Barbara Sommer Feigin, the amazing author of “My American Dream: A Journey from Fascism to Freedom” and a 1955 alumna of what was then Chehalis High School shares her incredible ancestral story decades after her journey to the United States began. Feigin returned to her beloved alma mater this year to show her endless support for the Chehalis Foundation and the Student Achievement Initiative with a book signing at W.F. West High School in Chehalis.
A Harrowing Journey from Nazi Germany to Lifelong Chehalis Bearcat
It began in Berlin in 1940 amidst the uncertainty of WWII. A brave and determined mother and father packed up their small children and all they could carry to embark on a harrowing journey that would forever shape their family’s future.
A two-and-a-half-year-old curly-haired Feigin (Barbara Sommer then) sat on the train station docks with nothing more than her family and suitcase, awaiting the long and arduous 17-day train ride out of Nazi-occupied Germany.
“It was very difficult for my mother and father to get the money and paperwork for passage,” says Feigin. “But they finally did.”
Their small family made their way out of Berlin through Lithuania, Russia, Korea, and China. Finally, after 14 tiring and terrifying stops consisting of searches and interrogations, Feigin and her family made it safely to the coast of Japan, where they boarded the ship Hikawa Maru to cross the Pacific Ocean to Seattle. “It wasn’t the fastest route,” says Feigin. “But it was the only way not blocked by submarines from the war, so it was the only option we had.”
With little more than ten dollars in his pocket, Feigin’s father took the help of Quakers and Jewish associations to find work amongst the welcoming community of Chehalis assembling stoves at the Sears Chehalis Farm Store. “They had such great perseverance to make a new life here,” says Feigin. “And I had a fervent desire to become authentically American.”
Feigin quickly integrated into her new life, becoming friends with her classmates and forming close bonds with her teachers and mentors.
After graduating in 1955, Feigin went on to graduate from Whitman College and Harvard University’s business administration program to become the first major female advertising executive of her time. Her tremendous dedication in a male-driven industry has saved countless lives with her revolutionary advertising campaign heading efforts for the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration with “Friends Don’t Let Friends Drive Drunk.”
The Chehalis Foundation and The Student Achievement Initiative
Even though Feigin is now a resident of New York, she has continued to express the importance of donating and supporting our youth’s continuing education programs in Chehalis. She does so through Chehalis High School graduating class of 1955. Feigin is thrilled that the Chehalis Foundation continues its mission with the Student Achievement Initiative, a program that prepares students for life-changing career opportunities after graduating high school.
“I believe in what’s happening with the Student Achievement Initiative,” explains Feigin. “So, I will do whatever small thing I can do to keep it going and help it grow.”
The Chehalis Foundation has changed the course of the Chehalis community for the past 17 years, with the inspiring program focusing on alleviating financial burdens by providing support to local projects benefiting academic excellence in Chehalis Schools.
“It’s a huge thing for a community like Chehalis to have such intellectual energy behind it and support from so many constituents within the town,” says Feigin. “It’s a great model that can be taken many places around the country.”
Jenny Collins, executive director of the Chehalis Foundation, expresses why Feigin’s journey and contributions inspire her. “For me, it’s the magic of seeing someone come out of this rural community in the ’50s to be on the board of trustees at Whitman College. She went to Harvard Business School when it wasn’t even for women”, says Collins. “So, it’s about that full circle moment of having someone who benefited from the education system here and going out and shattering every wall and ceiling and then coming back to Chehalis and being a big part of this. She wants to make a difference by teaching the students her story and donating to the Chehalis Foundation scholarships. She has never forgotten where she came from.”
To learn about Feigin and her integration into American life, purchase her book “My American Dream: A Journey from Fascism to Freedom ” wherever books are sold. To understand more about the Chehalis Foundation and how you can get involved or donate, visit their website.
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