Member Recognition

Margreatha “Maggie” Hein started her journey as Village Coordinator (VC) for the village of Frank at the 2008 Caspar Convention in Wyoming when she was recruited by Doris Evans as a co-VC. Over the next seventeen years, she has become a premier researcher on Volga German origins and co-manages “The Volga Germans” website, where she posts the origins of German settlers for multiple colonies such as Kolb, Hussenbach, Walter, Huck, and many more. As the Frank Village Coordinator, she maintains a large database documenting the genealogical history of multiple families, each backed up by sound research and documentation.

Maggie is a frequent and popular speaker at AHSGR Conventions, presenting programs from beginning your German Russian research, to advanced sessions on origins research. She is a self-taught translator of the challenging Germanic Kurrent and Russian Cyrillic scripts to decode and translate the handwriting of 200-year-old records. Rumor has it, she finds it meditative.

Maggie has also presented at other genealogical conferences and recently wrote an article for Germanology Unlocked: Who are the Volga Germans? (Guest Post by Maggie Hein). Examples of how she taps into your curiosity, she asks, Do you have Volga German ancestors? Are you curious who the Volga Germans were? If so, this post is for you! Maggie Hein, an expert in Volga German research, explains the fascinating history of this ethnic group, as well as how you, the family genealogist, can track down GR ancestors in your genealogical quest.

She opens a whole new world of ancestral discovery through introducing us to “German, French and Danish Church Records that are online documenting our ancestors before they immigrated to Russia.” In addition, Maggie guides the learner through accessing online European archives; Matricula, Archion, Rigsarkivet, and the French Departmental Archives. She introduces American platforms such as FamilySearch, Ancestry, and MyHeritage, demonstrating how the dots connect the genealogical journey with the use of credible resources for births, marriages, and deaths.

Prior to becoming a VC, Maggie was and still is a member of the Northern Illinois AHSGR Chapter, serving in the membership leadership role, and has served as a Foundation Trustee. Maggie does all this while she is still employed as a tax accountant and co-owner of a CPA firm in the Chicago suburbs.

Marie Carroll has long been a member of the Seattle Chapter of AHSGR. Two years ago, when the leadership (which had been in the hands of one family for almost 50 years) passed away, it seemed the Chapter would close. She stepped up and pushed the envelope, not only sustaining the chapter but also working on expanding its membership and activities. Marie has made numerous other contributions to the organization. She has used her long-standing connections with previous Washington State Chapters to rekindle activities in other parts of the state. Last year, they had a well-attended meeting in Walla Walla, in a museum that local AHSGR members had developed. That succe

ss resulted in another potluck and lecture in the same facility this year. She also organized a group meeting at the Oktoberfest in Odessa, WA (a wheat farming community established by GR’s) that had a small town breakfast, a potluck, and featured a game of Bunnock played with real bones. She was able to track down the game from aging-out members. She also organized a meeting featuring hands-on experience of butter ball making, after she picked up the technique at the annual AHSGR convention. Her knowledge of past members and spending the time to connect with them has revitalized the group, which now encompasses the State of Washington. She actively studies the German language and has traveled to Germany to visit origin villages. Her latest efforts have been setting up future statewide events.

For the Seattle Chapter’s 50th anniversary, Carroll planned a two-day conference “Celebrating the Scenic Route,” held this April in the Bavarian town of Leavenworth, WA. Not only did she coordinate the schedule with seasoned expert speakers, but she also mentored new speakers just starting to participate with the chapter.

With this track record of expanding the chapter’s presence and GR cultural experiences in the State of Washington and significantly impacting the chapter’s continuity and membership, there is confidence that the chapter will sustain and continue to develop with her enthusiastic efforts and leadership.

Lee Macklin, a Volhynia descendant, has been a member of the Sacramento Valley Chapter of Germans from Russia (SVCGR) since before its establishment as a dual chapter in 2019. Lee’s drive to bring both AHSGR and GRHS organizations together in one chapter required endless energy, focus, and fortitude. Since then, Lee has freely given guidance to other leaders who also seek to create similar dual chapters.

