News from the Max Kade Center for Bridge Builder UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS VOLUME 33 NO. 1 German-American Studies William Keel Kiep, Walther Leisler. 2012. Bridge Builder: An Insider’s Account Sudler Annex Approved for the State Historic Register— Max Kade German-American Center SOCIETY FOR Oldest Building on the KU Campus of Over 60 Years in Post-War Reconstruction, International Daniel Nützel, PhD Diplomacy, and German – American Relations. Director 425 University Blvd. Suite 329 German- Almost no buildings of the nineteenth century have 4, 1862, and preserved today in the National Archives in Purdue University Press. survived on the campus of the University of Kansas. Washington, DC, “a stable has been built” on Senator Indianapolis, IN 46202 Understandably, a small structure such as the Sudler Lane’s property. A photograph from the 1890s provides merican Studies Walther Leisler Kiep is one of the most light on the struggle for German foreign policy voice in Germany and as A Annex adjacent to the Max Kade Center (Sudler House) evidence that more than a hundred years ago the independent and influential German post- unification and that country’slongtime chairman of Atlantik-Bruecke, has not received much attention. Before it became structure still had the appearance of a stable. It also had NEWSLETTER SGAS.ORG war politicians. He is also a successful complex relationship with the Dr. Kiep has played an extraordinary role known as “the Shack,” the home of the student radio features of a barn. entrepreneur and longtime chairman of in building trust and mutual understanding station (KJHK), it served as the carriage house or garage Atlantik-Brücke, the influential German- between our two countries. His memoir is After Lane’s death in 1866, his widow, Mary E. Lane, sold for the Mervin T. Sudler home. This native stone structure American friendship organization, which an invaluable addition to our understanding ten acres, including Lane’s stable, to Wesley H. Duncan is the oldest campus building and takes us back to he now serves as honorary chairman. of international diplomacy.” (1814 -1902), one of the wealthiest men of Lawrence. PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE Lawrence’s pioneer days. The property on which the Max —Lee H. Hamilton, former Congressman He had come to Lawrence in 1855 and established By the time you receive this, you will have had time to peruse the latest Yearbook, which likely landed in your On March 8, Kiep, who had been at Kade Annex lies was at the southwest corner of a forty- and Co-Chair of the 9/11 Commission, a successful hardware mailbox late in 2011. When you’ve finished enjoying the many fine articles and informative book reviews, take Purdue in West Lafayette, IN, to promote acre land segment claimed former Director of the Woodrow Wilson and dry-goods business. a closer look at the back matter, where the Bylaws of the Society always appear. There you will find significant the release of his memoirs just recently International Center for Scholars, in 1857 by one of the most During the 1870s, Duncan changes. The Executive Committee worked diligently at its fall meeting to reframe the purpose and aims of the published by Purdue University Press, and presently Director of the Center famous men in Kansas on Congress at Indiana University built an imposing mansion Society, to refine the committee structure and, most importantly, to make clear our commitment to the support and visited the Max Kade Center at IUPUI. history, James H. Lane (1814 overlooking the Lawrence encouragement of scholarship on the life and culture of the German element in the Americas. Accompanying him were Dr. Beate -66). With his rival Charles landscape. Duncan’s new Lindemann, former Chair of the Atlantik- Robinson, Lane made the The Society’s commitment to scholarly endeavors is long-standing. That is evident in every volume of the Yearbook, building stood at the location and we celebrate it each year at our annual meeting and symposium. This year we will meet in Lawrence, Kansas, Brücke, and Dr. William Gray, Associate “Kiep is an entertaining major political and military CONTACTS of today’s Audio Reader. April 12–15, for our Thirty-Sixth Annual Symposium. The theme for the Symposium will be “Transforming America: Professor of History at Purdue. storyteller, and he shows a good decisions for the antislavery On September 1, 1925, Dr. Immigrants, Explorers, and Exiles.” Information on registration and accommodations can be found at <sgas.org> . sense of narrative pace. His cause in the late 1850s in President, Randall P. Donaldson In his autobiography, Kiep speaks frankly Mervin T. Sudler, formerly Loyola University Maryland memoirs are also of immediate Kansas Territory. Having The Executive Committee is also taking a close look at the Society’s ability to fund scholarly projects. Since 1983 about a life at the center of power: as an dean of the university’s [email protected] relevance