"The German Heritage of Kansas" (Annual Meeting), 8 November 2010

http://www.santafetrailcenter.org/News_TheGermanHeritageOfKansas.pdf

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
10/28/10




FOR MORE INFORMATION:
Santa Fe Trail Center
1349 K-156 Highway
Larned, KS 67550
620-285-2054

Presentation Explores German Heritage of Kansas

Larned, KS – The Fort Larned Historical Society will host their Annual Meeting with a program, The German Heritage of Kansas, a presentation and discussion by William D. Keel on Monday, November 8 at 7:00 p.m. at the Santa Fe Trail Center Museum and Library. Members of the community are invited to attend the meeting and free program. Contact the Santa Fe Trail Center at 620-285-2054 for more information. The program is made possible by the Kansas Humanities Council.

More than a third of Kansas residents are of German ancestry. Keel’s presentation explores the major German immigrant groups and their impact on Kansas agriculture, education, and midwestern culture. The PowerPoint presentation will range from early territorial Kansas and German settlements to the impact of the railroad and finally to the current topic of immigration. There will be time for questions and discussion.

William D. Keel is professor of German and chair of the Department of Germanic Languages and Literatures at the University of Kansas. His research interest is German settlement dialects in Kansas and he is the editor of the Yearbook of German-American Studies.

“Kansans claim German as the largest ancestry, according the U.S. Census,” shared Keel. “Over 25 percent of Kansans have German roots.” German Heritage of Kansas is part of the Kansas Humanities Council’s Kansas 150 Speakers Bureau commemorating the Kansas sesquicentennial. The special edition Speakers Bureau features presentations and discussions about Kansas and what it means to be a Kansan over time and across generations.

The Kansas Humanities Council conducts and supports community-based programs, serves as a financial resource through an active grant-making program, and encourages Kansans to participate in their communities. For more information about KHC programs contact the Kansas Humanities Council at 785/357-0359 or visit online at www.kansashumanities.org.

For more information about the program German Heritage of Kansas, contact the museum at 620-285-2054 or visit www.santafetrailcenter.org on the News Release page.