Stuart Lutz

Stuart Lutz has always been fascinated by the stories told by older people. Perhaps it started when he was a boy and heard his great-grandparents recount their immigrant voyage to America, their first airplane sighting, and the first time his great-grandmother could legally vote (even though she had been married four years). Also, when he was young, he was intrigued during a family trip to Charleston, South Carolina, when the tour guide pointed out the building that still housed some Confederate widows, even though the Civil War had been over for 125 years. He could not understand how that could be, until the guide explained that some young ladies married much older men who had fought in the Civil War.

Lutz’s interests in history and writing come together in The Last Leaf, an oral history book featuring the stories of almost forty survivors and eyewitnesses to historically important events. Lutz is the only person to have interviewed the last three Civil War widows (the last one died in 2008), but The Last Leaf also features the last American World War I soldier, the final living person to have flown with Amelia Earhart, the final pitcher to give up a home run to Babe Ruth in his historic 1927 season (when Ruth hit sixty home runs), the last suffragette, the final Medal of Honor winner for heroism on Pearl Harbor Day, the last person to have made design contributions to the ENIAC (the first electronic, programmable computer), the final Iwo Jima flag raiser, the last survivor of the sunken Lusitania, the final Harry Houdini stage hand, and the last employees of Thomas Edison and F. Scott Fitzgerald. Each chapter blends the narrative of the “Last Leaves” with historical background so readers can understand what occurred and the long-term importance of each event.

Lutz owns Stuart Lutz Historic Documents, Inc., a firm that sells rare letters and manuscripts (www.HistoryDocs.com). He has written for American Heritage and Civil War Times Illustrated, and appeared on National Public Radio. He has a B.A. in American History from Johns Hopkins.

Books by Stuart Lutz

The Last Leaf: Voices of History's Last-Known Survivors

When we read about famous historical events, we may wonder about the firsthand experiences of the people directly involved. What insights could be gained if we could talk to someone who remembered the Civil War, or the battle to win ...

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Question and Answer

IJF asks: What have you just finished?

I just finished Bram Stoker's Dracula. A fantastic book full of drama and tension from the start - the opening chapter is fantastic. I read it as a boy and missed a lot of the innuendo that is there. I try to alternate between fiction and non-fiction books just to keep some reading balance.

IJF asks: What book(s) have been life changing for you?

The most influential book I have read in the last decade is "The Millionaire Next Door" by Thomas J. Stanley and William Danko.

IJF asks: Can you tell us your best fan encounter story?

I have yet to have a fan story, postive or negative.

How long did it take you to collect all the stories?

My first interview was in 1998.

Haw far did you travel to interview the survivors?

I did about 30 in-person interviews in 18 different states, but that does not count the states I merely drove through, such as South Carolina and Georgia.

What was your most memorable interview?

Of the 39 Last Leaves that I interviewed, I met about 30 in-person. These interviews represent some of the great and unique experiences of my life. A few of the highlights include having Dr. Arthur Burks, the last designer of the ENIAC (the first computer) show me the portion of the ENIAC housed at the University of Michigan. Another highlight was seeing Robert Lockwood, Jr., the last bluesman to play with the legendary Robert Johnson, give a concert at a Cleveland blues club. Also memorable was seeing Hal Prieste, the final participant in the 1920 Olympic Games, with the original Olympic flag that he stole in 1920 (he gave it back to the Olympics at the 2000 Games in Sydney). But if I had to select one person who left a lasting impression, it would be Gertrude Grubb Janeway, the last Union Civil War widow; she died in 2003. Even though her husband fought for the North, she was completely Southern, living just outside of Knoxville, Tennessee. She received a $70 monthly check from the Federal government for her husband's service 140 years earlier. She was a teenager when she married an octogenarian Civil War veteran, John Janeway. They were married in 1927 and were together for a decade; she never remarried, since Mr. Janeway was the one and only man for her. But this is what I found to be so interesting. She rejected all modernity, and essentially lived a 19th Century life, even into the 21st Century. She lived in a small cabin that she and her husband bought in the 1920s. She did not get electricity until the 1980s, and she finally got a television in the 1990s. She never drove, instead, she walked eight miles each way to church on Sunday morning. She never really traveled much (unlike some of my other Last Leaves). I found her clinging to a fading American way of life to be memorable. I'll probably never see that again in my lifetime

Did any of the survivor's read your book and if so what did they think?

