Hear Ye! The Illinois Descendants of Rhinehart Alstat invite all the AAA Clans to the 2004 Reunion! See page 3 Visit our ancestral Website: <www.altstatt.org> or to update any family information please E-mail Jerry Allstott at: <[email protected]> December 2003 2003…What great memories… A new grandson born in June… Alstott hits the end zone as the Tampa Bay Bucs rolls over the then, Germany…and it was Oakland Raiders on January 26, 2003 in Superbowl XXXVII! fantastic and a Super Bowl win The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are the for Mike Alstott…who could ask Champions of Super for anything more! Bowl XXXVII after beating the Oakland I couldn't believe all the time spent in Raiders 48-21. The Bucs planning for the Germany tour for September, intercepted Raiders' QB between all the letters to cuzzins, I also sent postcards to everyone who had an address on Rich Gannon five times the internet. That netted one more cuzzin and returned three of participation. It also netted four more new them for touchdowns. cuzzins sending in their information to update Dexter Jackson the <www.altstatt.org> website. Thanks! intercepted two passes June 11, 2003, found us in Houston, TX, and was named the awaiting the arrival of the latest Allstott in our Continued on page 2 line…Andrew Bradley Allstott, and of course, a Mike scores against the Raiders real cutie. Now all he has to do is survive his two older brothers, Geoffrey and Ben! September 13th and Phyllis and I along with 29 other cuzzins met at Dulles Airport in Washington, DC, for our long awaited tour of German ancestoral sites. I won't say more as the tour was well covered in this newsletter. We all Alstott TD aids the Bucs as they defeat Philly wished everyone could come on this tour of a 27-10 to become NFC Champs and meet the lifetime. I hope many of you will be able to be in DuQuoin, Illinois, for the 4th AAA National Meet Raiders at San Diego in the Super Bowl so you can get the picture first hand from all the The Buc's earned a trip to the first Super Bowl in franchise participants. Two standout times for me were history by defeating the Eagles in frigid Philadelphia. A when Father Merz brought out the church books steady offense smothering defense, delivered the Bucs their in Grossenbach, Germany, and showed the Continued on page 2 christening records of Georg Altstadt (1831) to his Alstott delivers the winning touchdown against the Eagles great granddaughter, Florence Hammers. Then, from the stage in Allstedt Castle - our daughter, The 2003 Germany Tour in 2004 AAA Reunion at the Cherilyn Vaughan, showed us how to spread pork fat on brown bread - yucky!…but funny! September far exceeded DuQuoin Fairgrounds is in Our fall trip back east this year found us visiting full swing with a full "plate" our cousins Estelle Bowen and her daughter's, expectations in every LeAnn Monger, family in McKinney, TX, Bill way…let's just say it was much of events, entertainment and and Georgia Altstatt in their new home in Oklahoma City, OK, Gene and Viola Altstatt out more than Wunderbar! plenty of good cookin' in the "boonies" east of Berryville, AR - our first taste of beautiful tree color in the Ozarks…wow! Elisabeth "Mrs Doubtfire" Lutz set Then up to Vergennes, Illinois, and a visit with the pace in a whirlwind tour that Wayne and Barbara Alstat who invited Glenn and Sharon Alstat over so we could finalize plans circled the heart of Germany and for the 2004 meet. Then it was over to visit family our hearts as well! and friends from New Jersey down to Florida and our daughter's, Cherilyn Vaughan, family In the space of 12 days we visited the just outside Cartersville, GA, for Halloween with ancestoral hometowns of 20 of the 27 granddaughter Emma, and son's, Roger Allstott, Allstadt/Altstadt immigrants to America and Jerry and Wayne met on the Alstat farm to discuss family in Lake Jackson, TX, for Thanksgiving, all the happenings at the 2004 Reunion… and sister's, Mary Ruth Cooper, family in walked in their footsteps. and all this during fall harvest time too! Houston. Great seafood in Texas - too bad we Our group of 32 cuzzins left Dulles Airport don't have it in California. The 2004 Reunion is a go! Please turn Our return in early December found me at the in Washington, DC. on September 13, 2003, to page 3 for all the exciting events and update. church working on the Christmas Children's Choir at 9:30 pm. Our United flight arrived in Then send in your enclosed registration form. sets…so forgive me on a late newsletter as this Frankfurt at around 11:30 am on Sunday, Don't