International Convention of Germans from Russia

2008-08-03T08:34:00.025-06:00

Guten Morgen! FINAL EDITION Sunday, August 3, 2008

CASPER, WYOMING – The Ballroom was chock full last night (8/2) for the final banquet of the 2008 International Convention of Germans from Russia in Casper, Wyoming. Nearly 800 persons attended the weeklong joint gathering of the American Historical Society of Germans from Russia (AHSGR) and the Germans from Russia Heritage Society (GRHS). The week was replete with workshops, sing-a-longs, international speakers and Kuchen breaks! Ed Hoak of Long Grove, Illinois, a Past-President of AHSGR, presided over the banquet festivities.

Lewis R. Marquardt and Dona Reeves-Marquardt of Austin, Texas gave the special message, Our German-Russian Communities: A Common Heritage, An Uncommon History. Lew and Dona are both Life Members of both societies. Theirs was a wonderful concluding message for this first joint session of these two German-Russian societies. Editor’s Note: As expressed by Lew and Dona, let us not allow this to be our last joint convention! The Parkway did a wonderful job, and the food was outstanding – but what really made this a remarkable convention was “unser Leute,” kindred souls from two organizations, coming together to Celebrate Our Common Heritage, the theme of the convention. We depart with new friendships and many memorable experiences!

Directors and Officers for both societies and their foundations were recognized, and the AHSGR Distinguished Service Award recipients, Mayo Flegel and the late Raymond Pfau, were honored. It was also an opportunity for Convention Co-Chairs Al Feist of Hebron, North Dakota, and Patti Sellenrick of Sheridan, Wyoming, to identify those many folks who worked on the Planning Committee for the convention.

The banquet concluded with the Passing of the Lantern. For AHSGR, it passed from Casper, Wyoming, to Medicine Hat, Alberta, Canada, where the 2009 convention will take place. For GRHS, the lantern passed from Casper to Rapid City, South Dakota, site of the next GRHS annual convention.

About 200 persons attended the Non-Denominational Worship Service in the Ballroom Sunday morning. The service was led by Rev. Mr. Don Stewart of Casper. Corinne Koehler and Del Beck were Music Leaders.

A reminder that many random photographs of convention actitives are posted at a gallery we've named Casper Memories. That gallery will remain available indefinitely, and we encourage your "Comment," if you can identify a photo or wish to make a correction or comment. All photographs are being made available to AHSGR and GRHS headquarters. This convention web site will also remain active indefinitely, although there will be no new postings, except for any necessary corrections. Many thanks.

-- Larry Miller, Editor

Gott mit euch, bis wir uns wiedersh’n!

2008-08-02T01:24:00.016-06:00

Guten Morgen! Today is Saturday, August 2, 2008

CASPER, WYOMING -- It’s straight to work this morning at the Germans from Russia convention. Seven workshops begin at 8:30 (see the list below), but then we get down to “business.” The GRHS Annual Business meeting moves into the Ballroom at 9:45. At 10:45, the AHSGR Board of Directors meets in Adrienne’s, the GRHS Board gathers in Champagne, and the IFAHSGR Board of Trustees convenes in the Senate Room. All three Boards are scheduled to conduct elections.

"Anything but boring!" That’s how Dr. Mila Koretnikov characterized her family’s life in Germany over the past 18 months. As the luncheon speaker Friday (8/1) at the International Convention of Germans from Russia in Casper, the relatively young Dr. Koretnikov told the story of her family leaving Russia for a new life in Germany. One-Way Ticket from Russia to Germany: Aussiedlers in the Beginning of the 21st Century recounted how, by 1998, nearly all of her known relatives – more than 300 – had gone from Russia to Germany. She shared the experiences of transitioning through “Friedland” in Lower Saxony to finally settling in Anstatt. The heavy migration of Aussiedlers has plummeted in the last few years, from nearly 100,000 a year at the start of the millennium to fewer than 6,000 in 2007. Because they are perceived as “different” -- language dialects and media perceptions about immigrants – it remains difficult for Aussiedlers. Of her family’s experience in Germany, she says, “…after 15 years, we still don’t feel at home.”

Another day at the shops! We’re talking workshops – 21 of them today – and there truly is something for everyone. For the early birds (8:30 a.m.) here’s the lineup:

Kherson Taurien & Ekaterinoslav Region-Adrienne’s
Looking at the Land of Your Ancestor-American
Documents on the Famine of 1921-1922 in the Volga-Ballroom A
From Steppe to Steppe: Black Sea to Volga German Kansas-Ballroom B
Grossliebental Area Research-Ballroom C
Archive Research in the Lower Volga Region-Tiffany
The German Brotherhood-Wyoming

This afternoon, the first round of workshops begins at 2 o’clock with:
Germans to Prussia, Poland to Russia-Adrienne’s
History of a Colony-How to Restore a Family History-American
Understanding Russia in the 21st Century #1-Ballroom A
Germans from Russia and North Platte Valley Ag-Ballroom B
The Long Trek-Ballroom C
From Steppe to Steppe-Tiffany
Lost in Russia-Wyoming

The final workshop sessions of the convention start at 3:30 p.m. with:
Hungary to Russia-Adrienne’s
Our German Russian Relatives in South America-American
Understanding Russia in the 21st Century #2-Ballroom A
Northern Volga Protestant Villages-Ballroom B
The Long Trek-Ballroom C
The Development of the G-R Settlements in North Caucasus-Gourmet
Southern Protestant Villages of Kanton Kamenka-Wyoming

Appetites were whetted yesterday by a mid-afternoon Kuchen Break, and now some of “unser Leute” are going to figure out how to become full-fledged purveyors of tasty Kuchen! They are those lucky souls who pre-registered for the 2:00 p.m. Cultural Cooking Class at the Mills Senior Center. Del Paulson of Pierre, South Dakota, along with Diane White and Nancy Borrell of Lincoln, Nebraska will be joining forces to share tips on making great Black Sea and/or Volga Kuchen. Not to despair for the many of us who didn’t sign up for the class – we can still partake of some tasty Kuchen at 3 o’clock this afternoon between workshop sessions!

Erin Deis and Gwen Schock Cowherd treated the audience to readings of their AHSGR award-winning stories yesterday morning during the Folklore Symposium of the International Convention of Germans from Russia. Gwen’s Second Place entry “The Pendulum Still Swings” mesmerized the audience with an ancestral tale from the northern plains – German-Russian families swinging like a pendulum between their Old World heritage and modern day society. First Place was won by Erin Deis of California. Her “Leaving One Home in Search of Another” lovingly recounts her grandmother’s trek from Saratov, Russia, to Fresno, California. That's Erin on the right, receiving her award yesterday. Then the GRHS spotlight shone on winners of the Youth Essay Contest, which lured entries from nine states and overseas. Alyssa Miller’s essay about her immigrant grandparents took First Place in the University division; Ryan Hoff was runner-up. The Senior High Scholarship Award went to Rebecca Anhorn, while Sarah Mettler, who was runner-up, read her essay for the audience. Thanks to Dick and Vera Hoff for providing this complete list of winners for the GRHS Youth Essay Contest. Check out award photos within the gallery at Casper Memories.

Professor Inna Stryukova returns to the speaker’s platform for the Lunch Buffet at 11:30 this morning (8/2) to give A Ukrainian’s Perspective of the USA. A linguist by training, Professor Stryukova is no stranger to either AHSGR or GRHS, having spoken before both organizations several times. Inna has traveled widely in the former Soviet Union, the countries of Western Europe, Canada, and many states in the USA. It’s a pleasure for members of our societies to renew friendships and welcome Inna to our 2008 convention. Her home is in Nikolaev, Ukraine, and she is well suited to deliver this incisive look at the United States of America.

Dr. Tim Janzen of Happy Valley, Oregon, has been a busy man during the convention. His family has accompanied Janzen to the convention, and he’s already presented two workshops on Mennonite genealogy and genetic genealogy; he partners with Debbie Bieck at 8:30 this morning to present the (KET) Kherson Taurien and Ekaterinoslav Region workshop. But he also plans to spend lots of time near his hallway display board dealing with genetic genealogy, specifically to collect DNA samples as part of a project sponsored by the Sorenson Molecular Genealogy Foundations. It’s the only lab that offers DNA testing for free. Curious? Stop by and visit with Dr. Tim Janzen at his display near the Lobby end of Heritage Hall.

For a variety of photographs from the 2008 International Convention of Germans from Russia, take a look at our Casper Memories gallery. Today is the Final Edition of the printed Casper Morgen Zeitung. Expect a few more posts to the web version. We intend to keep the blogsite up indefinitely; however, there will be no new postings except to correct any errors. Thanks. -- Larry Miller, Editor.

2008-08-01T01:05:00.017-06:00

Guten Morgen! Today is Friday, August 1, 2008

A BIG WELCOME Governor Dave Freudenthal, who grew up in nearby Thermopolis, Wyoming, took time out from his busy schedule to give us a personable and witty welcome yesterday, while reflecting upon his own German heritage. (Okay, he’s not German-Russian, but we think he’s worthy of being an Honorary G-R!) Kenyne Schlager, the Vice-President of the City Council welcomed us to Casper. It was a nice touch for the “official” opening of the convention.

IT’S AUGUST 1st Much of this morning will be for recognizing the achievements of young people. It’s part of the Folklore Symposium: Storytelling, Youth Essays, and Music as the 2008 International Convention of Germans from Russia begins its fifth day of activities in Casper. The symposium gets underway at 8:30 in the Ballrooms of the Parkway Plaza Hotel. AHSGR’s Ken Koehler of Arvada, Colorado will preside over the Storytelling event, while Del Beck of Rapid City, South Dakota will be the point person for the GRHS Youth Essay Contest. It’ll be a chance to acknowledge the achievements of young and old alike in preserving our German-Russian heritage through the written and spoken word. There’ll be music, too, as Cyndi Lesser-Babish of Greeley, Colorado – accompanied by John Stehle of Denver – pays tribute to her famous accordionist father, Adolph Lesser.

VASCHKAU Dr. Nina Vaschkau of Volgograd State University in Russia was the speaker for the Foundation Luncheon yesterday. Her talk, Deportation of Russian Germans in 1941, provided a grim reminder of the ruthlessness of the Russian government and the despair of the German deportees. Those who criticized the deportations were considered anti-Soviet; and Germans who dared oppose it were subject to 20 years of hard labor. Even those persons who hid Germans could go to prison for five years. As late as 1955, after Stalin died, German-Russians were still given no compensation for the confiscation of their property when deported.

WORKSHOPS Professor Inna Stryukova of Kikolaev, Ukraine made the trek to Casper – among other things – to lead a workshop entitled “Looking at the Land of Your Ancestors” yesterday. There was standing room only in the Tiffany Room. It’ll be repeated tomorrow morning (8/2) at 8:30 in the American Room. Stryukova’s presentation was one of 14 workshops available yesterday to the more than 700 people at the convention.

"NOT STRANGERS” North Dakota State University professor Tim Kloberdanz had a timely reminder for Black Sea, Volga region, and other German-Russians: we have more in common than you might think. After a demonstration of differences in language and some customs, Kloberdanz, with the assistance of his wife, Rosalinda Kloberdanz, and her mother, Maria Appelhans, shared the touching story of Rosalinda’s 100-year-old grandmother and her experience as an immigrant. Kloberdanz said that the grandmother visited the United States and spoke at a very early AHSGR convention. No matter where ours roots may be – Black Sea, Volga, or elsewhere – we German-Russians have more in common that we have that sets us apart. And that would seem to be true whether we live in Canada, Germany, Argentina or the United States. Heritage evening concluded with informal village visits and socializing.

Are we having fun yet?

2008-07-31T17:50:00.006-06:00

She might have been Mammy Yokum, but she was really one of the Crimson Dames from the Red Hat Society Kitchen Band. They performed last night (7/30) for the International Convention of Germans from Russia at the Parkway Plaza Hotel in Casper, Wyoming, during the Welcome Night Western Buffet.

You’ll find more photographs at Casper Memories – and we’ll be adding captions and more photos in the days to come!

2008-07-31T00:41:00.023-06:00

Guten Morgen! Today is Thursday, July 31, 2008

CASPER, WYOMING -- GOVERNOR APPEARS TODAY It was an Old West welcome last night for more than 700 people registered thus far for the International Convention of Germans from Russia in Casper. More are anticipated today (7/31) as the week-long convention at the Parkway Plaza Hotel moves in to high gear with Opening Ceremonies slated for 8:30 a.m. Wyoming Governor Dave Freudenthal will greet conventioneers to the Cowboy State.

IS THERE A FIREMAN IN THE HOUSE? At mid-day Wednesday (7/30), what was said to be a “small electrical fire” at the Parkway Plaza Hotel and Convention Center caused a bit of an uproar. Shortly after noon, hotel workers evacuated the hotel after a small fire was detected, triggering alarms throughout the complex. The Casper Fire Department arrived on the scene and spent a good deal of time securing the area, which was confined to a small part of “The Tower” building. The furor delayed check-ins for persons just arriving for the convention. Some weren’t able to get to their rooms until about 4:00 p.m. In the end, despite a hint of remaining smoke, hotel workers opened windows and made up most of the rooms so that by 5:00 p.m., it was hard to tell there had been any disturbance.

V-Cs THANKED Just off Heritage Hall, German-Russian Village Coordinators met yesterday afternoon in the Wyoming Room. Rich Aspenleiter of Spokane, Dennis Zitterkopf of Wichita, and Gayla Gray of Spokane, welcomed V-Cs to the convention. All had a chance to introduce themselves and say a few words about their village or area.

OLD WEST CUISINE OFFERED UP Convention Co-Chairs Patti Sellenrick of Sheridan, Wyoming and Al Feist of Hebron, North Dakota greeted attendees during a Welcome Night Western Buffet with some great hot barbecue sandwiches with corn on the cob and all the tasty trimmings the chuckwagon boss could put together. Many attendees got with the program and were sporting cowboy hats and boots, but there were probably more “city slickers” in the crowd.

EDUCATOR SAYS ‘HOWDY” Dr. Maggie Murdock, Associate Vice-President for Academic Affairs for the University of Wyoming was on hand to extend greetings as well. She acknowledged the enormous contributions that German-Russians have made in Wyoming and across the country. She noted that former Wyoming Governor Jim Geringer – a German-Russian descendant – helped establish a special relationship between the University of Wyoming and Saratov State University in Russia, which continues to this day.

ABOUT THAT FIRE Hotel General Manager Patrick Sweeney made an unexpected appearance before the dinner gathering, noting that any danger from the small electrical fire earlier in the day was quickly curtailed. In fact, the fire was put out before Casper Fire Department units were on the scene. Nonetheless, he outlined the rigorous inspection process that was implemented in order to ensure guest safety. He assured the crowd that everything was now safe.

IT’S “DOGIE” – NOT ‘DOGGY” Western singer Kent Neubert of Casper provided some great after-dinner music featuring songs of the Old West. Accompanied by Jim Halsey, also of Casper, Neubert seemed to capture the attention and appreciation of the entire audience.

LOCAL DRAMA The evening was not without its humor, offered up first by Marvin Nolte as an alcoholic and rowdy “Dr. Benson,” and Carol Chapin as “Ettie Hurt.” Their portrayals of these colorful characters from yesteryear gave the audience a flavor of the early days of Casper and the Old West. They wandered through the audience and told their stories – warts and all -- pulling no punches about their trials and tribulations. It was a bit of western history with a touch of good humor!

WHO WAS THAT LADY IN THE RED HAT? Not to be outdone, the Crimson Dames Red Hat Society Kitchen Band brought the house down with their inventive musical talents, occasionally bawdy humor and lighthearted musical stylings of many great American standard songs. Alas, one of the damsels just wouldn’t stay with the group, straying around the audience and planting lipstick on the foreheads of more than just a few of the gentlemen in the audience.

