In 1984, I shipped a beat up little Honda motorcycle to England and toured Europe on a low budget for 3 months. It was a fantastic journey and I did not want to return home but I was out of money. Once home, I told Oma all about my trip, her eyes lit up and she began correcting me when I told her the places when I had been, telling me the German names of cities in what was then Yugoslavia. I was intrigued. For the next two years I put all my effort into saving for another trip. In 1986 I returned to Wales, where I had put the trusty Honda into storage. I then made my way to Austria where I had made some friends two years earlier, arriving in October 1986. Well, long story short, I ended up staying for 3 years, getting married to a lovely Grazerin in May 1988. In 1989 we moved to NY for better opportunities and I have been working for Anheuser-Busch ever since.

In the intervening years Oma began to confide in me more and more. So much, that my father and uncles began to ask me how I got her to talk. I learned that after WWI men with guns came through her village on a regular basis harassing the German families, and causing many to flee. Pets and livestock were killed and one man was murdered and hung on a fence. She slept with a revolver under her pillow during this period. In 1921 my great grandfather put his family in the care of his cousin and left for America. In 1923 this cousin escorted the family to the train station, sending them on their way here.

Over the years I kept collecting more and more information, writing things down that Oma told me. I began documenting my family tree about 17 years ago. The real break-through came when I began scanning old photos and posting them on Flickr with detailed captions. I soon received an E-mail from Australia, which led to my long lost cousins in Croatia. In 2010, my wife and I travelled to Croatia on a rented motorcycle and made our way to the village of Požega, in the hills of Slavonia. We were warmly welcomed by my cousins, who barely spoke any German due to years of oppression by one group after another. Their young neighbor translated for us and I could barely contain my tears as my cousin explained the story of her grandfather bringing my Oma and her family to the train station in 1923.

This, in a nutshell is a big part of what drives me. Not only learning about my ancestors but also visiting their old stomping grounds and making connections to my family around the world and educating them about our family heritage.

I would not have been able to get as far as I have without the DVHH, with all the helpful members who go out of their way to help answer questions and provide detailed history. I would especially like to thank Robin Grube for introducing me to her fellow Slavonia Coordinator, Zeljko Lekšić, whom I had the pleasure of meeting in Đakovo in 2010. Zeljko has given me an astonishing amount of info and help with old records. He even helped me track down the location of my great great grandparent's house in Satnitz.

When Mary Regan contacted me and asked if I would consider taking on the role of President of DVHH for one term, frankly I was flabbergasted. After giving it careful consideration and long conversations with Jody on the phone I thought maybe this is a way I can return the favor of so many people who helped me over the years. For those of you who may have doubts, rest assured that I have no intention of making any drastic changes.

The founding members and volunteers have created something truly special and I intend to protect that while attempting to ensure our members are happy. I bring with me more than two decades of business experience working for a very successful company whose number one priority is customer satisfaction. Now I know you're all thinking, "wait a minute, they sell beer!" This is true, but I believe this drive for customer satisfaction can make any organization successful. Therefore, going forward I will be very interested in hearing from our members about what's working well, what's not, and any ideas to improve what we do. I truly feel privileged and honored to be working with such a wonderful community that the DVHH represents.