I Am Texas: Gregg Philipson

About Gregg Philipson

Gregg Philipson is an Austin resident who has become one of the foremost collectors of Holocaust and WWII artifacts in the country. His uncle, Jerry Degenstein, was killed fighting the Nazi army during World War II, and his family urged him to keep his uncle's memory alive — a calling that grew into decades of dedicated collecting and education.

In 2012, Governor Rick Perry appointed Philipson a Commissioner to the Texas Holocaust and Genocide Commission. He and his wife, Michelle, travel the country — and sometimes internationally, usually at their own expense — bringing portions of the Gregg and Michelle Philipson Collection and Archive to museums, universities, schools, and U.S. military installations.

Their collection spans Holocaust-era material, WWII propaganda, Jewish cultural artifacts, and family history — guided by the Hebrew value of l'dor v'dor, from generation to generation.