Each year, AHSGR offers Member Recognition in the form of two awards, the Distinguished Service Award and the Special Citation Award.
Distinguished Service Award
The AHSGR Distinguished Service Award (DSA) is an all-Society award, the highest and most prestigious award the Society can bestow on a member. The award honors and celebrates the exceptional and meritorious service of a member who has made a noticeable and positive impact on the Society or International Foundation in advancing their goals and purposes. The award may be granted posthumously. Although important, monetary contributions to either the Society or International Foundation are secondary factors for consideration in the selection of honorees.
Submit Nomination for Distinguished Service Award
Special Citation Award
The AHSGR Special Citation (ASC) is an all-Society award designed to recognize a one-time outstanding act or continued superior performance in a given area of responsibility in support of the mission of the Society or Foundation. The award may be given to an employee, AHSGR member, or an individual or business organization friend of AHSGR. The award may be granted posthumously. The ASC replaces the Outstanding Employee Award and embraces all former awardees.
Submit Nomination for Special Citation Award
- 2021 Distinguished Service Awardee - Duane Stabler
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.
- Past Distinguished Service Award Recipients
Duane Stabler, Frisco, TX, 2021
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
- Past Special Citation Award Recipients
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
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.