for scholars of acquired military experience the officers of the Society have endeavored to husband the financial resources of the organization in such a way as medical school, purchased Tel: (410) 617-2299 independent politician and treasurer of international history. Over the in the Mexican War, Lane to build an endowment large enough not only to underwrite the cost of the Yearbook where necessary but also to the governing CDU party from 1970 to the property (2.74 acres) past decade, historians have became recognized as the Membership, North America generate income to support scholarship in the field of German-American Studies. Through careful stewardship of 1991, who did not shrink from conflict previously owned by James been eager to uncover the leader of the Free State J. Gregory Redding dues income, additional contributions by members, and one very generous gift, the Society now has two funds. The Middle East. H. Lane, Wesley H. Duncan, with party leaders Helmut Kohl and Franz Movement. He organized Arndt Fund supports the publication of book-length monographs, and the Faust Fund underwrites smaller projects activities of ‘transnational,’ Sudler Annex adjacent to the Max Kade Center at Wabash College Josef Strauss; as Minister of Finance in Olin Templin and the National by helping to defray the necessary costs of doing research. Applications to either fund received by October 15 of any “One of Germany’s most distinguished nongovernmental actors, as forces of volunteers to the University of Kansas prior to renovation. [email protected] Lower Saxony; as a longtime member Bank of Lawrence. The one year will be considered for the following year. Applicants will be notified statesmen, Dr. Walther Leisler Kiep opposed to formal government- defend the voting places Tel: (765) 361-6129 of the Volkswagen Supervisory Board annex probably underwent in January, and awardees will be announced at the annual meeting. The full has come to personify the commitment to-government relations. against fraudulent ballots considerable renovation Membership, Europe for 21 years; and as an ambassador for by proslavery men from Missouri and was instrumental statement of the Society’s programs in support of scholarship can be found on of postwar German leaders to close From this standpoint, Kiep’s Katja Hartmann German-American relations, and confidant at that time. The original stones at its south end appear our website. German-American relations. It was a wide-ranging activities as in making the Jayhawk a symbol of the struggle against to have been removed to make it possible to use the Alexander von Humboldt of several US presidents. As well as the Missouri proslavery forces. He became one of the first distinct pleasure for me to collaborate a diplomatic and financial Foundation I’m looking forward to seeing everyone in Lawrence in April. The details are presenting an inside history of the building at the lower level as a garage. A continuous wall, with Walther, and I deeply valued his wise troubleshooter are illuminating.” two United States senators from Kansas, and President [email protected] online at <sgas.org>. Register through the link, pick a hotel in your price range relationship between Germany and the interrupted only by a turret above a gate, connected counsel. Through his ongoing passionate Lincoln valued his services in the Civil War struggle. Tel: 011 49 (30) 857 326 77 and phone in your reservation. United States, the book sheds particular -William Glenn Gray the annex to the Sudler House. After Sudler’s death in and persistent contributions as a leading Documents signed by Lincoln confirm that the entire 1956, the house and the grounds became university Until then, alles Schöne! property, including the structure that eventually became property. Since 1992, the Max Kade Center for German- the Max Kade Annex, belonged to Lane. According to American Studies (part of the Department of Germanic a document in the Topeka Land Office, dated February -Randall Donaldson continued President, SGAS SOCIETY FOR GERMAN-AMERICAN STUDIES SOCIETY FOR GERMAN AMERICAN STUDIES SOCIETY FOR GERMAN-AMERICAN STUDIES SOCIETY FOR GERMAN-AMERICAN STUDIES MARCH 2012 NEWSLETTER VOLUME 33 NO. 1 NEWSLETTER VOLUME 33 NO. 1 NEWSLETTER VOLUME 33 NO. 1 PUBLISHED TRIENNIALLY ISSN: 0741-5753 support 36th Annual Symposium Oread Hotel, Lawrence, Kansas 3:45 pm - 5:15 pm GUSTAV KÖRNER “Reconstruction Rather Than Hermann Scheuringer, Deconstruction: Form and Status Society for German-American Studies Steven Rowan, “Gustav Körner’s Illinois Gesetzbuch of April 12-15, 2012 Universität Regensburg of German in Romania Compared Max Kade Center Continued Lawrence, Kansas University of 1838: Making American to the American Situation” Languages and Literatures) has occupied the renovated Sudler House. On August 13, 2011, the Kansas Historic Sites Missouri St. Louis Law Speak German” “Clothing, Cooking and Household YLE LINE Board approved the annex for the state historic register.