This will be the last blog post for this year. But we couldn’t wrap up this year’s convention without looking forward to next year’s!
Join us in Bismarck July 21-25, 2010 for International Convention of GRHS. We are excited that one of our featured speakers will be Al Neuharth, founder of the USA Today newspaper and a native of Eureka, South Dakota.
The theme of the 2010 convention is “Treasuring the Past, Preserving the Future.”
The Convention Committee is looking for speakers for this convention, and would love to include a mixture of past speakers and new presenters. Do you have suggestions? Do you have a workshop you could share with others? Contact us with your suggestions.
And watch for more announcements about the 2010 convention – in the Heritage Review, on the GRHS website, and of course, on our Facebook page!
Friday, September 18, 2009
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
A Very Big Thank You…from the Convention Program Chair
A very big "THANK YOU" to our workshop presenters. Great job!
Drawing from a large field of knowledgeable, experienced quality presenters made scheduling the convention program relatively easy. It was helpful to have a number of individuals volunteer. That gave the committee more confidence. Also helpful were the recommendations coming from members who were not presenters but knew someone who was. Nearly every potential presenter, when contacted, said "Yes, I will."
The evaluations confirm what we believed about our presenters: It was an awesome lineup. We tried to balance each workshop time slot with a variety of topics: genealogy, history, human interest and special features. Another tribute to presenters was the fact that our members faithfully supported our program with their regular attendance throughout the full three days of workshops
We scheduled more sessions into this convention than any gathering I have ever attended and they were well-supported. Several evaluations said something like this: "Too many good workshops, can't get to them all…" I'll take that as a positive statement.
Presenters, you helped make convention ' 09 a great one. Thanks.
Del Beck
Program Chair
Drawing from a large field of knowledgeable, experienced quality presenters made scheduling the convention program relatively easy. It was helpful to have a number of individuals volunteer. That gave the committee more confidence. Also helpful were the recommendations coming from members who were not presenters but knew someone who was. Nearly every potential presenter, when contacted, said "Yes, I will."
The evaluations confirm what we believed about our presenters: It was an awesome lineup. We tried to balance each workshop time slot with a variety of topics: genealogy, history, human interest and special features. Another tribute to presenters was the fact that our members faithfully supported our program with their regular attendance throughout the full three days of workshops
We scheduled more sessions into this convention than any gathering I have ever attended and they were well-supported. Several evaluations said something like this: "Too many good workshops, can't get to them all…" I'll take that as a positive statement.
Presenters, you helped make convention ' 09 a great one. Thanks.
Del Beck
Program Chair
A Few Final Updates from the Convention
Just a few final updates that were missed in the flurry of convention activities!
The Lane Alton Nusz award winners are:
Marlene A. (Kraft) Smith of Penn, North Dakota, and Brian Gefroh of Portland, Oregon for the one year’s free membership. Roger Haas has won the $50 Nusz award.
New Life members of GRHS are: Allan and Anne Strobel, Velma Jesser, Sundae Orwick, Mary and Richard Dunn, Patricia Current, Charles and Janet Weisser, Mark Weisser, Kristine Weisser, Jill and Kevin King, Randy Eresman, and Loretta Kaplan.
The Board voted to erect a new sign by the headquarters building in Bismarck to make it more visible and easier to find. A fundraising campaign is going to pay for the sign - $8,000 is needed in total and about $2,200 was collected at the convention.
The 2011 GRHS convention will be held in Spokane, Washington.
The Lane Alton Nusz award winners are:
Marlene A. (Kraft) Smith of Penn, North Dakota, and Brian Gefroh of Portland, Oregon for the one year’s free membership. Roger Haas has won the $50 Nusz award.
New Life members of GRHS are: Allan and Anne Strobel, Velma Jesser, Sundae Orwick, Mary and Richard Dunn, Patricia Current, Charles and Janet Weisser, Mark Weisser, Kristine Weisser, Jill and Kevin King, Randy Eresman, and Loretta Kaplan.
The Board voted to erect a new sign by the headquarters building in Bismarck to make it more visible and easier to find. A fundraising campaign is going to pay for the sign - $8,000 is needed in total and about $2,200 was collected at the convention.
