. Volume 12, Issue 3

Inside this issue:

President’s Corner

2

Former Lichten-

fels Mayor

Passed Away

2

Where Are They

Now?

2

40th Annual Ok-

toberfest

3

2016 Youth

Exchange

3

Donald Coffey

Passed Away

4

Announcements 4

The Sister Cities Scoop Lichtenfels Vandalia Prestwick

March, 2016 Editor: Ann Kimmel

I was asked to say a

few words about my

dear friend Marvin

Link. Marv passed

away Thursday, Febru-

ary 11, 2016. He

fought a courageous

battle with heart com-

plications until he could

fight no longer. Marv

was the head of a

small group of four

people that is now

known as Sister Cities

of Vandalia

Inc. We would all gath-

er around his desk af-

ter hours when the

bank had closed work-

ing on finding a suita-

ble city to become our

Sister City. Many,

many months elapsed

Marvin Link, First President of

Sister Cities of Vandalia, Passed

Away

before we finally set

our sights on Lichten-

fels, West Germany. It

was through Marv’s

leadership that we

made it through this

process and eventually

were linked to this fine

city of similari-

ty through Sister Cities

International. Marv re-

tained his Presidents

position with our organ-

ization for another year

before he turned the

reigns over to other ca-

pable hands.

Marv was very involved

in several service or-

ganizations within the

city of Vandalia, so

many I cannot begin to

name them all. He

was recently recog-

nized by the Presidents

Club in Vandalia for his

years of dedica-

tion. Anytime I would

see Marv out and

about, I would always

visually check his shirt

pocket because Marv

was famous for selling

raffle tickets for one of

the service clubs he be-

longed to and he would

not take no for an an-

swer. Consequently, to

say hello to Marv would

always cost me

$20.00. If I happened

to be light on cash that

day, I would purposely

not make eye contact

with Marv. I am sorry to

admit that my friend.

I could go on writing

about Marvin but I was

asked to keep it short. I

could tell you stories

about after graduation

he hired me to come to

work with him at the

bank, or the day he took

me up flying and he

(Continued on page 3)

March’s

Gemütlichkeit

Dave and Jean Miller

have volunteered to host

March’s Gemütlichkeit. It

will be held at 591 Shad-

owood Dr., Vandalia.

Gemütlichkeit is held im-

mediately following the

monthly membership

meeting. All are wel-

come to attend.

Check out Vandalia Sister Cities online at www.Vandaliasistercities.org Page 2

The Sister Cities Scoop

President’s Corner

with Vandalia on October 22. If anyone would like to attend their 40th celebration, please contact Wayne Wright for the details.

I wish to send my thoughts and prayers to the Bogdahn family in Lichtenfels, to the Link family and the Coffey family.

We are still looking for members to serve on the Ok-toberfest Steering Committee. Please contact Kristin Cox if you are interested in serving.

Harvey

Former Mayor of Lichten-

fels has Passed Away

We have

just re-

cently

been in-

formed

that Fred

Bogdahn,

former

Burgermeister (mayor) of

Lichtenfels has passed away.

We would like to express our

condolences to all of his rela-

tives and friends. Bogdahn

held the office of mayor of the

upper Franconian county seat

of Lichtenfels from 1991 to

2002.

I received an email

from John Parks, President

of Prestwick Sister Cities and

they are inviting our mem-

bers to Scotland this sum-

mer. If you are interested,

please give me a call.

Within a month, two students from Lichtenfels will be here for three weeks. Please check our web page for the different events and call Kelly with an RSVP if you would like to attend and get to know our guests.

Lichtenfels is celebrat-ing 40 years of friendship

After returning from

the student exchange

in Vandalia, I gradu-

ated high school in

Lichtenfels in 2011.

Inspired by my time

in the US, where I

discovered my pas-

sion for intercultural ex-

change, I decided to

pursue a career in an international environ-

ment that would give me the opportunity to

work with people from different cultural back-

grounds and travel the world. To reach this

goal, I started studying international business

at the university of applied sciences in Dres-

den, Germany. In the course of my studies, I

spent 4 months in Nice, France, in 2013 to

practice my French language skills and extend

my international experience within Europe.

During my last semester, I performed an in-

ternship at the global headquarters of Tommy

Hilfiger. Situated in Amsterdam, the Nether-

lands, the international fashion brand Tommy

Hilfiger offers an amazing experience for ex-

pats bringing together multiple cultures from

all around the globe. Fascinated by the world

of fashion and the international working envi-

ronment of this American

based company, I accepted

the offer to stay as a full time

employee after the end of my

internship. Since then, I have

lived in Amsterdam for two

years.

The student exchange in

Vandalia influenced my future

path in many ways and I am

grateful to have had the

chance to make this amazing

(Continued on page 4)

Where Are They Now?

2008

2015

Check out Vandalia Sister Cities online at www.Vandaliasistercities.org Page 3

The Sister Cities Scoop

turned the wheel over to me. We attended college classes together, and he also taught me how

to drink scotch, would be just a few. I am sorry for not having the time to be able to do that.

