North America Wales Foundation News Newyddion o Sefydliad Cymru Gogledd America Pages 21-23 President’s Message: After 40 Years, NAWF Continues to “ Share the History, Share the Culture” We hope that the summer of America by educational sup- America and Wales face signifi- virtual reality has brought you port, preservation of our history, cant challenges in how we best some relief from the continued and recognition of leadership. A achieve our mission statement. disruption of our lives by the greeting by Edward Morus Our focus in awarding and sup- COVID-9 pandemic. Jones, our 2020 NAWF porting students wishing to Prominent among our virtual Heritage Medallion recipient broaden and extend education pleasures was the AMGEN and a song by Dafydd Jones, by crossing the Atlantic will series of presentations provided Osborne Roberts Blue Riband become more difficult to by the National Eisteddfod of winner, was part of the virtual achieve. Wales followed by the virtual NAFOW program. Glad to While we awarded two North American Festival of report that they both have indi- Exchange Scholarships this year Wales (NAFOW), which pre- cated their willingness and abil- to Brooke Martin and Andrew miered on the Friday of the ity to be with us in Ottawa for Edwards, whose accomplish- Labor Day weekend and contin- NAFOW 2021. ments have been described else- ued to be available through the We have maintained contact where in Ninnau, there were no month of September. with and support of our 2019 new applications. This was to The NAFOW presentation Exchange Scholars. All five of be expected in view of the was produced by the remarkable them have expressed their deter- major restrictions imposed on efforts of the Welsh North mination to complete their the ability and desire of students America Association under the planned studies in Wales to travel. At a time like this, we leadership of Megan Williams, despite any number of obsta- will step back and consider President David Matthews, and cles. The generous support of other ways of achieving our the experts who assembled the several anonymous donors has goals. The input of the Welsh- program in such a seamless helped provide further material American community will be way. They provided hours of support for these students as welcome in this respect. pleasurable viewing by bringing they struggled with unanticipat- Take advantage of the blog together some of Wales and ed financial difficulties resulting page on our newly extended North America’s leading voices from the delays in their studies. website at https://nawalesfoun- in word and in song, to give us a Our board of directors, both dation.org/index.html to share rich impression of what the real in Wales and North America your thoughts and at the same NAFOW would have been like. held their annual general meet- time catch up with our current We only missed the communal ings during the month of activities and news not reported get together of old and new Phil Davies as he participates in the virtual September. In North America, here. Your comments are also friends, which is such a special North American Festival of Wales three new directors were elect- welcome at nwafcymru@ aspect of a live festival. hindered by COVID-19 in our mote cultural exchanges ed: Megan Sue Lloyd from gmail.com. Our foundation has not been pursuit of our mission to pro- between Wales and North Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, As 2020 draws to a close, we Roderic Owen from Staunton, reflect on the 40-year life of our Virginia, and John Jones Foundation with much accom- Reinhart from Bangor, plished. We look forward to a AGM Update: Three New NAWF Directors Pennsylvania. Each of them is future where we will continue to distinguished by their highly support in spirit and with chari- Three directors were elected at the Annual General Meeting accomplished careers in various ty the activities of Welsh- on 19 September 2020. Their short biographies are below and academic capacities. As you Americans committed to mak- will be followed by regular articles in the future. will see from their brief biogra- ing their contributions to this phies reported in these pages, special community. In doing so, Megan Sue Lloyd they have also made long-stand- we wish you a less troubled Dr. Megan Sue Lloyd is currently a professor of English at ing contributions to Welsh- 2021 during which we will con- King’s College in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. She received American life. tinue to interact with you, not her doctorate from the University of Kentucky with a disserta- As we look to the future in only at a distance but also in tion entitled “Texts Against Chaos: Anglo-Welsh Identity in the these uncertain, life-changing person as circumstances permit. Poetry of R. S. Thomas, Raymond Garlick, and