ADMINISTRATIVE BUSINESS Earlier in the day, the American Historical Society of Germans from Russia (AHSGR) Directors and the International Foundation of the American Historical Society of Germans from Russia (IFAHSGR) Trustees met for meeting. Foundation President Mayo Flegel of Mankato, Minnesota says a full report of foundation activities will be presented Thursday (7/31) at the Foundation Buffet Luncheon in the Ballroom of the Parkway Plaza Hotel and Convention Center in Casper. Flegel will preside for IFAHSGR, while Ted Becker of Minneapolis will preside for HFGR. The luncheon speaker will be Dr. Nina Vaschkau from Volgograd State University in Russia on Deportation of Russian Germans in 1941 and its Consequences.

CONCURRENT WORKSHOPS BEGIN TODAY More than 40 workshops on a variety of topics begin this afternoon. Among the offerings starting at 2:30:
Northern Volga Catholic Villages
SOAR – What is It and What Data is Available On-line?
Kanton Frank and Northern protestant Villages of Kanton Kamenka
An introduction to Mennonite Genealogy
Shatter Belt: Western Russia and the Easter Austro-Hungarian Empire
Looking at the Land of Your Ancestors
Beresan (BDO ) Area

Another round of workshops begins at 3:45p.m., including:
Crimea – A Black Sea Jewel
Kutschurgan Roundup
Village Coordinators – Strategies and Information
Photo Journey to Russian Archives, Universities, and Villages
Hoffnungstal Odessa Parish
Reading Cyrillic Script
To the Kingdom of Death: A Research Trip to the Former German Villages in the Ukraine

2008-07-30T17:15:00.017-06:00

Guten Morgen! Today is Wednesday, July 30, 2008

CASPER, WYOMING -- At mid-day Wednesday (7/31), what was said to be a small electrical fire at the Parkway Plaza Hotel and Convention Center caused a bit of an uproar.

Shortly after noon, hotel workers evacuated guests from the hotel after a small fire was detected, triggering alarms throughout the complex. The fire department arrived on the scene and spent a good deal of time securing the area, which was confined to a small part of the “Towers” building.

The furor delayed check-ins for persons trying to check in for the International Convention of Germans from Russia – some weren’t able to get to their rooms until about 4:00 p.m.

In the end, despite a hint of remaining smoke, hotel workers re-did most of the rooms and opened windows. By 5:00 p.m., it was hard to tell there had been any disturbance.

Down the corridor, just off Heritage Hall, German-Russian Village Coordinators were meeting in the Wyoming Room at mid-afternoon.

Rich Aspenleiter of Spokane, Dennis Zitterkopf of Wichita, and Gayla Gray of Spokane, welcomed V-Cs to the convention. All had a chance to introduce themselves and say a few words about their village or area.

Things will pick up tomorrow when Governor Dave Freudenthal of Wyoming welcomes conventioneers to his state. That’ll occur during Opening Ceremonies at 8:30 a.m. After that, it’s a full schedule of activities, including the first day of more than 40 workshops.

No official count yet, but the last figure mentioned for attendance was approaching 700 persons.

2008-07-29T09:58:00.010-06:00

Guten Morgen! Today is Tuesday, July 29, 2008

CASPER, WYOMING --

Dr. Nina Vaschkau, who chairs Russian History at Volgograd State University in Russia, is a major presenter at the International Convention of Germans from Russia this week in Casper, Wyoming.

The convention opened yesterday (Monday, 7/28) at the Parkway Plaza Hotel and Convention Center. The week-long gathering is a rare joint session of the Germans from Russia Heritage Society (Bismarck, ND) and the American Historical Society of Germans from Russia (Lincoln, NE). The convention concludes Sunday, August 3rd. About 680 persons have registered so far.

Dr. Vaschkau, a graduate of Chelyabinsk State University, has been a professor at Volgograd State University since 1985. Her message to the Casper group is entitled Deportation of Russian Germans in 1941 and Its Consequences. Her remarks are scheduled for 11:45 a.m., this Thursday (7/31) during the Foundation Luncheon in the Ballroom of the Parkway Plaza.

Nina Vaschkau earned her Ph. D. in 1984. In 1998, she defended her dissertation – Spiritual Culture of the Volga Germans: Problems of Schools and Education -- for a History doctorate at Saratov State University. In addition to chairing the Russian History program at Volgograd University, she is a member of the Russian-German Board on Modern History and serves as Head of the Center of Studies in German History at Volgograd University. She has authored more than 80 publications, including four monographs, based on materials from archives in Moscow, St. Petersburg, Saratov, Volgograd, Bonn, Freiburg and Stuttgart. Dr. Vaschkau has been doing research in the area of the history of Russian Germans for more than 20 years. She has a daughter, a senior at the Law School of the Russian State Humanities University in Moscow.

In addition to her Thursday luncheon address, Dr. Vaschkau will also present a workshop on how to restore a family history – History of a Colony. It will be offered at 2:00 p.m., Friday (8/1) in the Tiffany Room of the Parkway Plaza Hotel. It will be repeated Saturday (8/2) at 2:00 p.m. in the American Room.

2008-07-28T23:01:00.007-06:00

Good Morning! Today is Monday, July 28, 2008

CASPER, WYOMING -- The Registration Booth opened today (7/28) at the International Convention of Germans from Russia, and early reports indicate that people have been steadily picking up their packets and seem very excited about the convention getting underway.

Convention Co-Chair Al Feist says approximately 680 folks are now registered for the week-long gathering, which will move in to high gear over the next couple of days.

“AHSGR was very busy throughout the day in various meetings; the AHSGR Library is open with a large variety of books and materials available,” says Feist, who represents the Germans from Russia Heritage Society as convention Co-Chair. His counterpart from the American Historical Society of Germans from Russia is Patti Sellenrick of Sheridan, Wyoming.

While the convention headquarters is the Parkway Plaza Hotel and Convention Center at 123 West E Street in Casper, conventioneers are populating hotels all over the city. Wyoming Governor Dave Freudenthal will be at the Opening Ceremony at 8:30 a.m. Thursday (7/31) to officially welcome the German-Russians to Wyoming.

AHSGR will continue its Directors and Trustees meetings Tuesday and Wednesday (7/29-30). There’ll also be a group of folks headed for the Casper Family History Center to do some genealogical research both days. It’s a convention activity for which separate registration is required.

Tuesday afternoon (7/29) at 1:30, a bus will depart the Parkway destined for the Historic Becker Farm and Old Tyme Entertainment.

Thanks to Al Feist for providing a bit of an update from Casper!

Convention Countdown

2008-07-28T12:01:00.000-06:00

WELCOME TO CASPER and the 2008 International Convention of Germans from Russia at the Parkway Plaza Hotel and Convention Center! The convention Registration and Information Desk is open from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. The Computer Room and the AHSGR Library will also be open today. According to the official Schedule of Events, the AHSGR Directors and the IFAHSGR Trustees will be meeting much of the day. Wyoming Governor Dave Freudenthal will be here to welcome attendees at the Opening Ceremony, 8:30 a.m., Thursday, July 31! The convention runs through Sunday, August 3!

To find information about the convention, we invite you to explore this website. The right-hand column offers a Schedule of Events, an index to workshops and other activities, followed by an index of presenters and other folks involved with this joint convention of the American Historical Society of Germans from Russia and the Germans from Russia Heritage Society.

Welcome to Casper!

Schlager belts out Gershwin

2008-07-28T07:31:00.005-06:00

Harry Schlager is a third-generation German from Russia who is pursuing his American musical dream From L.A. to Broadway. Along the way, during a stopover in Casper for the International Convention of Germans from Russia, the Californian will belt out some great Gershwin tunes and other songs from the American songbook around the Friday (8/1) Dinner Buffet at the Parkway Plaza Hotel and Convention Center. It’s scheduled for 6:30 p.m. to 8:15 p.m.

Born in Torrington, Wyoming, to Harry and Lorraine Schlager, Harry Schlager Jr.’s grandparents were from Merkel and Neu Donhof, Russia. His mother’s parents – the Lebsacks -- came from the villages of Hussenbach and Laub, Russia.

After his school years in Torrington, where he was selected for Swing Choir and later the renowned Casper Troopers Drum and Bugle Corps, Harry enrolled at Casper Community College and studied in the studio of Pat Patton, a native of Lingle, Wyoming.

Harry earned a Bachelor’s degree in Music Theatre Performance at Arizona State University in Tempe and then headed for southern California. He picked up additional musical training with the American Center for Musical Theatre Workshop and the Carol Weiss Musical Theatre Workshop, among others. He performs extensively in regional theatres and other venues across southern California, where he still lives.

The Ballroom at Parkway Plaza will be filled with the music from George Gershwin, Rodgers & Hammerstein, and other American greats. Schlager’s vocal repertoire will be accompanied keyboard stylings of Paula Flynn of Glenrock,Wyoming.

The International Convention of Germans from Russia is a joint affair between the American Historical Society of Germans from Russia in Lincoln, Nebraska, and the Germans from Russia Heritage Society in Bismarck, North Dakota. The event features more than 40 workshops for the nearly one thousand attendees. The convention opens runs through noon Sunday, August 3rd.

Welcome Night: Wyoming Western Style!

2008-07-26T22:06:00.018-06:00

Wyoming is the Cowboy State, so it's appropriate that Welcome Night for the 2008 International Convention of Germans from Russia be a "Western" gathering. Nearly one thousand would-be cowboys and cowgirls are gathering this week at the Parkway Plaza Hotel and Convention Center in Casper for workshops, music, business meetings, storytelling, and a wide range of other activities. The historic convention runs through Sunday, August 3.

And while the Welcome Night Western Buffet in the Parkway Ballroom this Wednesday (July 30) will have a decided cowboy motif, most of the week will be focused on "Celebrating Our Common Heritage" -- a German-Russian heritage -- that pre-dates the Old West and that transcends the two societies sponsoring the convention -- the American Historical Society of Germans from Russia and the Germans from Russia Heritage Society.

Convention co-chairs Al Feist of Hebron, North Dakota and Patti Sellenrick of Sheridan, Wyoming, will corral everyone together about 5:30 p.m. to begin the festivities, which include a greeting from Dr. Maggi Murdock, Associate Vice President for Academic Affairs at the University of Wyoming.

Entertainment will include a bit of music from cowboy singer Kent Neubert, along with the Crimson Dames Red Hat Band, directed by Bev Miller. A bit of humor and drama will be combined to help tell the "Painted Past" of Casper. Angel Capone will deliver the facts, with Carol Chapin protraying Ettie Hurt and Marvin Nolte as Dr. Benson.

Nick and Barb Bretz of Arvada, Colorado will be in charge of the Wester Theme Prizes.

Celebrating our Common Heritage

2008-07-26T21:22:00.002-06:00

The theme of the 2008 International Convention of Germans from Russia this week in Casper, Wyoming (July 28-August 3) is Celebrating our Common Heritage. And to underscore that theme, society officials have tapped two uniquely qualified persons as keynote speakers for the convention banquet on Saturday night (August 2).

Our German-Russian Communities: A Common Heritage, An Uncommon History will be the message delivered by Dona Reeves-Marquardt and Lewis Marquardt of Austin, Texas, when they address the joint convention of the American Historical Society of Germans from Russia and the Germans from Russia Heritage Society at the Parkway Plaza Hotel and Convention Center. Members from both societies – perhaps a thousand in all – will be wrapping up a full week of workshops, business meetings, and festive celebrations.

The convention opens Monday, July 28th and runs through Sunday morning, August 3rd. Wyoming Governor Dave Freudenthal will greet attendees during the official Opening Ceremony at 8:30 a.m. Thursday, July 31st.

Dona Reeves-Marquardt holds a Ph.D. from the University of Texas at Austin and is Professor Emerita at Texas State University, San Marcos, where she taught German language and literature for many years. Primarily of Volga-German ancestry, she has published articles on the language, history and culture of Germans from Russia and has translated major works in that area, including Peter Sinner’s Germans in the Land of the Volga and Gottlieb Beratz’ The German Colonies on the Lower Volga with LaVern Rippley and Leona Pfeifer. Dona’s parents immigrated in 1876 from Volga villages to Russell county, Kansas. She was a Fulbright scholar at Johannes Gutenberg Universität in Mainz, Germany and has studied and traveled extensively in Germany, most recently with her husband, Lew Marquardt, to her ancestral villages in the Palatinate.

Lewis R. Marquardt was born and raised in North Dakota, the eldest son of a German-Russian father and an Irish mother. He grew up among Black Sea Germans and spent his early years teaching instrumental music in South Dakota, and Interdisciplinary Arts and Humanities at Arizona State University, Tempe. His grandparents immigrated in 1888 from Black-Sea-Kutschurgan villages to Emmons county North Dakota. After the death of his first wife, he married Dona Reeves-Marquardt, a Volga-German, with whom he has traveled extensively in Germany, France, and other European countries, exploring ancestral villages, art museums, Fachwerk, and the phenomenon of foreign culture. He is a charter member of AHSGR.

Dona and Lew are Life Members of both GRHS and AHSGR and have spoken frequently in a dual-lecture format using digital presentations.

As a part of the evening, the directors and officers of the organizations will be introduced, and the new GRHS directors and officers will be installed. AHSGR will also announce its Distinguished Service Award.

Several beautiful items have been contributed to the societies, and drawings for those prizes will also take place.

The evening will conclude with the Passing of the Lantern. Next year, AHSGR will convene in Medicine Hat, Alberta, Canada. GRHS will meet in Rapid City, South Dakota.

Tours for early arrivers

2008-07-26T20:51:00.007-06:00

Many “early arrivers” at the International Convention of Germans from Russia will take time to see the sights of central Wyoming, a state of many beautiful contrasts.

On Tuesday afternoon at 1:30, Your Ride tours of Casper will take a group of fun-seekers to The Historic Becker Farm at Emigrant Gap. It’s a beautiful 160-acre working grass/alfalfa hay farm that was established in 1922 and that operates today much as it did 80 years ago. Visitors will bask in the shade of this old homestead, enjoying western hospitality and entertainment – including nearby abundant wildlife (antelope, deer, foxes, eagles and more)! Leisurely meandering through the little country store – perhaps playing a game of horseshows – visitors will be treated to some great Old Tyme country entertainers along with Oregon Trail History.

At 7:00 a.m. Wednesday, another tour heads out from the Parkway Hotel for Black Thunder Mine and the Durham Buffalo Ranch. Black Thunder Mine is the largest open pit coal mine in the United States. It extracted 30.6 million short tons from its open pit in 1994 and nearly 60 million tons in 2000. Visitors will see large dragline equipment and the huge trucks that are used for hauling the coal. The mine tour will last approximately 2 hours. From there, it’s off to the famous 55,000-acre Durham Buffalo Ranch, which has been owned and operated by the Flocchini family since the mid-1960’s and has been the home to American Buffalo since the late 1950’s. A guide will give a history tour and take visitors to see and experience the 2,500 head of buffalo. Afterwards, there’ll be a great Buffalo lunch!

We understand there may still be room available on these tours. If you’re interested, contact Melinda at Your Ride tours for availability and prices, 307 577-1226, or leave a message or email: yourridein@aol.com

Hospitality Suite for volunteers

2008-07-26T19:45:00.004-06:00

Volunteers are important to both the American Historical Society of Germans from Russia and the Germans from Russia Heritage Society.

During the week-long International Convention of Germans from Russia (July 28-August 3) at the Parkway Plaza Hotel and Convention Center in Casper, volunteers will be involved in a wide range of activities from working in the libraries and bookstores to assisting with transportation and the workshops.

Hospitality Committee Co-Chair Cora Raugutt says The Casper Germans from Russia club will staff a Hospitality Suite for working volunteers. It will be open throughout much of the convention. Volunteers should check bulletin board postings for specific hours, since it will be closed during certain events.

There’ll be snacks and drinks for working volunteers. The Hospitality Suite will be located in rooms #1146 and #1150 near the hotel Front Desk.

