Articles and Reviews
"Dr. Don Heinrich Tolzmann Honored in Cincinnati"
Cincinnati, OH (awj) - A retirement party was held October 5th in Cincinnati to honor Dr. Don Heinrich Tolzmann, who just retired after close to thirty-four years of service as Curator of the German-Americana Collection and Director of German-American Studies at the University of Cincinnati. The reception was hosted by E.P. Harris and Jerry Glenn, both Professors Emeritus of Germanic Languages and Literatures, and their wives.
In a special proclamation for the occasion, Dr. Richard E. Schade, Honorary Consul of the Federal Republic of Germany celebrated the achievements of Tolzmann "both as a scholar of German-American Studies and as a prime mover in the Greater Cincinnati area." His proclamation also stated:
"Without his vision and unswerving devotion to the furtherance of German-American culture over the years – the German-American holdings in the university and public libraries would be a faint semblance of what they are today, the public recognition of the region's proud German-American element would be less well commemorated, the many and varied German-American organizations would be less well unified in their policies and activities."
Schade also noted that Tolzmann's "many lectures, conferences, books and editions of seminal texts have ever championed the achievements of German-American figures, from the Moravian missionary Johannes Heckewelder to the bridge-builder Johann Augustus Roebling, from past to present. And we are gathered here today to celebrate the achievements and spirit of Don Heinrich Tolzmann, a truly great German-American and a most deserving holder of the Bundesverdienstkreuz. An inspiration to us all, scholars of German-Americans will look back on this era and think of it as having been defined by a Kollege who personifies the words inscribed on a monument in Cincinnati's Washington Park: 'Mit Wort und Tat fuer das alte und neue Vaterland.'"
Speaking on behalf of the German-American Citizens League of Greater Cincinnati, Wilhelm Kraeling, Second Vice President, spoke of Tolzmann's numerous contributions to German-American historical scholarship, and that he was beloved by German-Americans across the country for his work in establishing German-American Day as a national day of commemoration in 1987. Tolzmann also serves as President of the German-American Citizens League of Greater Cincinnati and as Curator of the German Heritage Museum in Cincinnati . Other awards include the German-American of the Year Awards presented by the Federation of German-American Societies of Cleveland (1989) and the United German-American Committee (2002).
Dr. Tolzmann was also honored earlier this year by the Society for German-American Studies which presented him with its Outstanding Achievement Award for 2007. Dr. Dolores Hoyt, Second Vice President noted in her laudation that she was sure that Dr. Tolzmann "will continue to be very active in promoting German-American Studies," but now would also have more time to spend with his family. Widely in demand as a speaker, Tolzmann also plans to lecture across the U.S. and Germany, and publish more works dealing with America 's German heritage, emphasizing the importance of German-American relations.