By Michael M. Miller
Our Germans from Russia community has lost a shining star with the passing of Robert “Bob” Dambach. Bob was a familiar face and voice of Prairie Public as the director of television. Bob was a special colleague and a dear friend. We traveled together to film and interview to produce documentaries in Argentina, Brazil, France Germany, Ukraine, Alberta, Saskatchewan, California, Kansas, Minnesota, Nebraska, and the Dakotas.
In 1985, Bob Dambach began his work as program director at Prairie Public and was promoted to director of television in 1996. With his passion for history and local production, Bob opened new doors for partnerships that led to dozens of award-winning local documentaries.
In May 1996, Bob Dambach and Dave Geck, Prairie Public videographer, traveled with our first Journey to the Homeland Tour to Germany and Odessa, Ukraine. Bob and Dave also joined the 1997 and 1998 tours. Amazing filming in the former Bessarabian and Black Sea German villages of Strassburg, Kulm, Selz, and Leipzig, captured the lifestyle of the villagers, churches, bazaars, schools, gardens, canning and farming; and developed the first award-winning documentary in the Germans from Russia Series.
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