Come enjoy the most German Day of all and celebrate our National holiday with all of the German organizations in St. Louis! Enjoy great German food, music, wine, beer and whole lot more. Watch the traditional German Folk dancers, and meet the German organizations of St. Louis! Saturday, October 7, 2017 at Donau Park in Jefferson County.
[Re-Posted from Mo-Germans.com]
The German community in St. Louis lost one of its best this past week when Roy Leimberg passed. For many many years he had been a major supporter of the German community serving on the Board of Directors of organizations like the German American Heritage Society, the St. Louis-Stuttgart Sister Cities, and the St. Louis German American Committee. He received numerous awards over the years for his support, and was known from Cincinnati to Chicago to Milwaukee to Kansas City for all that he did. Everyone loved Roy’s quirky sense of humor and respected his vast knowledge about St. Louis history and of the German American community.
I first met Roy five years ago when I began attending the St. Louis German American Committee meetings. He and Harrison generously shared their wisdom about the Committee and the community. I also knew Roy through the St. Louis-Stuttgart Sister Cities because of his long time involvement and working on the annual Winter Ball. His vast knowledge of every detail of past events, all the way back to its’ beginning, amazed me. He seemed to know everyone who ever attended the event, what their meal preferences were and even who they liked to sit with – and who they didn’t. He generously shared who was his favorite emcee, musical group, and theme was. Always helpful and supportive he was a walking encyclopedia on the Winter Ball, it was all Roy.
Roy was just as helpful and supportive to every organization he belonged. A mentor to many, James Martin, President of the German American Heritage Society wrote “Roy was one of the rare recipients of both the Carl Schurz Award (in 1999, for his dedication to the preservation of the history and heritage of our German forebears), and the Friedrich Hecker Freedom Award (in 2007, for his assistance in the promulgation of cooperation and understanding between Germany and the United States). Roy was also the person who got my family involved with GAHS. In 2007, Jessica and I attended our first GAHS event (the Taste of Germany) as representatives of the German School Association. Roy was the vice president of membership at the time, and he and Harrison seated us at their table. Roy was very good at his job, because by the end of the evening he had us signed up to be members.”
Susanne Evens, President of St. Louis-Stuttgart Sister Cities wrote “Roy got involved with the St. Louis – Stuttgart Sister Cities in 1977 when he volunteered to host a father and son, who were members of the Weingarten Musikverein, performing at the annual Strassenfest. In 1985 Roy was invited to serve on the St. Louis-Stuttgart Sister Cities board of directors and at the first meeting was elected Vice-President, four years later was elected President and served for 8 years. During his term as President, the organization has undertaken various annual events such as The Winter Ball Karneval; a Christmas Reception (as a benefit for children); bus trips to the Kansas City Maskenball, Chicago Maskenball and the Germanfest in Milwaukee. Also during his term The Volksmarsch Club was organized and continues to function for the enjoyment of walkers and hikers. Roy always considered the Winter Ball Karneval to be his greatest achievement, which is an annual celebration of Germany’s 5th Season and for 29 years he brought together friends from near and as far as Germany. Please ask Harrison if you have not heard the story on how Winter Ball got started. In 1991, Roy was awarded the William E. Gruening, Jr. plaque from the Kansas City Germania Club; and in 2012, at the St. Louis–Stuttgart Sister Cities’ 25th anniversary, he received the President’s Award. He was also proud to be a member of the Chicago Rheinischer Verein Karneval Club.“
Roy will be missed tremendously. At every dinner, Winter Ball, Taste of Germany, or committee meeting it just won’t be the same with Roy not there. There will be a Brunch/Reception on Saturday, November 5, 2016, at the Deutscher Kulturverein Halle, 3652 S. Jefferson Ave., St. Louis, MO 63118, from 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. In lieu of flowers, memorials to the St. Louis Family Resource Center is requested.
To read his obituary published in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch on Oct. 26, 2016
Our condolences go out to Roy’s family, his partner Harrison Billy, and all of Roy’s friends everywhere. We have all lost a dear friend.
