Dear Members of the Yale Community in Germany,

Spring has sprung - sort of. And there does seem to be hope on the Covid-19 horizon, with vaccinations picking up speed and talk of life after lockdown. We have much to report - a new board after the Annual General Meeting in March, lots going on this spring, from online happy hour to Munich Dialogues on Democracy events.

As we are spread all around Germany, we have started a new feature - Yalies interviewing Yalies in order to celebrate our diversity. We'll send you the first interview in a second newsletter and post it to the website as well.

Do join us for whatever interests you, and do stay safe and healthy. Enjoy!

Boola Boola!

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NEW BOARD MEMBERS ELECTED AT THE AGM IN MARCH

With thanks to all who joined the online meeting, your new board members (elected to a 2 year term) are:

President:  Bartley Grosserichter (BA '88, Munich)

Vice President:  Alexander Schmitt Glaeser (LLM '89, Munich)

Treasurer:  Hans-Christian Siller (GSAS '12, Berlin)

and officers:

Alumni Schools Committee Rep:  Rebecca Haltzel-Haas (BA '90, Frankfurt)

Data Protection Officer:  Jana Striezel (LLM '02, Wolfsburg)

YAA Representative for Germany (3 yr term):  Jana Striezel (LLM '02, Wolfsburg)

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HAPPY HOUR TO THANK OUTGOING PRESIDENT

(OTHERWISE KNOWN AS DRINKS WITH FUN SMART PEOPLE)

Join us to meet other Yalies in Germany and honor and thank outgoing president Laura Sprague. The new board unanimously voted to honor her with a YAA Club Recognition Award. With Covid still raging, the YAA has sent the award directly to Laura in Eppstein, and we would like to invite you all to join us for an hour of online cheer.

WHEN: Friday, May 21st, 7pm - 8pm

WHERE: ZOOM

RSVP: to bgrosserichter@aya.yale.edu for the Zoom link

Since moving to Frankfurt in 1992, Laura Sprague has been active with the Yale Club of Germany --
first as a "Stammtisch" regular, then as an alumni interview coordinator, and then for 23 years as the
club's secretary, which at one time involved typing hard copies of newsletters, addressing and
stamping envelopes to send to alumni in Germany. Laura has consistently stepped forward to assume
responsibilities throughout her involvement with the YCG, most recently when she took over the role
of president of the club two years ago upon the unexpected illness and passing of our prior long-term
president. As president of the club for the past two years, she supervised the awarding of scholarships
and more importantly helped streamline the official records in order to make the Yale e.V.
organization more transparent to all Yale alumni in Germany and in compliance with the German
authorities. Her consistent cheerful nature and extreme organization made meetings a pleasure. While
at Yale, she majored in American Studies and is currently a lector at Goethe-Universität.

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Join us for an Evening with Prof. David W. Blight

Sterling Professor of History and Director of the Gilder Lehrman Center for the Study of Slavery, Resistance, and Abolition at Yale University

WHEN: Tuesday, May 18th, 7pm

WHERE: Online via YouTube Livestream - Click HERE

 

Frederick Douglass: Prose Poet of American Democracy, 

in His Time and Our Own

As a young man Frederick Douglass (1818–1895) escaped from slavery in Baltimore, Maryland. He was fortunate to have been taught to read by his slave owner mistress, and he would go on to become one of the major literary figures of his time. His very existence gave the lie to slave owners: with dignity and great intelligence he bore witness to the brutality of slavery.

Initially mentored by William Lloyd Garrison, Douglass spokewidely, using his own story to condemn slavery. By the Civil War, Douglass had become the most famed and widely travelled orator in the nation. In his unique and eloquent voice, written and spoken, Douglass was a fierce critic of the United States as well as a radical patriot. After the war he sometimes argued politically with younger African Americans, but he never forsook either the Republican party or the cause of black civil and political rights. His life and words ring true even today, especially given the racial tension currently playing out in the United States.

David W. Blight is Sterling Professor of History and Director of the Gilder Lehrman Center for the Study of Slavery, Resistance, and Abolition at Yale University. He previously taught at North Central College in Illinois, Harvard University, and Amherst College. He is the author or editor of a dozen books, including Frederick Douglass: Prophet of Freedom; American Oracle: The Civil War in the Civil Rights Era; Race and Reunion: The Civil War in American Memory; and annotated editions of Douglass’s first two autobiographies.

He has worked on Douglass much of his professional life, and been awarded the Pulitzer Prize, the Bancroft Prize, the Abraham Lincoln Prize, and the Frederick Douglass Prize, among others. He writes frequently for the popular press, including the Atlantic, the New York Times, and many other journals. His lecture course on the Civil War and Reconstruction Era at Yale is on the internet at https://oyc.yale.edu/history/hist-119. Blight has always been a teacher first. At the beginning of his career, he spent seven years as a high school history teacher in his hometown of Flint, Michigan. Blight maintains a website, including information about public lectures, books, articles and interviews at www.davidblight.com.

Moderation: Professor Dr. Klaus Benesch is professor of English and American Studies at the Ludwig-Maximilians-University in Munich and former director of the Bavarian American Academy

The event is a cooperation between Munich Dialogues on Democracy, the Bavarian American Academy and Amerikahaus.

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A NEW WEBSITE FOR MUNICH DIALOGUES ON DEMOCRACY

Check out our shiny, new website!

www.dialoguesondemocracy.com

With huge thanks to alumna Cleo Godsey (BA '00, Munich) who gave hours of time and talent to help with the reboot, sign up here if you'd like to be informed directly of upcoming events. Munich Dialogues on Democracy is supported by the Yale Club of Germany and Munich's Amerikahaus.

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The Yale Club of Germany e.V.

• http://www.yaleclub.de

• For up-to-date event information, join our Facebook group.

If you have event ideas, would like to get involved in club activites, let us know!

Interviews

The Yale Club is always looking for alumni to interview local high-school students who are applying to Yale College. If you would like to help out or learn more, please contact our ASC director, Rebecca Haltzel-Haas.

Yale Book Award

If you interested in presenting the Yale Book Award at a high school in your area, please contact the club board.

Contributions

The Club does not assess dues, but asks its members to make an modest annual contribution (€20 suggested, but any amount is welcome) to help fund Club activities such as the Yale Book Award.

To contribute, please arrange a bank transfer (Überweisung) to the following account and be sure to include your email address so we can send you your tax-deductible donation receipt:

Bank (Kreditinstitut des Begünstigten): n26 Bank
Payee (Begünstigter): Hans Christian Siller
IBAN: DE76 1001 1001 2621 3219 84
BIC (SWIFT): NTSBDEB1XXX

For any question regarding contributions, please contact our Treasurer, Hans Christian Siller.

Club Officers

PRESIDENT

Bartley Grosserichter (Yale College ’88)
Munich
bgrosserichter@aya.yale.edu

TREASURER

Hans Christian Siller (GSAS ’12)
Berlin
chris.siller@aya.yale.edu

SECRETARY

Alexander Schmitt Glaeser (LLM ’89)
Munich
aschmittgl@aol.com

ALUMNI SCHOOLS COMMITTEE

Rebecca Haltzel-Haas (Yale College ’90)
haltzel-haas@aya.yale.edu

DATA PROTECTION OFFICER

Jana Striezel (LLM ’02)
Wolfsburg
jana.corinna.striezel1@volkswagen.de