One of
Thom's books
|
President and Journal editor:
Thomas K. Edlund, Granite, Utah
Thomas Kent Edlund, a specialist in East European languages and manuscripts, is a Professor of Family and Local History, Brigham Young University.
He has authored many books on language and genealogy, including The Lutherans of Russia, Die Ahnenstammkartei des Deutschen Volkes, Medieval Latin for Family Historians, An Introduction and Index to the German Minority Census of 1939, and A Compendium of Nahuatl Dialectology.
|
|
First Vice-President:
Brian J. Lenius, Winnipeg, Manitoba
Brian Lenius is employed at The Manitoba Museum in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada and has been conducting East European research for 25 years.
He was the founding first vice president of the Federation of East European Family History Societies (FEEFHS) and again holds that position. Brian is President Emeritus and co-founder of the East European Genealogical Society, holding the position of president for five years and editor of the East European Genealogist for eight years.
Brian has presented research-oriented lectures to FEEFHS and many other genealogical societies in Canada, Germany, and the USA. He is the author and publisher of the Genealogical Gazetteer of Galicia: Expanded Data Edition, and has authored numerous research articles published in Polish, German, East European and other genealogical periodicals. His twelve research trips (1994-2008) to Poland, Ukraine, Czech Republic, Germany, and Austria have resulted in greatly expanding resources available to North American researchers.
|
|
Second Vice-President:
Lisa Alzo, Ithaca, New York
|
LisaAlzo.com
Lisa Ann Alzo, M.F.A., grew up in Duquesne , Pennsylvania , and currently resides in Ithaca , New York . She earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Nutrition from West Virginia Wesleyan College in 1987 and a Master of Fine Arts degree in Nonfiction Writing from the University of Pittsburgh in 1997.
Lisa is the author of seven books, Three Slovak Women Baba's Kitchen: Slovak & Rusyn Family Recipes and Traditions, Finding Your Slovak Ancestors, Pittsburgh's Immigrants,
Slovak Pittsburgh, Sports Memories of Western Pennsylvania, and Writing Your Family Book (Heritage Productions).
Lisa has published articles in Ancestry Magazine, Discovering Family History Magazine, Family Chronicle, Family Tree Magazine, Genealogical Computing, Reunions Magazine, NGSNews Magazine, Reunions Magazine, Western Pennsylvania
History Magazine, FEEFHS Journal and Rocenka: Journal of the Czechoslovak
Genealogical Society International.
An avid genealogist for 17 years, Lisa currently teaches online genealogy courses for GenClass and the National Institute for Genealogical Studies.
|
|
Third Vice-President:
Ceil Wendt Jensen, Detroit, Michigan
|
MIPolonia.net
Ceil Wendt Jensen, Certified Genealogist, is an author and lecturer who presents practical examples and suggestions on how to use records, databases and archives to start or advance your genealogy research. She dispels the myth that records were destroyed during the World Wars and that language barriers make European research difficult. Ceil highlights traditional and electronic research methods.
Ceil is the author of Detroit's Polonia Detroit's Mt. Elliott Cemetery, Detroit's Mt. Olivet Cemetery. and Sto Lat: A Modern Guide to Polish Genealogy.
Ceil also runs a website, MIPolonia, dedicated to resarching the Polish community in Michigan.
In her 30-plus years of experience in genealogy, she has researched
Polish, Irish, North American and French Canadian families. Her published articles have appeared in National Genealogical Societies Magazine, Ancestry Magazine, and online with Gen Dobry. She collaborated with Keith Famie on the video and DVD Our Polish Story (2007). Ceil is a 2008 recipient of the Michigan Technological University's Van Pelt Library Travel Grant for research on the Pioneer Poles of Calumet, Michigan. The Michigan Genealogical Council selected Ceil as their 2008 Lucy Mary Kellogg Award Recipient.
|
|
Secretary:
Kahlile Mehr, Bountiful, Utah
|
web page
Kahlile B. Mehr M.A., M.L.S., is Manager, Slavic Collection Management and Cataloging at the Family History Library in Salt Lake City. Previously he was manager of Member Research Guidance.
As a collection development specialist from 1995 to 2002, he developed the collections for eastern Europe, Spain, Portugal, and the Pacific; visited the archives in eastern Europe on nine separate acquisition trips.
Before that, Kahlile was cataloging supervisor form 1986 to 1995, directing the work of 20 to 25 catalogers and technicians handling materials for Europe, Asia, and Latin America.
Kahlile speaks Russian and Portuguese, and reads various Germanic, Romance and Slavic languages.
He is the co-author of Hearts Turned to the Fathers: A History of the Genealogical Society of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 1894-1994. He has written for a variety of genealogical publications, including the FEEFHS Journal, FEEFHS Quarterly, Genealogical Helper, Avotaynu, Genealogical Journal, Archivum, and The Encyclopedia of Mormonism.
