Vol. I: Otto Bock: Giving Our Best CONTENTS FOREWORD (by the publisher) PREFACE (Prof. Dr. Ernst Marquardt) ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS INTRODUCTION PROLOG New York, 11 September 2001 Berlin 1919 - Founding of "Orthopädische Industrie" "Kreuzberger Mixture" "Patent Leg, Berlin" - the First Product Line The Berlin Bandagist Scene The Founders Otto Bock of Rudolstadt Beyond the Horizon - Launch of a Career in Jena Important Milestone - Halle an der Saale Right in the Middle - Bocks in Berlin "The gait of those equipped with this leg is so confident and beautiful." Why Königsee? New Factory, Old Facility - Königsee Property, Bahnhofstraße 3 New Beginning Leadership Change in the Executive Suite "The young company foundered badly" The Directors' Villa Components "Proportiones praemeditando sanamus" "At Otto Bock, every invention and improvement was met with keen interest" OI Offers Apprenticeships The Social Boss Planning the Future - Investments and Construction The Disastrous Years - OI under National Socialism Disappointment - Renegade Employees New Demands Shortage of Raw Materials Foreign Workers With Russian Stamp Only - The Position of OI under Soviet Occupation Expropriation "A Blessed Combination" - Clinic and Orthopedic Workshop in Eisenberg "Königsee Affair" - Is Bock coming back? "Formerly Owned by Bock" - Orthopädie Königsee as a People's Enterprise BIBLIOGRAPHY IMAGE CREDITS IMPRINT Vol. II: Max Näder: Challenges CONTENTS MAX NÄDER RECOUNTS "Intellectually Equipped" - School Days in Königsee and Rudolstadt A Decision for Life - Professional Choices Return from War Temporary Resident of Hamburg Waiting for Maria "How do you approach that?" - Planning East-West Bartering "Try it in Duderstadt" - A Journey to the Zone Border Fabrication in the West? - Otto Bock Hesitates 1945: Christmas in the Ruins of Hamburg Truckload from Königsee Announced "We will soon feel at home" - Move to Duderstadt Northern Branch Working Well Approval as Manufacturing Operation "Firmly Supported" Hall 20 We Need a Gang Saw Start of Production "Prepared for the Worst" - The Threat of Expropriation in Königsee Nobody can Pay - Currency Reform Causes Slump With Hand Cart and Briefcase - Bocks Cross the Border "Excellent Cooperation" with the father-in-law Dickmann the Spoiler Facing Bankruptcy A Resounding Success with the "Jüpa" Knee Conclusion of the Dickmann Case Customer Visits New Horizons and Farewell MARIA HAUFF: THE ENTREPRENEUR MAX NÄDER The Second Pillar Synthetic Components Näder Conquers the American Market "We will Succeed" - Success with the Right People Travelling in America MARIA NÄDER: HEADING FOR THE NEW WORLD 1956 Turning Sod "The empty sleeve is as good as gone." - Rapid Progress in the Sixties Lothar Milde: Orthoses - Biomechanical Forces The "Humanization" of Prosthesis Construction "Informed Customers Make Better Partners" - Knowledge Transfer and Educational Sponsorship ". for Excellence in Service" A Decision from the Heart - the "Rescue" of Königsee Arbitrary Bureaucracy - Negotiations with the Trustee Back in Königsee after 44 Years A New Generation BIBLIOGRAPHY PICTURE CREDITS IMPRINT Vol. III: Maria Näder: Memories Preliminary remarks Maria Näder, maiden name Bock (1922 - 2005), always involved in company matters as the daughter of the company founder and wife of the second-generation CEO, published three autobiographical volumes in the years 1973 to 1999: "Erinnerungen" (Memories) Volume I (1973), "Erinnerungen" (Memories) Volume II (1st edition 1999) and "Briefe aus bewegten Zeiten" (Letters from Eventful Times) (1998). Intended primarily for her immediate family, these volumes are a legacy of personal memories, diary entries and private correspondence - not only by her own hand, but also letters from her mother Marie Bock and her friends. They span a period from her early childhood, with retrospectives to the time of her ancestors, all the way to the 1990s, confronting the reader with gripping accounts of eventful times. While the subject matter is very personal and private, these are also authentic documents of company and contemporary history. In "Eventful Times. A German Company History" Volume III, Maria Näder's publications are being republished in a revised form. From the volume "Briefe aus bewegten Zeiten" (Letters from Eventful Times), a collection of circular letters to former schoolmates, only the letters by Maria Näder and a few relevant accompanying texts are included. CONTENTS MEMORIES VOLUME I Memories of my Youth Letters to my Husband Max Näder MEMORIES VOLUME II Introduction Letters of a Strong Woman! Marie Bock to her daughter Maria Näder 1946 - 1948 Letters from Marie Bock to Maria and Max Näder 1953 - 1956 Letters from Marie Bock to Maria and Max Näder during their time in the USA from 10/08 to 31/10/1956 Reflections Maria Näder in letters to her friend Dorothea Kreidel 1975 - 1991 Appendix Names Original Letters by Otto Bock and Grandmother Rasch Recipe from Marie Bock for her Daughter Maria Photo