A German seed blooms in Sun City

SUN CITY – It was nighttime, and the young boy was home alone, his parents working at their delicatessen. What else was there to do but get into a little trouble? Out of the closet came his BB gun, and from the safety of his second-story bedroom, he drew a bead on the streetlight outside the Chicago bungalow where he lived. A carefully placed shot … a satisfying “ping” as the glass shattered … and out it went! His first reaction was joy and satisfaction at having hit his target, then concern as he worried that he’d get caught and punished for the prank.

Fortunately, that didn’t happen.

Herb Wendes’ book, A German Seed Grows in America, chronicles growing up as an American-born child to German immigrants. (Photo by Hannah Sturtecky/Sun Day)

Boyhood memories like this one and many more encouraged Sun City resident Herb Wendes to write the colorful, humorous, and often poignant memoir “A German Seed Grows in America.” This 240-page book chronicles his adventures, trials and tribulations as an American-born child of German immigrants, growing up on the streets of Chicago, during the 1930’s Depression years, World War II and baby-boomer years, and his service in the U.S. Navy. It is filled with reminiscences about a key developmental time in not only his own life, but in America’s history.

In his own words, Herb was a “short, flighty, little runt with a weak self-image who suffered through his parents’ furious arguments, was made to work at a number of jobs throughout his childhood and school years, and participated in an array of mischievous shenanigans.” He was the middle son of three boys, which he describes as “being sandwiched in-between my brothers like a piece of liver sausage.”

He also writes of his mother’s painful history as a German orphan and her troubled marriages, and introduces his readers to a strong-willed German immigrant who acted as a surrogate grandmother to him. He reports that this lady “brainwashed” him with her stern and critical views on the U.S. and Americans. His warmer memories of her include visiting the lovely German chalet-style home she owned near Round Lake. His book also includes descriptions of the culture, clubs, neighborhoods, and traditions influenced by Chicago’s German Americans.

Herb describes himself as a towhead with crooked teeth and almost white-blond hair as a child—a “Hollywood Dead-End Kid,” who could have set upon a path to some serious trouble. Despite the odds, however, he experienced a “turnaround” in his young adulthood, joining the U.S. Navy and traveling halfway around the world to serve in places like Alaska and England.

Herb seemed destined to reconnect with his German roots when his

Navy service led him to the harbor town of Bremerhaven, Germany. Despite ambivalent feelings about his heritage, he found himself

warming to this part of the country — a beautiful region of green landscapes and mountains. His mother had written to some acquaintances in that area about her son, expressing the hope that he would be welcome there. And he was — in fact, Herb met his future wife, Hanna, in Bremerhaven, and brought her to America after surmounting some travel hassles.

Herb’s ultimate career choice involved neither the Navy nor becoming a “Dead-End Kid.” He attended the Illinois Institute of Technology and became a mechanical engineer. He worked as an air-conditioning contractor and ran his own consulting business, developed software products and wrote a technical manual.

“A German Seed Grows in America” is a book of memoirs and photos that are not only amusing and interesting but also provide a glimpse into key decades in the life of America. It has met with favorable reviews and comments, like praise from Pastor Stewart Schulz of Huntley’s Trinity Lutheran Church, who told the author, “You’ve got the talent—a wonderful book!”

Herb has also received accolades from historians, friends, and Sun City neighbors, including those belonging to a German-American club which he attends.

All things considered, the struggling “German seed” that once was little Herb Wendes has grown into a strong and flourishing tree — and now he’s sharing the tale of how it happened.

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