Miep+Gies

= Miep Gies =

**Miep Gies (February 15, 1909 – January 11, 2010) was one of the Dutch citizens who hid Anne Frank and her family in an attic annex above Anne's father's place of business, from the Nazis during World War 2. She discovered Annes' diary after the Franks were arrested.** Miep Gies was born with the name Hermine Santrouschitz, in 1909, in Vienna Australia. An Austrian Christian, Miep had to leave her family because they could not care for her. She was sent to Leiden, Holland, as part of a program to help malnourished children. She lives there with a "host family," (similar to foster care), who she grew to love very much. They give her the name Miep, because they thought Hermine was too formal. In 1922, she moved with her adopted family to Amsterdam.  Miep loved her foster family very much. Although they already had five children, they gave Miep everything they had to give her, and cared for her very much. I n 1933, she met Otto Frank when she applied for the temporary secretary in his company. The company sold a preparation product used for making jams and jellies. She ran the information desk, and was eventually moved up to a more general administrative role. Miep married Jan Geis on July 16, 1941. Their only son Paul, was born on July 13, 1950. Jan Gies died in 1993 from diabetes.

Accomplishments
In 1994, Gies was awarded the __Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany__,as well as the __Walldenburg Meada__l by the Univerity of michigan. The next year, Gies received the __Yad Vashemmedal.__ In 1997, she was knighted by Queen Beatrice of the Netherlands. The planet 8978 (miepgeis) is named in her honor. 