The Janus - December 2001

In This Issue ..• P. 1... ..AFS Opens Hosting Program in China

AFS Opens Hosting Program in China

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uring the 2001-2002 school year the People's Republic of China is hosting its first group of school program AFS students. The students - from Germany and the United States - arrived in China on August 1I. They will live as members of Chinese families and attend public schools in Beijing and Tianjin until next July.

P.2..... President's Message P.4..... Three Outstanding Volunteers Win Galatti Award P.6..... An AFS Driver's Message of Peace P.7..... KennedyMcCain AFS Veterans' Recognition Bill

P.12 ..... Anne Frank Exhibit Helps Build Tolerance in Costa Rica

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The students on an excursion with some of their first Chinese friends.

first exchanges

AFS has been working with the Chinese Ministry ofEducation for nearly 20 years. The

involved teachers.

Today there are more than 800 returned teachers in China who have had an AFS international experience.

In 199/ the Chinese Ministry of Education permitted secondary students to go abroad with AFS. This year 69 Chinese AFS students are spending the school year in 16 different countries. In addition to the new school year program several AFS Partners have short exchanges with China .

Is Chinese challenging?

Ask Erin Johnson from Illinois, USA.

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A Message from Paul Shay, President of AFS International am sure that you want to know how the events of September I I and its aftermath have affected AFS. First of all let me tell you the good news that no current AFS students or their families \-vere involved in the tragedies.

All of our staff members and their families are safe. The offices of AFS International and AFS USA in New York suffered no damage. For all of that we feel enormously lucky - and profoundly grateful.

I

In the days and weeks following

September II AFS organizations around the world made a great effort to be in touch with our exchange participants and their families, to advise them about safety in their particular situations, to ascertain that they felt well-supported by the adult volunteers who are the anchors of AFS, and to be sure that they were comfortable in their host communities.

Almost uniformly, parents and students decided that they would continue their exchange experience in whatever country they were currently hosted.

At AFS International we always monitor carefully health risks, civil unrest and terrorist activity wherever they occur in the world, and we will continue to do so. We are charting our recruitment numbers for upcoming programs as well to see if we need to make adjustments or special recruitment efforts this year.

The terrible tragedies related to September II have created a situation in which the work of AFS is somewhat more difficult. It is also critically important because the need for understanding in the world is so great. The global response to September 11 requires two thrusts, one to fight terrorism, and the second to create greater understanding in the world. AFS may not have much to contribute directly to the first, but we certainly have great expertise to contribute to the second.

Besides managing our operational and programmatic issues, I hope that we can also rise to the challenge in front of us to increase understanding between Islamic and non-Islamic peoples. Although I am pleased that AFS Egypt, Indonesia, Malaysia and Turkey are AFS Partners, we cannot say that AFS has enough exchanges involving the Islamic world.

AFS's founders, the drivers of the American Field Service, were not afraid to organize exchanges that were considered challenging, as when they promoted exchanges between peoples that had been at war only a few years earlier. I hope we will be inspired by their legacy to find ways to take on what might be viewed as challenging exchanges today. It is for this reason that we have especially emphasized contact between the Islamic and non-Islamic world in making the first awards from the new AFS International Diversity Scholarships fund (see page 3).

We must recognize that if we want to make significant increases in the number the Islamic and non-Islamic world, we will require additional resources.

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of exchanges

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between

We cannot count on getting the numbers of participants we would like to see if full participant fees are to be paid. Scholarships will help overcome the uncertainties, fear and economic challenges, as they did in the early exchanges of AFS. I am convinced that many individuals, corporations, foundations and governments will be especially interested in providing support for exchanges of this nature.

Since September 11, I have been using a quote from Albert Einstein that is a great inspiration to me. I believe it is particularly pertinent in the current world situation, and speal{s of the contribution that AFS can make: "Peace cannot be kept by force. It can only be achieved by understanding."

Scholarship Program Affirms AFS Commitment to Diversity

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arly in 2000 AFS International rec ei ved a beq uest that allowed us to begin AFS International Diversity Scholarships, a fund that will be used solely to increase the diversity of AFS participants in all dimensions around the world.

The events of September II remind us how important it is to build a foundation of lasting relationships bet\oveen the Islamic and non-Islamic peoples.

Many of our outreach activities in the next year will focus in this direction.