Lee’s unwavering support to SVCGR includes serving as chapter President, Vice President, Secretary, Newsletter Editor, Webmaster, Librarian, and representing district one on the AHSGR board of directors. Over the years, Lee has given many presentations at SVCGR meetings, advancing the historical and cultural understanding of Germans from Russia. He is also the go-to guy for DNA education, having presented at AHSGR Conventions and published articles in the AHSGR journal.

In the Fall of 2020, Lee was one of a fourteen-member team to shepherd AHSGR’s website into a new era that has successfully expanded the outreach to the Germans from Russia community and beyond. This year, he is focused on the technical requirements to enhance chapter meetings with a hybrid option. This improvement to meetings has been a goal of Lee’s for over two years. Through Lee’s technical knowledge and dedication, the SVCGR Board is excited about the opportunity to expand its membership to interested GRs outside of the Sacramento area starting in June 2025.

Lee has consistently demonstrated his passionate dedication to SVCGR and the advancement of the AHSGR mission. His tireless efforts and dedicated support have brought vitality to the SVCGR chapter and the advancement of the legacy of Germans from Russia.

Nancy Borrell grew up in the South Bottoms of Lincoln, Nebraska, an area dominated by Germans from Russia settlers. With her proximity to the Heritage Center, Nancy has a long history of volunteering for and making a strong impact on the AHSGR.

Nancy served on the Board of Directors from 2006 to 2023 and on the Executive Committee as Secretary from 2007 to 2014. Her im

print on the Society can be seen all over the campus from the many years she chaired and served on the Facilities Committee.

She oversaw the BRICK project, ensuring that the newly inscribed bricks donated from families and Chapters were set around the Immigrant Family statue at the AHSGR Heritage Center, one of the most commemorative sites for Germans from Russia.

Recognizing the value of the craftsmanship, it was her vision to preserve the 1983 wood-carved exterior front door of the AHGSR Heritage Center. Under her watch, she ensured the preservation of the door was well-maintained, which then ultimately led to the door being professionally restored and relocated as the entrance to the museum inside the Heritage Center.

Nancy spent hours at the Heritage Center, guaranteeing it was a welcome site. She initiated a group of retired women who volunteered their time giving tours and assisting with any tasks that needed to be completed. She shared her love for her heritage by making kuchen for board meetings and sharing her own history through talks such as “Growing Up Rooshian.” She was a guide and mentor, often hosting board members at her home.

Conventions were always a time for her to shine, helping wherever needed from quilt ticket sales to registration support. She directed many cooking demonstrations to share her German Russian recipes, and to reacquaint herself with old friends. Nancy is a prime example of a woman who spoke up and led change in her field. She grew up with those who lived it, and in turn, she volunteered to pass it on to the next generation.

Richard Scheuerman was raised on a farm between the rural farming towns of Endicott and St. John, Washington, in the rolling hills of eastern Washington’s Palouse Country. The area was heavily populated by Volga and Black Sea Germans, and as a teen, Richard embarked on a campaign to interview as many first-generation immigrant elders as possible. In 1973, he graduated in history from Washington State University and married his high school sweetheart, Lois Morasch, also of Volga German heritage. The couple has three children and seven grandchildren.

Richard attended his first AHSGR convention in 1972 in Boulder, Colorado, which began longtime friendships with society founders and historians Emma Haynes, David Miller, Ruth Amen, Art and Cleora Flegel, Lee Kraft, Rick Rye, Tim Kloberdanz, and many others. In the 1980s, he joined Northwest society stalwarts Al Kissler, Jean Roth, Elaine Davison, and others to promote AHSGR membership and events throughout the Pacific Northwest. From 1991 to 1993, he chaired the AHSGR-CIS Russian Archives Project and personally retrieved over 10,000 pages of archival records from Russian archives for society holdings in Lincoln. In 1990, he became one of the first Americans to visit Saratov and the Volga villages since the 1920s and enlisted prominent Russian scholars, including Dr. Igor Pleve to the work of AHSGR history and genealogical research.

