After almost 30 years at the VHS, Dr. Manfred Muster retires.
Erding - He has dedicated himself to health and made the department the largest in the adult education center (VHS) Erding. For almost 30 years, Dr. Manfred Muster works for the VHS. Now the 65-year-old is retiring.
Born in Kassel, he has been at the VHS in Erding since 1992. Before that, he worked for two and a half years as a full-time national trainer in the Bavarian Table Tennis Association. He could have coached the Norwegian women's table tennis team. But after completing his teaching degree in English and sport (with a doctorate), he decided to go to Bavaria instead of Scandinavia.
It wasn't until the age of 14 that Muster began to play table tennis. "I only played mediocre myself, up to the state league," he says. Conveying knowledge was more his thing. He liked to exchange ideas with others. For example, Muster is a founding member of the Association of German Table Tennis Trainers, has written textbooks and made educational films. Today he still trains players once a week at TSV Erding.
The sport didn't let go of him at the VHS either. As head of the health department, Muster is responsible for all courses and events in the areas of nutrition, exercise, relaxation / yoga - a total of more than 300 events per semester. Critical thinking and questioning of things was also always important to him. This attitude shaped lecture events and discussion evenings on health education.
This included sold out lectures by Dr. Marianne Koch or Franz Alt, patient forums in cooperation with the Erding Clinic, the adult education center concepts “Encourage children with movement” and “Practice coordination through play”, the doctor-patient academy, large ballet performances with ballet master Feli Haag or the series of events "Do something before your heart breaks".
Muster is particularly proud of one of the last events before the corona lockdown: Bavaria's Minister of Culture Michael Piazolo was a guest in Erding in mid-February. He discussed the school of tomorrow with educational researcher Manfred Prenzel.
“We actually have a great deal of importance on a small scale,” says Muster in view of the numerous information events in the health sector. "I think we have been able to prevent some heart attacks." Not his own, however. Pattern was 45 years back then. The trigger for him: stress. “I was very lucky.” And since then three stents. From then on, Muster lived even more healthily and did a lot of sport: cycling in summer, cross-country skiing in winter. And he wrote with the Erdinger cardiologist Dr. Rolf Zielinski published a book entitled “Exercise and Health”. There is one thing he regrets: not having taken part in VHS courses more often.
Despite all the organization, “I never saw myself as the head of the lecturers and course instructors,” says Muster. “I always wanted to have time for her.” An appreciation that was noticed. Also from a business point of view, samples had to be fit. “I've always paid close attention to the numbers. But the term adult education center is also an obligation. Namely, to offer reasonable prices with good quality. ”After all, the adult education center is not a private company, but organized as a special purpose association to which all 26 district communities belong.
Corona also caught the VHS cold this year. The spring semester had to be canceled and the course fees were reimbursed. But Muster remembers that the adult education center was once much worse off. That was about 15 years ago when she moved into the new building on Lethnerstrasse. At that time, many grants were no longer available. “We celebrated a positive account balance with a bottle of sparkling wine,” says Muster. Zumba was the salvation back then.
He is looking forward to the free time he will have from September. Time for his second passion: music. It wasn't until late, when he was over 40, that Muster learned trombone from Kurt Müller at the district music school. He can also play guitar and piano. He makes music together with two friends. "Sometimes we have light moments and very good things come out," says the 65-year-old. He records everything and cuts the pieces, mostly improvisations, together.
When his daughter Nina was born, now 24, Muster had composed a small piano piece. “Now, for my retirement, I've bought a tenor saxophone,” says Muster. The beginnings were not very promising. “Nothing came of it. At first I looked stupid. ”And another project wants to tackle Muster: He wants to look for a publisher for his crime thriller, which he wrote a few years ago. It plays on the East Frisian island of Spiekeroog.
Gabi Zierz