Roland times, our boards in North Mathias.” She was director of the Madog Center for Welsh Studies at the University of Rio Grande, 1995–1997, and presi- dent of the North American Association for the Study of Welsh Update: Our NAWF students in Culture and History, 1997–2000. Her books include The Valiant Wales Welshman, the Scottish James, and the Formation of Great Megan Lloyd Britain and Speak it in Welsh: Wales and the Welsh Language in Shakespeare. As the new academic year starts in Wales, we remain Roderic Owen unusually concerned about the Dr. Roderic L. Owen has been a faculty member at Mary students being sponsored by Baldwin University in Staunton, Virginia, for forty years – NAWF. Three of our students, teaching applied and advanced ethics seminars, interdiscipli- Rebecca Blok, Hope Kohtala, nary honors courses, and peace and justice studies. He has and Brooke Martin, decided to served as the chair of the philosophy and religious studies stay in Wales over the summer. department and is currently the director of programs in both Andrew Edwards and Kelsey peacebuilding and conflict resolution and leadership studies. He Weber returned to the US, but has a doctorate from the College of William and Mary, with a they are now ready to face the Hope Kohtala dissertation on “Models for Teaching Ethics at the required quarantine and fly back Undergraduate Level.” A native of Wales, Roderic was a to Wales – one to Bangor and of a year) in one of the Welsh Roderic Owen founding board member of the North American Association for the other to Cardiff. university colleges. the Study of Welsh History and Culture. Not surprisingly there have These last seven months have been no new applicants for the been very trying for everyone – John Reinhart 2020- 2021 academic year, and especially our young peo- John F. Reinhart previously served as a director and as presi- therefore, we have been able to ple. This is the time of their dent of the foundation. He recently retired after many years as continue to focus on the amaz- lives when their focus should be a professional educator, having served as superintendent of ing 2019-2020 winners. They on unforgettable experiences schools in Pennsylvania for the Bangor area school district and truly have been beyond excel- and their grades. Instead they then for the Easton school district. While serving in Bangor, he lent and we can honestly report have been burdened with finan- was the major inspiration for the Slaters high school band that as a board we are extremely cial worries and social distanc- marching in their authentic Welsh Guards uniforms represent- proud of them. ing. ing the Welsh heritage of their community; performing opening However, like everyone else, As a board we have done our ceremonies for three North American Festivals of Wales in we are hoping that come next utmost to help them weather Harrisburg, Ottawa, and Pittsburgh; and traveling to play in summer everything will return these unprecedented times, and Wales. He has served for many years as president of the St. to normal and that there will be we are confident that they will David’s Welsh Society of the Slate Belt. several students eager to extend succeed. their academic experiences by spending a year (or at least part Hefina Phillips, John Reinhart Scholarship Committee November-December 2020 NINNAU Page 21 Our Welsh Future is in Our Hearts: Mary Morris Mergenthal’s 2014 Heritage Medallion Speech Editor’s Note: Memories and away some of the soil clinging television in the Welsh lan- material that never made the to the roots after I shook them guage. When I had tea with NWAF Eagle and Dragon will off. Gwynfor in his home, he be printed occasionally. In 2014 When I returned home again, stressed that I should not forget Mary Morris Mergenthal was Jennings said, “What do leeks Hywel Dda, Hywel the Good, honored at NAFOW as a “pub- symbolize?” “Stubbornness, king and law giver in the 10th lisher, musician and community determination, or something century, who created a legal leader.” In her acceptance like that,” I muttered. “Hm-m- system that became known speech, she blended a personal m. Of what country are leeks a world-wide for its wisdom and story of her love of the leek with symbol?” justice. This system, Gwynfor an insightful account of what Well, he had me, of course. stressed, allowed women, as makes being a Welsh-American Wales! I should have known. well as men, to inherit land and so valuable to her. Little Wales, stubborn and was in force in Wales until the determined. But of course! Act of Union with England in About 30 years ago, my hus- There were the princes of 1536. band asked me to go to our gar- Wales, Owain Glyndwr and Saunders Lewis was a promi- den some distance away and dig Llywelyn ap Gruffudd and, oh, nent Welsh nationalist in the the leeks for him.