Next year, for example, AFS International Diversity Scholarships will allow the AFS organizations • Italy to host students from Israel and Palestine in the same AFS chapter in their country, Turkey to send an AFS student from a region of that country that has experienced a decade of terrorism, Belgium Flanders to recruit a student from their Moroccan immigrant community and, • Hungary and Iceland to send AFS students to Islamic countries.

The fund will also allow: Sweden to recruit a student from the Sami population in the north of their country, Jamaica and New Zealand to exchange students from their minority communities, • Panama to send a student from their indigenous community, and • AFS-USA to increase the diversity of AFS students in that country.

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Three Outstanding AFS Volunteers Win the Galatti Award for 2001

The Galatti Awm'd, named fOr Stephen Galattz; the founder if the AFS student programs, is the most p1'estigious commendation awarded ~y AFS The award is presented each year to one or more AFS volunteers who, over a sustained period if time, have provided outstanding support to AFS at the grass roots level. are proud to present the three AFS volunteers who have won the Galatti Awardfor very best if AF S H/e

B

2001.

They represent the

ambang Soetikno - Indonesia Bambang Soetikno is popularly knovvn as "Pak Tik" (Pale means father/elderly male figure). At 77 he may be Indonesia's oldest AFS volunteer, but he is young and vibrant in spirit. The term 'generation gap' does not exist in his dictionary.

Pak Tik's involvement with AFS started in 1983 when his friend who was an AFS chapter president invited him to an event. With no previous AFS background, Pak Tik was immediately attracted by the AFS mission of peace. He worked with three returnees from his hometown, Malang, to establish an AFS chapter and has been a very active volunteer since that time.

He believes in others to move and programs, inspire, provide their own.

The most important role Pak Tik plays is "leadership from behind the screen." the principle of Tut Wu:ri Handayanz, which means "To stand in back and encourage forward".

He prefers to let the younger volunteers take charge in chapter operations while he patiently walks with them every step of the way, being there for them to direction, advice, and support so the young learn to become independent and fly on

Pak Tik is the glue that keeps volunteers together. He and his family make their home a second family for all. During the student recruitment period, he welcomes applicants and their parents at his home even at late hours if they must come from out of town. His commitment to run a clean and fair selection is transmitted to the younger volunteers, ensuring that students from Bina Antarbudaya are selected strictly based on their merit.

Pak Tik's wide personal network brings "in-kind" donations to the organization and builds beneficial links with the regional government and other organizations.

Pak Tik is an inspiration for everyone, not just on his commitment and involvement in Bina Antarbudaya / AFS, but also in life. He gives himself selflessly, and in doing so enriches each and everyone who is lucky enough to meet him .

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Mama

Lily Sebolai - South Africa Mama Lily Sebolai has a long history with AFS Interculture rica and has become a legend within the organization.

South Af-

During the Apartheid years when the organization was unable to host students in Soweto Mama Lily assisted with the selection of young black students for the AFS program, and promoted scholarships.

Because her daughter participated in an AFS exchange program she was well aware of the difficulties for a black student returning to South Africa after an AFS experience and she assisted with the re-orientation and support of retu r nees.

After 1995, when South Africa once again became a part of the AFS network, Mama Lily played a key role in recruiting volunteers in her region and forming a Soweto Chapter. She took the lead in training, motivating and inspiring them and today she is still a key figure in this chapter.

Over the years Mama Lily has hosted a number of participants on different programs and counseled many through their problems. In 1997 she was one of a very small group of volunteers in the country selected to participate in a Twinning Program 'vvith Switzerland, Guatemala and Honduras.

During her term as a board member Mama Lily played an important role, reminding board members of the difficulties of volunteers in her region and those less fortunate than themselves. She is a true grassroots volunteer from a "previously disadvantaged" community, and she emphasized the problems experienced by others in her position. This helped the organization to develop a truly multi-cultural volunteer base. In 2001 AFS Interculture South Africa started an award for volunteer excellence and dedication.

This award was named the Mama Lily award and represents long-term commitment and passion to the organization.

Anyone who has met Mama Lily will speak of her passion for AFS, and her belief in the benefits of the organization for people within the country and all over the world.

p

raphasri Pumsiri - Thailand Twenty-eight years ago Praphasri Pumsiri was selected as school coordinator for the Thonburi AFS chapter, the first chapter to be established In Thailand.