Lights! Cameras! Action!

2008-07-26T19:07:00.008-06:00

The Cheyenne Room of the Parkway Plaza will become something of a German-Russian theater this week. Convention Co-Chair Patti Sellenrick notes that the theater will be open Monday through Wednesday with a variety of videos, such as A Soulful Sound and Marvin Ziegler’s 1993-94 Trips to Rosenberg, Russia.

There’ll be a daily posting of for DVD showings, videos, and other presentations.

Sellenrick also says there are a variety of options for Youth Activities during the convention. She’ll host an orientation meeting Wednesday afternoon (7/30) at 3 o’clock in Adrian’s room, which is located near the front of the hotel. There’ll be information about things that kids can see and do while they’re in Casper, including some options for activities they can enjoy right at the Parkway Hotel.

The Skylight Room (just above the registration area) will serve as a youth gathering place. Volunteers who’d like to help with the youth activities are encouraged to contact Sellenrick at the convention – or see her Wednesday at 3:00 p.m. in Adrian’s Room.

The International Convention of Germans from Russia open Monday, July 28 and runs through Sunday morning, August 3. It’s a joint session involving the American Historical Society of Germans from Russia and the Germans from Russia Heritage Society.

Koretnikov to address Friday luncheon

2008-07-26T13:39:00.008-06:00

Having spent academic year 2002-2003 in the American Studies Program at the University of Wyoming in Laramie, Dr. Mila Koretnikov of Rastatt, Germany, is back in Wyoming this week as a key speaker at the 2008 International Convention of Germans from Russia in Casper.

Dr. Koretnikov has worked with many AHSGR and GRHS members in their family research. She’ll speak at the Friday luncheon (August 1st), which will recognize GRHS Youth Essay Contest Award recipients and GRHS Board candidates. The luncheon begins at 11:45 a.m. Her topic will be One-Way Ticket from Russia to Germany: Aussiedlers in the Beginning of the 21st Century.

Up to 1,000 people are expected to attend the convention at the Parkway Plaza Hotel and Convention Center. Dr. Koretnikov's presentation will be in the Ballroom of the Parkway.

Raised in Saratov in a Volga-German family, Dr. Koretnikov received her PhD degree in Linguistics from Saratov State University. She taught EFL and American Studies for 12 years before emigrating from Russia to Rastatt, Germany in 2006.

When she was at the University of Wyoming as an Exchange Scholar five years ago, she worked on developing new courses for Russian universities. After her stint in Laramie, Dr. Koretnikov taught briefly at Otero Junior College in La Junta, Colorado.

Over the years, Dr. Koretnikov has contributed translations and articles to the AHSGR Journal and was a speaker at the 2004 convention. In addition to her presentation at the GRHS Youth Essay Awards luncheon, Dr. Koretnikov will also conduct workshops on doing Archive Research in the Lower Volga Region. The first hour-long session will be at 3:30 p.m., on Friday August 1st in the American Room at the Parkway; the other will be at 8:30 a.m. on Saturday, August 2nd in the Tiffany Room.

While in the United States, Dr. Koretnikov and her husband, Sergei, and daughter, Lizzy, plan to also visit Yellowstone National Park, the Grand Canyon, and will include stops at Laramie, Denver, La Junta, Las Vegas, and San Diego.

Syryukova keynotes Awards Luncheon

2008-07-26T13:13:00.003-06:00

Inna Stryukova, a university professor from Nikolaev, Ukraine, will present A Ukrainian's Perspective of the USA at the Society Awards Luncheon at 11:30 a.m. next Saturday, August 2nd during the 2008 combined GRHS-AHSGR Convention in Casper, Wyoming. The luncheon buffet will take place in Ballrooms A, B, and C of the Parway Plaza Hotel and Convention Center. Since this will be Inna’s third appearance at GRHS conventions, and her second appearance at AHSGR conventions, she is becoming a familiar personality to members of both societies.

As an accomplished linguist, Inna Stryukova speaks several languages, including Russian, Ukrainian, French, and English. Inna has worked as a teacher of English at the Civil Engineering Institute and has served as head of the Foreign Language Department at the Agrarian University in Nikolaev. Besides teaching English, Inna has done translation work for American and Canadian professors who have lectured at the Agrarian University, and for Christian missionaries in Ukraine and Moldova.

Missionaries had a great impact on Inna’s life. She became a Christian and is a member of the Presbyterian Church in Nikolaev. She has worked as a translator and evangelist for the Global Mission Fellowship and serves as a member of the Board of Directors of the Ukrainian Christian Students Fellowship, whose headquarters is in Kiev. Inna has close ties with the Moldova Bible Seminary, which was started by an American pastor fifteen years ago in Kishinev, and she has worked at the Seminary as a guest teacher of English.

Inna has traveled widely in the former Soviet Union, the countries of Western Europe, Canada, and many states in the USA. It will be a pleasure for members GRHS and AHSGR to renew friendships and welcome Inna to our 2008 convention. In addition to the Saturday luncheon, Inna will be presenter for the Looking at the Land of Your Ancestors workshop at 2:30 p.m., Thursday, July 31st in the Tiffany Room and again at 8:30 a.m. on Saturday, August 2nd in the American Room.

Our South American Cousins

2008-07-25T06:29:00.005-06:00

The Germans from Russia scattered across South America are a rich part of our ancestral history, and their story will be shared during the 2008 International Convention of Germans from Russia next week in Casper, Wyoming.

Our German Russian Relatives in South America is another of the many exciting sessions planned for the week-long gathering at the Parkway Plaza Hotel and Convention Center in Casper. Jerry Siebert of Moraga, California will lead the session, which is slated for 3:30 p.m., Saturday, August 2nd in the American Room.

Dr. Jerome “Jerry” Siebert is the President of the American Historical Society of Germans from Russia International (AHSGR) and has served in that position since 2005. He’s been on the AHSGR Board of Directors for the past nine years, serving as chair of several committees.

To help tell the story of Germans from Russia in South America, Jerry will be joined by Isabel Kessler, President of the Argentina Association of Germans from Russia.

Both of Jerry Siebert’s parents were born in Russia and immigrated to the United States, settling in “Roosha” Town in Fresno, California. Jerry later lived on the family farm in Madera, California, where his brother still farms grapes.

Jerry Siebert received his B.S. in Agricultural Economics and Marketing from UC Berkeley. His major area of research was the evaluation of regulations and policies on agricultural markets and sectors. He serves as the Executive Vice President of the International Food and Agribusiness Management Association (IAMA) and is an emeritus faculty member in the Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics and Policy at UC-Berkeley.

Among his many activities and involvements, Dr. Siebert serves as chairman of the California Walnut Board. He has also served as Special Assistant to four U.S. Secretaries of Agriculture.

Jerry Siebert will be joining Vi Schielke for one of the off-site Cultural Cooking Class presentations during the convention. Their's is set for Thursday, July 31st from 2:30 p.m. until 5:00 p.m., when they'll whet your appetite for Fleischkuchle and Bierocks!

Dance & Music Workshop

2008-07-24T17:01:00.005-06:00

Clarence and Bonita Ley of Rapid City, South Dakota, will be leading a Dance and Music Workshop on Wednsday afternoon (7/30) from 1:00-2:30 during the International Convention of Germans from Russia in Casper, Wyoming, next week. The week-long gathering opens Monday, July 28th at the Parkway Plaza Hotel and Convention Center and will run through August 3rd.

Music and dancing is an important part of any culture, and that's certainly true for Unser Leute! This session will be an opportunity to absorb another fascinating aspect of German-Russian heritage. The workshop will take place in the Tiffany Room of the Parkway. Please note that this room is not fully ADA-compatible for those who may need assistance.

Nearly a thousand attendees are expected for this joint convention of the Germans from Russia Heritage Society (GRHS) and the American Historical Society of Germans from Russia (AHSGR). Lincoln, Nebraska is headquarters for the AHSGR; Bismarck, North Dakota is home base for the GRHS.

Wyoming Governor Dave Freudenthal is to welcome attendees at 8:30 Thursday morning (7/31) in the Parkway Ballroom. More than 40 workshops and related activities are scheduled during this gathering.

Kuchen, anyone?

2008-07-24T16:07:00.007-06:00

No self-respecting gathering of Germans from Russia would be complete without the smell and taste of delicious Kuchen!

What is Kuchen? Ask any of the several hundred persons attending the International Convention of Germans from Russia next week (July 28-August 3) in Casper, Wyoming, and you’re liable to get lots of different answers.

The week-long joint convention of the American Historical Society of Germans from Russia and the Germans from Russia Heritage Society will take place at the Parkway Plaza Hotel and Convention Center.

“Kuchen,” of course, is the German word for cake, but beyond that, you may get lots of variations:

A pie-like pastry with a thick, "cakey" crust and an apple-pie/fruit-pie like filling, often with a bit of sweet white icing on top
A pie-like pastry with a thick, "cakey" crust and a sweet custard-based filling
A rolled pastry with a long spiral of dough, filled, rolled, baked and sliced to serve
A coffee cake-like pastry with veins and pockets of cinnamon and sugar baked throughout
A cheese cake-like pastry with a yeast-raised crust, filled with fruit (cherry/apple/etc.) and a creamy custard
Something else?

Not your idea of Kuchen? We suggest that the best answer is to come to the G-R convention and try some of these delicious pastries!

Dorothy Feist of Hebron, North Dakota, and Barb Jones of Torrington, Wyoming are co-chairs of the Kuchen Committee. Early reconnaissance of the pastry landscape indicates that First Street Bakery in Casper will be making cherry, apple, and burnt-sugar Kuchen under the watchful eye of Elsie Zitterkopf. We understand there'll be a convoy of Kuchen coming from Bismarck, too, incorporating tried and true North Dakota recipes preserved from the old country! Expect delicious peach, cheese, prune, rhubarb, cherry, strawberry, blueberry, sugar crumb and caramel apple Kuchen. Appetite whetted yet? Learn about Lapp's Kuchen or take a look at this Kuchen story!

Kuchen breaks are scheduled for 3:00 – 3:30 p.m. on both Friday and Saturday afternoons, August 1st and 2nd. There’ll be a free-will offering to help defray Kuchen expenses – so we hope you’ll open your wallet as you savor the Kuchen!

Many would-be Kuchen makers will likely be participating in the Kuchen workshop on Saturday. Nothing says lovin’, like something’ from the oven…….like Kuchen!

Research at the Family History Center

2008-07-24T11:51:00.009-06:00

Most genealogists are keenly aware of the enormous resources available at LDS Family History Centers operated by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Many registrants for the International Convention of Germans from Russia coming to Casper next week (July 28-August 3) will be making their way from the Parkway Plaza Hotel and Convention Center – the convention headquarters – to the Casper Family History Center to do a bit of research.

Thanks to Mary McQuade and Pam Martin, both of Casper, for the photos. The are facilitators for the sessions of Genealogical Research at the Family History Center slated for Tuesday and Wednesday (July 29-30). Since participation is limited, persons interested in going to the FHC should check at the convention registration desk to sign up.

Sessions will be from 9:30-11:00 a.m. and 1:30-4:00 p.m. both days.

The FHC has available microfilms that were ordered by individuals ahead of time; the have five film readers, two microfiche readers and five computers with on-line capability. Photocopies from the many research books at the center are 5¢ for each page -- 25¢ for copies from films; of course, they have a range of research materials on hand.

The Family History Center is located at 3931 West 45th Street in the Wolf Creek subdivision. Here are Mapquest directions and a map from the Parkway Plaza to the FHC.

North Platte Valley Agriculture

2008-07-24T01:58:00.002-06:00

“The Valley” of western Nebraska refers to the relatively lush, irrigated region that lies along the North Platte River in the southern Panhandle. And it was a favorite region for German-Russians seeking their livelihoods, first from sugar beets – and later from a variety of other agricultural pursuits.

Jack R. Preston of Lyman, Nebraska is among the presenters at the 2008 International Convention of Germans from Russia opening next week at the Parkway Plaza Hotel and Convention Center in Casper, Wyoming. Opening ceremonies will be at 8:30 Thursday morning, July 31st. The event is expected to lure as many as a thousand attendees and will run through Sunday morning, August 3rd.

Preston lives on the ranch where his family has resided for the past 120 years. It is located on the south side of Wildcat Hills near Scottsbluff, Nebraska. His great -grandparents homesteaded ranches located two miles apart, arriving in 1888 and 1889, respectively.

Jack’s vocation is ranching, but his avocation is history. The United States Bicentennial spurred his interest in history. First, he began by researching his family, and that evolved into researching land and agricultural history. His published articles include “Heyward G. Leavitt’s Influence on Sugar Beets and Irrigation in Nebraska,” in Agricultural History, and “The History of Electricity in Rural Goshen County: The Wyrulec Company,” in the Annals of Wyoming.

Currently he is working toward publishing a book based on his thesis entitled “From Ploughman to Cowman: The Transference of British/Welsh Agriculture and Social Values to the High Plains, 1840-1940.” The book will show his family’s relationship with agriculture. Jack has ties to the University of Wyoming, where he earned a Master of Arts degree in History. As one of the founders of the Farm and Ranch Museum in Gering, Nebraska, he spends much of his time on the history of High Plains agriculture.

Preston’s workshop, Germans from Russia and North Platte Valley Agriculture, will be presented at 2:00 p.m., Saturday, August 2nd, in Ballroom B at the Parkway.

The Casper convention is a joint affair of two organizations: American Historical Society of Germans from Russia, headquartered in Lincoln, Nebraska; and the Germans from Russia Heritage Society, which is based in Bismarck, North Dakota.

Vaschkau to address G-R convention

2008-07-23T13:22:00.003-06:00

Dr. Nina Vaschkau, who chairs Russian History at Volgograd State University in Russia, will be a keynote speaker at the International Convention of Germans from Russia later this month in Casper, Wyoming.

Nearly one thousand persons are anticipated at the convention, which opens next Monday, July 28th at the Parkway Plaza Hotel and Convention Center. The week-long gathering is a rare joint session of the Germans from Russia Heritage Society (Bismarck, ND) and the American Historical Society of Germans from Russia (Lincoln, NE). The convention concludes Sunday, August 3rd.

Dr. Vaschkau, a graduate of Chelyabinsk State University, has been a professor at Volgograd State University since 1985. Her message to the Casper group is entitled Deportation of Russian Germans in 1941 and Its Consequences. Her remarks are scheduled for 11:45 a.m., Thursday, July 31st, during the Foundation Luncheon in the Ballroom of the Parkway Plaza.

Nina Vaschkau earned her Ph. D. in 1984. In 1998, she defended her dissertation – Spiritual Culture of the Volga Germans: Problems of Schools and Education -- for a History doctorate at Saratov State University. In addition to chairing the Russian History program at Volgograd University, she is a member of the Russian-German Board on Modern History and serves as Head of the Center of Studies in German History at Volgograd University. She has authored more than 80 publications, including four monographs, based on materials from archives in Moscow, St. Petersburg, Saratov, Volgograd, Bonn, Freiburg and Stuttgart. Dr. Vaschkau has been doing research in the area of the history of Russian Germans for more than 20 years. She has a daughter, a senior at the Law School of the Russian State Humanities University in Moscow.

In addition to her Thursday luncheon address, Dr. Vaschkau will also present a workshop on how to restore a family history – History of a Colony. It will be offered at 2:00 p.m., Friday, August 1st in the Tiffany Room of the Parkway Plaza Hotel. It will be repeated Saturday, August 2nd at 2:00 p.m. in the American Room.

Convention libraries and bookstores

2008-07-21T14:16:00.003-06:00

Persons wanting to do a bit of research while they’re attending the International Convention of Germans from Russia in Casper this summer will have an opportunity to do just that.

