Armin's Story
Armin's Story
Armin Homann was born
in schlesien, Germany, which is now a part of Poland.
He endured a difficult childhood, becoming a refugee during World War II at the age of 3 and living in a freight train until finding a place to settle.
His family eventually settled in Ascha, Germany, where he lived for 5 years until both of his parents died. He then moved to Bielefeld where his 18 year-old brother gained custody of him and his two other siblings. Soccer helped make Armin resilient though, and it was soccer that provided his opportunity to come to the United States at the age of 18.
He came to America in 1960 as a professional soccer player and played soccer for a few years in Chicago with the Schwaben AC team, as well as in New York with the New York Cosmos. Armin also played many times for the Chicago All Stars and US Select Teams.
After his soccer career, Armin settled in suburban Chicago and went into radio. In 1964, Armin began hosting the weekend radio show "Deutschlandecho" ("Germany Echo") a show that played traditional German folk music for Chicago radio listeners. It aired on numerous ethnic-targeted radio stations over the past few decades, but most recently has been heard weekend mornings on WNWI-AM 1080.
For over half a century, Armin was known as the radio voice of the German community, bringing the music of Germany to Chicago. He also hosted regular concerts, dances, and events that brought German entertainers to Chicago, including his annual Weihnachts-Show/Christmas Show where guests could enjoy German folksongs and Christmas music.
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Armin was also a pillar in the German community with a magnetic personality that people were drawn to.
His desire to bring Chicagoland Germans together through his own passions of soccer and radio was celebrated. In 2016, Armin was honored at the Chicago German Consulate and given the “German American Friendship Award” for his many years of having a positive impact on German-American relations. This award, established in 1981, is given by the German Ambassador to those who have shown extraordinary commitment to fostering German-American relations. This truly embodied Armin’s spirit.
While Armin was an accomplished soccer player and radio personality, his closest family and friends remember him as a big personality with an even bigger heart. He was a true family man who loved to keep his family united. Seeing his children and grandchildren in the same room brought him pure joy. Armin was a very loving, generous, stubborn, hard-working, and a loyal human being. He was funny too – known for answering the phone with “Good looking Armin speaking!” On top of that, he was so incredibly selfless – making sure everyone was taken care of - often showing up with food and toiletries in tow or calling to get your list before even going to the store.
As a father to three children (Simone, Markus, and Carina), and grandfather to five (Taylor, Alexis, Anthony, Christian, and Mateo), Armin always went above and beyond for his family. He had a special relationship with each and every family member, and he often had heart-to-heart conversations, offering advice whenever he could. His demeanor was calm and patient, which made it easy to tell him anything and everything knowing he would not get upset. Armin was the ultimate family man, but also a magnetic force in the community. He was not just a pillar in the German-American community but also as the patriarch of his family.
It is with his same captivating spirit and desire to unite and inspire a community that Armin’s legacy lives on through the Armin Homann Foundation.
Providing scholarships for media, cultural, and educational experiences as well as soccer camps for marginalized populations, the Armin Homann Foundation seeks to engage and encourage the next generation for decades to come.