She has been an AFS volunteer ever since.

Praphasri's skill and expertise at coordinating volunteers have made Thonburi one of the strongest chapters in the AFS Thailand network and a model for chapter development.

Today the chapter has 39 participating schools, each offering AFS programs at the local school level.

Praphasri has encouraged teachers to become involved in AFS, increasing their personal and professional skills and allowing them to gain recognition at a national level. Teachers and volunteers from Thonburi are now actively sought as guest speakers and leaders. During Praphasri's time as a volunteer, the AFS Partner office in Thailand has been able to offer programs and placements of an almost unlimited capacity because Praphasri is able to call upon her resources in the chapter and find placements and develop program offerings that suit a variety of expectations. Praphasri was nominated by her chapter as their outstanding volunteer for 2001 and was selected by AFS Thailand to be the Central Region Volunteer of the Year. Praphasri was presented with a plaque recognizing her achievements by a member of the Thai Royal family during the recent '1'O'h Anniversary Gala Dinner of AFS Thailand .

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A WWII Japanese Flag Story: An AFS Driver's Message of Peace he late James F Revard (IE 40), who joined the American Field Service as a driver in 194¡4, was a mem ber of the Osage Ind ian Tri be of Oklahoma.

After the war he became a uni\'ersity professor of Asian studies with a specialization in Japanese history and culture. He held teaching positions in Japan, Australia and in various parts of Asia before he passed away in August 1996.

T

During Re\'ard's sen'ice with AFS at the battle of Meiktila in Burma he came upon a Japanese flag of the kind that soldiers wore around their James F. Revard (extreme right) with AFS IB 40 Unit members before leaving for waists to encourage them when they India/Burma, Los Angeles, September, 1944. wen tin to a ba ttle. The flags \\'ere signed by the family and friends of a soldier and presented to him as a symbol of their good \\'ishes.

Revard kept the flag for many years following World War II, but he often thought that the flag should be returned to its original owner, or failing that, to the owner's family. In July of 1984 he sent the flag to the AFS Archives and asked Bill Orrick, Director of the Archives, to facilitate returning the flag to Japan. Through the assistance of the Japanese Consulate in New York, the Japanese Embassy in \,yashington, and the Ministry of \,yelfare in Tokyo, the flag reached its owner.

In December of 1984 the Consul General of Japan notified Bill Orrick that the flag's owner's name was l'\ojyu Muramatsu. Mr. Muramatsu thought that his flag was lost sometime during the Japanese advance from Rangoon to Moulmein in southern Burma. He wrote a letter expressing his deep appreciation of Mr. Revard's intention of good will.

"Thank you very much for sending me a Japanese flag on which many people contributed a few words to encourage me to distinguish myself in the battle. I was very much surprised when I received the Japanese flag, which I almost gave up for lost. I express my heartfelt thanks to you. I am going to cherish the Japanese flag as my treasure and keep it with care. I wish the United States of America and Japan will make an important contribution to the peace of the world and keep friendly relations between the two countries ...

Revard responded, "I can't believe that you're alive! 1 can1t believe that the flag which I carried for more than forty years is once again in your hands, and that you are its original owner. It's incredible that the flag was 'my' flag for much longer than it will ever be yours. But, it was never really 'my' flag and I am deeply touched that is now back into your hands and its original homeland.

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"Wartime adversaries actually have little in common except terrain. Their hardships and miseries are unique because one side is winning and one side is losing. There you and I were, in the heart of Burma in close proximity, but never knowing anything about each other-how we felt, how we thought, and what each of us had to do. . . To this day my only knowledge of your army and how it fought the war comes from films, books, and recounted stories, even though I was right in the middle of it. I have long since given up such distorted depictions due in part to your flag. Once I understood the writing on the white part of the flag-the feelings imparted by your family and friends, and what the flag expressed in human qualities-I held a different view of the 'dead' soldier I had taken it from. I realized that he was not unlike myself.

"Let me end this letter with the wish that your flag will serve as a symbol for a vvorld peace yet to come, and that its message of love, hope, compassion and triumph in battle will not apply to a young Japanese soldier, but to the greater battle of peace among nations."

Senator Edward M. Kennedy of Massachusetts and Senator John McCain of Arizona '\ have jointly introduced Senate Bill S.1767 "American Field Service Recognition Act of 2001" to provide Honorable Discharges and Veterans' Benefits to all AFS veterans excluded under the 1990 decision, retroactive to August 30, 1990. A companion bill in the House of Representatives sponsored by Representative John P. Murtha of Pennsylvania is expected soon.