Marvin loved the people of Vandalia and they loved him. On behalf of myself and all of

the Sister City members, I would like to extend my condolences to his wife Barbara and his chil-

dren that were so important to him.

I will close by saying Marv, your friendship will never be forgotten and I love you .

Until we meet again,

Jeff Jordan

(Continued from page 1) Marvin Link

40th Annual Oktoberfest

We are very excited to be

putting on our 40th Ok-

toberfest this year and in

typical Sister Cities fash-

ion, we want to make this

year a big party celebration! To ensure we

make this year special, we are focusing our at-

tention on food, beer, and entertainment.

The steering committee had their first meeting

last month and it was very evident that our

workforce to put the Oktoberfest on is dwin-

dling. To be able to focus our full attention on

the food, drinks and entertainment, it was de-

cided we will cut out some items. We will no

longer have a Kids Corner Tent or an Arts &

Craft Tent. We will also be closed on Sunday.

We realize these are some big changes and

welcome an open discussion. The March

membership meeting will be focused on dis-

cussing the changing landscape of the Ok-

toberfest. We would like to hear your thoughts

on the matter and any new ideas.

The steering committee feels a renewed sense

of excitement in planning this year's big cele-

bration and hope these updates encourage you

to join in the conversation. We look forward to

seeing you all at the March meeting!

Kristin Cox

2016 Youth Exchange

For 40 years, we have been creating

new friendships with people from Lichtenfels

and Prestwick. And for over 20 years now, we

have been meeting lifelong friends through our

youth exchange.

This year, we have two students com-

ing from Germany to spend time with our

American students. Annabell Stretz, 18, and

Julia Schutz, 16, will arrive in Vandalia on

March 10th and stay until April 3

rd. The host

students, in Vandalia, that we have chosen

are Tatum Ruiz, 16, Caroline Miller, 16, and

Lindsey Woodruff, 16. Tatum and her family

will host Julia. Caroline Miller and Lindsey

Woodruff and their families will co-host Anna-

bell.

In all the hustle and bustle of the year,

we sometimes forget the mission and the rea-

son behind our organization. Let’s take a mo-

ment to reflect on our core mission of fostering

global friendships. We all have a story to tell of

our friends from over seas and I would like to

encourage you to come share your stories

with Julia and Annabell. Our Welcome Dinner

will be held on Sunday, March 13th at The Lit-

tle York Tavern, at 6:00 pm. Keep checking

the website (www.vandaliasistercities.org) for

more updates to the Youth Exchange sched-

ule. Kelly Blakesly

Page 4

Peace thru People

Save the Dates

Board Meeting:

March 2 at 7:00 p.m.

Membership Meeting:

March 9 at 7:00 p.m.

Meetings are held at the Vandalia

Senior Citizens Center located at

21 Tionda Drive S.

Happy March Birthdays!

Nicole Scott ......................... 2

Arlene Setzer ...................... 2

Jim Joyce ............................ 9

Bobbye Areen ................... 10

Patricia Kammer ................ 10

Phyllis Crossley ................. 14

Don Hazel ......................... 15

Kathy Steck ....................... 15

Helen Maxson ................... 17

Caroline Miller ................... 19

Barb Ruhe ......................... 21

Cooper Davell ................... 21

David Kistler ...................... 25

Connie Starline .................. 26

Ed Rapp ............................ 27

Susie Wright ...................... 28

Suzanne’s Sunshine

Report

Thanks to Suzanne Jordan, a little

sunshine was sent to brighten

someone’s day:

Unfortunately, there are several

members to report on this

month. Please see the article

above and keep everyone in

your thoughts and prayers.

Please report news on our

membership to Suzanne at

898-2703.

Deadline for April’s Scoop articles is

March 26th.

experience in an early age. It did not only

help me to improve my language skills of

which I make daily use of today, but also en-

abled me to grow as a person, meet won-

derful people who have long become family

for me and greatly inspired my career

choice. I would recommend the student ex-

change to anyone I know, it's a great experi-

ence and I would like to thank the sister cit-

ies committee for offering this amazing op-

portunity!

Yvonne Boysen

(Continued from page 2) Where Are They Now?

Suzanne’s Sunshine Report

First President Marv Link passed away.

Donald Coffey passed away.

Wanda Clark is living at Hearth & Home in

room 212. She would love to have compa-

ny.

Bob Schaffner has undergone a vein

ablasion for his abnormally rapid heart rate

which could not be completed. There is a

chance that the surgery cured his tachycar-

dia but only time will tell. He is home and

resting comfortably.

Mary Devlin, our friend in Prestwick, is

starting a series of treatments for a continu-

ing illness. If you would like to send her a

card, her address is: Mary Devlin,

4 Manson Avenue, Prestwick, Scotland

KA91EZ

WWII veteran, an active member and past

president of the Vandalia Band Boosters, a

member of the Vandalia Lions Club where he

did extensive volunteer work for the Vandalia

Food Pantry and a member of Sister Cities.

Long Time Member Donald Coffey

Passed Away

Donald Coffey (93) passed

away on Sunday, January

3, 2016. Don leaves be-

hind his wife of 68 years,

Betsy, 4 daughters, 8

grandchildren and 5 great

grandchildren. Don was a