01907 Spring 2020 V3--email

08 | 01907
school and came back with all kinds of
material. I threw the pamphlets in front
of him. I’ll never forget that. I was yelling
at him ‘take a look, admit it,’” she said.
“He saw my hatred. I quite despised
him for being on the wrong side of the
war. I just didn’t get it. How can you be
on the wrong side?… He was helpless,
and he was heartbroken.”
It wasn’t until Gfrerer turned 18
and prepared to embark on a journey to
the United States to study music at the
California State University, Northridge,
that father and daughter finally began to
rebuild their fractured relationship.
“Before I left for America, he gave
me my plane ticket and said, ‘I hope life
works out for you the way it should,’”
Gfrerer said. In reaction to her cold
retort, he began to cry - something she
said was markedly out of character for
her stoic father. “He said, ‘I would change
my life for you so that you love me again,
but I can’t.’ I didn’t (respond) then. I was
stone.”
Nearly 6,000 miles away from home,
the distance allowed Gfrerer to reflect on
World-renowned performer Ute Gfrerer sits in her Nahant home with her dog, Barolo.