Texas Wendish Heritage Society

Announcements

2013-14 Scharath Wendish Scholarship Applications

Thanks to Allan Marburger, one of our Life members, the Texas Wendish Heritage Society is offering up to 10 college-level scholarships of up to $1,000 each. Named for Allan’s Wendish ancestors, the Scharath Wendish Scholarships will be offered to students of Wendish descent. In addition to being of Wendish descent, requirements for applying are as follows:

(1) the applicant must provide proof of acceptance to an accredited college, university, or trade school for the 2013-14 school year;

(2) the applicant must be a current member of the Texas Wendish Heritage Society; and

(3) the applicant's parents must be current members of the Texas Wendish Heritage Society.

Submitted applications must include the following items:

** A completed application

** A completed Ancestor Chart (using the form provided with the application) tracing the student’s ancestry to her/his earliest Wendish ancestors

** An essay of no more than 1,000 words on the subject described on the application form

** Proof of enrollment or acceptance at an accredited college, university, or trade school

In order to judge essays in a more consistent manner, the following criteria will be used:
Quality of research, sources cited 10 points
Personal learning 8 points
Quality of writing, clarity 4 points
Degree of involvement in TWHS 2 points
Previously received Scharath Scholarship -1 point

All application items must be submitted to the Texas Wendish Heritage Museum by close of business on August 31, 2013. Scholarship awards will be announced at Wendish Fest on September 22, 2013, and will be for the 2013-14 school year.

For more information, please contact the museum.

Calendar of events


November 18, 2012	Quarterly Membership Meeting 2:00 p.m., Kilian Building, Museum complex Come join us for a short business meeting, election of Board members, and then stay for our annual Christmas party with a Christmas carol sing-along and Christmas goodies for refreshments. Bring a plate of your favorite seasonal treat to share!
February 17, 2013 May 19, 2013 August 18, 2013 November 17, 2013	Quarterly membership meetings for 2013. 2:00 p.m., Kilian Building, Museum complex Programs for the 2013 membership meetings are still being determined. Stay tuned!
March 2, 2013 May 25, 2013 August 24, 2013 November 23, 2013	Family History Workshop, Peter Building 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m $15 per person or $25 per couple Bring a sack lunch and your laptop, copy of your family tree or other records to help us help you. We can get you started in your family history search or help you solve a puzzle. Weldon Mersiovsky, who has more years' experience in genealogy than he cares to remember, will be here to help you find sources online or in our extensive genealogy library. For more information, please contact Weldon Mersiovsky at weldon@ecpi.com or 512-863-6418.

May 26, 2013	Serbin Homecoming Picnic, St. Paul Lutheran Church picnic grounds. Enjoy great barbecue, fellowship, and have a tour of the museum while you are here.

June 7-9, 2013	Texas Folklife Festival, Institute of Texan Cultures, San Antonio. Come see our booth at the festival and have a bowl of Wendish noodles!
August 31, 2013	Deadline for submission of Scharath Wendish Heritage Scholarship applications for the 2013-14 school year.
September 22, 2013	Twenty-fifth Annual Wendish Fest Museum complex and St. Paul picnic grounds in Serbin, Texas.

Newsletters

Selected articles from previous issues
Wendish Communities Fedor - Part I
Touring the Wendish Homeland
Previous issues:
July 2008

Membership Update
For 2012, we have set a new membership record - reaching 1,122 members, which is the 10th time in 11 years that we have broken that record. In 2001, we had only 395 members; now we have members from 40 U.S. states and 6 foreign countries. Our dues are kept low to encourage people to join. Twenty-five percent of our members are willing and able to join at higher membership levels, which is very beneficial to our museum.

Members are also generously contributing extra donations to help fund improvements to our museum buildings. The projects we need to tackle next are to renovate the Kilian Building, install a new roof on the Peter Building, and install a sprinkler system in our Wendish courtyard garden.

If you are not already a member, consider joining! You can pay your dues by mailing a check to the museum or by clicking on the Membership tab on this website to pay via Paypal.