When the convention opens at the Parkway Plaza Hotel and Convention Center next week (Monday, July 28th), the AHSGR will open its library and bookstore in the Mardi Gras Room at the hotel. They’ll be open every day from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., except a few times when there are conflicts with key business meetings and similar assemblies for all attendees. The GRHS library and bookstore will open at noon on Wednesday, July 30th, in the Natrona Room and will also be open most hours during the convention day. Both shops will be closing up at 3:30 p.m., Saturday, as the convention begins to wind down.

A Computer Room/On-Line Research Center is planned for the Shoshoni Room.

Convention-goers will find resources for research, references in books, microfilm, and surname charts. There’ll be family histories, local histories, cemetery records, village books, passenger list extractions, pedigree charts, and a variety of reference materials. Of course, you’ll find some things in one bookstore/library and not the other – so explore both!

Note that the GRHS will have only one computer in the library/bookshop area, and it will not have a printer attached, so there will be no hard copies available.

Both societies will have a variety of items for sale, ranging from research aids to CDs, cassettes, DVDs and VHS tapes. Want to learn more about what your societies sell? Go on-line to www.ahsgr.org and www.grhs.org.

Youth Booth coming to Casper

2008-07-21T09:07:00.013-06:00

Reaching out to future generations to help preserve German-Russian heritage has been an important part of the Germans from Russia Heritage Society gatherings for many years. And their GRHS Youth Booth will be open for business during the 2008 International Convention of Germans from Russia in Casper, Wyoming.

The joint convention of the American Historical Society of Germans from Russia (AHSGR) and the Germans from Russia Heritage Society (GRHS) runs July 28 – August 3 at the Parkway Plaza Hotel and Convention Center.

The Youth Booth will be set up near the coat check area of the Parkway Plaza’s “Mallway.” It’ll be staffed at all times except during meals, opening ceremony, the symposium and any occasion when people are expected to be present at other functions. There’ll be plenty of literature available to those interested in sharing the good news about the Youth Essay Contest, according to Vera Hoff of Rapid City, South Dakota, who co-chairs the event with Leah Rennell of Gillette, Wyoming.

The Youth Booth has become a special place for people to gather during conventions. There’ll be items for sale from Ukraine, Germany, and elsewhere. All sale proceeds go toward the Youth Scholarship Fund. GRHS has been awarding $1000 in scholarships each year -- $750 to the highest scoring university undergraduate and $250 to the highest scoring high school senior. They’ll also be selling raffle tickets for the beautiful American Flag afghan made by Debbie Kilwien.
Youth activities not only contribute to a continued appreciation of our German-Russian heritage – they can help strengthen our organizations for years to come. Persons volunteering at the Youth Booth will be able to answer questions and encourage participation in the Youth Essay Contest. Please note that the essay contest is open to all…..so the story of the Germans from Russia is becoming known far and wide. Most of our 2008 entries told us that they were encouraged by parents and grandparents to enter the contest...and that some special family bonding took place as the essay was written!

Winners of the GRHS Youth Essay Contest and the AHSGR Storytelling Contest will be recognized during the Folklore Symposium scheduled for Friday morning (8:30-11:15), August 1st, in the Parkway Plaza Hotel Ballroom.

North Platte Valley Agriculture

2008-07-20T11:30:00.008-06:00

Glückstal colonies of Russia

2008-07-20T00:34:00.011-06:00

Researchers with an interest in the Glückstal colonies of Russia will have a chance to review contributions, assess accomplishments, and consider the future, when they come together for a workshop during the 2008 International Convention of Germans from Russia July 28-August 3 in Casper, Wyoming. Leaders of this session will be Margaret Freeman of Redondo Beach, California, and Homer Rudolf of Richmond, Virginia.

The Glückstal Colonies Research Association (GCRA) will meet in Ballroom B of the Parkway Plaza Hotel and Convention Center in Casper at 3:30 p.m., Friday, August 1st. Their workshop is just one of 40 oustanding sessions planned for the week-long Germans from Russia convention.

GCRA was founded in January 1986 by Margaret Freeman and Carolyn Wheeler, aided by Art Flegel and Gwen Pritzkau. The initial association mailing went out 22 years ago this month, and the first newsletter was published in the fall of 1987. The purpose of the Glückstal Colonies Research Association is two-fold: coordinate the efforts of individuals researching descendants of the colonies; and locate, gather, organize and access all sources pertaining to researching descendants of the Glückstal, Neudorf, Bergdorf, Kassel and their daughter colonies.

Margaret Freeman is a native Iowan. Her mother’s Aman family arrived in McPherson County in 1885, and her grandparents are buried in Lehr, North Dakota. It is through her mother’s family that she has roots to Eureka and earlier to Bergdorf/Kassel of the Glückstal Colonies. Margaret has been involved with GCRA for more than 20 years.

Homer Rudolf was born in McIntosh County, North Dakota, and raised in Wishek. All of his ancestors on both sides of his family were from the Glückstal Colonies of south Russia. He recently completed a three-year term on the GRHS Board. Homer is very active in the GCRA and is a contributor and editor for the new GCRA publication scheduled for release during the Casper convention. He is an active researcher in the history and culture of Black Sea Germans from Russia – particularly their music. He was chief researcher and script writer for the 2005 Prairie Public Television documentary A Soulful Sound: Music of the Germans from Russia.

During the Casper convention, GCRA will be presenting their eighth book, "The Glueckstalers of New Russia, the Soviet Union, and North America." There will be a book signing with Homer Rudolf, Editor; Harold Ehrman, Desktop Publishing; and the principal writing team: Allyn Brosz, Barbara Horn, James Klein, Jan Huber Stangl, Thomas Stangl, and Margaret Freeman, among others.

The German Brotherhood

2008-07-19T16:08:00.009-06:00

To survey the history of many German-Russians, Paul Koehler of St. Joseph, Michigan has put together a presentation called The German Brotherhood: 276 Years of History from the Volga River in Russia, USA, Canada, South America and Siberia.

As the title suggests, ours is a far-reaching history and one that will be examined in many different ways during the International Convention of Germans from Russia. The event runs from July 28 through August 3 at the Parkway Plaza Hotel and Convention Center in Casper, Wyoming. It is a joint gathering of the Germans from Russia Heritage Society and the American Historical Society of Germans from Russia.

Koehler’s workshop will be presented twice: 3:30 p.m., Friday, August 1st in Adrian’s Room at the Parkway; and at 8:30 a.m., Saturday, August 2nd in the Wyoming Room.

Paul Koehler was born and raised on a farm near Berrien Springs, Michigan. His immigrant parents were both born in the village of Stahl am Tarlyk in Russia. He is a past President of the AHSGR Southwest Michigan Chapter and Vice-President of the Florida Suncoast Chapter.

Paul is researching the names of Kohler (Koehler), Bea, Reitz, and Loeb (Lob). Since his retirement in 1994, he has written two unpublished family history books: We’re Glad They Came and Growing Up on Rocky Weed Road. He serves as Village Coordinator for Bangert and Stahl am Tarlyk.

Early registration for the week-long convention in Casper has closed, but late comers may register on-site at the convention headquarters in the Parkway Plaza Hotel in Casper. While there are board meetings, tours and some other activities earlier in the week, the Opening Ceremony will come at 8:30 on Thursday morning, August 31st, when Wyoming Governor Dave Freudenthal welcomes our group.

Germans to Prussia, Poland workshop

2008-07-19T11:05:00.006-06:00

The routes followed by our German ancestors in making their way to Russia through Poland will be the topic of a Saturday workshop when the 2008 International Convention of Germans from Russia comes to Casper, Wyoming, July 28 – August 3.

Tom Stangl of Sterling, Virginia will lead the workshop, which will take place at 2:00 p.m., Saturday, August 1st in Adrian’s Room at the Parkway Plaza Hotel and Convention Center in Casper. That’s the convention headquarters for this joint gathering of the American Historical Society of Germans from Russia and the Germans from Russia Heritage Society. Stangl's workshop is entitled Germans to Prussia, Poland to Russia Interest Group.

A portion of the session will be used to show and discuss maps of the various routes that western Germans traveled on their way through Poland to Russia. Some of these routes have not been previously published in existing literature. Tom will also moderate a roundtable discussion about German settlement in Prussia-Poland.

Tom Stangl was born in Bowdle, South Dakota, a descendant of Austrian/Pomeranian and Irish/English immigrants. He is a graduate of South Dakota State University. His wife, Janice, is of German-Russian ancestry, leading Tom into his deep interest in that heritage. He has published many articles in the GRHS Heritage Review and the Gluckstal Colonies Research Association Newsletter. He was a contributor to the 2004 GCRA book, The Gluckstalers in New Russia and North America. He has also contributed to numerous other publications and video documentaries.

Tom is Spokesperson for the Germans to Prussia-Poland to Russia Interest Group in GRHS. He manages the membership process for the Group and acts as its liaison with GRHS and presides over its annual business meeting at the convention.

Celebrating our Common Heritage

2008-07-19T09:53:00.005-06:00

I recently suggested to a fellow G-R that the challenge of organizing and implementing a joint international convention of the Germans from Russia Heritage Society (GRHS) and the American Historical Society of Germans from Russia (AHSGR) might be a bit more difficult than one would suspect. Nearly a thousand of us will be under one roof at the Parkway Plaza Hotel and Convention Center in Casper from July 28 – August 3.

“But we’re all Germans from Russia….we’re not that different,” she noted.

I agree. And the differences that do exist probably have more to do with a whole range of factors other than our German-Russian heritage. Even so, there's a wonderful mosaic of diversity within our own German-Russian heritage.

AHSGR and GRHS are two different organizations. While they may have somewhat similar purposes, they were created differently and have evolved differently. Simply put, they often do things differently!

Enter Al Feist of Hebron, North Dakota, and Patti Sellenrick of Sheridan, Wyoming – the Co-Chairs for the 2008 International Convention of Germans from Russia.

Patti is the AHSGR representative; Al is from GRHS. For the past 18 months or so, these two people have altered their lives, voluntarily, to help plan and execute the Casper convention. Of course they’ve been assisted by several dozens of other volunteers – but the real responsibility and burden has been shouldered by these two able individuals. If the collegiality of the Planning Committee is a precursor to the fun attendees will find at the convention in Casper, it’ll be a grand time. Not that all will be perfect – the logistics for a gathering of this size is not without its hazards!

As a member of the Planning Committee, I believe our group has admired and appreciated the way Patti and Al have worked together – providing an encouraging example for the rest of us. They’ve brought to the planning table the cultures and nuances of their respective organizations, while underscoring the importance of compromise and an appreciation of new approaches.

Through numerous face-to-face meetings in places like Bismarck, Rapid City, Gillette, Casper, these two folks have enlisted the services and facilitated the work of the entire Planning Committee. Beyond that, of course, have been the countless hours on the telephone and communicating through e-mail in preparation for the event that is about to occur.

Will things be a little different in Casper? Undoubtedly. But there’ll be lots of familiar activities and events, too. I would encourage you to enjoy the familiar things you find, rejoice in the “new things” you encounter, and help us all count our blessings for the many wonderful attributes of the people who comprise AHSGR and GRHS. It really is a time for us to be Celebrating our Common Heritage!

And when you see Al Feist or Patti Sellenrick, give them a pat on the back for a job well done!

Some Wiesenseite Protestant Villages

2008-07-18T15:38:00.007-06:00

Ray Heinle is among those researchers whose immigrant grandparents came from both the Black Sea and Volga regions of Russia. So he was a natural choice to coordinate one of the many workshops scheduled as part of the 2008 International Convention of Germans from Russia, which will be held later this month in Casper, Wyoming.

Heinle was born in the then German-Russian community of Sanger, California. A retired physicist from the Lawrence Livermore Laboratory, Ray has been a member of both the Germans from Russia Heritage Society and the American Historical Society of Germans from Russia. They are the two organizations sponsoring the gathering, and they anticipate nearly 1,000 attendees at Casper’s Parkway Plaza Hotel and Convention Center July 28 – August 3.

The workshop coordinated by Heinle is Kantons Kukkus, Seelman, and Yagodnaya Poljana Protestant Villages. It is scheuled for 2:00 p.m., Friday, August 1st in Adrian’s Room at the Parkway. Heinle has been active in the Beresan District Odessa Regional Interest Group (RIG) in GRHS as a translator for records coming from the Black Sea Archives.

There will be more than 40 workshops at the week-long convention. While early registration has closed, persons wanting to attend the convention may register on-site in Casper when the convention begins.

Art Flegel on program for Casper

2008-07-16T09:54:00.009-06:00

One of the most venerable genealogists involved in Germans from Russia research will lead a workshop this year when the International Convention of Germans from Russia convenes in Casper, Wyoming, July 28-August 3.

90-year-old Arthur Flegel of Menlo Park, California, will present a workshop on the Development of German-Russian Settlements in the North Caucasus. His session is set for 3:30 p.m., Saturday, August 2nd, in the Gourmet Room of the Parkway Plaza Hotel and Convention Center.

Art Flegel was born near Bentley, North Dakota, the ninth child of German-Russian parents who came to this country in 1899. As a young boy, Flegel started work as a stock boy for J.C. Penney Company in 1934 and remained with the company until 1945. He later entered the furniture business and founded Flegels Fine Furnishings in Menlo Park, California, which has showrooms throughout the Bay area.

Flegel, who has been doing genealogy for some 40 years, was among those involved in establishing the American Historical Society of Germans from Russia and helped organize the Golden Gate Chapter. He also was instrumental in raising the funs to help publish Dr. Karl Stumpp's “The Emigration from Germany to Russia in the Years 1763-1862,” one of the most valuable resources in German-Russian research.

Since retiring from the furniture business, Art has continued his genealogical activities, as evidenced by his presenting this workshop. In May of 2007, he was awarded the Ellis Island Medal of Honor in ceremonies at the Ellis Island Great Hall. Art and his wife, Cleora -- whose family came from the Volga -- have three grown sons.

The 2008 International Convention of Germans from Russia is a joint session involving both the Germans from Russia Heritage Society and the American Historical Society of Germans from Russia. Convention planners are expecting as many as one thousand attendees at the week-long gathering.

Researching Volga Protestant Villages

2008-07-15T22:06:00.008-06:00

When Germans from Russia converge on Casper, Wyoming later this month, Village Coordinators from the American Historical Society of Germans from Russia (AHSGR) are planning two concurrent workshops on Saturday afternoon that will focus on Protestant villages along the Volga River. They are just two of more than 40 workshops planned during the July 28-August 3 International Convention of Germans from Russia at the Parkway Plaza Hotel and Convention Center in Casper.

Northern Volga Protestant Villages will be offered in Ballroom B , while the Southern Protestant Villages of Kanton Kamenka workshop will be in the Wyoming Room at the Parkway. Both sessions will run from 3:30-4:30 p.m. on Saturday, August 2nd and will offer participants an opportunity to receive updated information about the villages in those regions and to visit with colleagues conducting similar research.

This rare joint convention brings together members of both the Germans from Russia Heritage Society, headquartered in Bismarck, North Dakota, with the American Historical Society of Germans from Russia, based in Lincoln, Nebraska.

Governor Dave Freudenthal of Wyoming will officially welcome convention attendees during opening ceremonies at 8:30 Thursday morning, July 31st. In addition to the many workshops, there'll be numerous internationally-known speakers who will address the full assembly.

Understanding Russia

2008-07-15T18:24:00.005-06:00

In a day and age when trying to understand the world around us is a challenge for even the most energetic of persons – imagine the daunting challenge of Understanding Russia in the 21st Century…Why Russians Do What They Do!

That’s exactly the task undertaken by internationally-recognized psychotherapist Marilyn Reh Murray, who divides her year between Moscow, Russia and Scottsdale, Arizona.

Also a noted author, educator and theorist, Marilyn Murray will be presenting her two-part workshop during the International Convention of Germans from Russia in Casper. The week-long convention opens at the Parkway Plaza Hotel and Convention Center on Monday, July 28th. Murray’s first workshop – taking an historical approach to understanding Russia – is scheduled for 2:00 p.m., Saturday, August 2nd. The second workshop on the subject follows at 3:30 and will examine current issues in Russia. Both sessions will be in Ballroom A at the Parkway.

