Eleanor Must Oral History (SC-327)

Eleanor Hambury Must was born Leonore Anna Freida Hamburger on May 22, 1931, in Hamburg, Germany, the daughter of Fritz and Elisabeth (Plaut) Hamburger. Eleanor’s mother died in 1934. Eleanor’s family was Jewish, and in response to rising anti-Semitism in Germany, they emigrated to Italy, then later Cuba and ultimately the United States. Upon immigration to the U.S.A. in 1940, Eleanor’s father anglicized their names to Fred and Eleanor Hambury.

Eleanor attended Ohio State University, where she studied occupational therapy. There, she met Ray Must, whom she married in November 1953. Ray was an artist and founding faculty member in the Art Department at Wright State University, teaching there from 1967 to 1991. Eleanor taught young children at Dayton Public Schools, as well as being an adjunct instructor in the Early Childhood Education program at Wright State University. They had three children: Rachel, Miriam, and David.