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E.M.Tschermak's FoundationElse Marie was born in Copenhagen on 25th March, 1927, as the daughter of Otto Mich.Tschermak, a law student, merchant anf proprietor of the farm "Teracina" in Grīva, Daugavpils, Latvia, and Maria Petra Nielsen, Verninge, Denmark Else Marie's father came to Copenhagen, Denmark, after the First World War and later married Else Marie's mother in 1925: he died in Copenhagen on 17th November, 1944, and Else Marie born on 25th March, 1927 died on 1st September, 1998.Else Marie spent her childhood in Copenhagen and visited "Teracina" with her family during summer holidays from 1926-1933, when her mother permanently moved to th efarm in the spring of 1933, after her father had passed away. Paul Ejby Hansen, a relative of Else Marie's mother, was a farm manager of "Teracina" from 1933-1938. His som Carl Edvard Ajby Hansen in today the chairman of the Else Marie Tschermak's Foundation. Else Marie went to Daugavpils State Teachers Institute Primary School from 1033-1939. She was extremely happy to attend this school in Daugavpils. In appreciation of these happymemories, she decided in her last will together with her husband Svend A.R.Bentholm to establish the Foundation with her purpose of offering grants to students with an exam from Daugavpils University to study in a West European countries. In 1938 Else Marie's mother married a forest supervisor of Baltic-German descent; they moved to Poland by the end of 1939 and lived near Poznan until 1945. Else Marie went to high school in Poznan but had to leaf Poland half a year before the graduation. During the Second World War the owners of the estates "Teracina", "Jerusalem" and "Randene" were either shot by the Soviets or their children sent to Siberia for 15-25 years or they escaped to Canada. The wives of the owners were not heared of again. They disappeared. These estates were then merged to become part of the nationalized collective farm Kalkune near Griva, Daugavpils. On 20th January, 1945, her brother died and her stepfather was also gone, Else Marie and her mother started to flee from the advancing Soviets. They were heading for the West. They travelled for six weeks during the cold winter and somehow got separated. Else Marie ended up near the Czech-Austrian border and was interned by the American army. Her mother still had her Danish passport and got back to Denmark. Two years later, in 1947, Else Marie tried to escape to Denmark - she was otherwise going to be returned to the Soviet zone, as she had no Danish passport, but was detained by the Danish police and thanks to influential people within police, police and the press, she was finally joined with her mother. Else Marie never return to see Latvia, she spoke very little of her dramatic escape, and she was still afraid of Soviets. Also, she did not want to spoil her memories of the school, the farm, and her happy childhood in Daugavpils. Back in Denmark she was emplyed by Daehnfeldt Seed Company as an office clerk and translator. She met her Husband Svend Bentholm (uncle of Eric R.Bentholm, another member of the Foundation), and they married on 20th January, 1952. Svend Bentholm, a pharmacist, and Else Marie left Europe and worked in Borneo and Java, Indonesia from 1951-1957. In Holland from 1957-1973, back in Indonesia from 1974-1978, Denmark 1978-1981, Uganda 1981-1985 and finally back in Faaborg, Denmark as pensioners from 1985-1998. They died within a day of each other and are burried at Faaborg Cementary. |
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