Birgit Hansen, Danes Worldwide Co-representative, Seattle WA, USA. January 23., 2025.
Introduction
I first met Lisbeth Naber when she contacted me to report problems with paying for her Danes Worldwide membership. After letting her know how she could best renew her membership, I looked her up in our member inventory and noticed that she had been a member for 55 years. I wondered if she might be the Danish Worldwide member with the longest continuous membership. A few days later, Lisbeth sent me her plan for improving American teenagers’ math ability by setting up and online school based on the same principles as her Danish ‘gymnasium’ back in the days of her youth. Such a request is of course not something that Danes Worldwide can help members with, but I realized that Lisbeth had a long—she is 96-years old—and interesting expat life behind her. The idea of authoring this article started to take form.
A Girl Named Lisbeth
The girl who was given the name Lisbeth Reumert was born in Copenhagen where she grew up with her 3-year older brother Jørgen. Older Danes Worldwide members may remember this last name from the famous Danish actor Paul Reumert, who indeed was a first cousin of Lisbeth’s father. The family moved to Gentofte, a suburb of Copenhagen, when Lisbeth was in the 4th grade before World War 2 broke out, and Lisbeth spent the rest of her childhood and youth at this location with the extended Reumert family nearby.
Lisbeth graduated from ‘Gentofte Statsskole’ in 1947 with a mathematical ‘studentereksamen’ degree. She decided to study chemical pharmacology at Copenhagen University and earned a master’s degree in 1953. At the time, it was the most advanced degree you could get in that field. After working a couple of years in Switzerland, she and her first husband, a Danish engineer, decided to try their luck on the other side of the Atlantic.
Lisbeth has always been very proud of her Danish ‘Studentereksamen’ and how much she learned those 7 years after 5th grade and made this list of subjects.
‘Studentereksamensholdet’ from Gentofte Statsskole 1947. Lisbeth Naber is second from left in the back row.
Coming to America
Arriving in the US in 1955 her husband started working at DuPont in West Virginia, while Lisbeth worked at a government lab. During their time in West Virginia, Lisbeth and her husband had two girls, Rebecca 1958, and Birgitte 1959, and Lisbeth had to concentrate on taking care of the children. The couple divorced after moving to Wilmington Delaware a few years later.
Working in Research
Now alone with two pre-school age children, Lisbeth tried hard to make herself a valuable employee and scientist. She took as many early computer courses and certifications as she could and landed a job at DuPont’s main development center in Delaware as a research assistant. Soon she started doing research projects that involved using the then little-known main-frame computers to show DuPont and the scientific world that using computers for chemical and biological research saved time, increased accuracy and opened new doors in innovation. Lisbeth published her results in scientific papers. However, recognition was hard to come by. At the time she had a Black man as her manager and the two formed a bond as they both represented marginalized groups fighting for their right to work in science and research on equal terms with established groups. A couple of years later her Black manager was offered a professor job at Yale University.
It has been a deep wound for more than 50-years that American employers didn’t recognize her Danish education, nor gave her credit and fair compensation for the work she was doing. At the time DuPont was one of the most innovative companies on the planet. It developed synthetic fibers such as nylon, Lycra, rayon and other pioneering products including Lucite, Teflon, Mylar, Kevlar, Tyvek and silicone-based lubricants to name a few. Although it was an exciting place to work, Lisbeth felt under-appreciated. In her own words, she was told she lacked education, as she received no credit for her Danish degree. She would get promoted without a pay increase. Sad as it is, the 1950’s, -60’s and -70’s was a time when women working in science, technology, and other male dominated fields were discriminated against in the workplace and not offered the compensation, promotions and appreciation they deserved. It is worth remembering that around the same time, the woman who would later become the first woman to serve on the Supreme Court of America, Sandra Day O’Conner, could not find a job as a lawyer when she graduated from law school cum laude because of her gender. Instead, she had to give advice for free and work as a secretary in a law firm.
A New Start
In 1969 Lisbeth met David Naber, a chemical engineer, and the two were married in 1975. The couple decided to move to the Pacific Northwest in 1994 and bought a new home in a retirement community in Lacey, Washington, where they still live. They have both been immensely active in their community and started folk dance groups and art classes. Not long after their move, Lisbeth got the idea of starting Washington State Senior Games which now attracts more than 2,000 participants every summer. She won gold in shot put and silver in discus in the National Senior Games in New Mexico when she was 91 years old and is still an active gold-winner in these disciplines.
A highlight happened in 2002 when the Winter Olympics were held in Salt Lake City, Utah, USA, and the Olympic torch was carried among other stretches from Portland, Oregon, to Seattle. David contacted the Olympic Committee and lobbied for Lisbeth to be chosen as one of the torch bearers. When Lisbeth was chosen, tears ran down her cheeks. She carried the torch from Olympia to Lacey, Washington. The couple still count it as one of the highlights of their lives and have kept all newspaper clippings and other paraphernalia of the event.
Lisbeth Naber carrying the Olympic Torch in January 2002.
Relationship with Denmark and Danes Worldwide
Despite having lived 70 years in the USA, Lisbeth has always felt she was Danish, still speaks Danish besides English, and gives Danes Worldwide credit for keeping her informed about cultural and political events in Denmark. Danes Worldwide has functioned as her lifeline with Denmark. She now looks forward to celebrating her and David’s 50th anniversary this coming November.
Closing Comments
In addition to her professional career, Lisbeth has always been a good drawer and illustrator, and a sampling of her works are displayed in this article.