delay as we need to order "t" shirts soon! year has been ultra busy but packed with fun! Continued on page 2 Continued on page 3 2 2003 TOUR continued from page 1 The "A” Train Corner September 14, and there we met Elisabeth "Mrs. Doubtfire" Lutz, of Switzerland's Kuoni Travel, TAMPA, Fla., Oct. 8 (UPI) -- Fullback Mike Alstott of our tour director, in the baggage area of the Tampa Bay will not play airport. Following Elisabeth outside the again in 2003 after being placed terminal…we boarded our coach. Driver, Roel on injured reserve late Tuesday because of a Koppmans, then headed north to the Hessenpark recurring neck strain. He aggravated the for lunch at the "Zum Adler" with Fritz and injury in Monday night's 38-35 loss to Gisela Allstädt, their daughter, of Bad Homburg, Indianapolis. "It's unfortunate," said Alstott, the team's all-time leading touchdown-maker. and their son Hansjörg, sporting his daughter. "Doctors and everyone that I have consulted Fritz Allstädt's Paderborn sports over 200 springs with, fully expect me to be back in a Buccaneer grandfather had in the 9th century)… the oldest known Altstadt uniform next season. I truly appreciate all of immigrated to site and probably the original home to all the the support and encouragement from our Indiana in the late Altstadt Hessen lines. We skipped the 30- fans." 19th century, but minute walk to the top of the hill that the "This is a terrible blow to our football team," his wife became castle sits on as it was too strenuous for most said Coach Jon Gruden. "Mike Alstott is a great leader and a great player. We will miss homesick and of the group, but got a good view of the ruins him, but we have to step up." This season, they returned to from the road. Alstott had 77 yards rushing and 83 receiving. Germany. After We then motored on to Paderborn The six-time Pro Bowler is the Bucs' all-time lunch we return to (ancestral home of Heinrich Altstadt). leader with 59 touchdowns, including 47 the Autobahn and In Paderborn our city guide showed us rushing. A series of tests revealed that the drove to Marburg. the 13th Century Cathedral, Paderquelle eight-year veteran out of Purdue needs (Ancestral home Springs (200 springs flow into Paderborn surgery, but the injury is not believed to be of David - then disappear - no river flows there), the career-threatening. (by United Press International) Altstadt). City Hall (in scaffolding) and the monastery Imagine Mary Lou Roel, Jerry and Elisabeth were still At Marburg church…fantastic! Karras' unexpected smiling halfway through the tour we checked into surprise while That afternoon we left Paderborn and drove vacationing in our hotel and met our city tourguide for a walking to Bad Hersfeld over the Autobahn. At our Florida when she ran tour of the ElisabethKirche and the Altstadt. That evening dinner, we had formal introductions into cousin Mike evening we enjoyed a chicken dinner with a Alstott signing of all our tour members and whose ancestors autographs in a Mall fabulous cream sauce. When we turned in…we were represented by each cuzzin. We spend where she was slept like babies from such a long day. shopping. Mike's the night in Bad Hersfeld. grandpa Hubert is a After breakfast on September 16, we left first cousin to Mary Bad Hersfeld for Grossenbach (Ancestral Lou. I'm sure Mike was just as surprised home of Georg Altstadt) for Mass at the to see an "real live" Catholic Church at 9:00 a.m. Father Bernard cousin standing in Merz then gave us a tour of the church, in line for an autograph! English, and brought out an old church book which recorded the christening of Johann Super Bowl, continued from page 1 Georg Altstadt in 1831! This was one of the game MVP. high points of the tour. Just ask Cuzz Fuzz Michael Pittman had his best game Hammers! as a Buc carrying the ball 29 times for 124 yards. Keyshawn Johnson caught 6 Next we took the road east to Weisenfeld The Altstadt at Marburg…a rooster in the belltower (ancestral home of Otto Altstadt) for a brief passes for 69 yards, Mike Alstott scored flapped its wings on the hour stop and then headed past "Checkpoint Alpha" from the two yard line and Keenan into "old" East Germany on our way to Fulda. McCardell caught two touchdown On September 15, we departed Marburg and passes. The offensive line deserves special drove through scenic wooded areas to the base At Fulda our city guide showed us the recognition as Brad Johnson was not of Weidelsburg Castle ruins (Alahstad Castle Continued on page 4 sacked at all and the Bucs gained 150 Our happy group at the yards rushing.