ONEONTA _ When he was a teenager in junior high school, Dick Breuninger replied to a postcard from a German girl seeking a correspondent through a pen pal program.
The message was in German, and Dick asked his grandfather to translate it. The girl, Gina, began replying in English. The exchange started in 1957-58.
This month, Gina and her husband, Wolfgang Siebrecht, and Dick and his wife, Mary, are celebrating five decades of friendship, which they say is a relationship closer than some family connections.
``We brought a bottle of champagne from Germany,'' Gina said. The couples met up in Cambridge, Mass., recently, stopped in Oneonta on Tuesday, and left Wednesday for a trip to Ithaca and Vermont before the Siebrechts depart for the West Coast next week.
The couples estimate they have visited each other or traveled together about 20 times. In addition, they and their children have visited many times in various locations.
They have shared weddings and graduations. Their travels included a 1990 trip from Mesa Verde along the Rocky Mountains. Traveling, languages, history and religious studies are among interests the couples have in common. Wolfgang, 65, a retired electrical engineer, and Gina, 61, a retired teacher, have three children _ Jan, 34, Philipp, 32, and Holger, 30.
Dick and Mary, both 61, have two children _ Eric, 34, and Maria, 31.
Through the four, the connection extends from the couples' grandparents to a grandchild _ Eric's son, Leo Breuninger, 1 _ five generations, they said.
The couples were in Cambridge last year for Holger's graduation from Harvard University and this month for his 30th birthday. The Breuningers have visited the Siebrechts in their home in Bensheim, near Frankfurt, Germany.
``We kept on mailing and writing and talking and visiting and family reunion-ing,'' Gina said. ``We've had so many good times together.''
``Es war einmal'' _ ``Once upon a time" _ is the phrase that introduces a photo album prepared by the Breuningers for the Siebrechts. It documents the story of how a single postcard started a correspondence that turned into a lifelong friendship between two families.
Gina said her correspondence with Dick was basic at first, asking questions such as ``Do you have pets? Do you have a television set?''
In a letter Dick found that Gina wrote on Sept. 28, 1959, where she described attending a car exposition: ``The best car was a red Pontiac.''
Gina also drew an American cowboy on a horse, and later, she sent Dick a copy of ``German Through Pictures'' to help him learn the language.
Dick, who teaches German at Oneonta High School, and Mary, a retired school nurse, have played host to 25 exchange students. The Siebrechts also have welcomed many students into their home.
Wolfgang said there are many exchange programs in Europe, and having friends in other countries encourages people to get to know each other.
The Siebrechts and Breuningers also have shared customs, such as the German tradition of breaking pottery for good luck, which was part of Eric's wedding. Jan Siebrecht was Eric's best man.
Dick attributed their lasting connection to sharing life experiences and staying in touch. Gina added that acceptance, if not agreement, with another's culture and values is key to maintaining a friendship as enduring as theirs with the Breuningers.
``Yes, it has changed our lives,'' Gina said. ``Enriched it. ... We feel very lucky.''
Print this story
E-mail this story
