Germans From Russia Just another NDSU Library weblog

Please click her to view the July 2008 In Touch with Prairie Living column.

Organizers of the Dakota Memory Oral History Project released a CD set titled “Growing Up German Russian: A Radio Series, Part I and Part II.” Also sponsored by the Germans from Russia Heritage Collection and Prairie Public Broadcasting, the dual disk special contains the radio series that aired from March 24 through May 17on Prairie Public Radio, as well as the series that aired in spring 2007.

Focusing on memories from German-Russians living on the Northern Plains, the radio series is a collection of narratives from participants of the Dakota Memories Oral History Project. The CD set also includes commentaries by Jessica Clark, Dr. Gordon Iseminger, Dr. Tom Isern, Marvin Hartman, Michael Miller, Cassie Ptacek, and Dr. Kimberly Porter.

Public interest in documenting and preserving German-Russian ethnic identity inspired the launch of the project in 2005. Since then, organizers have been gathering stories and documenting family relationships and childhood memories of second and third generation Germans from Russia. Jessica Clark, recipient of the Germans from Russia History Doctoral Fellowship at NDSU, coordinates the project.

The CD costs $30 and is available by contacting Acacia Stuckle, special collections associate, at (701) 231-6596 or acacia.stuckle@ndsu.edu.

Click here to view a listing of clips.

Acacia (Jonas) Stuckle, special collections associate for the Germans from Russia Heritage Collection, will deliver a presentation about the Dakota Memories Oral History Project on Friday, June 13, at 1 p.m. at the German Russian Cultural Festival in Leader, Saskatchewan.

“The presentation will inform the public on what the Germans from Russia Heritage Collection has to offer along with information about the Dakota Memories Oral History Project,” Stuckle said.

According to Stuckle, many Germans from Russia left North Dakota in the early 1900s to settle in central and southern Saskatchewan including the Leader area. “I plan on sharing sample video clips from interviews we have conducted and audio clips from our three radio series. The collection is an archival repository, and we are seeking historic photographs, textiles, cookbooks and family histories,” she said.

Sponsored by the Germans from Russia Heritage Collection located at the NDSU Library, the Dakota Memories Oral History Project is an effort to document and preserve German-Russian ethnic identity. Since 2005, organizers have traveled the Northern Plains, gathering stories and documenting family relationships and childhood memories of second- and third-generation Germans from Russia.

For more information, contact Stuckle at (701) 231-6596 or acacia.stuckle@ndsu.edu. Additional information about the German Russian Cultural Festival 2008 is available at http://grfest.googlepages.com/index.htm.

Friday, 6 June 2008
Augsburg, Germany

Warmest regards from Augsburg on my way this afternoon to Munich, Germany.

On Sunday, 1 June at Ludwigsburg, Germany, I had the wonderful experience of attending the Bessarabian Bundestreffen at Ludwigsburg, north of Stuttgart. Horst Koehler, President of the Federal Republic of Germany, gave an emotional and historic presentation about what his family told him of leaving Bessarabia in 1940 for Poland with the German military. He shared how proud he is to be of Bessarabian German ancestry. Attendees wore name tags identifying their ancestral Bessarabian village of birth. The audience at this event was largely older who were born in Bessarabia.

After visiting Munich, I look forward to returning to Stuttgart on 9 June to be at the home of Ruth and Stefan Kloetzel. Ruth worked for many years
at the Landsmannschaft der Deutschen aus Russland. She worked closely with
Dr. Karl Stumpp with his research. Stefan was born in Mannheim, Kutschurgan District, near Odessa, Ukraine today. At age 19, he was drafted into the German military. Stefan has vivid memories of growing up in Mannheim. He has shared that from 1930 to 1941, his family and the Mannheim villagers never had enough food.

I look forward to returning to Fargo, North Dakota on 10 June from Stuttgart.

With best regards to all,

Michael