Oscar Hammerstein II influenced Stephen Sondheim, a friend of the Hammerstein family from childhood. Sondheim has attributed his success in theater, and especially as a lyricist, directly to Hammerstein's influence and guidance. The Oscar Hammerstein Award for Lifetime Achievement in Musical Theatre is presented annually. The York Theatre Company in New York City is the Administrator of the award. The 2009 winners were Jerry Bock and Sheldon Harnick. Past awardees are composers such as Stephen Sondheim and performers such as Carol Channing. The 2010 award went to Thomas Meehan. Oscar Hammerstein was a member of the American Theater Hall of Fame. Oscar Hammerstein
Kurt von Hammerstein-Equord Luise von Hammerstein-Equord was a friend to Werner Scholem. First he was a member of the Reichstag (KPD), organizer and redactor. He turned away from the KPD, was mostly arrested since 1933 and was shot 1940 in the KZ Buchenwald. From 1937 until 1951 she was in a second marriage with Ernst-Friedemann Freiherr von Münchhausen, who owned an estate near Weimar. After the war the couple separated, Marie Luise moved 1949 from West-Berlin to East-Berlin, and became a member of the SED, and worked as a lawyer“. She worked mostly for Jewish clients. Helga von Hammerstein-Equord fell at the age