Merv Weiss was born in Prelate, SK and grew up on his parents’ farm southwest of Fox Valley. His Weiss grandparents were born, and married, in the village of Selz, Odessa District. Konrad Weiss, and his wife, Brigetta Fetsch, came to Canada in 1913. His mother, as well as his Schafer grandparents, emigrated in 1925 from a small village east of Simferopol, Crimea. Grandfather Philip Schafer had five brothers, as well as five sisters in the Schuler area, and another brother in the Lemsford area. But Merv’s interest in his family history did not begin in earnest until the year 2000. Since then he has visited the old former German villages in Ukraine and in Crimea three times, and has made three trips to Germany to meet cousins he has found by using World War II German Immigration records of refugees. Conclusion – to understand and appreciate family genealogy history, one must understand the historical events which shaped each generation.
Ron Vossler
Ronald Vossler, a university writing teacher and independent humanities scholar and researcher, has recently been appointed to the International Co-ordinating Committee of the Ukrainian World Congress. This committee's mission is to bring international attention to the genocide of Ukrainians (and ethnic Germans) that occured during the politically-caused famine in Soviet Ukraine that occured in 1933. His book, "Dakota Kraut: How I Learned to Love My Accent and Ancestry" has been named as one of the most important memoir books written in North Dakota over the past century. His most recent film, "We'll Meet Again in Heaven"---one in a series of national and international award winning documentaries---is now showing on public television stations across the United States; it tells the story of what happened in the 1930s to those ethnic Germans who did not immigrate to Canadian or American prairies. Vossler, who lives in East Grand Forks, Minnesota, will visit Ukraine during 2008, to gather research for his next book, titled "Old Blood: The Story of a Lost People and their Forgotten Homeland in the Kingdom of Death." His new website is www.ronvossler.com
Sharon (Grenz) Chmielarz
Sharon (Grenz) Chmielarz is a Black Sea German Russian on her father’s side. She has led many writing workshops and has been a finalist in the National Poetry Series and in 1999, 2001, 2002, and 2005 nominated for a Pushcart. Her collections include The Rhubarb King, The Other Mozart, But I Won't Go Out in a Boat, Different Arrangements, Stranger in Her House. Her poems have appeared in magazines like North American Review, have been translated into French and Polish, and appear in two 2007 anthologies.
Daryl Thompson
Born in Saskatchewan and raised in the West Kootenays of British Columbia, Daryl learned the bulk of his craft from a European Master Smith. While learning in that shop, everything from simple candle-holders to elaborate gates and railings were produced. A little over two and a half years later, Daryl and his wife Jodi, moved back to Saskatchewan to raise a family. Now on his own, Daryl creates all manner of artistic and functional wrought iron in Elrose, Saskatchewan.
Jacqueline Baker
Raised in southwestern Saskatchewan, Jacqueline Baker, of German Russian heritage, is the author of a collection of short fiction, A Hard Witching & Other Stories (2003), and a novel, The Horseman's Graves, (2007), a tale of a small German immigrant community on the Saskatchewan-Alberta border caught between the promise of the new land and the weight of a European past.
Jacqueline has has an MA in Literature from the University of Edmonton, and has been the writer-in-residence at Grant MacEwan College in Edmonton and has mentored through the Banff Centre for the Arts.
More in the Author Profile at Quill & Quire ...
Sister Magdalen Stengler
Sister Magdalen Stengler, an Ursuline of Prelate, has served in the church of Western Canada as classroom teacher, religious education consultant, formation director, music teacher, general superior and more recently as director of Ursuline associates, historian and author. Her book: Where to Now? The Story of the Ursuline Sisters of Prelate, 1919-2003 tells the story of the German Sisters who initially came to Prelate came to teach the children of pioneer families. Originally from Mankota, SK, Stengler obtained an ARCT (piano) from the Royal Conservatory of Music in Toronto, a B.Th. from St. Paul University in Ottawa and a M.Ed. From Notre Dame, Indiana. She lives in Saskatoon.
Haley Sackela Geiger
Ever since she found her great-Aunt's grave plaque during a family farm auction when she was a child, Haley Sackela-Geiger has been interested in her family's history. Being a child at the time, she figured the unknown relative was probably buried with some of the family's treasure - too young to realize the Wists and Geigers weren't exactly the Romanovs. In autumn of 2006 she was lucky enough to accompany her Uncle on a 'Meet the Relatives' and prelimenary fact-finding tour of Southern Germany. A third generation half German from Russia Canadian, Haley currently lives in Sylvan Lake, AB, where she grows everything but kartuffel and grumbere in her garden.
Bill Wardill
Willam Wardill was born in Eatonia in 1927 and still lives there. He is married to Martha Besler, whose parents once lived in Estuary. Estuary is the centre-piece of his first book, SAND CASTLES, which is in the digital libraries of Laval University and the University of Calagary.
Wardill has worked as a bank clerk, house painter, electrician, mortgage appraiser arborist and tombstone salesman He is also a grave finder who has located many unmarked graves in pioneer cemteries through the use of divining rods.
He was postmaster in Eatonia for 34 years. Ater leaving that position, he earned a university degree amd went on to self-publish 16 books, He was active in municipal, school and church affairs for many years and was a member pf the first Board of Directors of the Saskatchewan Housing Corporation. He holds a lifetime membership in the Saskatchewan Urban Municipalities Association
In 2008, he is still active as an historian, author, poet, diviner, gardener and tenor soloist. In 2005, he was awarded a Saskatchewan Centennial Medal, which he claims to be a nuisance because it keeps falling off his pyjamas.