In 1991, Richard directed the Operation KareLift humanitarian relief project for Russian orphanages and children’s hospitals in need of food and medicine following the collapse of the Soviet Union. This effort involved the collection, delivery, and distribution of over 1,000 tons of donated aid from the US and Canada and led to Russian President Boris Yeltsin’s commendation for normalizing diplomatic relations. In 2009, Richard co-founded The Joseph Fund and A Family for Every Orphan to promote indigenous adoptions in Russia, Ukraine, and other nations. AFFEO’s most recent relief effort has been the 2025 Seeds of Hope campaign, which has supplied 5,000 families in Ukraine with garden seeds.

Richard is the author of a dozen books, including titles on the history and culture of the Germans from Russia (The Volga Germans: Pioneers of the Pacific Northwest 1981; Hardship to Homeland, 2018), Native Americans, and agriculture. His most recent creative endeavors have included “the Harvest Project,” a three-volume study (Hallowed Harvests, Harvest Hands, Harvest Horizons, 2025) of agrarian themes in world art, literature, and music. He is the recipient of the Washington State Historical Society’s Robert Gray Medal, Rupert Costo Medallion for American Indian Studies, and Washington Governor’s Author Award.

Rosalinda “Rosi” Kloberdanz is a first-generation American-born descendent of Volga German parents, who settled in Colorado in 1951 after fleeing Stalinist Russia through Western Germany. She developed a lifelong passion for learning all she could about her German from Russia heritage. While studying in Europe in the 1970s, she met Emma Schwabenland Haynes and other noted scholars at a small German-Russian conference in Germany. Upon returning to the U.S., she joined AHSGR and the Colorado Chapter.

Rosi became fascinated by computers and their possible role in educating the young while enrolled at the University of Colorado. In 1976, she graduated “magna cum laude” and began her career at North Dakota State University. There, Rosi became a pioneer in the rapidly growing field of Information Technology and worked in a wide variety of demanding environments that culminated as Director of North Dakota EduTech, the educational services division of the state’s IT department. One of the many IT education projects that Rosi and her staff worked on was highly praised at a special conference held at the White House in 2022.

During the historic and turbulent era of the “Second Russian Revolution of 1991,” Rosi and her husband were in the lower rural Volga region performing field research about Volga-German folklife. The groundbreaking work resulted in Rosi earning a master’s degree in child development and family services in 1992. Her thesis and dissertation title was “Women Alone: Separation as a Theme in Volga German Family Life and Culture.” The second achievement was Rosi’s collaboration as co-author of “Thunder on the Steppe: Volga German Folklife in a Changing Russia” with her husband, Timothy Kloberdanz, who proudly celebrates her achievements as a “folklorist and scholar in her own right.”

Rosi served for several years on the AHSGR Board of Directors and often chaired the Folklore & Linguistics Committee. She devoted considerable time and expertise to the AHSGR International Foundation. She has given many presentations at AHSGR chapter meetings and annual conventions and is continuing to make numerous contributions to German-Russian studies and to AHSGR. The Kloberdanzes are the proud parents of two sons.

William Schwab (1920-2014) was a Life Member of AHSGR and very active in the Northern Colorado Chapter. He served as President from 1989-1994 and Past President from 1995-1998. He was also active on the International Board. Bill was instrumental in the restoration of the sugar beet shack in Greeley’s Centennial Village Park. He often demonstrated beet-thinning and topping at the Adams County Fair. He attended many AHSGR conventions in the US and Canada.

Bill was proud of his German Russian heritage. He was born in Brighton, Colorado to Jacob and Elizabeth Schwab, who were both from Donhof, Russia, He kept in contact with relatives in Russia and those who moved to Germany. He hosted some of these cousins in his home and also traveled to Germany to meet more relatives.

