Our Story

The John Weidner Foundation for Altruism was established in 1996 by John’s wife, Naomi, to provide leadership, guidance, and support to the newly formed John Henry Weidner Center for Cultivation of the Altruistic Spirit.  Originally housed at Atlantic Union College in Massachusetts, the Center served primarily as an archive of documents, artifacts, and materials related to the Dutch-Paris Line.  In the Foundation’s first year, Bert Beach served as Executive Director.  Kurt Ganter assumed the directorship from 1997 until 2018.  Vital leadership was also provided by Lawrence Geraty, who was Chair of the Foundation’s board from 1996 until 2018.  For two decades, historian Alberto Sbacchi served as curator of the Weidner Collection and conducted research to write a biography of Weidner.

After Professor Sbacchi’s untimely death in 2006, the Foundation made the decision to move the Weidner Collection to the Hoover Institute at Stanford University.  The Board also enlisted historian Megan Koreman to continue Dr. Sbacchi’s work, with an expanded focus not only on Weidner but on the Dutch-Paris Line in its entirety.  After more than ten years of research in both Europe and the United States, made possible through Foundation grants and exclusive access to the Weidner Collection, Professor Koreman’s book, The Escape Line, was published in 2018 by Oxford University Press.  (The book was also published in Dutch under the title Gewone Helden.)

In addition to preserving the history and memory of John Weidner and the Dutch-Paris Line, the Foundation aims to support persons engaged in altruistic actions in the present, and particularly college and university students.  In 2006, Foundation board member and sociology professor William Ervin helped to create the first Weidner Chapter at Butler University in Indiana.  In partnership with the Indianapolis Downtown Rotary Club, the Chapter provides an annual scholarship award to two deserving Butler students.

In 2018, Tanja Magas was appointed Board Chair and Ronald Osborn was appointed as Executive Director.  We are committed to expanding our network of student chapters, finding creative new ways to share Weidner’s story, and advancing our mission of “cultivating selfless and courageous action in the spirit of John Weidner and the Dutch-Paris Line.”

A Child of Dutch-Paris

Born in 1959, I owe my life to the people of Dutch Paris who helped my father, a persecuted Jew, to reach Switzerland in July 1943 after he had escaped from the Netherlands in the summer of 1942. My father’s year-long and high-risk journey required the ingenuity and courage of those who were willing to help him, despite the risks this brought for their own lives and the lives of their family members. Altruistic behavior cannot be taken for granted. It makes me grateful to be part of the heritage of Dutch-Paris.

—Maarten Eliasar, Chair, Weidner Foundation Advisory Board

Our Officers and Board of Directors Glenn Coe Hartford, CT Elaine Bedel Indianapolis, IN Paul Caubo Phoenix, Maryland William Ervin Indianapolis, IN Kurt Ganter Phippsburg, ME Brent G.T. Geraty Redlands, CA Lawrence Geraty, Ph.D Riverside, CA Tanja Magas (Chair) New York, NY Frank Mazzaglia Grafton, MA Stephen F. Morgan (Treasurer) Baltimore, Maryland Ronald Osborn, Ph.D (Executive Director) Colfax, CA Ali Sahabi Corona, CA Naomi Weidner Monterey Park, CA

Our Advisory Council Bert B. Beach, Ph.D (Chairman Emeritus) Silver Spring,  MD Reinder Bruinsma, Ph.D Zeewolde, Netherlands Janet Carper Cornish, ME Maarten Eliasar, MD (Chairman) Amsterdam, Netherlands Eva Fogelman, Ph.D New York, NY Lourdes Gudmundsson, Ph.D Riverside, CA Marcella Langhout Damwoude. Netherlands Edward Lugenbeal, Ph.D South Lancaster, MA Bob Moore, Ph.D University of Sheffield, England Sierk Plantinga The Hague, Netherlands Anthony Sluis Toms River, NJ Ronnie Swartz, Ph.D Arcata, CA Arnold Troostwijk Pontresina, Switzerland Dick VerKijk Haarlem, Netherlands Rudy Zeeman Norwood, Tasmania