Rheumatoid Arthritis Support

Wassmann was born in Mars, Pennsylvania, the youngest of four children. His retired father was an engineer and worked in the steel industry. His mother trained as a chemist and research librarian, later worked as a school librarian and was active in local politics. He grew up in a family with a strong feminist legacy; his paternal grandmother ran the office of Pennsylvania Governor Gifford Pinchot; his maternal grandmother taught at the American University of Beirut Hospital.

At the age of seven Wassmann contracted rheumatic fever, was hospitalised and left with a heart murmur. Two years later, his older brother developed juvenile rheumatoid arthritis, leaving him unable to walk unassisted for the next several years. During these periods of confinement, the two acquired early mutual interests in photography, art and architecture that would define their work in later years. His brother would become a well-known acoustical architect in New England. Despite restrictions on his activity, Wassmann became an avid cyclist and skater and as a teenager was an all-star in Pittsburgh's regional hockey league. He travelled to Timaru, New Zealand in 1975 as an exchange student. He graduated from North Allegheny High School in Wexford, Pennsylvania the following year.


Adapted from the Wikipedia article Jeff Wassmann, under the G. N. U. Free Documentation License. Please also see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki