by Miguel Alfaro and Nayeli Vargas
As part of our Von Historians Club project to research WWII veterans who attended Von Steuben, we were fortunate to meet with a local stage actor who attended our school, Myron “Mike” Nussbaum. We went to his condo with our teacher, Ms. Meghan Thomas, on a Saturday to discuss his experiences in WWII and Albany Park, but we ended up learning so much more.
Talking to someone who went to our high school over 80 years ago is an amazing, mind-blowing experience. In today’s day and age, calling high school stressful is an understatement, especially to students who take all honors and AP classes. According to Mike Nussbaum, high school back then was all about fun — at least that’s the impression we got from him.
We realized that even though much time has passed since Mike went to Von, we aren’t so different from those who came before us — we’re all just Von students.
Mike is by far one the most interesting, let alone successful, men we’ve ever had the opportunity to meet. He has gone through several careers in his lifetime, from starting a company with his brother-in-law as an exterminator, to working as a salesman at his father-in-law’s department store, to taking part in WWII and, most importantly, a stage actor.
When we first met with Mike, we didn’t know exactly what to expect, but we did hope to gain new insights on exactly how Von Steuben differed from our day and age. Mike Nussbaum graduated from Von just before the United States entered WWII. We were most curious to know what high school life was like for teens in his era. Mike described an image of Von Steuben in the 1940s that was lively and full of fun. We realized that even though much time has passed since Mike went to Von, we aren’t so different from those who came before us — we’re all just Von students.
Mike had the role of party planning events and described how students would go to the auditorium to dance to records on stage during their lunch period. The neighborhood had everything that was needed for hanging out after school and on weekends. Movie theaters populated almost every corner, making it near impossible to not have fun. We believe teens at Von still have just as much fun as former students did, regardless of era.
After he left Von Steuben, Mike went to the University of Wisconsin and then enlisted in the army. He never saw combat, but he was a teletype operator who delivered messages from the front. He was on duty the night the war ended!
We learned it was common for young men to join up and they even saw it as an honor. Mike was no different. He said there was no question back then for young men, but that they would join the war effort. It was considered unpatriotic not to. He said it was also expected in the neighborhood, as so many of the residents of Albany Park at that time were Jewish and had family in Europe and were personally affected by the war.
According to Mike, even though high school life was light, students were glued to newspapers and radios listening to news of the war. There was constant fear for the safety of friends and family. His perspective was so interesting and provided us with firsthand information about the school and the neighborhood as we study veterans who attended Von Steuben.
Recently, we had the opportunity to see Hamlet at the Chicago Shakespeare Theater, where Mike played a gravedigger, a role that was hilarious and added some light-hearted fun to the very serious play.
Mike told us that he loves acting because it gives him an opportunity to be a character other than himself. Seeing him on stage, we quickly noticed how full of energy and excitement Mike appeared, compared to how calm he was when we interviewed him.
It has been an honor to talk with Mike and see him act on stage. He has lived such a full and exciting life, and it’s so inspiring to know his interests began at Von Steuben. His classmates, knowing how he loved literature and acting put “Myron, our Lord Byron” by his senior photo in the 1941 yearbook. People age and some things change, but others stay the same.
If we’re lucky, we future Von Steuben grads will live as long and fulfilling a life as Mike Nussbaum.
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