Murray is one of dozens of presenters featured during this historic joint convention of two German-Russian organization – the American Historical Society of Germans from Russia, headquartered in Lincoln, Nebraska, and the Germans from Russia Heritage Society, based in Bismarck, North Dakota. Between the two organizations, nearly one thousand persons are anticipated to attend the convention, including a bevy of internationally-known speakers like Murray.

Marilyn Murray grew up in Kansas, and her German-Russian grandparents were from the Volga villages of Beideck and Enders. Marilyn’s career in psychotherapy led her to specialize in intensive therapy in private practice, and she has given seminars on her Murray Method Theory since 1983. Since retiring from private practice in 2004, Marilyn has founded Health Restoration International, Ltd., which provides education and resources for emotional, physical, intellectual and spiritual health. Since 2002, she has lived half-time in Moscow, where she is a Professor of Psychology and Education at Moscow State University and also works with abused children and their families.

She is the author of “Prisoner of Another War,” and her new book, “Wisdom for a Healing Journey,” will be released in Russian this year by Piter Publishing in St. Petersburg. Marilyn also gives regular training to the faculty, staff, and students of a seminary in southern Russia. She is a life member of AHSGR and a member of the Arizona Sun Chapter.

Hoffnungstal Odessa Parish Research

2008-07-14T18:08:00.010-06:00

Researchers with ancestors from Hoffnungstal, Russia will benefit from a genealogy workshop slated later this month during the 2008 International Convention of Germans from Russia opening July 28th in Casper, Wyoming.

The Hoffnungstal Odessa Parish workshop is scheduled for 3:45 p.m., Thursday, August 31st in Ballroom C of the Parkway Plaza Hotel and Convention Center in Casper, which serves as convention headquarters. Moderating the Hoffnungstal session will be Vincent Humann of Rio Rancho, New Mexico and Murray Gauer of New Westminster, British Columbia.

Wyoming Governor Dave Freudenthal will speak at the convention opening ceremony at 8:30 Thursday. As many as one thousand participants are expected to attend the week-long event, which is a joint meeting of the Germans from Russia Heritage Society of Bismarck, North Dakota, and the American Historical Society of Germans from Russia, which is based in Lincoln, Nebraska.

Vincent Humann's ancestors came to Dakota Territory in the early 1880s from Bessarabia (paternal) and Odessa (maternal). Vince is a native of Eureka, South Dakota and graduated from the South Dakota School of Mines. Vince retired in 2002 as Engineering Group Manager of Laboratory Administration at GM's Powertrain Laboratory in Warren, Michigan. The Humann's then moved to New Mexico, where he became a charter member and past President of the New Mexico Chapter of AHSGR andGRHS, the first chapter to be chartered by both organizations. Heis Vice President of the New Mexico Chapter.

Murray Gauer's grandfather and his family arrived in Canada in 1890 from Birsula (Kotovsk) on the rail line north of Odessa. His great grandparetns were married in the tiny prayer house in Nesselrode (Kulyanik), which is now a southern suburb of Kotovsk. Born in Winnipeg, Manitoba in 1949, Murray has traced his family back through Galicia to the 1600s in Birkenfeld in the Rheinland. He has been involved with computers since the first PCs came out in the 1970s, and he worked for IBM for 32 years before retiring in 2004.

Kutschurgan Roundup

2008-07-14T14:42:00.007-06:00

Two veteran researchers will present Kutschurgan Roundup, information about the Kutschurgan District of Odessa, during the 2008 International Convention of Germans from Russia later this month in Casper, Wyoming.

Margaret Schwahn Rehwalt of Nine Mile Falls, Washington, and Dennis Roth of Newscastle, Washington, will provide the update at 4:45 p.m., Thursday, July 31st, in the American Room of the Parkway Plaza Hotel and Convention Center in Casper – headquarters for the annual meeting. Rehwalt and Roth will team up again Friday afternoon at 2:00 in the American Room for a session entitled Searching for Your German Russian Family and Relatives Using EWZ Films.

The session is one of more than 40 workshops to be presented during the week-long convention that begins Monday, July 28th. Nearly 1,000 persons are expected to attend the gathering.

Margaret Schwahn Rehwalt was born and raised in Oregon City, Oregon. Her paternal grandmother was from the Beresan village of Sulz; her grandfather was from the Kutschurgan village of Strassburg. The families came to America in the early 1900s and settled in North Dakota until 1936, when her grandparents moved to Oregon. Margaret has been married more than 43 years to her husband, Dennis, and they recently moved to Spokane, Washington. She is a life member of GRHS and serves on its Board of Directors. She is also Village Coordinator for the Kutschurgan village of Strassburg and is the Kutschurgan Webmaster. Margaret is actively involved with the GRHS chapter in Spokane, where she serves on the Board of Directors and edits the chapter newsletter.

Dennis Roth is a direct descendant of Germans from Russia who emigrated from Kutschurgan to Canada early in the 20th Century. Dennis was born in Portland, but grew up in a military family in Seattle, Honolulu and Long Beach, later earning B.A. degrees in German and Mathematics at Portland State University. After a four-year stint as a Coast Guard officer, he enrolled at the University of Washington and earned an MBA and went to work for Northwest Bell Telephone. Dennis has been researching his German-Russian and Scottish heritages for many years. He is a Village Coordinator for Kandel and Selz, and he also serves as List Serve Administrator and co-webmaster of the KRIG website. He has been on the Board of the Puget Sound Chapter of GRHS and served as Treasurer for over 14 years. He retired from Qwest Communications two years ago.

Village Coordinators: Strategies & Information

2008-07-14T13:44:00.009-06:00

With hundreds of villages settled by Germans across Russia in the 18th and 19th centuries, it’s not an easy task to keep track of them! Village Coordinators in both the American Historical Society of Germans from Russia and the Germans from Russia Heritage Society work hard to assist individuals attempting to bring families and villages together through village research.

Village Coordinators work on a volunteer basis and spend many hours gathering and organizing information. They try to facilitate sharing of family group records, maps, individual and family histories, and video and audio tapes. Many have developed newsletters and websites.

During the 2008 International Convention of Germans from Russia, which meets July 28th through August 3rd in Casper, attendees will have a chance to meet and learn more from Village Coordinators – Strategies and Information and How They Can Help You. Presented at 3:45 p.m., Thursday, July 31st, the session will be led by three veteran researchers – Doris Eckhardt Evans of Almira, Washington; Curt Renz of Ames, Iowa; and Margaret Freeman of Redondo Beach, California.-

Doris Eckhard Evans is a native of Washington state and attended college at Washington State University, where she earned a degree in Education. She has been involved in genealogy for many years and was elected to the Board of Directors of AHSGR in 1999. She served two terms and retired in 2005. At its Lincoln, Nebraska meeting in 2006, the American Historical Society of Germans from Russia awarded Doris its Distinguished Service Award.

Curt Renz grew up in South Dakota and went to college in Iowa, later earning an M.A. degree at the University of Northern Colorado. A music teacher since 1962, he retired in 2002 and worked part-time at Iowa State University in their student practicum program. An active Village Coordinator in both AHSGR and GRHS, Curt has also served on the Board of Directors for both organizations.-

Margaret Freeman was born in rural Iowa and went to Linfield College in Oregon and later went to graduate school in sociology at the University of Hawaii. After her two sons were in school, she took necessary courses for a teaching credential at USC and is now retired after 23 years in the Santa Monica Elementary Schools. She attended her first AHSGR meeting in 1978; in the 1980s, with some friends, started the Gluckstal Colonies Research Association. During the Casper convention, the group will be presenting their eighth book, "The Glueckstalers of New Russia, the Soviet Union, and North America." A book signing is planned during the convention.

This session will take place in Ballroom A of the Parkway Plaza Hotel and Convention Center in Casper – headquarters for the convention. Up to about one thousand people are expected to register for the gathering.

Southern Volga Catholic Villages

2008-07-14T10:54:00.003-06:00

Village Coordinators from the American Historical Society of Germans from Russia (AHSGR) will present a workshop about the Southern Volga Catholic Villages during a convention this summer in Casper, Wyoming.

It's a joint international convention of the Germans from Russia Heritage Society of Bismarck, North Dakota and the American Historical Society of Germans from Russia of Lincoln, Nebraska. It runs from July 28th through August 3rd at the Parkway Plaza Hotel and Convention Center at 123 West E Street in Casper.

The Southern Volga workshop is scheduled for the Wyoming Room of the hotel beginning at 2:00 p.m., Friday, August 1st. It will focus on past and current research efforts in the region. There'll be more than 40 workshops during the confab. Many of the presenters are internationally known, including several who'll be coming from Russia, Germany, Argentina and Ukraine. Up to one thousand participants are expected at the event.

All about SOAR

2008-07-14T09:10:00.009-06:00

Saving Our Ancestral Records (SOAR) uses internet technology to provide broad dissemination of many AHSGR genealogical records, including obituaries, census and cemetery records, family group cards, maps, newspapers, photos, reference books and more.

It’s one of the many outstanding workshops offered during the International Convention of Germans from Russia in Casper, Wyoming from July 28th to August 3rd.

SOAR – What Is It and What Data is Available On-Line? This workshop is at 2:30 p.m., Thursday, July 31st in the American Room of the Parkway Plaza Hotel and Convention Center in Casper, headquarters for the 2008 Germans from Russia meeting.

The session will present an overview of the history and mission of the SOAR project. It will include a real time demonstration of how a search is performed, how files are “viewed” and how they may be downloaded to a researcher’s computer. The types of databases available and what each contains will be explained. The intent is the presentation is informative and instructional so questions from the audience about SOAR and its use are encouraged.

The demonstration will conclude by accepting requests from the audience for a search of one or more databases as time and interest allows. Leading the session will be Dennis Zitterkopf of Wichita, Kansas and Ken Leffler of Sonora, California.

Ken Leffler is one of the early visionaries regarding SOAR and has spent countless hours in helping develop the project and transferring data. He is a long-time researcher and is well-known among the Germans from Russia community.

Dennis is a charter member of the “Nation’s Capital Area” and the Wichita, Kansas “Golden Wheat” chapters. He has been a member of AHSGR since 1976; is a member of the societies Board of Directors; is a member of the Genealogy, Historical Research and Convention committees; and is chair of the SOAR and Technology committees. Now retired, he worked as an Electrical Engineer and an Engineering Manager in Maryland and in Kansas.

Here's a link to the SOAR website.

In addition to their SOAR presentation, Zitterkopf and Leffler will also team up for a workshop on the Kanton Balzer Protestant Villages. It's scheduled for the Wyoming Room at 3:45 p.m., Friday, August 1st.

Northern Volga Catholic Villages

2008-07-14T08:47:00.002-06:00

Researchers seeking information about Catholic villages in the northern Volga region will have an opportunity to pursue the topic during the 2008 International Convention of Germans from Russia in Casper, Wyoming this month.

Northern Volga Catholic Villages is among the many workshops that will be offered during the convention. It will be moderated by AHSGR Village Coordinators at 2:30 p.m., Thursday, July 31st in Adrian’s Room at the front of the Parkway Plaza Hotel and Convention Center in Casper, where the convention runs July 28th through August 3rd.

Up to as many as 1,000 people are expected for the convention, which is an historic joint gathering of the Germans from Russia Heritage Society (GRHS) of Bismarck, North Dakota and the American Historical Society of Germans from Russia (AHSGR) of Lincoln, Nebraska.

Governor to Open Casper Convention

2008-07-11T11:27:00.011-06:00

Wyoming Governor Dave Freudenthal will provide the official welcome for the 2008 International Convention of Germans from Russia later this month in Casper. Registrants are coming from all over North America, and there'll be additional participants from Ukraine, Germany, Russia, and Argentina.

Official opening ceremonies for the convention begin at 8:30 a.m. on Thursday, July 31st when the Governor addresses this historic joint meeting of the American Historical Society of Germans from Russia and the Germans from Russia Heritage Society. The Parkway Plaza Hotel and Convention Center in Casper is convention headquarters.

Freudenthal is in his sixth year as Governor. A native of Thermopolis, the 57-year-old Freudenthal grew up on a family farm – one of eight children. He graduated from Amherst College in 1973 and returned to Wyoming to work for the state. He was appointed State Planning Coordinator in 1975. While working for the state, Freudenthal simultaneously earned a law degree from the University of Wyoming. While his ancestry is definitely German, there appears to be no direct ties with Germans from Russia.The Governor and his wife, Nancy, have four children. To learn more about Dave Freudenthal and his family, visit the Governor’s -official web site-

Several international speakers are on the program for the Germans from Russia convention, and the event includes more than 40 workshops ranging from research sessions and photo displays to cooking sessions and the latest technological developments in genetic genealogy.

Many conference-related events will begin on Monday, July 28th. The week-long conference runs through Sunday, August 3rd.

Volga Famine of 1921-1922

2008-07-09T10:53:00.004-06:00

While drought and poor harvests may have triggered the horrendous Volga Famine of 1921-22, documents from the era tell a more complete story. Millions of persons across Russia died in this travesty. Work on the Volga Famine of 1921-1922 Documents is highlighted in a workshop at the International Convention of Germans from Russia in Casper, Wyoming this summer.

The convention runs from July 28th through August 3rd and will bring attendees from across the Americas and the world. Parkway Plaza Hotel and Convention Center will be headquarters for the nearly 1,000 persons expected to attend.

Dr. Robert Meininger of Lincoln, Nebraska, will guide the Volga famine workshop. It runs from 8:30-9:30 a.m. on Saturday, August 2nd in Ballroom A of the Parkway. A descendant of Volga German settlers in Nebraska, Wyoming and Colorado, Meininger went to school at the University of Nebraska, where he earned a Ph.D. in Romance Languages. After teaching at NU for six years, he joined the faculty at Nebraska Wesleyan, where he remained for 30 years – 20 of them as Chairman of the Foreign Language Department. He is a Professor Emeritus at Nebraska Wesleyan.

Meininger has traveled and studied extensively in Europe. As a student, he conducted Fulbright studies in Belgium and in 1988 was in Germany as a Fulbright Professor of German. He has participated in summer institutes in France, Germany, Russia, and at the University of Virginia. He was also in St. Petersburg as a Humanities scholar in Russian culture.

Meininger is now working with a translating team at the Nebraska State Historical Society.

What is the CCC?

2008-07-09T00:10:00.014-06:00

In this case, CCC isn't the Civilian Conservation Corps. It means

Cultural Cooking Classes!

No gathering of Unser Leute would be complete without good food – and the 2008 International Convention of Germans from Russia in Casper is no exception.

In addition to the quality banquet fare offered to attendees (check out the varied menu listed in the tentative Convention Program!) there’ll be an opportunity for a limited number of registrants to hone their skills in cooking select German-Russian dishes. In fact, this convention is offering three off-site Cultural Cooking Classes!

These sessions are being presented on Thursday, Friday and Saturday afternoons, and only 25 participants are allowed in each workshop. Those who’ve signed up for the classes must pay a $5 fee when picking up their registration packets at the convention registration booth. All classes will be at the Mills Senior Center.

On Thursday, July 31st, chefs Vi Schielke and Jerry Siebert will team up to present “Fleischkuchle and Bierocks” for Cultural Cooking Class #1 beginning at 2:30 p.m. The session will run until 5 o’clock.

The Friday, August 1st Cultural Cooking Class #2 will begin at 2:00 p.m. and will feature Käseknopfla and Strawberry Katfilta, cooked under the learned tutelage of Del Paulson and Ken Koehler.

On Saturday, August 2nd, Del Paulson, Nancy Borrell and Diane White will offer up a variety of Black Sea and Volga Kuchen, sure to soothe the taste buds of all who savor Kuchen. This session, too, runs from 2:00-5:00 p.m. at the Mills Senior Center.

