Herman Spertus (1901-2006)

My grandfather Herman Spertus died on Tuesday. He led an extraordinary life, which you can read about in the Chicago Sun-Times. One story he told me is that after escaping the Soviet Union in the early 1920s, one of the first things he did was obtain a copy of Einstein's Theory of Relativity, which he had heard of but had been banned in the Soviet Union. He continued learning throughout his long life. He was also an artist and astute art collector, buying early works and encouraging artists who went on to become famous. Our house is filled with his paintings. The above picture was made by my husband Keith by combining photographs and artwork of Herman's.