Article by Gwen Jones, Department of Family Services
(Posted 2022 October)
Retirement can be daunting for some. After the busyness of adulthood – relationships, family, and career – you may wonder “will retirement be boring?” For Alan Rems, the answer is a resounding “No.” Not only does Alan thoroughly enjoy his retirement, but he fills his hours with engaging and meaningful pursuits, has discovered new interests and talents, uses his expertise to help others, and has been recognized for his accomplishments.
Alan Rems was born in 1937 and grew up in Jersey City, NJ. After moving to Manhattan, Alan met and married Janet, a teacher and later journalist. With their two children, the family moved to Centreville in 1990 when Alan’s employer, Mobil Oil, relocated to Fairfax County, VA.
In the late 1990s, Alan developed an interest in genealogy, but it was only after retiring that he became fully engaged. When he caught the genealogy bug, Alan became particularly interested in his paternal grandmother’s family because he knew very little about them.
Alan speaks fondly of his quest to discover his paternal ancestors, saying “I’ve had such amazing adventures!” Nearly all the people Alan contacted during his research were eager to help and enthusiastically shared information, pictures, and personal stories. His discoveries included three eminent rabbis, a major Yiddish author, a courageous survivor of the Lodz ghetto, a Spanish Civil War volunteer, and a mobster. After learning that a family member endured the infamous Bataan Death March, Alan found and contacted a veteran who served with his relative from training camp until the relative’s death as a Japanese POW, and the two formed a long-distance friendship.
Alan’s most emotional moment came after discovering that the Hebraic Section of the Library of Congress possessed a rare book written in Hebrew by his great-grandfather’s brother, a renowned rabbinic scholar. Years later, Alan connected with the rabbi’s great-great-granddaughter in the Netherlands, who revered her ancestor but believed that none of his writings had survived. After learning about the book, she traveled to Washington, D.C., and met Alan at the Library of Congress to see and hold the book. After photocopying the book, she recited the Hebrew prayer reserved for holidays and momentous occasions, “Thank you Lord for enabling us to reach this moment.”
While continuing his research, Alan found an uncashed life insurance policy purchased by the father of the Lodz survivor. The recipient of the payout used some of the money to publish a translation she completed of a book of stories written by her granduncle, the Yiddish author. A leading Yiddish literary critic praised the family for helping keep the author’s name alive by having his writings translated into English. When Alan received a copy of the book, he felt great satisfaction from the inscription, “To Alan – Who made it possible.” Upon reading the book, he found that a large section was not fiction, as had been assumed by the translator, but invaluable biographical information about the author’s early years.
During his research, Alan avoided reaching out to some of his relatives, descendants of an uncle who intermarried in the 1920s, because he didn’t know the extent of their knowledge and feelings about their Jewish origins. However, when his research was nearly complete, his uncle’s granddaughter contacted him. A distinguished leader in Catholic higher education, the granddaughter had heard about Alan’s family research and was anxious to learn about her Jewish roots. Alan was happy that his thoroughly Irish Catholic cousins embraced their previously unknown history. They enthusiastically contributed to the family narrative before Alan published his genealogical research, going back to the 18th Century, and have since become some of his closest relatives. Alan was delighted that his genealogy work unexpectedly played an essential role in the family reconnecting.
In 2003, when deeply immersed in genealogy research, Alan attended the annual International Jewish Association of Jewish Genealogical Societies Conference in Washington, D.C. At the event he met Suzanne Levy, who was then manager of the Virginia Room. Part of the Fairfax County Public Library, the Virginia Room houses an extensive collection of historical and genealogical materials. At Suzanne’s urging, Alan began volunteering at the Virginia Room in 2004. He continued during the tenure of Levy’s successor, Laura Wickstead, and continues volunteering there to this day.
Alan’s largest project for the Virginia Room involved preparing annotated bibliographies describing the contents of specialized volumes to aid researchers seeking information about specific ethnicities (e.g. German, Scottish, African American). These bibliographies can be found on the library’s website.
Alan’s favorite activity at the Virginia Room is assisting people with their Jewish genealogy research, a task that makes full use of his expertise. At his recommendation, the Virginia Room has added many books to the collection that are useful to Jewish genealogists. He also successfully advocated for the rearrangement of the Jewish book collection to make it easier to use and to facilitate browsing. Currently, Alan is helping the Virginia Room absorb a large donation of genealogy books to augment its already comprehensive collection. In 2020 Alan received a County Volunteer Award for his many contributions to the Virginia Room.
Retirement has also allowed Alan to pursue his lifelong interest in military history. Sixteen years ago, he joined a Military History Group that meets at Green Acres Senior Center in the City of Fairfax. In 2018, he assumed leadership of the group, a role that requires him to prepare a new program every week. Alan’s preparation and production time includes obtaining guest speakers, arranging class member presentations, and locating appropriate videos to ensure that classes are stimulating and educational.
Alan’s interest in military history also led to him becoming a published author. By chance, he learned of the mysterious death of Marine Major General Charles Barrett, who fell from a second-story window of his headquarters in 1943. Although Barrett’s death was officially deemed an accident, Alan was not convinced. While searching the Marine Corps archives in Quantico, VA, he discovered confidential letters that proved the general had died by suicide, with the truth hidden through the complicity of Admiral “Bull” Halsey. Alan wrote an article titled Halsey Knows the Straight Story, published in the August 2008 issue of Naval History Magazine. The U.S. Naval Institute selected Alan as 2008 Author of the Year for the article. Encouraged by his editor, Alan continued to write for the magazine and had 15 articles published in the magazine over a 12-year period, making him the magazine’s most prolific author.
In 2014, Alan added book author to his list of accomplishments. His book, “South Pacific Cauldron: World War II's Great Forgotten Battlegrounds,” is the first complete history of World War II in the South Pacific. The book is owned by more than 600 libraries around the world.
Between leading the Military History Group and delivering talks to promote his book, Alan shed a lifelong fear of public speaking and now enjoys those opportunities. Today, at 85, Alan continues to do what he loves most – volunteering at the Virginia Room, leading the Military History Group, and spending time with friends.
Interested in reading Alan’s writings? His award-winning article about the death of General Barrett can be read online at bit.ly/3TMIr6Q. Alan’s book “South Pacific Cauldron: World War II's Great Forgotten Battlegrounds” is available at Fairfax County Public Library, call number 940.5426 R 2014.
This article is part of the Golden Gazette monthly newsletter which covers a variety of topics and community news concerning older adults and caregivers in Fairfax County. Are you new to the Golden Gazette? Don’t miss out on future newsletters! Subscribe to get the electronic or free printed version mailed to you. Have a suggestion for a topic? Share it in an email or call 703-324-GOLD (4653).