Tom Hale, Bill Cantrall and Eleanora Golobic were prime movers behind this action.

We urge all WWII AFS volunteers and their families to write their Senators and Representatives asking passage of these bills.

Cantrall suggests making the following point to Senators and Representatives by fax, email, or telephone, citing the bill number: This bill recognizes the fact that the U. S. Government had authorized AFS Volunteers exclusively "to render assistance, under its responsibility in its armies," according to the Geneva Red Cross Convention. Volunteers acting as combat ambulance drivers with Allied Armies in the Near East, Africa, Europe, and India-Burma were serving under U. S. Army authority and U. S. Government responsibility."

Please send copies of your correspondence keep you informed of developments.

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of the Bill to the AFS Archives.

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We will

Driver News

AFS Driver Richard Nelson helped AFS Intercultura its 25th anniversary in Taxco last May.

Mexico

celebrate

"I t vvas an honor for me to represent AFS as a driver from World War II. Everyone was so very friendly and welcomed me warmly with open arms. I felt I was a member of the AFS family in Mexico.

"This special occasion gave me the opportunity to gi\'e a talk in Spanish to relate many of my own experiences as an ambulance driver. They were extremely interested in hearing of these experiences and also how I came tojoin AFS in late 1943 and went to Italy in early 1944. I also explained some of the history of the American Field Service and how the AFS student program began.

Richard Nelson at the AFS Mexico Anniversary event. Above is Nelson's 1944 photo in the Italian campaign.

"1 t was a great

joy for me to tell them what AFS has meant to me through contact vvith many nations and people while on business travel overseas. The spirit of AFS is alive and well and 1 am truly impressed with the energy and enthusiasm of the AFS volunteers promoting the student program and intercultural activities in Mexico."

Lupita Prado, Partner Director of AFS in Mexico, adds: "It was a marvelous experience. Die], is a great man with courage and goals as big as when he was 18 years old. He made a presentation, clear and with a deep message to motivate the volunteers.

He also enjoyed the social events. He danced with a young and beautiful volunteer. He didn't want to drink tequila. He is a wise man."

Walter Brethauer was invited to speak at the AFS Interculture that celebrated the significant achievements of the organization Partner organization in 1995.

South Africa General Assembly 2001 since the country rejoined AFS as a

"Cape Town and Durban, South Africa, were transit stops for AFS ambulance drivers en route from East Coast ports to the Middle East between 194<1and May of 1943. My two days of air travel (with a stop in Zurich, Switzerland), en route to Johannesburg, contrasted both in speed and safety with the 1942 experience of 32 days aboard the good ship Zaandam to reach Cape Town.

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"\Vithout occurred;

thc first experience, thc second would not have I am pleased to have cxperienced both.

"On my arrival I \\"as greetcd by thc \'olunteers of AFS South Africa, Partner Director Jacqui Whyte, and the staff of thc AFS office in Johannesburg who were most pleasant, helpful, and hard-\\'orl,ing in preparation for the upcoming mcetings.

"On May 3 and 11< I ,vas briefed on the activities of WAU\.

WALK, a community servicc program for young adults, Brethauer. takes its name from \Valk and Lcarn !{anye I{anye - a lulu term for togetherness, doing somcthing as a group.

I fclt momcnts of depression whcn I saw thc scope of societal ills to be ovcrcomc, and then a surge of hopc in realizing the cffort for changc and corrcction is slowly gaining."

AFS South Africa Staff and Volunteers

welcome

Walter

Brcthauer spoke at thc South Africa celebration: "I ga\'e a brief history of AFS from its inception in \V\VI, strcssing the genius of Stc\'e Galatti's managcmcnt skill in realigning the organization after the Amcrican military tool, over in 191/. Thcn, ho\\' somc 20 ycars later he enginecred a total reconstitution of the ambulance sen' ice that \\'ould scn'c any and all armics of the Allies through \V\VII. And finally, to\\"ard the cnd of the \\'ar, he set forth his concept of an ongoing AFS program to educate young people through exposure to othcr cultures.