Bill served in the U.S. Army from 1942-1945, as a German interpreter. He and Helen Timmerman were married May 2, 1946. They had three children. Bill established Bill’s Floor Covering store in 1954 and successfully rant it for 29 years until he retired. In his free time, he loved fishing, bowling, and traveling.

Mike Meisinger was born in Greeley, Colorado and raised on his parents’ farms near LaSalle and Kersey (Yes, he hoed beets). He started school at the Beebe Draw rural school southeast of LaSalle. After graduating from Platte Valley High School in Kersey, he earned a bachelor’s degree from John Brown University in Siloam Springs, Arkansas, followed by a master’s degree in applied math from Oklahoma State University.

Mike worked for IBM for 35 years with a variety of assignments in Ponca City, Ok; Atlanta, GA; Springfield, IL; and Kansas City, MO. He has lived in Overland Park, KS since 1995. After leaving IBM, he served as a member of the AHSGR Board of Directors for several years acting as Vice President for part of that time. Over the past ten years, he has devoted most of his spare time to genealogy and his role as Village Coordinator of the German Russian colonies of Messer and Neu Messer.

Mike first became interested in the Germans from Russia when he wrote a term paper about them for a college history class in 1973. Over the years, he has made multiple presentations on the Germans from Russia at meetings in Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, Colorado, Oklahoma, and Michigan.  These presentations have covered the history of the Germans from Russia, researching the Germans from Russia, his tour of the former Volga Colonies in 2016, and research on specific Volga German families for family reunions. He has particularly enjoyed sharing the story of the Germans from Russia with a new generation of descendants at the family reunions.

Karen Gienapp Soeken grew up in Michigan. She received a B.A. in mathematics from Valparaiso University; a Master’s Degree in Mathematics/Statistics and Ph.D. in Measurement and Statistics from the University of Maryland; and a Master of Theological Studies from Wesley Theological Seminary. She is Professor Emerita from the University of Maryland School of Nursing.

Karen joined AHSGR in 1975, the Nation’s Capitol Chapter. She has been a member of the AHSGR Board of Directors since 2010, serving as Membership Committee chair, Strategic Planning Committee chair, and Secretary. She has provided commitment and leadership to the organization—leading the Board of Directors to create a blueprint for the future.

Karen currently serves as President of the American Historical Society of Germans from Russia and has repeatedly demonstrated her dedication to its success nw and into the future.

She and Don, her husband of 57 years, are the parents of two and grandparents of six. Besides being involved in AHSGR, she also enjoys reading mysteries, crocheting prayer shawls, solving crossword and sudoku puzzles, making quilts for Lutheran World Relief, and spending time with her grandkids.

Bob Ahlbrandt, Ph.D., is currently serving as Vice President of the AHSGR Board of Directors. He is chair of the Technology Committee, providing strategic direction and oversight of AHSGR’s technology which supports our Headquarters Museum and Library, as well as our virtual capabilities, including ahsgr.org. Bob also serves as the Coordinator of Village Coordinator activities and is currently President of the Greater Kansas City chapter of AHSGR.

Bob holds a B.S. from the University of Missouri, and M.S. and Ph.D. in Statistics from Colorado State University. Bob spent 30 years working in pharmaceutical research and development supporting global registrations of innovative new medicines. After retiring, he has spent more time exploring his Volga German ancestry (paternal ancestors from Grimm, maternal ancestors from Balzer and Rosenberg) and has become more actively involved in AHSGR.

This AHSGR Special Citation recognizes his efforts and numerous volunteer hours in the development and migration of data to the new AHSGR website.

Lee Macklin is a second generation German from Russia from Kansas. Lee earned a Bachelor’s Degree and a Master’s Degree in Information Technology

from the University of Dallas in Texas. He served 10 years in the US Navy as an Anti-Submarine Warfare Specialist during the Vietnam War. This was followed by over 30 years as a software engineer, sales consulting engineer, and technical project manager retiring in 2012. He is married to Cindy Keller Macklin who also has German from Russia ancestors. They have three children, six grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.