Paul Hofer
Paul is a member of the Elkwater Hutterian Brethren near Medicine Hat, Alberta. Paul is the German School teacher at his colony. His extensive knowledge of Hutterite history and culture is impressive.
Gabriele Goldstone's serendiptious journey into the past, led her from dinner table conversations and old photographs to the now desolate villages of Ukraine and the former KGB files of Zhitomir. Her debut mid-grade novel, The Kulak's Daughter, (Blooming Tree Press, August/2008) is based on her mother's youth in Volhynia during Stalin's collectivization process and is dedicated to all the kulak orphans. Gabriele also holds a B. Ed and an MA in German Literature.
Visit her blog at gabrielegoldstone.blogspot.com for more information.
Anna Fischer
Anna, born in 1926 in Johannestal, Ukraine, grew up during Stalin's regime. In 1944, her family made the trek to Poland, and then ventured further west into Germany, enduring the hardships of WWII. In 1951, Anna was able to emigrate to Medicine Hat, Alberta, where she still resides.
Denise, born and raised in Southwest Saskatchewan, currently lives on Cortez Island, BC. Denise is an accomplished songwriter and musician, and will perform during the festival. More information can be found on her website: http://www.cortesisland.com/denisewolda/
Barbara Hoggard-Lulay
Barbara Hoggard-Lulay was born and raised in Southern Germany. Her professional background includes a vocational training as an Industrial Business Management Assistant, and a Foreign Language Correspondent and Interpreter. In 1981 Barbara moved to Bonn to start her career in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Federal Republic of Germany. She was the spokesperson of the Ministry’s assistant for eight years and was posted for a three year term to the German Embassy in Tel Aviv/Israel as the Ambassador’s assistant, and she also worked in the Consular Section of the Embassy. In 1992 she was given a leave of absence from the Ministry when Foreign Minister Hans-Dietrich Genscher retired and asked her to be his office manager and spokesperson in his parliament and private offices. From 2000 to 2004 Barbara was also the authorized signatory of Hans-Dietrich Genscher Consult GmbH.
Barbara met her Saskatonian husband, Bruce in 2001 and they were married in Germany in 2004. She moved to Saskatoon in 2004, after twelve interesting years of work for Mr. Genscher, to start a new life with her husband and two stepdaughters, Michelle and Lisa.
Since 2005 she has worked as a research assistant in the Department of Plant Sciences at the College of Agriculture & Bioresources at the University of Saskatchewan. From 2005 until 2007 she was also a teacher at the German Language School, Saskatoon and she is a consultant for European projects at Hoggard International, Marketing & Management Consultants, Saskatoon.
Barbara Hoggard-Lulay was inaugurated as Honorary Consul of the Federal Republic of Germany for Saskatchewan on April 12, 2007.
Gayla Ohlhauser Gray
Gayla is a Germans from Russia Heritage Society (GRHS) active board member and serves on the following GRHS committees: Web/Server, Archival Acquisitions, Translations and Village Research Project/Clearing House. She is co-editor of the GRHS publication Heritage Review, Village Coordinator Team Lead, and a Village and Area Coordinator. She is also the webmaster for the Grossliebental District Odessa Regional Interest Group web site and creates and manages many of the GRHS web pages. Gayla has presented workshops focusing on Germans from Hungary to Russia, the Grossliebental Odessa District area and using the Internet for genealogy research.
Rich Aspenleiter
Rich is a Germans from Russia Heritage Society (GRHS) active board member and serves on the following GRHS committees: Web/Server, Membership, New Chapter Formation, Obituary, and Village Research Project/Clearing House. He is responsible for overall management of the GRHS mailing lists as well as Village Coordinator Team Lead. Rich is a village coordinator, area coordinator and ort coordinator for GRHS. When Rich is not doing research or volunteering for GRHS, he is a fire fighter with the Spokane Fire Department where he has been employed for over 25 years.
Acacia (Jonas) Stuckle
Acacia (Jonas) Stuckle was raised in Fredonia, North Dakota located in the heartland of Germans from Russia. Her maternal grandparents are both German-Russian. Her grandfather was born in Westport, South Dakota and grandmother was born in Strasburg, North Dakota. She graduated from North Dakota State University, Fargo in December 2006 with a Bachelor's of Science in Speech Communication. She worked as a student employee at the Germans from Russia Heritage Collection (GRHC) from 2002-2006. She is currently the special collections associate for the GRHC at North Dakota State University Library. She has provided outreach for the GRHC and Dakota Memories Oral History Project since 2007.
Gordon E. Elhard
Gordon Elhard, a Calgarian native, is a well known speaker in Alberta and across Canada. Gordon has served the Calgary Board of Education for 32 years in several capacities, including teacher, principal, and superintendent. He has received several awards including "Master of Excellence in Teaching Award" for inspired teaching of history, "Outstanding Administrator Award" from Selection Research and two from Phi Delta Kappa: Significant Contribution to Public Education and Distinguished Educator Award. Gordon presently specializes in keynote addresses, leadership development presentations, seminars and workshops, professional and personal coaching and mentoring, personnel selection and parent education.