Dorris Keeven-Franke
A friend who dies, it’s something of you who dies. Gustave Flaubert
St. Louis’ German-American Community has lost a dear friend and mentor in the passing on 22 October 2016 of Roy Leimberg. Roy was a member of the German American Committee, St. Louis-Stuttgart Sister Cities, and many others. President James Martin, in his letter to the German American Heritage Society said it best:
It is with great sadness that I share with you the loss of longtime GAHS Board Member, Roy Leimberg. He was an energetic and enthusiastic leader and a pillar of the German-American community, always offering his support and generosity and attending every event with gusto.It is almost time…If you are in Missouri and you are looking to celebrate your German 
(you’re not?!) Heritage!! Saturday, October 1st, 2016 at the German Cultural Hall (where else?!) at 3652 Jefferson in St. Louis, the German American Committee of St. Louis will sponsor our own annual German American Day!!!!! The event is free to the public and everyone is invited!
some fun! learn more about their activities and how you can get involved. The Missouri Humanities Council will be on hand to talk about Missouri’s German Heritage Corridor and the German Genealogical Society will help you research your German ancestors.| Group | Location | Event | Time |
| Badischer Unterstuetzungeverein | Culture Hall | Sharing information | All Day |
| Deutscher Maennerchor StL | Main Hall | Singing | 1:00 PM |
| Federal Republic of Germany | Main Hall | Opening and Procalamation | Noon |
| G.T.E.V. D’Froeliche Schuhplattler | Main Hall | Sharing information | All Day |
| German American Committee of StL | Culture Hall | Event Sponsor | All Day |
| German American Heritage Society of StL | Entry | Wine Raffle – Drawing at 4:45 | All Day |
| German American Police Officers of Stl | Culture Hall | Sharing information | All Day |
| German Cultural Society of StL | Main Hall | Beer sales | All Day |
| Juggend Gruppe – Youth Group | Main Hall | Folk Dancing | 2:00 PM |
| Dammenchor | Main Hall | Singing | 1:00 PM |
| German Culture Center @UMSL | Culture Hall | Sharing Educational Resources | All Day |
| German School Association | Culture Hall | Teaching you German Language | All Day |
| Germanic Genealogy of St Louis | Culture Hall | Genealogical Research help | All Day |
| Liederkranz | Main Hall | Singing | 1:00 PM |
| Missouri Germans Consortium | Culture Hall | German Traditions | All Day |
| Schuetzenverein von StL | Culture Hall | Range Demonstrations | All Day |
| St Charles County German Heritage Club | Culture Hall | Exhibit on German emigration | All Day |
| St Charles Sister City Ludwigsburg | Culture Hall | Sharing information | All Day |
| St Charles Stammtisch | Culture Hall | A Stammtisch! | All Day |
| Stammtisch StL | Culture Hall | Visiting w/German Speakers | All Day |
| StL Bayern Verein | Culture Hall | Kaffee und Kuchen sponsor | All Day |
| StL Stuttgart Sister Cities | Culture Hall | Exhibit on their Sister City | All Day |
| StL-Bosseln Leagues | Culture Hall | Sharing information | All Day |
| StL-Stuttgart Volksmarch Club | Culture Hall | Sharing information | All Day |
| Missouri Humanities Council | Culture Hall | German Heritage Corridor | All Day |
| Harry Wolf | Main Hall | Music & Alpenhorn | 4:00 PM |
All Proceeds go to the German American Committee of St. Louis to continue the German American Heritage of St. Louis and St. Charles Missouri.An event that may be of interest:
April 12, Tuesday: 5:30– 7:00 p.m. Emerson Library Conference Room Webster University, 120 Boylston Street, Webster Groves, MO 63119 The St. Louis Eric M. Warburg Chapter of the American Council on Germany,Webster University History, Politics, and International Relations Department and the Webster University Program in International Studies Discussion with Dr.Rüdiger Graf Senior Lecturer, Center for Contemporary History, Potsdam (Germany) on “The Energy Crises of the 1970s and the Origins of our Time:Sovereignty and Energy Policy in Western Europe and the US”
Dr. Rüdiger Graf is a scholar at The Center for Contemporary Historical Research in Potsdam. He has been a John F. Kennedy Memorial Fellow at the Center for European Studies at Harvard University and a visiting scholar at New York University.
2016, in the Auditorium at the St. Louis Public Library Central Branch, in downtown St. Louis. Our guest speaker will be the noted speaker and author, Dr. Roger Minert, Ph.D, A.G.
It will be a fun day of learning about German genealogy.
For those of you who have heard Dr. Minert speak, we are sure you will be the first to register for this special genealogy day. For those who have not heard him speak, we suggest you visit his website: http://www.rogerpminert.com. He will be selling his books. Personal checks accepted.
To learn more about other St. Louis German cultural organizations, representatives will be on hand to provide information about their organization.
The seminar is free and open to the public. Advanced registration is required.Space is limited. Lunches can be pre-ordered from Urban Eats Café located on the Atrium level in Central Library, at http://go.urbaneatscafe.com/Box-Lunch.html, you may also make other personal choices for how to have lunch.
To register, call Central Library’s Genealogy Room at 314.539.0385 or see the Calendar of Events: http://www.slpl.org/events/calendar.asp. For more information, visit ggg-gahs.org.
