Walter Sommers will receive the Cross of the Order of Merit
A Terre Haute resident is scheduled to receive Germany’s highest civilian award next week.
Walter Sommers, a docent at the CANDLES Holocaust Museum and Education Center, will receive the Cross of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany for promoting peace and tolerance among peoples and cultures through education about the Holocaust.
The (Terre Haute) Tribune Star reports German Consul General Herbert Quell will present the medal to the 95-year-old Sommers on Aug. 6 at the museum.
Sommers, his parents and sister fled Germany in January 1939. The former businessman shares his personal story and his knowledge of European history with visitors at the CANDLES museum twice a week.