Archive Corner:  A Tribute to Jake Geddert
by David Giesbrecht

Without the very significant contributions of some thirty volunteers, the ongoing operation of our archival center would not be possible.
For close to six years now, Jake Geddert has faithfully donated a part of each week to MHS of BC. Jake enjoys volunteering, and does so elsewhere as well. His work in our Centre offers him an opportunity to continue using his professional skills, and in so doing, serving the community in which he and wife Mary live. In return, he appreciates the camaraderie which fosters that strong bond which exists among all of our volunteers.

Jake brings extensive training and experience in library work to our Centre. It was therefore a natural for him to take on responsibility for cataloguing new books and entering them in our Resource Mate library software. In addition to library duties, Jake also became extensively involved in scanning and identifying photographs for our archival collection and creating a new data base of marriage announcements as they appear in the MB Herald.

Sadly, Jake’s volunteering at our Center will soon come to an end as he and Mary anticipate a move to Kelowna in order to live near their children. We will miss Jake. He has been a much valued, dependable colleague who brought with him a good sense of judgment and a lively humor.

We wish Jake and Mary Geddert well in making this transition and will always welcome them back whenever they visit Abbotsford.

Recently Acquired Items

Twenty-six additional EWZ files (Einwanderungszentrale) donated by Tim Janzen.

For sale:

1. Between Worlds  Recollection of a Soviet-born Canadian Mennonite by Harry Loewen.  Pandora, 2006.  $35.00.
2. Constantinoplers Escape from Bolshevism.  Editor: Irmgard Epp, Trafford, 2006.   $31.00
3. David Toews Was Here 1870 – 1947, 2nd edited by Helmut Harder. CMU Press, 2006.  $34.00
4. Half In The Sun; Anthology of Mennonite Writing.  Editor: Elsie K. Neufeld, Ronsdale, 2006, $20.00.
5. In Defence of Privilege: Russian Mennonites and the State Before and During World War I.  Abraham Friesen, Kindred Press, 2006.  $40.00
6. Stories In Sepia; A Memoir of Grace by Connie (Letkeman) Braun   Abbotsford Printing, 2006.  $28.00.
7. Third Daughter: Living in a Global Village by Hilda J. Born.  Imprint Press, 2006.   $25.00.

Queries

I am planning a trip to central Asia and would welcome information from anyone who has visited the sites of Mennonite villages settled in the 1880s:  Gnadenfeld, Koppental, Gnadental and Nikolaipol in the Talas Valley near Aulie Ata; and Ak Methchet near Khiva.   Jim Juhnke, Bethel College, North Newton, KS  67117  <juhnke@bethelks.edu>

We are looking for names and addresses of relatives of Otto David Rempel born 3 Dec 1924 in Main Centre, SK and died 27 Dec 1945.  His father was David J. Rempel & his mother was Anna Cornelsen Rempel.  If you have any information please call us at 604-853-6177 or email us:  archives@mhsbc.com.