Anothcr subject I touched upon \\"as that of the field operation of the AI'S ambulance service. The varicty of circumstanccs in which \\'e functioned, plus the exposure to the dozen or morc culturcs in thc \'arious armics with which we \\'orl,ed and those of the country of location, presented an educational opportunity beyond the ordinary. The pcrson \\ho \'cntures to place himself in such a situation is lil,ely to generate significant change in perspecti\¡c. The AFS participant is apt to be a \\'inner."

Latcr the group took a tour of Sowcto, accompanied by AFS staff member Teddy Boyi, and visitcd the homc of an active AI'S volunteer, Mama Lily Sebolai.

"Mama Lily is an inspiration in hcr upbcat attitudc toward thc life she was born into. That positi\'e outlool, is rcflccted in the social work she does among hcr pcople and the hclp given thc AI'S program in Sou th Africa."

Those prcsent at the AI'S mecting in South Africa \\'ere trcatcd to displays of traditional dancing, an African choir and \'arious different types of traditional food provided by thc AFS Chapters. The visitors traveled to the Pilanesburg Game Rescn'c \\"herc they wcre fortunate to view thc wondcrful creatures of South Africa, and some of the most bcautiful sunsets imaginable. \Valter Brcthauer was also a guest on October 25, 200 I .

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spcaker at the AI'S Program

Staff Training

c\'ent in Baltimorc,

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MD

Focus on an AFS Returnee:

TAUFIQ ISMAIL

F

or one of Indonesia's most renowned poets, Taufiq (Abdul Gaffar) Ismail, AFS began in August of 1956 when he traveled to the United States on the 'Neptunia' with the first group of Indonesian AFS students. Ismail came from a traditional Moslem family settled in Pekalongan, Java. Both of his parents 'vvere religious teachers. Ismail was a member of the Indonesian Moslem Students Union and edited its student magazine, 'AI-Falah.'

learned

differently.

The matter

Ismail was hosted at Whitefish Bay High School in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where he was nicknamed 'Vie'. A Milwaukee Journal reporter who interviewed Ismail in February 1957 reported that he lil{ed table tennis, basketball, swimming and soccer and had plans to become a physician.

During his AFS year Ismail sent articles to 'Media' magazine. He wrote in July of 1957: "Your people are so frank, which other nations consider being boastful, but I have of segregation in your country bothers me."

Ismail graduated as a doctor in veterinary medicine and practiced for a short while, but then he followed the call of his soul and became a poet. In 1966 his poetry collection "Benteng" about the awakening of students against oppression was published and well read nationally. He received the National Art Award for the best "vorks in Indonesian literature in 1970. The following year he participated in the International Writing Program at the University of Iowa. He was a contributor to the International Poetry Festival in Rotterdam in 1971. He was the representative for Indonesia in poetry reading events held in 25 countries around the world covering USA, Europe, Australia, Asia and Africa.

Ismail remained active in the AFS organization in Indonesia. He founded the Indonesian Returnee Association in 1958 and served as its Chairman in the 1970s. He was an official delegate to the AFS Convention in 1971 and a speaker at the Convention's special interest luncheon on Arts and Humanities. He was elected as an International Trustee in 1973 and served in this capacity until 1976. Ismail read from his poetry during the 1976 Trustee meeting. In 1985 he was one of the founders of Bina Intarbudaya, the Indonesian Foundation for Intercultural Learning (AFS Indonesia).

Ismail is Poet Laureate of Indonesia and a former executive director of the Indonesian Arts Council. He was also the co-founder of the Horizon magazine in 1966. His new manuscript is "Rerumputan, Dedaunan" ("Leaves and Grass"), a compilation of 180 American poems that he translated in 1992 during his research at the University of Iowa under the sponsorship of the Fulbright program. Currently Ismail and his group are preparing a literary anthology publication for high school students. This will be a fourvolume publication covering 249 poets, short story writers, novelists and playwrights, covering Indonesian literature in the past four centuries. The publication is scheduled for January 2002.

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David Uihlein (CM 97), Richard Nelson (CM 60), and Richard Sinclair (CM 88) were special guests at the Milwaukee Area AFS 50th anniversary celebration held at the Milwaukee Public Museum last November. Over 250 people, including the AFS students staying with Milwaul,ee area famiIies, attended the even t.

