Convention Newsletter Thursday, June 14, 2007 A gravestone in a photograph led Carol Sinner from Savannah, GA to Hays, Ks. and the AHSGR Convention. It all began when her brother sent her a snapshot of her great-grandfather¹s headstone. She was able to read on the stone his place of birth: Norka, Russia. Then she got on the internet to learn more about Norka, and a link connected her to AHSGR. That¹s when she learned about the convention, signed up for membership and the convention. This is her first AHSGR convention. Her ancestors (Helzer) settled in Harvard, Nebraska in 1888. Leona Pfeifer announced the official opening of the 38th annual convention. The color guard presented the flags of the U.S. and Canada and both National Anthems were sung. Then following a tribute to the large number of veterans present. Fr. Gilmary Tallman O.F.M.Cap. (yes, he¹s German too!) invoked the opening prayer. Leona expressed gratitude for the support of the businesses and the local communities. Kevin Rupp also thanked the Kansas Chapters for their help. Next, the mayor of Hays, Troy Hickman, was happy to welcome the 530 people who registered for the convention. He commented ³Since I¹m married to a Weber from Ellis, this crowd just reminds me of Christmas dinner!² He presented Jerome Siebert, AHSGR President, with a Marshall¹s badge in lieu of keys to the city. Gary Shorman, Pres/CEO of Eagle Communications mentioned a favorite German saying from childhood days. His grandpa would often say, ³too soon old, too late smart². He challenged us to take and share with the next generation the wealth of history made available through AHSGR genealogy research. He was impressed with the passion this group has about their heritage. The business meeting followed, chaired by Jerry Siebert. He pointed out that our international aspect is for all German-Russian, not just the Volga area. Our history goes through Russia. We need to get youth interested and appreciative of their heritage. Alton Sissell explained the current fund raising plan titled ³Step-Up². We are asked to step-up¹ to the plate and go for the Home Run the goal of $250,000. The genealogy workshop was well attended and certainly provided a wide realm of advice on tracking down the relatives. Peggy Goertzen¹s talk on The Crimea Revisited¹ pointed out how an intrinsic characteristic of Russian-Germans was a willingness to migrate. Frank Jacobs explained how to track heritage through DNA. And Alton Sissell was just what beginners needed to hear on how to get started via the internet. Life on the Kansas prairie. No money no trees for homes. Ingenuity and industriousness found ways for shelter. First the dug out, then the sod houses, and finally, the native stone homes. Norma Pipkin, dressed as an immigrant woman, spun a story of her great-great grandmother¹s family coming to America, starting anew, filled with faith and hope. We learned how customs from Russia were carried on here as she narrated certain customs and ³hochzeit² (wedding). She sprinkled her speech with a delightful mixture of German and English and spoke of traditional foods and preparations for a German wedding. It was truly authentic in every detail, and a joy to hear. Village Night a whole new experience for me. I enjoyed meeting new people whose family ties in America began where I grew up. I realized too late that I should have been better prepared with information my family has gathered on our family tree. Even so, as we talked, I learned more about what the genealogy department has to offer in our search for ancestry. Thus ends day four of the convention. Judy Hoffman, Secretary Sunflower Chapter -- Kevin Rupp 2301 Canal Blvd Hays, Ks. 67601 krupp@ruraltel.net www.volgagerman.net volgagerman@ruraltel.net