An unexpected discovery
Lilly Huggler Ackermann is our mystery woman from the past, the one we were looking for in issue #03/2022. Lilly pulled out her photo album and shared some memories from her time as one of the first women training as a drafter at GF.
In the 1960s, most people I knew chose the traditional path of vocational training as a commercial clerk for their first step into working life. I wanted to try something new. I was lucky that at the time GF was designing a completely new vocational training program and looking for new recruits. I thought it was revolutionary and immediately applied. I passed the aptitude test for the all-female vocational training class of drafters. We went to classes for one year, followed by two years of practical experience at GF. We all got along really well, even after the training program ended. Even today, I feel connected to GF – and I still am! We are a genuine family at GF. I even met the man who became my husband, Friedrich Huggler, in the office of my former supervisor, Mr. Paul Gloor, a divisional head in the foundry machines department. His father, who was also called Friedrich, sold lathes as an engineer at GF. Roland Ackermann, my brother, did his apprenticeship as an electrician at GF. And my niece Gabriela Ackermann now coordinates seminars and events for GF as part of the team at Klostergut Paradies, a local convention center.
Lilly Huggler Ackermann
Position: former GF trainee
Location: Schaffhausen (Switzerland)
With GF: 1961–1963
And you?
Was GF ever a stepping stone for you to try something new? Share your story and photo with us. Send your photo (high resolution: approx. 2 MB) together with a short explanation: globe@georgfischer.com