Last No\'ember Bill Cantrall (CM 92) and John J. Stamm (IB 22) attended an AFS dinner at Nordic Hills Resort, Itasca, III. John said that his "adoption" by the Scots Guards he served AFS drivers David Uihlein, Richard Nelson and with in the Burma jungle, and his work with Indian troops Richard Sinclair at the Milwaukee Area event. made him more aware of the need for international cooperation. Bill spoke about the trials and re\\"ards of sen'ing \\"ith ten different national armies in Italy, and of ho\\' the experience inspired continued sen'ice and an international outlook.

In September Chick Squire (ME 37, IE 57) met \\"ith the AFS educators from Thailand, China and Hong Kong hosted in Germany in the AFS office in Hamburg. Several AFS returnees from the early 1950's joined them, shared their memories of Stephen Galatti and George Edgell and emphasized how much their AFS year meant to them still today.

The group included Nils Bauer, Vice Chairman of AFS Interkulturelle Begegnungen e.V, Barbel Helmers, Honorary Chick Squire with Elsabea Rohrmann (GERto USA Chairwoman of AFS Germany, host families and staff mem50-51) and Yu Hongyang from China. bers. Chick gave a brief overview of the history of AFS. He also described his own experiences as a driver and later as an AFS volunteer when Stephen Galatti \-\'ould call on former drivers to find American host families for European students or to donate money.

Life Trustee Fred Balderston (ME 37, IB 59-T) and his wife Elizabeth visited AFS Russia in September while Fred was on a lecture tour in that country. During their stay they met with the office staff in Moscow and traveled to Alexandrov near Moscow to address a gathering of AFS students and host families. Fred and Sergey Filonovich, Chair of AFS in Russia, met with Andrew Sommerce, President of the American Chamber of Commerce, to discuss opportunities for establishing AFS corporate scholarships in Russia. During their stay, Fred and Elizabeth also visited a St. Petersburg school and met with AFS students and volunteers at Hertsen State Pedagogical University of Russia .

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Anne Frank Exhibit Helps AFS Build Tolerance in Costa Rica AFS in Costa Rica took its message of the culture of peace to the people of the country in an intense way by sponsoring "Anne Frank: a Story of our Time", an exhibit of photos about the life of the young teen who died in the Holocaust.

The exhibit opened at the National Children's Museum with a ceremony and reception attended by 500 guests, including the First Lady Lorena Clare, diplomats, the press and many students.

The Costa Rican Minister of Education, Guillermo Vargas, a former AFS participant, spoke at the opening ceremony.

La Nacion, the country's main newspaper, quoted Floria Arias, the President of the AFS Costa Rica Foundation, "vho spoke at the exhibit opening:

Costa Rica's First Lady Lorena Clare speaks at the Anne Frank exhibit.

"During the next eight weeks we will see thousands of students from all over the country walking through the hallways of the exhibit. They will go back to their schools and homes with a message of tolerance and respect for others. AFS feels profoundly proud that this will happen."

Throughout the exhibit AFS volunteers served as interpretive guides for the guests. exhibit closed in October more than 22,000 people had visited the museum.

By the time the

After viewing the exhibit visitors were invited to write a personal reflection about "What it is that I can do to help prevent this all from ever happening again" The reflections were collected in a colorful "Chain of Tolerance" which hung from the ceiling of the exhibit.

The embassies of the Netherlands, Germany and Israel helped AFS sponsor the exhibit. Together with AFS the embassies conducted an essay contest that encouraged young students to reflect on the contemporary nature of the issues surrounding Anne Frank's story. The first and second prizewinners received a trip to the Netherlands.

The Anne Frank exhibit was complemented by an AFS exhibit with accounts by ambulance drivers of the work they did a the Bergen Belsen, the concentration camp where Anne Frank and her sister died.

The exhibit also explained the evolution of the American Field Service into the organization it is today.

The Anne Frank exhibit is owned and promoted by the Anne Frank Foundation of Amsterdam, the Netherlands. It has been presented in many countries in the world, and was exhibited in 1999 in Guatemala, where AFS also had a sponsoring role.

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AFS Represented in a Permanent Exhibit Planned for Bergen-Belsen The German federal government and the state government of Lower Saxony are funding a permanent exhibit on the site of the former concentration and displaced persons camps at Bergen-Belsen.

The exhibit and archives will open in 200+.

As plans for the exhibit develop, historians from the United States, Israel, Germany, Britain, France and the etherlands are exploring the archives of organizations that played a role at Belsen (including AFS), collecting records and memorabilia, and interviewing survivors and others who experienced the camps.

