German-Texan Heritage Society, The Journal, Volume 22, Number 3, Fall 2000 Page: 11
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Recently the Houston Liederkranz and members of the Houston Saengerbund sang at the funeral
service for Walter G. Fritsche (1930-2000). Walter Fritsche was the Director of the Houston Liederkranz
for over three decades and was known statewide as a singer and director of German music. Walter and his
wife, Maria, were also active in the Houston KarnevalVerein. Walter most recently was named Director
Emeritus of the Houston Liederkranz on September 16, 2000. Walter, who was from Lee County, Texas,
left his German mark through the numerous choir members and music lovers who appreciated and heard his
German music.
Thinking of Walter Fritsche also reminds me of Karl Amelang, who for many years served as a music
director of both the Houston Saengerbund and the Houston Liederkranz as well. Karl Amelang died in 1988
and a number of us were honored to sing in German at Karl's funeral as well. Karl's wife, Olga, still loves
German Song and recently attended the Oktoberfest at the Houston Saengerbund. Karl's son, Karl Amelang,
Jr., and his grandson, Rocky Stevens, still attend German functions. We can truly say that Walter Fritsche
and Karl Amelang left their musical German mark on their community in Texas.
The German-Texan Heritage Society just completed its annual convention in Galveston, Texas. Our
convention chairperson, Evangeline Loessin Whorton, and President Karl Micklitz put on a superb
convention at the Tremont Hotel in Galveston. We heard a number of superb talks on German Texans. W.
M. Von Maszewski spoke regarding his new book on the Prince Solms Diary which will be published by the
University ofNorth Texas Press prior to year end. Von also spoke of his earlier book, "A Sojourn in Texas."
Charles Patrick spoke of Friedrich Schlecht's book, "Mein Ausflug Nach Texas." Sherryl Brown spoke on
German-Texan Education, while Marjorie von Rosenberg spoke of German artist, Julius Stockfleth. Teddy
Boehm spoke on Robert Zapp, an early Fayette County German. The comments of Anne Stewart regarding
the Nueces Massacre and the Comfort, Texas Germans will be long remembered. While there were other
superb talks, the keynote speech on Sunday was by Dr. Walter Kamphoefner of Texas A & M, speaking on
"New Perspectives on Texas Germans and the Confederacy."
On a personal note, the State Convention in Galveston was quite memorable in that we were able to
visit extensively with your Journal Editor, Terry Smart, your new Board member, Janice Thompson and a
number of other members of the German-Texan Heritage Society. We also attended the Island Oktoberfest
at the Lutheran Church at 25* and Winnie Streets. A very interesting development is the scheduled joint
meeting of the German-Texan Heritage Society and the Texas German Society on April 6 and 7, 2001 for
a joint annual convention in Waco. Since I have been involved in both organizations, having drafted the
Charter and served as a Founding Director of the Texas German Society and having served as President and
on the Board of the German-Texan Heritage Society, this is a very important meeting to me.
You should consider leaving your German mark on your community by contributing your time,talents, efforts and funds to useful and productive German-Texan projects. Consider creating a professorship
in German language or in German-Texan history at a university in Texas. Amend your Will to include a gift
to a German-Texan charity or change your IRA, 403(b) or Life Insurance Policy Beneficiary Designation to
include aGerman-related charity. For further information, call Rodney C. Koenig at 713-651-5333 or e-mail
me at rkoenig@fulbright.com.Copyright 2000 German-Texan Heritage Society
LEAVE YOUR GERMAN MARK
By Rodney Koenig
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German-Texan Heritage Society. German-Texan Heritage Society, The Journal, Volume 22, Number 3, Fall 2000, periodical, Autumn 2000; Austin, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth1507441/m1/17/: accessed July 16, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting German-Texan Heritage Society.