Otto Nothhacksberger Memorial Fund
The Otto Nothhacksberger Memorial Fund was established by Clara Flora Lieber Nothhacksberger to honor the memory of her husband. Clara Lieber was born in Indianapolis, Indiana in 1902. Her parents were Robert Lieber and Clara Louise Becker Lieber. At the time of her birth, Clara's father was the proprietor of an art work store who later figured prominently in photography and movie production.
Lieber was educated through her high school years in Indianapolis. In 1923, she received her Associate Degree from Smith College in Northhampton, Massachusetts, attended the University of Chicago during the summer in 1924, and earned her Bachelor's degree from the University College London in 1936. After graduation, Lieber became a doctoral student at the Kaiser-Wilhelm Institute in Germany. There, she studied barium and strontium, discovering several isotopes of both elements. She conducted research with Otto Hahn and Fritz Strassmann, and contributed to the discovery of fission and fission products. In 1939, Lieber returned to the United States without completing her Doctorate.
Lieber married Otto Josef Alois Nothhacksberger on November 18, 1948 in the Church of the Holy Trinity in Paris, France. There were no children born of the marriage, although Clara's husband, Otto, had a daughter, Ulla Nothhacksberger, by a previous marriage. She resided in Stockholm, Sweden, until the time of her death in 1996.
Otto Nothhacksberger was a Viennese. After his formal education was completed, he became a Lutheran Minister and served a congregation in Paris, where the Nothhacksbergers lived a great part of their lives. While not considered an accomplished pianist, Nothhacksberger did play the piano and that, combined with his upbringing in Vienna, contributed to his keen interest in music and in the development of young musicians.