Guenter Arndt was one of DMSE's longest serving members; for 54 years (until 2011) Guenter’s skillful hands crafted apparatus that enabled students and research staff to conduct the experiments that launched their careers.
Born in Berlin, Germany on March 15, 1927, Guenter’s formative years coincided with the Great Depression and Hitler’s ascent to power. Ever the optimist, Guenter became an apprentice to a watchmaker. He told stories of being required to start with a block of metal and to machine it into a perfect cube measuring 1 cm on edge. The master watchmaker would then assess the product using high accuracy calipers. There were consequences when the product failed to meet specification. As Guenter put it, “it was an old-school education.” Then came WWII. Even though he was only 16 years old in 1943, Guenter was conscripted, saw action fighting the Red Army, and spent years in a Soviet prison camp.
Professor John Wulff found Guenter in a hospital recovering from wounds he incurred while in the military and subsequently facilitated his immigration to the United States under sponsorship of the Lutheran Refugee Service. Guenter joined the Department in 1956. Here he served as technician for almost 54 years, during which time he was a member of three research groups: Professor John Wulff, then Professor Robert M. Rose, and finally Professor Donald R. Sadoway. Guenter was a superb machinist and had a flair for mechanical design. He gave unstintingly of his time to anyone who asked for his assistance. His door was always open, literally. He was exceedingly patient, especially with novices who in many cases did not have a firm grasp of what they needed. Guenter would lovingly cajole them and in the extreme he would make a “housecall” to the student’s laboratory to see first-hand what they were having trouble describing. Guenter’s workday typically began before 6 a.m. and ended with a departure around 3 p.m. As a result, to be sure to catch Guenter’s attention ambitious students would arrive at sunrise. He loved to garden and at harvest time would bring fruits and vegetables to distribute to his favorites among the administrative staff. Shaped by the experiences of his youth, Guenter saved everything---metal, wood, fasteners, cardboard, twine, and old equipment. On more than one occasion a lab was cleaned out and its rejected contents were left in the corridor only to be recaptured by Guenter who hoarded them in the back of his machine shop. When students would return to campus years after graduation they would never fail to ask “How’s Guenter?” His name is permanently fixed in the scientific literature where one can read in the Acknowledgments section of dozens of publications words similar to “and the authors gratefully acknowledge the assistance of Guenter Arndt with the design and construction of the apparatus.”
A man of great humility who showed unlimited kindness to our students, Guenter was a mentor to multiple generations and loved by all.
by Donald R. Sadoway