Gregor Athelstan Ziemer, author, educator, and broadcaster, was born in Columbia, Michigan, on May 24, 1899. He received his B.A. from the University of Illinois (1922), his M.A. from the University of Minnesota (1923), and his Ph.D. from the University of Berlin (1934).
After receiving his M.A., Ziemer became a member of the journalism faculty at Park Region Junior College. In 1926 he became superintendent of schools in the Philippines, a position he held until 1928 when he founded the American Colony School in Berlin. While a resident in that city, Ziemer was also a correspondent for the New York Herald, the London Daily Mail, and the Chicago Tribune. When the school was closed by the war, he returned to the United States.
In November, 1941, Ziemer became a radio broadcaster for station WLW in Cincinnati, Ohio. His two innovative programs of news and commentary, Views of the News and Background on the News, attracted a large audience and were instrumental in consolidating support for the war effort within the WLW listening radius.
In June, 1944, Ziemer joined a special war agency and went overseas with SHAEF. After the end of the war, he worked for the military government in Bavaria organizing newspapers. In 1948 he became vice-president of International Enterprises. From 1952 to 1964 he was head of publicity and education for the American Foundation for the Blind. In 1966 he became program director for the Institute for Lifelong Education in Berkeley, California.
Ziemer is the author of the following books: Two Thousand and Ten Days of Hitler (co-authored with his daughter, Patricia); Education for Death, The Making of the Nazi (1943); Should Hitler's Children Die? (1946); Whirlaway Hopper (1962); Too Old For What? (1968); Witness on Waterskies (1975); and Let'm Eat Grass (1975). In addition, he has authored several television and radio plays, and Education for Death was adapted for the screen (Hitler's Children, 1943). Ziemer has also published many magazine articles and lectured extensively.
Among the awards he has received are: the Silver Anvil Award from the American Public Relations Association (1956, 1958, and 1960); the Paul Revere Citation (1958); the Westinghouse Citation (1958); and the Man of the Year Award in Work with the Blind (1960). He is a member of a number of professional public relations and broadcasting groups.
