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Philippe died peacefully the evening of Aug. 4 surrounded by his beloved Colette and their three children, Emmanuel, Karine and Antoine. May his memory be a blessing.
Luverne in the 1940s and ’50s was still in the grip of not only the trauma and losses of the war but also religious separation.
Myths about “the other” still existed in small midwestern towns, and when Phil arrived as a Catholic, Wayne Hoffman, the Presbyterian pastor, and Stan Eyberg, the ELCA Lutheran pastor, suggested that Monsignor Michael Doyle from St. Catherine’s Church be added to the AFS sponsors.
From his arrival, Philippe was a healer and bridge builder. The pastors and other sponsors became friends, and the congregations and community followed.
Fifty years later when Phil and Colette attended mass, Father Tom Jennings mentioned that “after half a century Phil is still remembered by our members as a significant influence.”
The gentleman from Chambery, who would become a rare Chevalier of the French Legion of Honor, would also prove himself early on the Chevalier of Rock County.
Philippe lived in my family’s home, with my parents, Dr. Jerry and Clara Getman, and my four siblings during the 1957-58 school year. Before this time, foreign language wasn’t taught in Luverne.
As his Luverne roommate he became a brother as close as my Getman brothers especially as we reconnected in later life. We honor the huge faithful gift Philippe was to his far-flung family and friends. Nothing conveys this more than the treasured memory of our Christmas 1957.
Bill, then 4, remembers, “Each day I took my little red chair and sat out by the driveway to await Phil’s return from school. He still spoke only broken English, as did I, so he would hold my hand and take me down to Al’s Market near the high school and buy me a popsicle. We communicated better than anyone else in the family.”
My cousin Bill Keitel provides this childhood perceptive of Phil, speaking for all the Keitels and many other “children” from that era:
“As a child of six my remembrances are vague and shadowy. But I remember the excitement of a person who spoke a different language than our own.
We accepted him into our communal family and embraced his presence. The years carried on and I never encountered him again ... yet he lived on in the periphery
of my imagination. A person from far away who made a great impression on a small homogenous community in the Midwest.
AFS and the sponsors were fully responsible for creating this international relationship in which all benefited mightily. He helped us become aware of a larger world and create a spirit of recognition beyond the watershed of the Rock River.
Though we never crossed pathways again, I was made aware that the world was bigger and better than I could imagine. I share the whole joint family sorrow.”
Class of ’59 Eleanor Rober Guilder conveyed:
“He will always be in our hearts … thinking of the love, smiles and kindness he showed to every LHS classmate. I will always smile when I hear his name or hold the senior photo of him on which he wrote a note and signed. He loved our class just like his own. He was our first exchange student and the best.”
Dr. David Piepgras (Class of ‘58), remembered Philippe joyfully:
"I have thought of him often over the years, as a fine outstanding ambassador. How fortunate we all were to have him as a classmate our senior year at LHS. We enjoyed many times together with a group of close friends; Phil was not only a unique center of attention and affection at our many evening gatherings but became the nucleus of our group.
During my time in the military, my wife Jane and I located him at his office (with Peugeot Company) in Paris and had a delightful reunion. His presence at our 2008 Class reunion in Luverne was very special and we pass on our sincere condolences to his family, along with thanks to AFS and his American family and sponsors for bringing Phil into our lives.”
In a 1980 Paris visit my parents reestablished personal contact with Philippe, and subsequently Karen and I and our three children visited the Piot family in 1984 in Chambery.
It was the first of back-and-forth visits almost every year since, resulting in the two sets of same gender and age children becoming as brothers and sisters.
Philippe was a principled businessman, public leader and generous loving husband, father, grandfather, brother, and friend to all who knew and loved him. Our lives will not be the same without his presence.
Something truly special and universal happened with Philippe as an ambassador. He had a unique purpose and place in this world … especially to our small out-of-the-way town so soon after World War II.
He was of course the first of a long string of wonderful exchange students, however unique in that he was a mindful survivor anointed with the grace needed to manage the actual horrors of war along with those of his iconic historic family.
He was likely the last (possibly along with the 1958-59 German student) foreign exchange student who actually watched bombing from the mountains overlooking their occupied cities. His sense of purpose was underscored.
May his gracious and vibrant spirit of friendship and healing linger much longer in our lives.
For once again we are facing alienation that comes from warlike partisanship and ideological division that can only be healed by love that embraces the strangers and aliens in our midst.
The affection of Phil’s caring in his radiant manner — especially for the little children here and his many grandchildren, nieces, and nephews in France — is a treasure that will be cherished for the rest of my days. What a privilege and what a gift.
Thank you, Philippe Piot and family. Our memories of you are truly a blessing to your friends in France and the United States.
May his spirit live on in all who knew him.”