The 2011 GRHS convention will be held in Spokane, Washington.
Sunday, September 13, 2009
Sunday - Passing the Torch
Our Sunday service opened this morning with joyous contemporary gospel music from a group from South Canyon Lutheran Church.The Sunday morning service, in a mixture of English and German, was led by Reverend Theodore Bader. It concluded with a memorial to our GRHS members who have passed away during the past year, those who have been a vital part of the growth and fellowship of the organization.
With this memorial, we pass the torch on – both to next year’s convention committee, but also to the current members of GRHS to continue the good work of preserving our heritage.
Saturday - the Final Full Day
Saturday…the final full day of the convention. A day jam-packed with workshops, entertainment, and announcements!
Kahlile Mehr, from the Family History Library, gave updates on the where the LDS is filming throughout Eastern Europe, especially as related to our Black Sea German research. Other workshops included Family Tree Maker, piecing together family information by translating old letters, the German-Russian villages of the Beresan area by Larysa Levchenko, leadership in chapter meetings and using parliamentary rules for running meetings, how to do research in Germany…and many others! And workshops were fueled by the afternoon kuchen break. Yum…rhubarb! (Okay, everyone has their own favorite…) Plus the Town Meeting talked about the many projects going on at GRHS to help further our family research.
The Youth Essay award winners were announced at the noon meal. They are:
Debra Goranson - 1st place award university level
Elizabeth Koletzky - runner-up award university level
Marissa Stevens - Runner-up award university level
Rebeca Hulme - 1st place award senior high level
Stephanie Scheurer - runner-up award senior high level
Geneva Durand - 1st place award middle school level
Lindsey Amen - runner-up award middle school level
Alexandra Hoffman, a German-Russian AND Miss South Dakota, was to present the awards but was unable to be there due to college and athletic conflicts.
After dinner and a wonderful set of barbershop-style gospel and patriotic music by the Shrine of Democracy Men’s Chorus (which our own Del Beck is a member of), the new GRHS officers for the coming year were announced.
Newly elected are David Kilwien as President, Vince Humann as Vice-President, Carolyn Schott as Secretary. Re-elected to office were Don Heck as Treasurer and Val Wangler as Member-at-Large.
Music continued on into the evening for those who had the energy!
Convention is winding up today with the Sunday memorial service.
Kahlile Mehr, from the Family History Library, gave updates on the where the LDS is filming throughout Eastern Europe, especially as related to our Black Sea German research. Other workshops included Family Tree Maker, piecing together family information by translating old letters, the German-Russian villages of the Beresan area by Larysa Levchenko, leadership in chapter meetings and using parliamentary rules for running meetings, how to do research in Germany…and many others! And workshops were fueled by the afternoon kuchen break. Yum…rhubarb! (Okay, everyone has their own favorite…) Plus the Town Meeting talked about the many projects going on at GRHS to help further our family research.
The Youth Essay award winners were announced at the noon meal. They are:
Debra Goranson - 1st place award university level
Elizabeth Koletzky - runner-up award university level
Marissa Stevens - Runner-up award university level
Rebeca Hulme - 1st place award senior high level
Stephanie Scheurer - runner-up award senior high level
Geneva Durand - 1st place award middle school level
Lindsey Amen - runner-up award middle school level
Alexandra Hoffman, a German-Russian AND Miss South Dakota, was to present the awards but was unable to be there due to college and athletic conflicts.
After dinner and a wonderful set of barbershop-style gospel and patriotic music by the Shrine of Democracy Men’s Chorus (which our own Del Beck is a member of), the new GRHS officers for the coming year were announced.
Newly elected are David Kilwien as President, Vince Humann as Vice-President, Carolyn Schott as Secretary. Re-elected to office were Don Heck as Treasurer and Val Wangler as Member-at-Large.
Music continued on into the evening for those who had the energy!
Convention is winding up today with the Sunday memorial service.
Friday, September 11, 2009
Business Meeting...Awards...Convention's in Full Swing!