Kahlile was an adjunct instructor for the Brigham Young University Independent Study Program and Family History Conference (1994-1998). He has delivered papers at conferences of the Federation of East European Family History Societies, Federation of Genealogical Societies, American Library Association, Society of American Archivists, Mormon History Association, Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy, and International Association of Jewish Genealogical Societies.
|
|
Treasurer:
Don Semon, West Jordan, Utah
Don Semon has had extensive experience in things financial, having worked for NORAD in Electrical Engineering, The County of El Paso in Colorado and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints in California as Facilities Manager.
Having studied at the University of Illinois in Electrical Engineering, he knows a Spread Sheet and Profit and Loss Statement from a Pedigree Chart and Family Group Sheet. He co-authored a 799-page book on the genealogy of his wife's father in Wuerttemberg, Germany supplying a great deal of computer technology knowledge.
Collaborating with his wife, he has researched his genealogy in four countries: Poland-West Prussia, Bohemia, Germany and France.
|
|
Publicity Secretary and Newsletter editor:
Dee Semon, West Jordan, Utah
Dee Semon has had 33 years of experience extending the family lines back to the 1500s in France, Belarus, Schlesien (Silesia-Poland), Westpreussen (Pomerania-Poland), Bohemia, Moravia, the Bavarian Pfalz, and Wuerttemburg. Born into a family who spoke Polish (Belarus dialect), Czech (Moravian dialect) and Russian (Belarus dialect) at home, she also worked with French, German and Italian while pursuing a Bachelor of Music degree in Vocal Performance at the University of Illinois.
Serving as Research Chair for the German Research Association of San Diego and currently as the Public Relations Secretary, E-News Editor, and Research Chair for FEEFHS has expanded her genealogical knowledge. She authored with her husband, Don Semon, FEEFHS Treasurer, a 799-page book entitled The Uebele Family 1574-2004.
|
|
Past-President and webmaster:
Dave Obee, Saanich, British Columbia
|
DaveObee.com |
Volhynia.com
Dave Obee is author of Making the News, published by the Times Colonist in Victoria, British Columbia, in 2008 to mark the 150th anniversary of the newspaper. It is a comprehensive history of Vancouver Island, drawn from old newspapers. Dave is also the co-author (with Sherry Irvine) of Finding Your Canadian Ancestors: A Beginner's Guide, published by Ancestry in 2007. He has compiled seven other books for Canadian genealogical sources, and has given more than 250 talks at seminars and society meetings since 1997.
Dave runs CanGenealogy, a Canadian link site, and Volhynia.com, dedicated to the past and future of the region in the northwest corner of Ukraine.
He is one of the owners of Interlink Bookshop and Genealogical Services of Victoria, B.C., which runs the Genealogy Unlimited website.
Dave has visited 17 countries in Europe during 14 visits. He has a keen interest in the world war battle areas in France, Belgium and Luxembourg. He served as president of the Federation of East European Family History Societies from 2004 through 2007.
|
|
Previous Past-President:
Irmgard Ellingson, Decorah, Iowa
|
web page
Irmgard Hein Ellingson, author, translator, and lecturer, is the previous past president of FEEFHS. Her research experience includes work in German, Austrian, Czech, Canadian, and American archives. As the American-born daughter of post-World War II German refugees from Soviet Volhynia, she utilizes her language skill to collect oral histories that connect and network with the descendants of those who once lived in eastern Europe.
She is a longtime member of the American Historical Society of Germans from Russia (Lincoln, Nebraska) and serves on the editorial committee for the AHSGR Journal. She was a co-founder of the Bukovina Society of the Americas (Ellis, Kansas) in 1988 and is a member of its board of directors. From 1993 until 1997, she was U.S. representative for the quarterly Wandering Volhynians (Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada).
Irmgard is a graduate of Winona (MN) State College with a degree in political science and history and of Wartburg Theological Seminary (Dubuque, Iowa), with a master's degree in ministry. A former public school and college instructor and ministry professional, she is now planning to devote more time to her family and her eastern European interests, including Volhynia, Bukovina, Galicia, Poland, and Pommern.
|
|
President Emeritus:
Charles M. Hall,
Holladay, Utah
Charles M. Hall was the founding president of two societies, Palatines to America in 1975 and the Federation of East European Family History Societies in 1992. He was a professional genealogist for 20 years, and compiled the 10-volume series of atlases entitled The Atlantic Bridge to Germany.
As a professional genealogist, Charles specializes in Germanic research at the Family History Library and elsewhere in America and in Europe. He was a foreign language teacher for 12 years and is a professional translator, dealing with French, German, Russian, Norwegian, Esperanto and Latin.
At conferences, he has spoken on topics relating to German-speaking ancestors. He can provide an overview of resources for all of East Europe and introductory level lectures on Poland, Hungary and the former Soviet states.
Charles was born in Wyoming in 1930, and married Frankie Jane Taylor, of Richland, Washington, in 1957. They have six children and 20 grandchildren.
|