Since retiring, Lee has devoted much of his time as the family genealogist and resident DNA expert. He has given many educational and analytical presentations both from genealogy and DNA perspectives. He has been a presenter at numerous AHSGR and GRHS national conventions as well as various local chapters and other organizations. Lee currently maintains an extensive website for the Sacramento Valley Chapter and serves as president of the chapter and a member of the AHSGR Board of Directors.

This Special Citation Award is given in recognition of Lee’s leadership of the 13- month effort to build a new AHSGR website which went live December 2021.

Dennis Zitterkopf is from Kansas, graduating from Durham High School in 1957. He received a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering in 1962 and a Master of Science in Engineering from Johns Hopkins University in 19

70. He worked at Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory in the Space Department, 1962-1978, and for Boeing Defense Division, 1978-2001, after moving to Wichita, Kansas.

Dennis has been a member of AHSGR since 1972 and was a charter member of the Nation’s Capital Chapter. In Wichita, he has been an active member of the Golden Wheat Chapter, serving in various leadership roles. As a member of the AHSGR Board of Directors, Dennis was Technology Chair, 2005-2015, during which time he also served as the SOAR Project Manager, and again from 2019-2021. In 2009 he was awarded the Distinguished Service Award in recognition of his many contributions to the society.

This AHSGR Special Citation recognizes his efforts and numerous volunteer hours in the development of the new AHSGR website

Duane Stabler’s paternal ancestors immigrated to the USA from Klein Neudorf (Glueckstal) and Hoffnungstal (Odessa).  His maternal ancestors immigrated from Hoffnungstal (Bessarabia) and Worms (Beresan). They immigrated to the USA and settled in rural Campbell and McPherson County of South Dakota. Duane grew up in rural Eureka, South Dakota. 

Duane attended grade and high school in Eureka and then attended Northern State University where he received his BS degree.

Duane married Dorothy Wangler from Aberdeen, South Dakota whose family are all from the Kutschurgan colonies in Black Sea region settling in North Dakota.

That degree lead Duane and his wife to Dallas Texas where Texas Instruments hired him; he later joined Seagate Technology, located in Minneapolis Minnesota and remained there for about 32 years rising through the ranks of engineering and engineering management. In 2018 Duane and Dorothy retired to Frisco, Texas in suburban Dallas, TX. 

His family surnames are Staebler (Stabler), Wolf, Schmidt, Bossert, Holzwarth and Fuehrer. These families were all from the Black Sea colonies. His interest in this heritage began when he was about six years old. At that time his Grandfather John Stabler passed away and Duane recalls knowing that Grandfather Stabler was born in Russia. He heard the family stories and asked many questions of family throughout the years. Apparently, he stored them away because it wasn’t until about 1982 when Duane read about the North Star Chapter of Minnesota. He joined AHSGR and the North Star Chapter and attended his first convention in Milwaukee, WI where he met Art Flegel who took one look at Duane’s name tag and said, “you are a Glueckstaller.” At the time that was a word that Duane didn’t know, but he learned fast and sought advice from many people throughout the years. Mentors for Duane include Margaret Freeman, Ardella Bennett and others too numerous to mention.

Duane is a former member of the GRHS Board of Directors and is currently the North Texas Chapter’s representative to the GRHS board of directors. He is the president for the North Texas Chapter of Germans from Russia (https://ntgfr.com)  since it was formed in 2019. He is also a director with the Galizien German Descendants (https://galiziengermandescendants.org).

For the past six years, he is also the leader of the Gluckstal Colonies Research Association (GCRA), https://glueckstal.net, following Margaret Freeman and Homer Rudolf. He is a regular contributor to various publications. Duane and two other researchers published a book titled Researchers Guide to McPherson County SD Cemeteries in 2005.  It can be purchased from NDSU.  His second book Walworth County, South Dakota was published in 2013 and is available through Arcadia Publishing (www.arcadiapublishing.com ). In 2017, Duane received the Joseph S Height Literary Award for his article, Eureka Lutheran College, Eureka, South Dakota: A Vision Crushed by the Depression of the 1930s found in the GRHS Heritage Review, December 2016.