The convention is hummin’….lots of good info being presented in workshops…lots of good connections being made. It’s SO fun to sit down at lunch next to a stranger and say “My family’s from Lehr” and get the response “Wow, really? I grew up in Ashley!” Connecting with others is what it’s all about!
Of course, a convention is also a time to talk about the business of the Society. At today’s business meeting, the membership approved a dues increase for 2010 ($50 vs. the current $40). The discussion at the meeting was brief – as one member said “For all
the great information I get from GRHS, $50 is a bargain!” There was also discussion that other genealogy organizations have much higher annual dues….and there can be an additional charge for access to research data. At GRHS, all of this is included in one low membership fee.
The members also unanimously agreed to support the revision of the bylaws, done with the intent to clarify the outdated language in the current version.
Elected to the GRHS Board of Directors for a three-year term were Gayla Aspenleiter, Rich Aspenleiter, Don Ehreth, Al Feist, and David Kilwien, Re-organization and the new officers will be reported tomorrow.
The Joseph S. Height Literary awards went to:
Ron Vossler – Essay “In the Baptist Prayer House”
Alex Herzog – Translation “The Ethnic Germans in Transnistria”
Carolyn Schott – Genealogy “Genealogy Research: The Basics”
Madeline Heer – Folklore “I Should Have Shot the SOB”
Family History Book winners were:
1st place - Anita (Heidt) Wagner "Heidt Ancestry"
2nd place - Elaine (Becker) Morrison "Two Fornfeist Brothers and Their Families”
3rd place - Ronald A. Pfeifer "Pfeifer: The Johannes and Christina Pfeifer Family from Güldendorf, South Russia: The First Four Generations and Beyond”
Of course, a convention is also a time to talk about the business of the Society. At today’s business meeting, the membership approved a dues increase for 2010 ($50 vs. the current $40). The discussion at the meeting was brief – as one member said “For all
the great information I get from GRHS, $50 is a bargain!” There was also discussion that other genealogy organizations have much higher annual dues….and there can be an additional charge for access to research data. At GRHS, all of this is included in one low membership fee.The members also unanimously agreed to support the revision of the bylaws, done with the intent to clarify the outdated language in the current version.
Elected to the GRHS Board of Directors for a three-year term were Gayla Aspenleiter, Rich Aspenleiter, Don Ehreth, Al Feist, and David Kilwien, Re-organization and the new officers will be reported tomorrow.
The Joseph S. Height Literary awards went to:
Ron Vossler – Essay “In the Baptist Prayer House”
Alex Herzog – Translation “The Ethnic Germans in Transnistria”
Carolyn Schott – Genealogy “Genealogy Research: The Basics”
Madeline Heer – Folklore “I Should Have Shot the SOB”
Family History Book winners were:
1st place - Anita (Heidt) Wagner "Heidt Ancestry"
2nd place - Elaine (Becker) Morrison "Two Fornfeist Brothers and Their Families”
3rd place - Ronald A. Pfeifer "Pfeifer: The Johannes and Christina Pfeifer Family from Güldendorf, South Russia: The First Four Generations and Beyond”
Thursday, September 10, 2009
Convention Starts Up!
Today's the first official day of the convention.
Exciting news out today – we’re in the process of signing an agreement with the Odessa archive, similar to the ones we have with Nikolaev and Simferopol, to get records out of there! This is fabulous news for many of our Black Sea GRs, as it has been very difficult to get information from that archive. Watch the Heritage Review for future updates!
In the morning business meeting, 7 candidates were nominated for the 5 open Board of Directors positions. The nominees are: Gayla Aspenleiter, Rich Aspenleiter, Deb Beick, Al Feist, David Kilwien, and Margaret Rehwalt. Elections will be at tomorrow’s business meeting.
Today was a big day for Regional Interest Group meetings with Bessarabia, Beresan District, Grossliebental District, Germans to Poland-Prussia to Russia, Crimea, and the Glückstal Colonies Research group all meeting to elect new officers and talk about new developments in research for those areas.
Lots of other workshops throughout the day…more reports on those over the next couple of days.
