|
Curt Allina was the executive vice president of PEZ® 1953-1979. These
interviews were conducted between December 1992 and February 1994
How did you get started with the PEZ® company?
The way they came to me...it was the uncle of my first wife. He worked as an
independant agent for Haas in Central America. Haas, Sr., who is Consul Haas's
father, came to Vienna, visited with us and made me an offer. I took it and some
months later he came back again and formed a corporation with the Dr. Whittenberg
as the attorney and Mr. Graff as the accountant, and I was to be vice president
all of a sudden. It was in 1952 or 1953. (See Allina Contract. Appendex E. ED.)
Have you heard of the accounting company of Joseph Graff? Joseph Graff, the old
man, was a fantastic human being, an Austrian, and he passed away. The Graff
Agency is still the accounting firm for the company today. He used to be like
a father to me. The first attorney they had was Dr. Whittenberg, who passed
away in 1962, and Mr. Haas, Sr. They were my mentors.
How long had you been in the U.S.?
I had been in the U.S. since 1948. I was not married at the time.
Where were you born?
I was born August 12, 1922 in Prague, Czechoslovakia. I was raised and educated
in Vienna, Austria. When I was small in Vienna--about eight--Sigmund Freud lived
across the street from me. We lived at 18 Berg Gasse and he at 19 Berg Gasse.
|
|
Did you ever talk to him?
Why? He was an old man, I was a boy (laughs). I didn't know about him until
years later anyway.
What brought you to the U.S. in 1948?
My father had been in the States since the 1920s.
What were you doing before Haas found you?
I worked for HyGrade Foods in the U.S. You know, the meat packers. They're still
in business, mostly known for their frankfurters or hot dogs.
What did Haas want you to do?
He wanted me to manage the American PEZ-Haas, Inc., which was the name of the
first corporation.
Was that just PEZ products?
Yes, just PEZ®.
Before you set up the company around 1953 with Haas, how could PEZ® have
reached the U.S. before then? Could anyone have been selling it?
No. Nobody had it.
I bought some items from a woman in New York who said that someone she knew
returning from World War II brought back a PEZ® dispenser.
That could be. They had them in Europe around 1948.
|
|
|- Collecting® PEZ -|-
Back to Main -|-
A Pictorial Guide -|
© 1994 by David Welch. All rights reserved.
No part of this website may be reproduced or used in any form or by any means,
including printing, saving,
recording, taping or information storage or retrieval systems,
without written permission from the publisher.
|
Curt Allina