The Cultural Cooking Classes are just three of many dozens of interesting workshops taking place during this rare joint gathering of the American Historical Society of Germans from Russia and the Germans from Russia Heritage Society.

Folklore Symposium set for August 1

2008-07-08T14:34:00.023-06:00

Literature and music are key elements in German-Russian folklore, and they’ll be in abundance August 1st during a symposium that is part of the International Germans from Russia Convention in Casper, Wyoming. The convention opens July 28th and will run through August 3rd at the Parkway Plaza Hotel and Convention Center.

The Folklore Symposium: Storytelling, Youth Essays, and Music will get underway at 8:30 Friday morning, August 1st, with announcement of the winners of the AHSGR Storytelling Contest and the GRHS Youth Essay Contest. Top winners will read their award-winning stories and essays – or they’ll be read by others.

The symposium will be moderated by Ken Koehler of Arvada, Colorado, Chairman of the AHSGR Folklore & Linguistics Committee, and Del Beck, a retired educator from Rapid City, South Dakota, a long-time and well-known song leader and emcee for GRHS events.

Cyndi Lesser Babish will share insights into the “Music Legacy of Adolph Lesser,” honoring her father’s memory as an esteemed German from Russia accordionist known around the world.-

This is a special joint convention for members of both the Germans from Russia Heritage Society based in Bismarck, North Dakota, and the American Historical Society of Germans from Russia, which has headquarters in Lincoln, Nebraska. As many as one thousand attendees are expected.

Shatter Belt...

2008-07-08T09:49:00.014-06:00

Shatter Belt: Western Russia and the Eastern Austro-Hungarian Empire will be presented at 2:30 p.m., Thursday, July 31st. It is one of the opening round of workshops slated during the International Convention of Germans from Russia in Casper, Wyoming later this month. The convention runs July 28th - August 3rd at the Parkway Plaza Hotel and Convention Center. Shatter Belt will take place in Ballroom C of the convention center.

The borderland between Russia, Prussia, and Austria was a historic “shatter belt” that evolved during the three partitions of Poland in the late 18th century. The diverse populations within these areas have been subjected to the external pressures of opposing political rivals as well as to internal ethnic and religious stresses. German settlers migrated to these areas, including Congress Poland, Volhynia, Galicia, and Bukovina, and settled in ethnically unified villages that were intertwined with one another. Therefore the settlement history of these regions, and family history research within them, is different from that of the Volga and South Russia districts. There will be a special emphasis on Volhynia.

Irmgard Hein Ellingson will lead this workshop. She is the American-born daughter of Volhynian German refugees and an editorial board member of the American Historical Society of Germans from Russia. She has spent thirty years engaged in eastern European study and research.

Irmgard earned a Bachelor of Science degree in political science and history from Winona (MN) State College in 1974 and a Master of Arts in theology with an emphasis in congregational studies from Wartburg Theological Seminary in Dubuque, Iowa in 1993. Her credits include several books and shorter works that have been published in German, English, and Portuguese in the United States, Canada, Germany, and Brazil.

A founding and continuing director of the Bukovina Society of the Americas, Irmgard is past president of the Federation of East European Family History Societies and the former U.S. representative for the quarterly Wandering Volhynians published in Vancouver, British Columbia. She is an associate in ministry serving the Mission Unity Lutheran Parish in Grafton and rural Osage, Iowa.

Irmgard and her husband, the Rev. Wayne T. Ellingson, reside in Grafton. They have three children and three grandchildren.

Crimea - A Black Sea Jewel

2008-07-07T22:22:00.005-06:00

The beautiful Crimea – including its old German churches, cemeteries, homes and unusual sights – will be explored in a presentation during the 2008 International Convention of Germans from Russia in Casper, Wyoming. Entitled Crimea – A Black Sea Jewel, the session will also include research information for various parishes. Whether or not you’re Crimean, you’ll enjoy this workshop, scheduled for 3:45 p.m., Thursday, July 31st.

The five-day convention of Germans from Russia will take place at the Parkway Plaza Hotel and Convention Center in Casper July 28th - August 3rd. The Crimean workshop will be in Adrian's Room near the front of the hotel.

Wanda Huber Hopkins of Spokane, Washington will present the workshop. Her grandparents emigrated from Crimea, Bessarabia and Grossliebental to the Dakotas – eventually settling in North Dakota. Wanda was born and raised in Hazen, North Dakota. She later moved to Spokane, Washington, where she co-founded the Inland Northwest Chapter of GRHS, and she is a director and secretary of the chapter. She is also on the GRHS Board of Directors and serves as secretary. Wanda transcribes German and Russian church records, co-chairs the Crimean Records Retrieval Committee, and is a spokesperson and chapter director for the Crimea Regional Interest Group. She is a Village Coordinator for Crimean Villages, serves as a member of various GRHS committees, and is a Family History Center librarian.

Wanda says she so enjoyed Bob Schneider’s Ukrainian tour in 2006, that she plans a return trip this fall.

On the last leg of a lengthy car trip “around home” to visit relatives, courthouses and cemeteries, Wanda’s granddaughter – in the back seat – softly said to her friend, “Whew! Awnie sure spends a lot of time visiting relatives – even the dead ones!”

The Long Trek

2008-07-07T14:33:00.003-06:00

From August 1943 to July 1944, nearly 350,000 ethnic Germans were evacuated from Nazi-occupied Ukraine to the Warthe District in Nazi-annexed Poland. It marked the end of a 150-year history of Germans in Ukraine. Their story is told through various documents and eyewitness reports, along with other surviving literature on the subject, in The Long Trek workshop. It is scheduled for 2:00 p.m. and again at 3:30 p.m., Saturday, August 2nd during the 2008 International Convention of Germans from Russia at the Parkway Plaza Hotel and Convention Center in Casper, Wyoming. The Long Trek session will take place in Ballroom C.

The presenter will be Dr. Eric Schmaltz, an assistant professor at Northwestern Oklahoma State University in Alva, where he teaches Modern European and World History. Both sides of Eric’s family claim some Black Sea German ancestry, and their odyssey across half the globe influenced him to pursue the history profession.

The Long Trek is one of more than 40 interesting workshops that are planned July 28-August 3 during the Germans from Russia convention. As many as 1,000 people are expected to attend the 2008 gathering, which is a joint meeting of the American Historical Society of Germans from Russia and the Germans from Russia Heritage Society.

Eric J. Schmaltz was born and raised in North Dakota. He had double majors in History and German Language at Saint Olaf’s College in Northfield, Minnesota, where he earned a B.A. with honors. After receiving his M.A. in History at the University of North Dakota in Grand Forks, he completed his Ph.D. in History at the University of Nebraska in Lincoln. For almost 15 years, Eric has written and spoken about Germans from Russia in a wide variety of publications and venues.

The weekly North Dakota newspaper Emmons County Record is publishing a significant series of his comprehensive history of the Schmaltz family in Germany, Ukraine and south-central North Dakota.

A Photo Journey...

2008-07-03T17:20:00.008-06:00

It is said that a picture is worth a thousand words. While that may be an exaggeration, there is no doubt that photographs can capture a scene in a way that is almost indescribable.

Ed Hoak of Long Grove, Illinois, has traveled to Russia on four different occasions since 1997 and has had an opportunity to visit various archives, universities, museums and many former German villages. And, of course, he had an opportunity to photograph people, places and things that help tell the story of our German-Russian ancestors.

A Photo Journey to Russian Archives, Universities, and Villages and People I’ve Met will be presented by Ed at 3:45 p.m., Thursday, July 31st. It’s one of more than 40 workshops being presented as part of the 2008 International Convention of Germans from Russia. The convention, July 28-August 3, will be headquartered at the Parkway Plaza Hotel and Convention Center in Casper, Wyoming. Ed's photo presentation will be in Ballroom B of the hotel.

A Past President of the American Historical Society of Germans from Russia (AHSGR), Ed Hoak serves as current Vice President. He also previously served as Archives Committee Chair of AHSGR.

Learn more about GRANDMA and genetics

2008-07-03T15:42:00.012-06:00

This may not be quite what you think. "GRANDMA" stands for the Genealogical Registry and Database of Mennonite Ancestry, and it's just one topic to be touched upon in an Introduction to Mennonite Genealogy workshop later this month in Casper.

The workshop is offered as part of the five-day-long International Convention of Germans from Russia that will be staged at the Parkway Plaza Hotel and Convention Center. Presented by Tim Janzen of Portland, Oregon, the workshop is scheduled for 2:30 p.m., Thursday, July 31st in Ballroom B. It will provide an overview of research pertaining to Mennonites of Russian and West Prussian ancestry. The most important of the Mennonite genealogical source materials for Russian and Prussian Mennonites will be discussed.

Dr. Timothy Janzen of Happy Valley, Oregon is a family practice doctor at South Tabor Family Physicians in Portland. He grew up on a farm north of Salem, Oregon, earning a Chemistry degree from George Fox University and a medical doctorate from the Oregon Health Sciences University. He’s had an interest in genealogical research for over 30 years and has been particularly involved in Mennonite research for the past 12 years. He has a website that summarizes many different sources available for Mennonite genealogical research. You’ll find it at www.timjanzen.com (along with interesting information about bird watching, another of his pursuits). Tim has given many presentations about Mennonite genealogy in the United States and Canada.

Tim is married to Rachel Janzen. They have four children.

In addition to this workshop, Dr. Janzen is also presenting Genetic Genealogy, A New Tool for Genealogists at 3:30 p.m., on Friday, August 1st in Ballroom A, and (KET) Kherson Taurien and Ekaterinoslav Region (with Debbie Bieck) at 8:30 a.m., on Saturday, August 2nd in Adrian's Room near the front of the Parkway Plaza Hotel and Convention Center.

To the Kingdom of Death

2008-07-02T15:35:00.010-06:00

Veteran writer and university professor Ronald Vossler last year was named to the International Committee of the Ukrainian World Congress, commemorating the 75th anniversary of the Holodomor. That was the 1932-33 Soviet-engineered genocide which destroyed millions of Ukrainians and several hundred thousand of the German minority in Ukraine – direct relatives of German-Russians who originally settled on the U.S. and Canadian prairies.

Vossler, recipient of numerous fellowships and awards, will be the presenter for To the Kingdom of Death: A Research Trip to Former German Villages in the Ukraine workshop during the International Convention of Germans from Russia, meeting July 28-August 3 in Casper, Wyoming. Vossler’s presentation will be at 3:45 p.m. on Thursday, July 31st in the Tiffany Room and will be repeated at 2:00 p.m., Friday, August 1st in Ballroom B.

Ron Vossler was raised in Wishek, North Dakota and now lives in East Grand Forks, Minnesota. He holds a B.A. in Anthropology from Arizona State and an M.A. in English from the University of North Dakota, where he served as a Senior Lecturer from 1992-2008. He has been a free-lance writer and Humanities scholar since 1975.

His most recent essay, “The Cleansing and Destruction of the Kulaks of Neudorf, Ukraine” is being translated for publication in Germany. North Dakota State University Library’s Germans from Russia Heritage Collection is publishing his most recent book, Wedding in the Darkness: Three Accounts from Collectivation and the Great Terror.

Bessarabian and Dobrudscha research

2008-07-02T12:07:00.006-06:00

When the 2008 International Convention of Germans from Russia gathers later this month in Casper, Wyoming, there'll be something for everyone when it comes to genealogical and heritage research.

The Bessarabian and Dobrudscha Area Research Workshop will focus on the history of German-Russians in Bessarabia, the villages included in the region, and how to research in this area. It’ll also touch briefly about researching in the Dobrudscha area. The session is scheduled for 3:30 p.m., Friday, August 1, 2008, in Ballroom C of the Parkway Plaza Hotel and Convention Center in Casper.

It's one of more than 40 workshops that’ll be offered during the five-day convention which opens July 28th and is expected to draw some 1,000 attendees from across the country and around the world. The Bessarabian and Dobrudscha session will be in Ballroom C.

This convention is a joint gathering of members of the American Historical Society of Germans from Russia, based in Lincoln, Nebraska, and the Germans from Russia Heritage Society, which is headquartered in Bismarck, North Dakota.

The late Dale Wahl was originally slated to make the workshop presentation on Bessarabian research; instead, Carolyn Schott of Seattle, Washington has graciously volunteered to present the session.

Kloberdanz to address Heritage gathering

2008-07-02T11:05:00.014-06:00

Germans from Russia and their descendants are a very diverse and far-flung ethnic group. They live on at least six continents. Some German-Russians speak a High German dialect, some speak a Low German dialect, and many speak no German at all.

Yet despite these differences, modern-day Germans from Russia constitute one huge family – due to a common cultural heritage and many shared experiences. The linguistic and regional differences do not run quite as deep as people once believed. Quite simply, we are not the strangers we thought we were.

That’s part of the title of Dr. Timothy Kloberdanz’s presentation for the Heritage Night dinner at the 2008 International Convention of Germans from Russia from July 28th August 3rd in Casper, Wyoming: One Huge Heritage, One Huge Family: We Are Not the Strangers We Thought We Were. It underscores the theme of this joint gathering of AHSGR and GRHS – Celebrating Our Common Heritage. The Heritage Night dinner will be at 6:30 p.m., Thursday, July 31st at the Parkway Plaza Hotel and Convention Center in Casper.

Timothy J. Koberdanz earned a Ph.D. in Folklore and Anthropology from Indiana University. His Master’s Thesis and Doctoral Dissertation both dealt with the Germans from Russia. He has co-authored two books and published more than a hundred articles. He also wrote the script for a prize-winning television documentary. Professor Kloberdanz teaches at North Dakota State University in Fargo.

For his presentation, Kloberdanz says he’ll be assisted by two of the “television stars” who appeared in the prize-winning Prairie Public Television documentaries, “Schmeckfest” and “A Soulful Sound.” They are Maria Appelhans, who was born in Russia in 1930 and survived Stalin’s reign of terror; and Kloberdanz’s wife, Rosalinda, who was born in Colorado and is the first American-born member of her family.

Syryukova keynotes Awards Luncheon

2008-07-02T06:52:00.012-06:00

Inna Stryukova, a university professor from Nikolaev, Ukraine, will present A Ukrainian's Perspective of the USA at the Society Awards Luncheon at 11:30 a.m. on Saturday, August 2nd during the 2008 combined GRHS-AHSGR Convention in Casper, Wyoming. The luncheon buffet will take place in Ballrooms A, B, and C of the Parway Plaza Hotel and Convention Center. Since this will be Inna’s third appearance at GRHS conventions, and her second appearance at AHSGR conventions, she is becoming a familiar personality to members of both societies.

As an accomplished linguist, Inna Stryukova speaks several languages, including Russian, Ukrainian, French, and English. Inna has worked as a teacher of English at the Civil Engineering Institute and has served as head of the Foreign Language Department at the Agrarian University in Nikolaev. Besides teaching English, Inna has done translation work for American and Canadian professors who have lectured at the Agrarian University, and for Christian missionaries in Ukraine and Moldova.

Missionaries had a great impact on Inna’s life. She became a Christian and is a member of the Presbyterian Church in Nikolaev. She has worked as a translator and evangelist for the Global Mission Fellowship and serves as a member of the Board of Directors of the Ukrainian Christian Students Fellowship, whose headquarters is in Kiev. Inna has close ties with the Moldova Bible Seminary, which was started by an American pastor fifteen years ago in Kishinev, and she has worked at the Seminary as a guest teacher of English.

Northern Volga Catholic Villages

2008-07-01T21:23:00.005-06:00

Kevin Rupp is a Village Coordinator for Obermunjour, Russia and has been doing research on various German Russian families from this colony for about ten years. He is also Village Coordinator for Graf, Luzern, Neu-Obermunjour, Wittman, and Zug.

