Dear Members and Friends of Houston-Leipzig,
Our 2013 President is out of town, and I volunteered to be in charge for our upcoming meeting on July 18. I am sure that we will have an enjoyable summer evening with the movie Omamamia (German language, English subtitles), set in the eternal city of Rome.
Let me take the opportunity to address a few other issues.
We are celebrating 20 years of Houston-Leipzig this year, and are pleased to report that the relations between our two cities have never been stronger. Vibrant exchanges between citizens, professionals, artists, students, and also universities, just to mention a few, have generated and strengthened many continuing ties between us.
We thank all of you who have made this journey with us and have faithfully contributed to Houston-Leipzig during those twenty years – we do appreciate you! As founding President, I ask all of you to support our mission by becoming a member this year. I particularly encourage all former and prospective members of Houston-Leipzig to join us, if they have not already done so, so that we may grow and expand our student exchanges and encourage young people to become a part of this fascinating organization. If you have been a member all along, I urge you to consider increasing your membership to the next level, and become a corporate or sustaining member. For information on joining Houston-Leipzig, please check out our website here or contact angelika@houstonleipzig.org.
On September 21, we will enjoy our 20th Anniversary Dinner at the Junior League. Other highlights still ahead of us in Houston include a study tour by the American Studies Institutes of the University of Leipzig and the Jagellionian University of Krakow in September, and the performances of the Thomaner Choir, the visit of the Mayor of Leipzig, and the Leipzig citizens’excursion in November.
We also are looking ahead to 2014, when we plan a continuation of our regular programs, such as the student exchange, monthly meetings, and special programs, and we definitely would like to attract more and younger members to sustain the progress we have made. A major highlight will be the 25th anniversary of the peace marches in Leipzig leading to the subsequent fall of the Berlin Wall and Germany’s unification. The celebrations in Leipzig center on the 9th of October. As you are planning your upcoming year, do consider joining us in Leipzig in October of 2014.
See you all on Thursday!
Sincerely,
Wolfgang Schmidt
Founding President 1992/93
2014 President