Discovering a 1946 Letter to My Grandfather—and a Link to the Plot to Assassinate Hitler
Bruce Mainzer uncovers the story behind a newly found letter linking his grandfather to a former business associate executed in 1944 by the Nazis for plotting to assassinate Hitler.
Bruce Mainzer, a native of the Chicago area, began his career as a public transit planner with the RTA and Illinois Department of Transportation before spending 35 years in the travel industry with United Airlines, Hyatt Hotels, and Norwegian Cruise Line. Now retired in Highland Park, he has served as Chairman of the city’s Transportation Advisory Group and Co-Chair of the Chicago Chapter of The Climate Reality Project. In retirement, Bruce researches and presents the stories of his parents’ escape from Nazi Europe—work that uncovered, for the first time, the story of a hero who rescued his mother and was honored posthumously in 2024 by B’nai B’rith of Jerusalem as a Jewish rescuer of the Holocaust.
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Thursday, February 26, 2026
at 7 PM Central Time
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About the Highland Park Historical Society: The mission of the Highland Park Historical Society is to preserve our community’s past, to inspire an appreciation of its history and culture, and to share them with the community and scholars. The Society is a 501(c)(3) charitable organization and is administered by a volunteer Board of Directors. The Archives and Research Collections are housed in the Highland Park Public Library. For more information about the Highland Park Historical Society, visit https://highlandparkhistory.com
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