Kevin has prepared a PowerPoint presentation that concentrates on the Northern Volga Catholic Villages. It’s among the opening round of concurrent workshops scheduled for 2:30 p.m., Thursday, July 31st at the 2008 International Convention of Germans from Russia. Kevin advises that he’ll be unable to be in Casper for the event, but other colleagues will host this workshop.

Kevin Rupp has been past Sunflower Chapter, Hays, Kansas, President for two terms and is currently serving on the AHSGR Board of Directors. He is also a member of the Board of Directors for the Ellis County Historical Society in Hays, Kansas. Kevin is married to Joyce (Leiker-Gatschet), and they have four Schnauzers.

German Newspaper Research

2008-06-30T19:22:00.010-06:00

Are you searching for a village of origin? A place of burial? Date of establishment? A specific surname or maiden name? Location of a church building or a schoolhouse? A relative in the "old country" of Ukraine or Russian Poland? Often the very clue needed to resolve a research puzzle can be found in the German newspaper. The German newspaper is often a treasure, a goldmine of historical and genealogical information!

While newspapers are a valuable resource for genealogists, knowing how to effectively make use of them can be a bit elusive for some of us! Peggy Goertzen of Hillsboro, Kansas will present a workshop entitled German Newspaper Research with Particular Reference to Germans from Russia at 2:00 p.m., Friday, August 1st at the 2008 International Convention of Germans from Russia in Casper.

The session is one of more than 40 workshops that will be offered to some 1,000 attendees during the week-long gathering at the Parkway Plaza Hotel and Convention Center. Peggy's presentation will be in Ballroom C.

Peggy Goertzen has been the Director of the Center for Mennonite Brethren Studies at Tabor College since 1992. Active in German newspaper research, she has compiled and published two books of extracts from the German newspaper, Vorwarts, which printed news about Germans from all over the United States and Canada with connections to south-central Kansas. The paper started publication in 1908. She has researched extensively the German-Russian/Mennonite immigration and settlement story in south central Kansas and western Oklahoma. Peggy has also extensively researched German newspapers, including those used by all Germans from Russia.

Peggy has been engaged in extensive research into families, churches, and communities of Mennonites and other Germans from Russia and serves on numerous historical boards throughout the United States. She and her husband, Gaylord, have four married children.

Dale Wahl (1938-2008)

2008-06-30T00:20:00.005-06:00

We were saddened this week to learn of the death of Dale Wahl of Bremerton, Washington, who was to be a workshop presenter at the 2008 Germans from Russia Convention in Casper.

According to the Kitsap (WA) Sun, Dale passed away on June 13, 2008 in Louisville, Kentucky of pancreatic cancer. Dale served 23 years in the U.S. Navy and retired in 1978. He then worked for Lockheed Martin at the Bangor (WA) Naval Submarine Base. After leaving Lockheed, he became deeply involved in family history and was a member of the Germans from Russia Heritage Society.

Dale is survived by his wife, mother, three sons and a daughter. Our condolences to his family. Here is Dale's obituary from the Kitsap Sun.

Hungary to Russia....and more!

2008-06-29T20:48:00.021-06:00

The co-editors of the GRHS Heritage Review, both from Washington state, are teaming up again to tell the story of when and why our German ancestors left Germany for Hungary, sharing insight into where they settled and why they left Hungary for Russia.

Carolyn Schott of Seattle and Gayla Gray of Spokane will also share photographs from a German village in Hungary and provide tips for persons doing research in Hungary. It’s all part of their Hungary to Russia workshop slated for 3:30 p.m., Saturday, August 2nd during the 2008 joint AHSGR/GRHS international convention in Casper. The Parkway Plaza Hotel is the convention headquarters. Hungary to Russia will be in Adrian's Room at the Parkway.

Carolyn Schott was about 11 years old when she began serious research in genealogy. As an adult, she’s had the good fortune to visit her ancestral German-Hungarian village, as well as most of her ancestral villages in Ukraine. She is Village Coordinator for Gnadenfeld, Bessarabia; Area Coordinator for Logan & LaMoure counties in North Dakota; member of the VRP/Clearinghouse Committee; and member of the GRHS Publications Committee. Carolyn also serves on the GRHS Board of Directors and has written a book based on her research, The Schott Family of Hoffnungstal, Bessarabia.

Gayla Ohlhauser Gray is also an active member of the GRHS Board of Directors and serves on the Web/Server and Village Research Project/Clearinghouse committees. She is Village Coordinator for Alexanderhilf, Freudental, Josefstal, Mariental, and Neu Freudental in the Odessa area, as well as Hutterdorf, Huttertal, Neu Huttertal, and Johannesruh in the Taurien area. Gayla is also GRHS Village Coordinator Team Leader. She is Area Coordinator for Emmons County, North Dakota and Campbell County, South Dakota. She is also the spokesperson and webmaster for the Grossliebental District Odessa Regional Interest Group and creates and manages many of the GRHS research webpages.

Gayla will also be leading two other workshops in Casper.

The first one will be Using the GRHS Website, set for 2:00 p.m., Friday, August 1st in Ballroom A, and it will focus on what is available on the GRHS website and how to research your ancestors using the site.

Then on Saturday, August 2nd at 8:30 a.m., it’s the Grossliebental (GDO) Research Workshop, which will focus on the history of the area, the village that make up the GDO, and how to research these villages. It'll take place in Ballroom C.

Frank & Kamenka villages workshop

2008-06-28T22:15:00.016-06:00

Veteran researchers Doris Eckhardt Evans and Brent Mai are among the opening round of presenters at workshops scheduled as part of the International Convention of Germans from Russia this summer in Casper. Their hour-long session, entitled Kanton Frank and Northern Protestant Villages of Kanton Kamenka is set for 2:30 p.m., Thursday, July 31st.

The convention opens July 28th and runs through August 3rd. The Frank and Kamenka villages workshop will be in Ballroom A of the Parkway Plaza Hotel and Convention Center in Casper, the convention headquarters.

Doris Eckhardt Evans of Almira, Washington is a native of Washington state and has been involved with genealogy and community history for many years. Doris has a degree in Education from Washington State. She was elected to the AHSGR Board in 1999 and served two consecutive terms, retiring in 2005. During its 2006 convention in Lincoln, AHSGR presented Doris with its Distinguished Service Award.

Brent Mai of Beaverton, Oregon is the University Librarian and Director of the Center for Volga German Studies at Concordia University in Portland, Oregon. He is the author of numerous articles and books on the Volga Germans and has given many presentations on Volga-German research. He also serves as the Colony Research Coordinator for the colonies of Aehrenfeld and Kratzke for both AHSGR and GRHS.

Newspaper features Germans from Russia

2008-06-26T10:51:00.006-06:00

The 2008 International Convention of Germans from Russia gathering in Casper next month got a nice boost from a feature story in the June 15th edition of the Casper Star-Tribune.

Written by staff writer Hannah Wiest, the piece was a excellent overview of a few Wyoming residents whose roots are German-Russian. It included some wonderful photographs and captured a flavor of ancestral pride found in the Hein, Zitterkopf, Befus and Bolger families.

Photos and text filled the front page of the Star-Tribune "Range" section and flowed onto page two, where there was also information about our upcoming international convention. While we're unable to provide photo images, you can read the story, Faces of their fathers.

Wiest says she's planning another feature story about the Germans from Russia convention in July.

Ingram and Kilwien lead four Casper sessions

2008-06-25T22:44:00.022-06:00

Genealogical researchers are faced with many challenges, and one of them is trying to translate and understand other languages critical to their research. Attendees of the 2008 International Convention of Germans from Russia will have a rare opportunity to make sense of Cyrillic script, identify Cyrillic letters of the alphabet and transliterate names from Russian into English. Workshop leaders for Reading Cyrillic Script are Valerie Ingram of Spokane, Washington and David Kilwien of Aberdeen, Washington.

The session is one of more than 40 workshops that will take place during the convention in Casper. Ingram and Kilwien say Cyrillic script isn't as hard as you think, and they promise that handouts will be available! Their session is scheduled for 3:45 p.m. on Thursday, July 31st in the Wyoming Room of the Parkway Plaza Hotel and Convention Center.

Valerie Ingram was born in Solen, North Dakota and has lived in Spokane since childhood. After the death of her father in 1995, she began searching for her siblings from her father's first marriage, which sparked her obsession with genealogy. She is a GRHS Board Member and is GRHS President for 2007-2008. She also serves on a variety of other GRHS committees and groups; additionally, she is Village Coordinator for the Catholic villages of Karlsruhe, Katharinental, Landau, Speier, Sulz (Beresan) and Gross-Mangeapunar (Dobrudscha). Valerie is married with three grown chldren and seven grandchildren.

David Kilwien is a building contractor in western Washington. Ten years ago his grandmother explained the story of his German-Russian heritage, and he has been hooked on genalogy ever since. His main focus of interest has been on the Catholic families from the Beresan region. He is a Village Coordinator for Rastadt and Munchen. David is a Life Member of GRHS and currently serves on the Board of Directors as Vice-President. He's an active participant in the Beresan Interest Group, GRHS Clearing House, Computer Committee, and Translation teams. David and his wife, Debbie, live in Aberdeen, Washington.

Ingram and Kilwien will lead three other workshops:

~~Beresan Area presentation (2:30 p.m., Thursday, July 31, Wyomng Room) will take beginners and advanced researchers alike into the sources available for both Lutherans and Catholics, as well as focusing on new files from the Ukranian archives;

~~Lost in Russia (3:30 Friday, August 1, Tiffany Room and repeats 2:00 p.m., Saturday, August 2, Wyoming Room) - Valerie's father left behind two children from a marriage in Ukraine when he went back to Germany in the 1940s, never to see them again and thinking they were dead. This is the story of how the siblings were finally found 60 years later!This session will be repeated at , in the Wyoming Room.

~~Town Meeting (4:45 p.m., Saturday, August 2, Adrian's Room) offers answers to your questions about what's happening with projects or record retrievals in you society. This is a joint AHSGR/GRHS Town Meeting. Velma Jesser of Las Cruces, New Mexico, will join Valerie and David in moderating the Town Meeting.

Terrific tours planned for Casper convention

2008-06-25T15:21:00.006-06:00

Some outstanding tours are planned around the 2008 Germans from Russia convention in Casper, but you'll need to act quickly to take advantage of them.

We understand that Tour 1 to the Grand Tetons and Yellowstone National Park, scheduled for August 3-5, may still be available if folks act now! This once-in-a-lifetime opportunity costs $460 per person based on 2 persons per room. To learn more, call Melinda at Your Ride in Casper. Her number is (307) 577-1226. Or you can e-mail her at yourridein@aol.com

Other tours include: Tour 2 - Historic Becker Farm & Olde Tyme Entertainment (July 29) at $55 per person; Tour 3 - Black Thunder Mine & Buffalo Ranch Tour (July 30) for $115 per person; and Tour 4 - National Historic Trails Interpretive Center & Ft. Caspar Museum (July 30) for $50.00 per person.

More information can be found in the Germans from Russia Convention Tours form. If you have any questions at all, call Melinda at (307) 577-1226.

Make the most of your trip to Wyoming for our convention!

Kerk and Bettcher among youth essay winners

2008-06-04T16:09:00.013-06:00

The Germans from Russia Heritage Society (GRHS) has announced international winners of their 2008 Youth Essay Contest, according to Youth Committee Chairman Vera Hoff in her GRHS Youth Committee Annual Report. There were three categories of competition: Middle School, High School, and University. Entries came from across the United States, Canada, and Ukraine.

The winner of the Middle School division is Janna Kerk, a 6th grader from Southwest Middle School in Rapid City, South Dakota, whose essay was entitled, “German Russians.”

Janna reportedly loves writing, reading, sketching, and playing her violin. She’s also an accomplished figure skater! Janna says she very much enjoyed researching and composing her essay about German Russians, because she has German ancestors. Her grandmother’s maiden name was Burkhardt.

In addition to copping the 1st Place trophy, Janna will receive a $150 cash prize. She says she plans to travel to Germany this summer to visit her Burkhardt relatives.

Alexandra Bettcher of Maple Plain, Minnesota, receives the Middle School Runner-Up award, including a trophy and $100 for her essay, “Grandpa John, A Man Possessed With Wanderlust.” In addition to her interest in genealogy, Alexandra likes horses, rollerblading, and reading. She says her grandfather got her interested in her ancestors and also encouraged her to enter the contest. She is a 7th grader at Calvary Memorial Christian School near Minneapolis.

Winners in all categories of the GRHS Youth Essay Contest will receive their awards at a luncheon on Friday, August 1, at the International Convention of Germans from Russia in Casper, Wyoming (July 28-August 3).

Herzog brothers speak August 2nd

2008-06-04T10:31:00.020-06:00

Among the terrific lineup of speakers for the Germans from Russia convention in Casper are the Herzog brothers, Alex and Michael, who will focus on the trek of a German-Russian family from the Black Sea region of Russia to Kansas, which was largely a destination for German-Russians from the Volga Region.

Their presentation is From Steppe to Steppe - From Black Sea to Volga-German Kansas: Comparing Three Memoirs from a 20th Century Immigrant Family. It's one of several concurrent sessions scheduled for 8:30 a.m., Saturday, August 2nd at the Parkway Plaza Hotel in Casper. It will cover how memoirs can be produced and will compare memories of one event experienced by four family members. The Herzog presentation will be in Ballroom B. It will be repeated at 2:00 p.m. Saturday in the Tiffany Room.

The Herzog brothers are direct descendants of Black Sea settlers from Alsace, which is now a part of France. In 1944 the family was transplanted on Hitler’s orders to Poland, where their father was inducted into the German armed forces. Their mother managed to move the family to Berlin in East Germany and finally to West Germany, where they were reunited with their father and in 1953 emigrated to the United States, thus avoiding the fate of so many of their relatives, who were deported to Siberia by the Soviets in 1945.

Alex Herzog was born in 1938 in Lichtenfeld (Ambrosyevo), a German village in Kutchurgan/Ukraine. He eventually earned an MA and did advanced graduate studies in mathematics in the United States. He had a long career with IBM and took early retirement in 1993 and is now a freelance and volunteer translator, primarily from German to English. Most of his many translations have been published by GRHC, GRHS and AHSGR. He is a member of both GRHS and AHSGR. He is married to Dr. Nancy Herzog. They live in Boulder, Colorado, and their three married children have given them seven grandchildren.

Michael Herzog was born in Romania in 1944 on the family trek out of the Ukraine. After the family arrived in the United States in 1953, Michael earned an MA in Germanic Languages and Literature and a PhD in Comparative Literature from the University of Washington. He is Professor of English and Senior Faculty Advisor to the Academic Vice President at Gonzaga University in Spokane, Washington. He and his wife, Jean, a mental health counselor, live in Spokane. They have four children and four grandchildren.

Convention Program and Registration Form

2008-05-07T22:49:00.005-06:00

It's time to register for the International Convention of Germans from Russia July 28 - August 3 in Casper, Wyoming. Here's a link to the Convention Program, including a printable Registration Form. If you've not already made lodging reservations, we urge you to do soon as soon as possible. See you in Casper!

Kilwien donates beautiful afghan

2008-04-25T14:56:00.009-06:00

Debbie Kilwien has been knitting nearly half her life, and she has a deep commitment to helping the Germans from Russia Heritage Society youth programs. So it was a no-brainer for her to step forward and offer her talent in creating the beautiful afghan shown above.

Measuring about 45 inches by 70 inches, the red, white and blue American flag is sure to be a hit among attendees at the International Convention of Germans from Russia this summer in Casper, Wyoming. The creation will be the prize in a drawing that will benefit the GRHS Youth Program. Debbie says she started work on the afghan last fall, but the project was interrupted for several weeks last winter.

A native of Bremerton, Washington, Debbie and her husband, Dave, live in Aberdeen, Washington, not far from the Pacific Ocean. She and Dave own their own construction business, which focuses on residential restoration for homes that have been damaged by fire, flood, or other incidents.

