History of the Trust

History

On December 3, 2020 Louise Jean Russo Hauser passed away, and left an endowment for The George and Louise Hauser Charitable Trust. When establishing the Trust in 2005, George & Louise appointed as the founding Trustees (in alphabetical order) Wim Overmeer, Marion Pollock, and Gwendoline Thornblade, whom, upon Louise’s passing, accepted their appointment.

George Hauser (1922-2012)

George fled from Austria on his own in 1939 at the age of 16 as fascism came to a head there, thanks to a sponsor from the UK whom he never came to know. He lost his Austrian citizenship and became a stateless refugee, dependent upon the charity of others. George spent approximately 2 years in the UK without any family attending school in Bath and Bristol and learned English during that time.

He soon reunited with some of his family later in the United States. A substantial majority of his relatives perished in the concentration camps of World War 2. He graduated from Thomas Jefferson High School in New York in 1941 as an Arista member (for outstanding students).

After studying at Arizona State University Temple and Ohio State University, George enlisted in the U.S. Army in 1943 and became a naturalized U.S. citizen in 1944. While in the army, George landed in Normandy on D-Day in 1944 and was later severely injured by a mortar explosion, which nearly cost him his leg and resulted in years of recovery. George was awarded the Purple Heart and Bronze Medal in 1946 as well as (in 2008) France’s Le Légion d’Honneur for his actions at the Battle of Metz.

George went on to graduate from Ohio State by 1949, after which he entered a PhD program in biochemistry at Harvard, which he finished in 1955. Thereafter, George worked at the McLean Hospital Research Laboratory, was a Professor of Psychiatry (Biochemistry) at Harvard Medical School, and served as the interim director of the Ralph Lowell Laboratories in the Mailman Research Center. In 2001, he received the Austrian Cross of Honor for Science and Art, First Class, for his research in neurochemistry.

Starting in the 1960s, shortly after meeting Louise, George began to become involved in local politics, and in the 1980s began to become involved in local charities, contributing to social justice and anti-discrimination causes. He passed away on September 28, 2012, and his ashes were brought to the Military Cemetery on Cape Cod.

Louise Jean Russo Hauser (1921-2020)

Louise was born in the United States to parents that were Italian immigrants. During “The Roaring Twenties” the Russos settled in Newton Highlands, at the time a suburb with farms. She spent much of her youth in Newton, MA following her father’s successful run in commercial real estate and insurance. During Louise’s youth, and as late at the election of John Kennedy, there remained a significant anti-Italian and anti-Catholic sentiment after waves of Italian immigration in the late 19th century and early 20th century amidst the ethnic and racial strife in and around Boston; this context shaped Louise’s perspective and priorities in her professional and personal life.

Louise was close to her older sister Marie, and they both studied education and became teachers. Louise attended Framingham State College and graduated in 1943 as vice-president of her class. Louise was a teacher at the Fessenden Summer Camp, taught at the Weston Public Schools, and worked as a first grade teacher from 1948-1969. She then became an educational consultant for several years before returning to the Underwood School in Newton in 1973. She retired from teaching in 1981.

Following her retirement, Louise was even more involved in the Newton community, when she became active in the Newton Community Service Center (NCSC; renamed Family Access Network (FAN)), of which she became a board member and president for a time through the course of 1982-2007. She was also a generous donor to the organization up until her death.

The Hausers were married in 1955 and had no children, which led them to be particularly involved in the community and in housing international students who came for local university programs.

Pictured at the top of the page is Squam Lake, where the Hausers enjoyed spending time through the years.