Gaspard Weiss

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Gaspard Weiss
1st President of the Monterey Institute of Foreign Studies
In office
1955–1968
Chair of the French Department at the Army Language School
In office
1951–1953
Personal details
Born(1901-02-01)February 1, 1901
7th arrondissement, Paris, France
DiedApril 5, 1989(1989-04-05) (aged 88)
Monterey, California
Resting placeCimetière de Saint-Cloud, Paris
Alma materUniversity of Paris
University of Lausanne
Military service
Branch/serviceFrench Ministry of the Interior
Battles/warsWorld War II

Gaspard Etienne Weiss was the founder and served as the first President of the Monterey Institute of Foreign Studies (MIFS), from 1955 to 1968, the longest serving President of the school.[1] Weiss was a graduate of the University of Paris and the University of Lausanne, and formerly an employee of the French government, serving there in an intelligence and propaganda capacity during the height of World War II for the Minister of the Interior.[2][3] Weiss came to the United States from Paris in 1948 with his wife. Between 1948 and 1951, he taught at Smith College, University of Massachusetts, Mount Holyoke College, and the Ohio State University.[4] Meeting a fellow educator during this time, Dwight Morrow Jr., he was convinced to move to Monterey in 1951.[5] He began teaching French at the Army Language School in June 1951.[6] He was the highest-ranking French instructor at the Presidio of Monterey, and served as the chairman of the French department there.

In 1945, Gaspard and Louise Weiss were convicted by the Cour de Justice de la République at Poitiers of having been Nazi collaborators, the alleged crime of which was having shared intelligence with the Nazis, and were sentenced to 20 years in prison in abstentia.[3] In 1952, while serving at the Monterey Language Institute, Weiss was questioned about this by the United Press, and he denied any involvement with the Nazi party.[3] He told the United Press: "I was never a Nazi."[6] Weiss claimed that the 1945 court was a "people's court," that had been established by communists who had a vendetta against him and his wife.[3] Following the newspaper stories, an investigation was carried out by the Sixth Army of the United States, under the command of Lieutenant General Joseph May Swing.[6] The results of the US Army's investigation have not yet been declassified.

Not long after the investigation, in 1953, Weiss left the Presidio to begin teaching classes in Latin at Robert Louis Stevenson High School in Pebble Beach, California.[7][4] His wife, Louise, also started teaching French there.[7] It was during his time as a teacher at this high school that he had the idea for MIFS, collaborating for several years to achieve the vision for the school.

During his tenure as President of MIFS, the program grew from a summer language school with only 12 students in attendance to a fully-fledged and internationally recognized graduate school. In his final year, he managed to establish MIFS as the first school in the United States which specifically trained students to become translators and interpreters for the United Nations Interpretation Service.[8]

After his tenure as president, in 1968, he moved to Arcata, California to join the faculty of Humboldt State College, later known as California State University at Humboldt, teaching French there until his retirement in 1975.[9]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Warburg, Jason (2015-02-14). "Institute Honors MIIS Founder Gaspard Weiss | Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey". www.middlebury.edu. Retrieved 2025-09-02.
  2. ^ Nix, Kelly (September 9, 2005). "MIIS celebrates 50 years of breaking cultural barriers" (PDF). carmelpinecone. p. 6A.
  3. ^ a b c d "Opinion | 1952:Teacher Denies Nazi Past : IN OUR PAGES:100, 75 AND 50 YEARS AGO (Published 2002)". 2002-12-07. Retrieved 2025-09-02.
  4. ^ a b Farr, Sam. (June 2, 1989) "A Memorial Resolution Relative to memorializing GASPARD ETIENNE WEISS." Members Resolution No. 1432. Twenty-eighth Assembly District, State of California.
  5. ^ Hotelling, Neal (June 14, 2019). "The Morrow Farm, Ed Haber, Pebble Beach and the 1972 U.S. Open" (PDF). carmelpinecone.com. p. 26A.
  6. ^ a b c Long Beach Independent Press Telegram (December 7, 1952) Newspaper Archives. Pp. 14
  7. ^ a b Yearbook (1958) Robert Louis Stevenson High School. Pebble Beach, California. pp. 13
  8. ^ Kittanning Leader Times (April 6, 1973) Newspaper Archives. Page 5
  9. ^ Eureka Times Standard. (March 22, 1969) Newspaper Archives. Page 9