A complete documentation of the AFS Archives records on Bergen-Belsen AFS driver in April-May of 1945 were sent to the Bergen-Belsen Eisenberg, a researcher for the center, taped an interview with Norman attached to "D" Platoon of AFS 567 COY at Belsen. Norman Kunkel (IB uniform and cap he wore at Belsen to the exhibit.

camp and a film taken by an Memorial Center. Warren Shethar (CM 53), who was 5, CM 92T) donated an AFS

AFS Archives is pleased that archival documentation on the humanitarian service provided by the AFS ambulance drivers at Belsen will be represented in the new permanent exhibit. We look forward to continuing the cooperation with the Bergen-Belsen Memorial Center that began six years ago when AFS Interkulturelle Begegnungen e. V (AFS in Germany) and the Archives donated the album 'AFS at Belsen' to the Center.

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NEW BOOK

Abroad: The World War I Diaries and Letters of W. Stull Holt,' Edited by Maclyn P. Burg and Thomas 1. Pressly, published by Sunflower University Press, Manhattan, KS, 1998, $26.95.

William Stull Holt was twenty years old and a Cornell University student when he joined the American Ambulance Field Service in March of ] 917. He served as an ambulance driver with AFS Section ] for six months and was awarded the Croix de Guerre for his ser\'ice at Verdun in the summer of 19] 7. When his AFS enlistment ended, Holt joined US Aviation and was promoted to ]'t Lieutenant.

During World War II, Holt interrupted his career as a historian at the Uni\'ersity of Washington to head a unit rescuing airmen from German-occupied territory through underground organizations, for which he was awarded an O.B.E. and an American medal. Holt's diary and letters are accompanied by his photographs.

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Archives Accessions AFS Archives lS fortunate to have received a nurnber if personal collections and artifacts relating to the history if the AF S in 1VJf7I, WWII and the student exchange prograrns. U/e gratifully acknowledge all donations to the AFS Archives. Your support has helped our goal if preserving the history if AFS Listed below are sorne if the recent gifts: John F. Reynolds III (ME 37) contributed an original woolen blanket used by his stepfather, Edward N. Seccombe (SSU 2) during his AFS service in France in 1916. The emblems of American Ambulance and SSU 2 are embroidered on the blanket. Ed Seccombe had driven car No. 27 in Section 2 and later served with its continuation as U.S. Army Ambulance Section 626. At the end of the war, Seccombe shipped the ambulance back to the U.S. and kept the blanket and the ambulance in his garage at Derby, CT. In 1938 the ambulance was repainted with insignia of AFS Section 30 and presented to the Blerancourt Museum, France.

John F. Reynolds

III and Paul Shay holding an

AFS Section 2 ambulance

blanket,

January,

2001.

donated

an article he contributed

H. Mather Lippincott Jr. (CM 58) contributed a New Zealand Forces uniform with an AFS flash and ribbons he wore during his AFS service in the Italian campaign in 1943-194,5. Lippincott also to a Haverford College collection in 1999.

Ward Chamberlin donated a draft of a letter by Ted Weeks (AFS WWI Driver and Trustee) informing AFS Chapters and Overseas Offices of Stephen Galatti's death (written about July 15,1964) and the notes of Ward's talk to the AFS World meeting held on August 1,1964. Additionally, Ward writes about two projects he is interested in pursuing: (1) a video documentary about AFS's founding in 19 H, World War], AFS reactivation in 1940 and WWII, and the founding and development of the student program and (2) a biography of Stephen Galatti that includes the topics mentioned above but through the life of that remarkable man. Ward says that while there is always enthusiasm for these ideas among the drivers he talks to there is no good ideas on where to get the funding. You may contact Ward at WardC68493@aol.com.

Any AFS footage or photographs that you would like to be used in this project, please write to Eleanora Golobic at AFS Archives, 71 West 23rd Street, ] 7th Fl., New York, NY ] 00] o.

Barbel Helmers, AFS Returnee 1953-54" long time staff member and volunteer and Honorary Chairwoman of AFS Germany, donated a book on early German students who received scholarships to the USA and a scrapbook put together by Inge (Hoppe) Rauschning, an AFS Returnee 1951-52 and the ]993 Galatti Award Winner.

