Minnie and Family

While Kirsner was still an intern at Woodlawn, he met his wife, Minnie Schneider, a ballet dancer for the Chicago Opera Ballet, when she came into the Woodlawn medical clinic with an ear infection. Kirsner and Schneider fell in love with each other, and they married in 1934. Minnie encouraged Kirsner to choose a specialty instead of focusing on general medicine. She worked as a ballet dancer, actress, executive secretary, social worker, and a wife and mother. Minnie was the absolute love of Kirsner’s life, and together, they had one son named Robert. While Kirsner served during World War II, Minnie cared for the home and their young son alone. Their son, Robert, grew up to be a professor of Germanic Languages at UCLA, specializing in Afrikaans, Dutch, and Flemish languages & cultures. He also got married and had two children, later having two grandchildren.

Photograph of Dr. Kirsner and his wife, Minnie at an event, 1978.
Photograph of Dr. Kirsner and his wife, Minnie at an event, 1978.

Kirsner, Joseph B. Papers, Box 66, Folder 3, Hanna Holborn Gray Special Collections Research Center, University of Chicago Library.
Photograph of Bea Larry and Minnie. Minnie is the focus in the photograph. Photographer and date unknown.
Photograph of Bea Lary and Minnie. Minnie is the focus in the photograph. Photographer and date unknown.

Kirsner, Joseph B. Papers, Box 66, Folder 2, Hanna Holborn Gray Special Collections Research Center, University of Chicago Library.
Photograph of Minnie, Kirsner, and their son, Robert, before Kirsner went to serve in World War II, October 1941.
Photograph of Minnie, Kirsner, and their son, Robert, before Kirsner went to serve in World War II, October 1941.

Kirsner, Joseph B. Papers, Box 68, Folder 7, Hanna Holborn Gray Special Collections Research Center, University of Chicago Library.
Photograph of Minnie, Kirsner, and their son, Robert. The photo was taken just before Kirsner left for war. January 1944.
Photograph of Minnie, Kirsner, and their son, Robert. The photo was taken just before Kirsner left for war. January 1944.

Kirsner, Joseph B. Papers, Box 68, Folder 7, Hanna Holborn Gray Special Collections Research Center, University of Chicago Library.

Writing on the back of the photo: "No exception for doctors taken at Carlisle Barracks after basic training. Grueling training had to run miles and climb walls dropped in the woods for survival training."