Dr. Lewis Marquardt, Austin, TX, 2019

Dr. Dona Reeves Marquardt, Austin, TX, 2019

Donita (Dodie) Rotherham, San Diego, CA, 2018 

Dr. Wilhelm (Bill) Doos, Milwaukee, WI, 2017

Pam Wurst, Lincoln, NE, 2017

Larry Bohlender, Greeley, CO, 2016 

Samuel Dreith, Denver, CO, 2016 

Dr. Robert Janke, Schoolcraft, MI, 2016

Leona Janke, Schoolcraft, MI, 2016 

Mabel Kiessling, Calgary, AB, Canada, 2015

Leona Mann, Calgary, AB, Canada, 2015 

Norma Somerheiser, Lincoln, NE 2015 

Corinne Koehler, Arvada, CO, 2014 

Kevin Rupp, Hays, KS, 2014 

Jim Weibert, Rocklin, CA, 2013 

Dr. Jerome Siebert, Moraga, CA, 2012 

Clarence Kissler, Littleton, CO, 2011 

Harley Behm, Portage, MI, 2011 

Ed Hoak, Long Grove, IL, 2010 

Nick & Barbara Bretz, Arvada, CO, 2009

Dennis Zitterkopf, Wichita, KS, 2009 

Mayo Flegel, Mankato, MN, 2008 

Raymond Pfau, Racine, WI, 2008 (Posthumous)

Diana Bell, Fresno, CA, 2007 

Edward Schwartzkopf, Lincoln, NE, 2007 (Posthumous) 

Doris Evans, Almira, WA, 2006

Kathryn O’Malley, Mt. Ida, AR, 2005 (Posthumous) 

Edwin Rau, Fresno, CA, 2005 (Posthumous) 

Elaine Frank Davison, Walla Walla, WA, 2004 (Posthumous) 

J. Paul Hile, Fairfax, VA, 2004 

George Miller, Naperville, IL, 2003 

Dr. Timothy J. Kloberdanz, Fargo, ND, 1999 

Dr. Solomon Reinhold Schneider, Fort Collins, CO, 1999 

Leona Pfeifer, Hays, KS, 1998

Margaret (Zimmerman) Freeman, Santa Monica, CA, 1997 

Martha Issinghoff, Dodge City, KS, 1996 

Gerda Stroh Walker, Denver, CO, 1995 

Lawrence Weigel, Hays, KS, 1995 

Reuben Goertz, Freeman, SD, 1994 (Posthumous) 

Mela Meisner Lindsay, Denver, CO, 1994 

Jacob “Jake” Sinner, Lincoln, NE, 1993 

Ruth M. Amen, Lincoln, NE, 1992 

Arthur E. Flegel, Menlo Park, CA, 1992

Dr. David J. Miller, Greeley, CO, 1992

Dr. Adam Giesinger, Winnipeg, MB, Canada 1991

Gwen Mayer, Denver, CO, 2017 

Merrill Crandall, Lincoln, NE, 2017 

Judy Runion, Lincoln, NE, 2017 

Delores Giebelhaus Schwartz, Lincoln, NE, 2014 

Frank McLean, Yakima, WA, 2012 

Rachel Smith, Wichita, KS, 2011 

John & Marcella Wark, Menlo Park, CA, 2011 

John Weber, Lincoln, NE, 2010

Phil Dinges, Lincoln, NE, 2010 

Edward R. (Ted) Gerk, Kelowna, BC, Canada, 2006 

Teresa Helzer, Castle Rock, CO, 2006 

Marie Trupp Krieger, Portland, OR, 2006

Patrice M. Miller, San Ramon, CA, 2006 

JoAnn Kuhr, Lincoln, NE, 1999