Do you have any old letters, If you do, a German 'Lili Marlene,'

museum

originally

posters

or song-sheets

would like to borrow

written

as a poem

that refer to LiE Marlene?

them for an upcoming

by German

soldier

Hans

exhibit

Leip during

about

the song.

World

War

I,

became the favorite of first the German and later the British troops during the Second World War. Contact Dr. Christian Peters at the Haus der Geschichte der Bundesrepublik Deutschland, WillyBrandt-Allee 14,53113 Bonn, Germany. Tel.: (0228)91.65.0, Fax: (0228)91.65.302, www.hdg.de.

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Richard F. Babcock, ME 4 W.Whitaker Baer Jr., ME 32, CM 76 Ronald A. Bishop, CM 93, IB 60- T Robert F. Blair, Jr., ME 27 Henry M. Bliss Jr., IB 40 E. Charles Burk, IB 42 Robert W Burwell, CM 45 Allen W. Clar!" IB 1 John R. Cro'vvley,IB 8, CM 87-T Allen Y Davis, ME 32, FR 8, IB 60- T Lewis G. Duell Jr., IB 56 John C. Ellinwood, CM 88 C. Wells Farnham, Jr., CM 43 Robert C. Ferrier, IB 54 Manning Field, ME 1, CM 86 Percival Gilbert, Jr., ME 16, IB 12 John F. C. Glenn, IB 57 John N. Grainger, CM 93, IB 59- T Walter C. Hackett, CM 41, IB 55 Raymond 1. Hanks, ME 4 William 0. Hart, ME 26 James C. Hughes, CM 80 Porter Jarrell, ME 16, FFC

Harvey K. LeSure, ME 20, FFC Roderick M. MacNeill, CM 86 Robert T. Martin Ill, IB 12 Norman H. McCabe, CM 88 Porter A. McCray, CM 93, IB 60- T William F. Merrill, ME 4, FFC, CM 99 Raymond McKim Mitchell, ME 39 Philip G. Nelson, ME 13 Walter H. Olden, ME 4 Joseph E. Puntil, IB 1 John M. Quinn, CM 94, IB 60-T Edward H. Rakestraw, ME 41 Frederick L. Rath Jr., ME 4 Clarence 1. Reynolds II, CM 47 Schuyler L. Seward, CM 71 Henry M. Shaw, ME 34 Robert A. Stein, ME 4 Jacob 1. Vollrath, Jr., ME 8, ME 16 Peter B. Warren, ME 32, FR 4 William H. Wheeler, CM 76 John B. Whiteside, ME 4, IB 5 Richard E. Whorrall, CM 96, IB 60- T Peter C. Young, CM 86

Josef (Jeff) Van Ranst passed avvay on August 4,2001. He was an AFS Trustee (1975-78) from Belgium and a student to Littleton, MA in 1961-62. Jeff Van Ranst was born in Antwerp, Belgium in 1944. He was a leading architect and consultant in Antwerp who left numerous published works on architecture and economics.

Kathy Phelps passed away aged 92 on August 21, 2001. Mrs. Phelps brought the AFS idea to Venezuela in 1959 and was instrumental in establishing the program in the country. AFS Venezuela established a national award in her name for companies or foundations supporting the programs.

Kelsey B. Hale, Thomas Hale's (CM 47) wife passed away on October 19, 200 I. She worked in the headquarters of the AFS in New York City in 1944-4¡5. Many will remember Kelsey from the AFS 50th Anniversary Drivers Reunion in vVilliamsburg, VA in 1995.

Margaret Louise "Mike" Vennum passed away at age 90 on November 21, 200 I in Minneapolis, M . Mil,e was a founder of AFS in Minnesota. She was an AFS Trustee (1976-79), a long time AFS USA volunteer and a host mother.

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AFS Archive's Treasures: Famous Photos from The Archives

Princess Diana with AFS Chinese teachers, London, November, 1985.

Agnete Pihl (Norway 1960-61) with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Coretta Scott King at the Nobel Prize Ceremony, Oslo, Norway, December,

1964.

His Holiness Pope Paul VI, Roberto Ruffino, Secretary General Intercultura Italy and Annette Cyr (USA to Italy 1970-71), Rome, Vatican, January 13, 1971.

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Mikhail Gorbachev with AFS participants of the Global Youth Summit, San Francisco, 1995.

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