In 1953, Gernreich met Oreste Pucciani, future chairman of the UCLA French department, who was a key figure in bringing Jean-Paul Sartre to the attention of American educators.
I 1953 mødte Gernreich Oreste Pucciani formand for UCLAs institut for fransk, som var en nøglefigur i at formidle Jean-Paul Sartre til de amerikanske undervisere.