“I married in to the German-Russian community,” says Debbie. Both she and Dave are lifetime members of the Germans from Russia Heritage Society. Dave serves as Vice-President of the national organization and also belongs to the Puget Sound and Inland NW chapters.

Lodging accommodations for the international convention are filling fast, so persons wishing to attend the July 28-August 3 convention at the Parkway Plaza Hotel and Convention Center in Casper should try to make their reservations immediately. A number of lodging possibilities are listed in the right hand column.

Conference registration forms will be in the mail any day now, and we’ll also be posting registration forms on-line in the near future!

Casper, Here We Come!

2008-04-07T19:23:00.010-06:00

Twenty-two people showed up in Casper last weekend (April 4-5) for another planning meeting to finalize details for the 2008 International Convention of Germans from Russia. The convention is scheduled for July 28-August 3 at the Parkway Plaza Hotel & Convention Center in Casper.

This will be a special meeting, since it is expected to bring together nearly 1,000 members of both the Germans from Russia Heritage Society and the American Historical Society of Germans from Russia. In most years, the groups -- headquartered in Bismarck, North Dakota and Lincoln, Nebraska, respectively -- meet separately.

Under the leadership of convention co-chairs Patti Sellenrick (AHSGR) and Al Feist (GRHS), the planning committee hammered out final details on the convention agenda. We are posting here a copy of the tentative Convention Program and registration form. You'll also find a few photographs from the April planning meeting, as well as snapshots from earlier planning sessions.

In coming days, posts to this site and the convention web site will provide additional information on programs and events at the convention.

Among the many activities at convention time are several tour opportunities. Here is a summary of tour information that will allow you to learn more about these exciting tours. These forms will also be included with registration materials being mailed to members of both societies.

Rooms are going fast, so if you're planning to attend the 2008 convention, we'd urge you to make your reservations now! Many lodging opportunities are listed on this site. See you in Casper!

Planners to gather April 4-5

2008-03-31T18:06:00.006-06:00

In less than four months, German-Russians from across the country -- even from across the sea -- will converge on Casper, Wyoming for the International Convention of Germans from Russia. As many as 1,000 attendees may attend the July 28-August 3 gathering.

This year, members of both the Germans from Russia Heritage Society and the American Historical Society of Germans from Russia will meet in a joint convention.

Understandably, the event requires considerable planning, and that's just what a large group of representatives from both societies will be doing this weekend (April 4-5) at the Parkway Plaza Hotel and Convention Center in Casper. That'll also be the site for the grand event this summer. Chaired by AHSGR's Patti Sellenrick and GRHS's Al Feist, the convention planning committee is set to put the finishing touches on plans that have been underway for more than a year. The committee will have a full agenda.

We expect a blitz of activities in the next few weeks, following many decisions that will be finalized at this planning session.

Lodging Update

2008-03-26T20:20:00.007-06:00

We understand that lodging accommodations are filling up fast in Casper for the July 28 - August 3 convention.

If you've not yet made your reservations, we're advised that it's best to call the hotel/motel directly rather than through any national toll-free number. This is the BEST way to ensure that you'll get the special convention rates. Be sure to indicate that you're with the Germans from Russia convention. Among the popular lodging sites:

Parkway Plaza Hotel: (307) 232-2140

Holiday Inn (Soon to be Ramada): (307) 235-2531

Ramkota (307) 266-6000

Reservations at Holiday Inn?

2008-03-18T18:05:00.009-06:00

Convention co-chairperson Patti Sellenrick has notified the planning committee that the Holiday Inn Riverside in Casper will become Ramada Plaza Riverside, effective April 1st -- and that's not an April Fool's joke!

Please remember, however, that our convention site is the Parkway Plaza Hotel & Convention Center.

However, given the number of attendees to the convention, many folks have made reservations or may be planning to stay at the Holiday Inn Riverside. We're told that reservations already made at Holiday Inn will be honored by Ramada Plaza Riverside. If you have questions, you can call the hotel toll-free at (877) 576-8636. Other accommodations are noted in the links posted in the column to the right under Lodging Opportunities.

Deadlines Approaching!

2008-01-31T19:22:00.001-07:00

Sharing stories with younger generations is an important way that we Germans from Russia have preserved many aspects of our culture. In an age when our society is immersed in messages coming from a wide range of technological devices, it’s refreshing to experience the age-old art of simple storytelling!

However, like all things, how you prepare and present a good story are critical factors in just how effective you’re able to communicate. Of course, it all starts with……a good story!

A while back, we featured photographs and information from the 2007 GRHS Youth Essay Contest, and also alerted folks to the 2008 competition. Later, we announced the AHSGR Storytelling contest. Above are photos of the top three winners in the 2007 AHSGR storytelling competition. Their stories and information about all winners are included in the Winter 2007 AHSGR Journal.

With spring just around the corner (really!) this might be a good time to remind everyone that the 2008 GRHS youth essays are due March 31st, and the 2008 AHSGR storytelling competition deadline is April 15th.

For information and entry forms for these two events, visit these web sites:

GRHS Youth Essay Contest

AHSGR Storytelling Contest

In addition to honoring our heritage, these contests can also put some serioius money in the pockets of winners. Think of it as our very own German-Russian Stimulus Package!

It’s all another splendid way of “Celebrating our Common Heritage” – the theme of our 2008 joint convention in Casper, where the winners will be announced. It’s also an opportunity to reach out and capture the interest and imagination of our young people – a vital element in the future of both AHSGR and GRHS.

Coming to Casper: Iron Crosses Quilt

2008-01-19T22:15:00.003-07:00

One of the splendid raffle items for the 2008 International Convention of Germans from Russia in Casper next summer is a beautiful quilt donated by Muriel Kraus of Riverton, Wyoming.

The quilt measures approximately 78” square; Muriel has done a lovely job making it; there's little doubt that it'll be a hot item in Casper! Read more about the making of the quilt, which she has named Faith of our Fathers – Iron Crosses.

Muriel says she was inspired to make the quilt after seeing the many photographs of iron crosses taken by Laurin Leonhardt in Kansas cemeteries.

Above right is a recent photo of Muriel and her husband Bob. While Muriel is not a G-R descendant, both of Bob's family lines are German-Russian.

Kuchen Alert!

2008-01-09T13:20:00.001-07:00

One of the joys of gathering with fellow German-Russians is the opportunity of breaking bread together – especially if we can find some good Kuchen!

We were reminded of that today while thumbing through the Rapid City (SD) Journal this morning and seeing a nice story about fellow G-R Vera Hoff. A former delicatessen owner, Vera is extremely active with the German-Russian community, and – as this story amply illustrates – she’s no stranger in the kitchen!

Vera was interviewed while preparing Kuchen for a German dinner at the Blessed Sacrament Church in Rapid City this week. It’s a great story about how her knowledge and skills were handed down by her parents. The section also features some tasty German recipes. Read the on-line version of the story.

You can read the story at this link of the Rapid City Journal. The newspaper is expanding its coverage to include video pieces for many of print stories, and they did one while interviewing Vera. Here's the link to that video interview, which should be available for a few days. Look for it under "Multimedia" on the right side of the page. Nice job, Vera!

Both Vera and her husband Dick are long-time active members of the Germans from Russia Heritage Society. Vera is also co-chair of the Publicity Committee working on the International Convention of Germans from Russia in Casper starting July 28th! Vera won’t be in charge of the kitchen….but we’ll bet attendees will have no trouble finding delicious Kuchen during the convention!

2008 Storytelling Contest

2007-12-26T20:59:00.000-07:00

Even the marvels of high definition television can't compare with the theatre of the mind when great stories are told!

Storytelling remains an important way for us to preserve our heritage, even as aging buildings in the old country deteriorate and "unser Leute" become more assimilated into cultures around the world. Last year at the Hays convention, many of our AHSGR members were mesmerized by the stories shared by the Storytelling Contest winners -- and now it's your turn!

Not only is this a wonderful way to help preserve our heritage, the best storytellers will take home some cash! The First Place winner in the Adult Division will receive $100, Second Place receives $75, and Third Place wins $50. In the Youth Division for those 14 years old and younger, First Place is worth $50, Second Place is $30, and Third Place is $20. Additionally, all winners are awarded an AHSGR Youth Membership.

Here's a link to the AHSGR 2008 Storytelling Contest Entry Form and Rules. Please note that all entry materials are to be sent to:

Ken Koehler

7831 Lewis Court

Arvada, CO 80005

Entries must be received by April 15, 2008!

Coupled with the GRHS Youth Essay Contest, this competition is another splendid way of "Celebrating our Common Heritage" -- the theme of our 2008 joint convention in Casper, where the winners will be announced. It's also an opportunity to reach out and capture the interest and imagination of our young people -- a vital element in the future of both AHSGR and GRHS!

Froehliche Weihnachten!

2007-12-26T14:22:00.000-07:00

We extend to you and your loved ones best wishes for a very

MERRY CHRISTMAS and a HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Governor Freudenthal Invited!

2007-12-09T18:15:00.000-07:00

Wyoming Governor Dave Freudenthal has been invited to welcome attendees to the International Convention of Germans from Russia next summer in Casper.

While the Governor’s office is not yet able to confirm his participation, he has expressed a willingness to do so, as his schedule may allow.

In January, Freudenthal begins his sixth year as Governor. A native of Thermopolis, the 57-year-old Freudenthal grew up on a family farm – one of eight children. He graduated from Amherst College in 1973 and returned to Wyoming to work for the state. He was appointed State Planning Coordinator in 1975. While working for the state, Freudenthal simultaneously earned a law degree from the University of Wyoming. While his ancestry is definitely German, there appears to be no direct ties with Germans from Russia.

The Governor and his wife, Nancy, have four children.

The Governor has been invited to speak at the Thursday morning, July 31st opening ceremonies of the conference. Several other conference-related events will begin on Monday, July 28th. The week-long conference runs through Sunday, August 3rd at the Parkway Plaza Hotel & Convention Center in Casper.

To learn more about Dave Freudenthal and his family, visit the Governor’s official web site.

Nifty Items Donated

2007-11-14T11:37:00.001-07:00

Leah Rennell of Gillette, Wyoming (left) and Patti Sellenrick of Sheridan, Wyoming, hold up some of the many tea towels that have been beautifully embroidered by Jeanne Rupp of Hays, Kansas. Jeanne has donated these items in support of the 2008 International Convention of Germans from Russia next summer. Jeanne is the mother of Kevin Rupp, who was an integral part of the 2007 AHSGR meeting in Hays and serves on the planning committee for the joint convention in Casper from July 28-August 3.

Planners to Meet November 9-10

2007-11-06T10:42:00.000-07:00

The planning committee for the 2008 International Convention of Germans from Russia will gather this weekend in Rapid City, South Dakota to continue cobbling together details for the main event next summer in Casper, Wyoming.

Co-chaired by Al Feist of GRHS and Patti Sellenrick of AHSGR, the convention planners will meet at 3 o'clock Friday afternoon, November 9th, for afternoon and informal evening meetings. A full day of work is anticipated for Saturday, November 10th. Sessions will take place at the Ramkota Hotel and Convention Center -- a Best Western -- located at 2111 North LaCrosse Street (on the north side of Interstate 90 Exit 59). Here's a link to a map.

National Weather Service forecasts indicate that the weather should be pretty nice: skies will be mostly sunny both days -- highs about 60 and lows in the lower 30s.

Vera Hoff says that meetings will take place in the Badlands Room of the Ramkota. The Badlands Room is in Convention Center 1, which is easily accessed from the front (East) entrance to the hotel. For those of you who will be in Rapid City, here is the November 9-10 meeting agenda.

Shown above is a convention postcard that will be widely distributed to help promote the Casper convention, and we've updated and expanded the links located in the right-hand column of the blog site. Here's a link to the Media Advisory distributed in late October by the Casper Area Convention and Vistors Bureau.

Convention Planning Update

2007-09-25T17:19:00.000-06:00

More details are unfolding for the international Germans from Russia convention next summer in Casper, Wyoming. Some two dozen committee members from the Germans from Russia Heritage Society (GRHS) and the American Historical Society of Germans from Russia (AHSGR) met September 21-22 in Casper to narrow the focus on events planned for the convention. Here's a roster of those who participated. Take a look at a few photographs of this group at work.

Al Feist of of Hebron, North Dakota and Patti Sellenrick of Sheridan, Wyoming are co-chairmen for the event, which is expected to draw as many as one thousand participants to Casper. Sellenrick represents AHSGR, while Feist represents GRHS.

The plannning committee spent considerable time with representatives from both the Casper Area Convention and Visitors Bureau and the Parkway Plaza Hotel -- including on-site tours of the convention facilities and discussions regarding logistical requirements.

A revised tentative "Schedule of Events" was adopted for the July 28 - August 3 convention. While several Board functions and tours will occur early in the week, bookstores will open and workshops will begin Wednesday, July 30th. "Welcome Night" is scheduled that evening. We'll post the draft schedule on this blog in the next few days. Of course, there may well be other revisions before a final schedule is adopted in early 2008.

The committee is slated to meet again November 9-10 in Rapid City, South Dakota and tentatively plans to return to Casper April 11-12 for another on-site meeting. These dates and other convention-related events are included on the Publicity Calendar link that you'll find in the right hand column of this posting under "2008 Convention Links."

Convention Poster

2007-09-12T17:56:00.000-06:00

This is the poster developed to help promote the

2008 international convention of Germans from Russia.

The convention is July 28-August 3, 2008 in Casper, Wyoming.

Click on the poster to see a larger image.

Youth Essay Contest

2007-08-04T11:27:00.000-06:00

And you thought genealogy and heritage research was for "old fogies"!

What a delight to read about this young lady from the Ukraine who won first place in the Germans from Russia Heritage Society (GRHS) Youth Essay Contest (University level). 20-year-old Jenia Kramarenko is pursuing a degree in linguistics from Kiev National Aviation University. The essay about her grandmother is a touching blend of history, genealogy, and pride of heritage. It can be found in the "Youth Program" section of the GRHS web site.

And the winners and runners-up in the 2007 contest cover lots of geography! From Seoul, South Korea to Indianapolis, Indiana -- from Johannestal, Ukraine to Rapid City, South Dakota. Their hometowns and backgrounds are varied, but their essays share excellent writing and a love of a common heritage. Contest rules and an entry form for the 2008 Youth Essay Contest are available on-line.

German-Russians from across the country will celebrate that common heritage next summer at the 2008 International Germans from Russia heritage gathering in Casper, Wyoming. Winners of the 2008 essay contest will be recognized during the convention.

Coming to Casper!

2007-07-27T11:38:00.002-06:00

Celebrating our Common Heritage

This is the place to get late-breaking information about the 2008 International Germans from Russia Convention scheduled for July 28 - August 3, 2008. The event is sponsored jointly by the Germans from Russia Heritage Society (GRHS) based in Bismarck, North Dakota, and the American Historical Society of Germans from Russia (AHSGR) which is headquartered in Lincoln, Nebraska.

Casper, Wyoming will provide the backdrop for this gathering, the first-ever joint convention of the two societies. Events will take place at the Parkway Plaza Hotel & Convention Center in Casper and program plans are already well underway for this historic gathering.

The Convention Planning Committee, co-chaired by Patti Sellenrick for AHSGR and Al Feist for GRHS, has already met three times - twice in Casper and once in Bismarck, North Dakota, which is headquarters for GRHS. Convention committees are comprised and co-chaired by members from both organizations, and this blending is already creating considerable excitement and anticipation.

"Celebrating Our Common Heritage" will serve as a theme for the convention, and further details will be posted on both the AHSGR and GRHS web sites and in future newsletters. Announcements about the 2008 convention in Casper were unveiled during the 2007 AHSGR convention in Hays and the GRHS convention in Bismarck.

We welcome comments and input from society members and others!

Mark your calendars now and plan to attend the joint AHSGR / GRHS 2008 Convention July 28th - August 3rd in Casper, Wyoming, where we'll be "Celebrating our Common Heritage"!