The Black Hills chapter entertained the lunch group with a skit in GR dialects. The evening program included a local sculptor who worked on a project to sculpt U.S. presidents’ statutes which can be seen throughout downtown Rapid City and Mylo Hatzenbuhler. No words to describe that one! J You missed out if you weren’t here!
Exciting news out today – we’re in the process of signing an agreement with the Odessa archive, similar to the ones we have with Nikolaev and Simferopol, to get records out of there! This is fabulous news for many of our Black Sea GRs, as it has been very difficult to get information from that archive. Watch the Heritage Review for future updates!
In the morning business meeting, 7 candidates were nominated for the 5 open Board of Directors positions. The nominees are: Gayla Aspenleiter, Rich Aspenleiter, Deb Beick, Al Feist, David Kilwien, and Margaret Rehwalt. Elections will be at tomorrow’s business meeting.
Today was a big day for Regional Interest Group meetings with Bessarabia, Beresan District, Grossliebental District, Germans to Poland-Prussia to Russia, Crimea, and the Glückstal Colonies Research group all meeting to elect new officers and talk about new developments in research for those areas.
Lots of other workshops throughout the day…more reports on those over the next couple of days.
The Black Hills chapter entertained the lunch group with a skit in GR dialects. The evening program included a local sculptor who worked on a project to sculpt U.S. presidents’ statutes which can be seen throughout downtown Rapid City and Mylo Hatzenbuhler. No words to describe that one! J You missed out if you weren’t here!
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
The Day Before....
A bit of a slow news day, but the excitement for the convention is starting to build! People are arriving from all over the world…lots of greetings and hugs throughout the hallways of the Ramkota as friends and colleagues see each other.
As they arrive, people are checking in at the registration and gathering their name tags and convention booklets, scanning through to plan which workshops they’ll be attending. Volunteers are scrambling to make sure everything is in place….displays in Heritage Hall…the silent auction….workshops.
The research room and library was already in full swing, people arriving early to take advantage of the extra time available. One group took a tour of Mt. Rushmore, Crazy Horse…fabulous sights of the Black Hills.
And….new archives announcement coming tomorrow…but I promised not to reveal it by blog prior to the convention attendees hearing about it…so stay tuned tomorrow!
As they arrive, people are checking in at the registration and gathering their name tags and convention booklets, scanning through to plan which workshops they’ll be attending. Volunteers are scrambling to make sure everything is in place….displays in Heritage Hall…the silent auction….workshops.
The research room and library was already in full swing, people arriving early to take advantage of the extra time available. One group took a tour of Mt. Rushmore, Crazy Horse…fabulous sights of the Black Hills.
And….new archives announcement coming tomorrow…but I promised not to reveal it by blog prior to the convention attendees hearing about it…so stay tuned tomorrow!Friday, September 4, 2009
Let's Make Dumpfnudle!
Here’s your chance to taste something as good as “Grandma’s.” With all of Valya’s cooking and food service experience, you may not want to miss this workshop session. Valya, with the assistance of Caroline Diede (who was born in the same village of Johannestal as Valya), will demonstrate how to make Dumpfknudle from start to finish. She will share her “tricks of the trade” with you. Once finished, you will taste them with an added topping of a little beef and gravy. Makes your mouth water, doesn’t it? Class will have to be limited to the first 30 people. Valya (Valentyna) was born in Johannestal (Ivanovka) Ukraine. Johannestal is about 50 miles from Nikolaev, the city where she lived for over 30 years. When she was 17 years old she went to Nikolaev to live with her grandmother and attended high school. After high school she attended a university in Nikolaev for four years and earned a degree in food service engineering. Valentyna also earned a two year nursing degree from a university in Odessa. She was in the food service industry for about 30 years.
Along the way she found a love of genealogy and archival research. Valya has helped hundreds of people find ancestral documents from many different Ukrainian Archives. Her crowing achievement may have been finding the half brother and sister still living in Ukraine of our GRHS President Valerie Ingram. Valya has one daughter, Karolina, and one grandson, Kevin who still live in Nikolaev. She also has one “best husband,” she says, Milton Kramer and they live in Rapid City.
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