohs, an Ulm city official and helped build the Sister Cities Commission.

In a similar vein, New Ulm Mayor Joel Albrecht emphasized Dr. Ted's role in local efforts to sent assistance to Germany after World War II. 'He was the original link between New Ulm and Ulm," noted Albrecht. Dr. Ted was the person contacted by the German side, after a person in Germany discovered his name on a scrap of paper, said Albrecht. "This triggered an enormous amount of sympathy," Albrecht noted.

Warta said Dr. Fritsche was also respected and renowned for his work in eye surgery. "Doctors and surgeons from Rochester would come to consult with him because of his great skill as a surgeon. People forget that before laser surgery there were the pioneers, and he was one of them. He literally set the standards for eye surgery before lasers."

"This is a great loss for the community," said Warta. "He will be greatly missed for his foresight and his good humor.