Professor studies Spanish flu survivor stories amid epidemic
By ANDREW MOLLENAUER, The (Altoona) MirrorFebruary 6, 2021 GMT
ALTOONA, Pa. (AP) —
A year before COVID-19 began its global rampage, Penn State Altoona history professor John Eicher embarked on a one-of-a-kind study delving into the pandemic of a century past — the 1918 “Spanish” flu.
Eicher was in Berlin, Germany, doing research on 19th century German immigration to Texas when he realized it was the centennial year of the Spanish flu.
His curiosity brought him to various archives, and he was shocked to find the documents he sought had been virtually untouched for 15 years.
Fewer than five researchers had requested the archive’s Spanish flu documents since 2003.