Only a handful of Last Leaves were alive when the book was published. I did receive feedback from them. George Putnam, the last living person to fly with Amelia Earhart, called me to say how much he loved the book (he was sent a complimentary book by Prometheus Books), and then ordered eight more. Lt. John Finn, the last Medal of Honor recipient for heroic actions on Pearl Harbor Day (he just died last week at age 100) sent me a letter, thanking me for the book. I also heard from the families of deceased Last Leaves, and they were universally very happy that the tales of their loved ones were preserved for others to read.

Is there a particular story that touched you the most?

I believe the most emotional and incredible tale in The Last Leaf is Esther Raab's. She was one of the few people to escape from the Nazi extermination camp Sobibor, and she is missing part of her ear from where a bullet took it off during her flight. There were so many one-in-a-million occurrences during her Holocaust experience, and somehow, she kept getting lucky at key moments. When she was chosen for a "death line" at one camp, the Angel of Death's girlfriend, who was standing behind the Nazi, had gone to school with Mrs. Raab. This woman selflessly pulled Mrs. Raab out of the death line, put makeup on her, and put her back in line, where she was then put in the other line. If not for that bit of fortune, she would have been dead. At Sobibor, nearly every Jew who arrived there was dead within a couple of hours. Mrs. Raab was miraculously selected to be a slave, searching for valuables among the deceased's possessions. If not for that bit of fortune, she would have been dead. And when she escaped, the bullet could have hit her in the head. If not for that bit of fortune, she would have been dead. Her tale really is miracle after miracle. At the same time, millions who did not have such endless luck died in the Nazi camps.

Who are your favorite fiction authors?

I was on the train last week to attend the Book Expo America convention in New York City. I brought along Mark Twain's "Roughing It." He spun a story about getting lost in a blizzard with some comrades, and figuring they were celebrating their last night on Earth. Twain's story was so funny that I was laughing out loud on the train. Not many authors from the 19th Century can do that, so if I had to pick one favorite fiction author, it would be Mark Twain. Every few years, I re-read "Huckleberry Finn". I think that may be THE classic book about America. In 200 pages, he fully captures the country - the American language, the civilization vs. natural man, travel, the river, hucksterism, and, of course, the central conflict in American history, race. Other recent fiction books that I can recommend are "The Red Badge of Courage" (Crane's language is amazing) and "Dracula" (the first chapter is awesome and suspense-filled).

Are there any survivors that you wanted in your book but were not able to interview?

There were a number of final survivors who I could not get interviews with, either because they declined or passed before I could get to them. In 2000, there was one last Indian War widow left. I reached out to her, but she died before I could secure an interview. I was hoping for Nellie Connally (the last person from the JFK assassination car), but she declined. There was one great potential interviewee who lived twenty minutes away from me, but he declined, and quite vociferously. For me, the other disappointment is reading a New York Times obituary of a final survivor of an event I had never thought of. Recently, I saw that the last major participant in the Bretton Woods Conference from the mid-1940s died (it set up the International Monetary Fund and such modern banking practices), and I smacked myself on the head - "Why didn't I think of Bretton Woods? I go hiking right near it every year and I can't believe I didn't think of it!" So part of the goal is thinking of events and tracking down the final survivors before it is too late. It is quite a challenge.

Do you have any plans to write fiction?

I do attend a weekly writing group and have tried my hand at fiction. It is a learning curve and different from writing oral history, and I am working on improving my fiction. I do like how narrative language can greatly expand with fiction. I'd like to have a short story of mine published one day. I think that would be awesome to see.

What are you currently working on?

Whenever I hear this question, I am reminded of a great Thomas Edison anecdote. He was at a stuffy dinner party that he didn't want to be at, and was cornered by an admirer who asked him "What are you currently working on?" The inventor replied, "My escape." I would love to do a sequel to The Last Leaf, and I am contacting final survivors for the next book. I have an interview in two weeks with the last man who was working on Wall Street on the day of the 1929 Great Crash. He's well over 100, and I am really looking forward to it. I would also like to do a history book on the aftermath in America of the Vietnam War.

What one question do you wish you were asked in interviews yet never are?

The one question I have never been asked is "What is one question do you wish you were asked in interviews yet never are?" ;-) I have done numerous interviews and Q&A sessions at book readings, and I really believe just about every question pertaining to the book has been asked. The most popular ones are "How long did it take you to write?", "What inspired you to write this?", "What was the most memorable interview?, "Did anyone say no?", etc. If you have something specific, I'd be glad to answer it.

Stuart Lutz

Books by Stuart Lutz

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