BUKOVINAFEST 98 PRESENTERS
Bukovina Society of the Americas
Ellis and Hays, Kansas
August 13-16, 1998
P. F. “Fritz” Felten graduated from Ft. Hays State University and is widely know for his carvings from Limestone. He operates the Stone Gallery in Hays. His works are found throughout Kansas including the state capitol building.
William D. Keel is professor of German at the University of Kansas, Lawrence, receiving his Ph.D. in Germanic Linguistics from Indiana University. He has studied at the University of Bonn, Germany, and has directed 14 summer language institutes in Germany for KU. He has researched German settlement dialects in Kansas and has produced two albums of German folk music. His presentation at the Bukovinafest is sponsored by the Kansas Humanities Council.
Gabi Lunte received her Ph.D. with honors from the University of Kansas in May of this year. She is a native of Germany. Her doctoral research work was on the Bohemian German dialects from Bukovina in Ellis.
Van Massirer is a charter member of the Bukovina Society from Crawford, Texas, serving as an International Board member. With his wife Mary, he organized and conducted the society annual meeting in 1997 in Waco, the first outside the founding location. He is a rancher and Mary is at Baylor University.
Rev. Steve Parke is a native of Western Kansas with Bukovina ties to the Czech people of Bohemia who migrated along with the Bohemian Germans to Bukovina. He has traveled to Bukovina and given presentations on the former homeland. He is assisted in the annual ecumenical service by Irmgard Hein Ellingson, Bob Schoenthaler, and A.J. Herl.
Henry Sinnreich grew up in Bukovina and left at age 11, in 1945, with his family. His knowledge of Bukovina history is enhanced by trips back to the region. In May he again visited Bukovina with his daughter Gaby.
Sophie Welisch, Ph.D. is Professor Emeritus of History, Dominican College of Blauvelt, New York. She lives in the home of her parents in Congers who left Bukovina in 1923. She is a founding board member of the Bukovina Society and has been a presenter at nearly every annual meeting. She is the author of numerous articles, book reviews, and books and has translated some from German to English.
Werner Zoglauer is a bank computer services manager in Illinois, living with his wife Wally in Naperville. His father was born in Radautz, Bukovina which Werner went to visit in the fall of 1996. He has assisted the society in establishing a data base of families and assists people at the Bukovinafest each year in computer searches.
Shirley Kroeger is a board member of the society, Irene Zerfas is a board spouse and volunteer, Martha Armbrister is a society member and volunteer. The three ladies presented the very popular demonstration on making apple strudel at a prior Bukovinafest.