Entrepreneurial spirit

To earn a living Schosers seem to like to run their own business. In some cases, the business has been run by several Schoser generations.

Rainer Schoser owns and manages a ropeyard in Burladingen founded by his grand-father Eugen Schoser back in 1932. What, at first sight, looks like a rather old-fashioned business is in fact a pretty up-to-date economic activity since steel ropes and related technology are essentiel tools in particular in the building industry.
Also in Burladingen, Willi Schoser runs a company providing agricultural services, in particular the cutting and threshing of corn, to farmers (Lohnmähdrescherei).

Staying in the industrious area of the Swabian Alb, there is also the Schoser business with probably the longest history. In Trochtelfingen, the Schoser ’fashion house’ has a history of over 130 years. Johannes Schoser used to weave cloth when, in 1877, he opened his own shop to trade and sell clothes. Today, the business still exists. It is run in the fourth generation by Bernhard Schoser and is bigger than ever before.

More recent is Achim Schoser’s business AS Telekommunikation in Ohmden. Since 1991, Achim designs and installs telecom systems to respond to the individual needs of small enterprises and liberal professions.

Haus Schmitz

In Karlsruhe, Schosers run a home for elderly people called Haus Schmitz. Together with his wife Ingrid, who inherited the home from her parents, Joachim Schoser is responsible for the well-being of about 250 elderly taken care of by 180 employees. Their son Mathias has also become part of the management team.

Across the Atlantic, Schosers are equally enterpreneurial. In Durango, Colorado, Tom Schoser owns and runs an auto repair shop. He has been in business since 1998 and may also have a used car on offer if you pass by 600, East 4th Avenue.
In San Diego, California, Michelle Schoser has worked as a free lance makeup artist and hair stylist. She looks back at a couple of years of experience and did already some work for different TV series.

Decorations

The 'Ring of Roses'

Schosers have been awarded with diverse orders and prizes. In 1994, Gustav was awarded the 'ring of roses' of the city of Nauheim. The ring is awarded every second year and is meant to acknowledge a personality's merit for his/her work on roses.

Ten years later, Gustav's younger brother Johannes Martin (Hans) was named honorary citizen of his home town Trochtelfingen. The laudation explained in simple but convincing terms that 'Johannes Martin is a part of Trochtelfingen'. (For more details see GEA and SZ.)

Order of Merit of Germany

In 1989, Johannes had already been awarded the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany. This honour was conferred upon his elder brother Gustav in 1991 and upon his younger brother Franz in 1992. In the case of Franz, the Order was meant to acknowledge in particular his contribution to international understanding, notably between Germany and France, which also earned him the Chevalier de la Légion d'honneur.

While we can be proud of counting these highly decorated Schosers among us, we are still hoping to discover a Schoser winning a singing or beauty contest even if it isn't Miss World or Mister Universe... Please report!

P.S. Additional research has unearthed that indeed, Hans was Prince Carnival in his native Trochtelfingen in 1953 (!), surely the cornerstone of his later honors.

A sportive crowd

en route en Forêt de Soignes

Schosers are a sportive crowd. In particular, they like running. John Schoser from Evanston, Illinois prefers the short distances up to 10K. In 2008, he participated in seven such runs. Joe Schoser from Henderson, Nevada seems to be specialised in half-marathons which he finishes in less than two hours. It so happened in March 2007 at the Las Vegas Half-Marathon and in December 2006 at the Six Tunnels Half-Marathon on an old railroad track near Las Vegas. Christof recently took part in a Ultra Trail Miles Marathon in the Forêt de Soignes and finished the 22K part also in just under two hours.
Finally, Achim and Susanne Schoser from Owen, Germany can claim to have covered the longest distance. Both took part in the 1st Albtrauf-Marathon 2008 over a distance of 55K and an elevation gain of 1150m. It should however be mentioned that they were on mountain bikes...

Attempt at self-portrayal





Schoser in a flower pot

paphiopedilum schoseri

A Schoser in a flower pot? You can have it: paphiopedilum schoseri! It is a 'lady slipper' orchid described for the first time by Braem & Mohr in 1988 who named it after Gustav Schoser, long-time director of the Frankfurt botanical garden. You would have to go a long way to pick one yourself that is to the Bacan Island in the Moluccas of Indonesia. Sounds more convenient to order one online, for example from Asendorfer Orchideenzucht for € 22.50.

And there is another orchid having Schoser in its name: paphiopedilum sukhakulii Schoser & Senghas. It is also a 'lady slipper' orchid which was found by the Thai orchid grower and exporter Mr. Sukhakul in 1964.

paphiopedilum sukhakulii Schoser & Senghas

It grows in the rain forest at the altitude between 250m and 1,000m in the north-east of Thailand and seems to have become nearly extinct in its natural habitat. Gustav Schoser and Karlheinz Senghas described this species for the first time in their publication 'Die Orchidee' in 1965 which earned them the addition to its name.

Cold War times

The early 1980s experienced a renewed, but final phase of the Cold War between the Soviet Union and the West. In December 1979, the Soviet Union invaded Afganistan prompting the West to boycott the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow. In December 1981, the communist Polish government imposed the martial law to repress the political opposition led by the Solidarność trade-union movement. The West replied by imposing economic sanctions on the Soviet Union.
And what was the role of Schosers in all this?

At the time, Franz Schoser was the secretary general of the German Association of Chambers of Commerce and Industry. He was thus one of the voices of German business which was affected by the West's economic sanctions against the Soviet Union. It is in this context that the German weekly Die Zeit interviewed Franz to find out how German business coped with the dilemma of being caught between political rationale and economic interest.