Youth for Understanding
Chorale Alumni
Making Memories Thru Music
AEROGRAM
LUFTPOST
PAR AVION DANMARK
Dear Family,
I have a little extra time, so I decided to write a note and tell you about yesterday (4th of July). We gave 2 concerts. The first one was at the "Danish American Festival" at Rebild. I have several slides of it. 2 of Hubert Humphrey far off, and 2 close up. I talked to HHH and shook his hand, and he's nice, but what else can I say? He gave a nice speech about education & understanding and an American Air Force band played. We sang some spirituals & the "Star Spangled Banner" & "
They had two flagpoles and they raised both the Danish and
We'll be going back to Copenhagen in 1 more day (the schedule got changed & we stay in Copenhagen, but 1 week in Copenhagen, 1 week up in Northern Denmark (we're here in the north now), then back to Copenhagen again for another week. Then
Love, Day
***
Note from the Archives of Michigan: They will accept materials through Dec. 31, 2008. (Yes, they can be mailed -- and duplications will be returned!)
The Archives of Michigan would like to include the Michigan/Youth For Understanding Chorales’ history and experiences in their collections. Items such as photographs, travel itineraries, personal letters, news articles, diaries, official correspondence, promotional brochures, etc. are desired. The Archives cannot accept objects such as souvenirs or luggage.
To avoid duplication, the Archives would like one scrapbook and/or collection of items for each year that the Chorales represented
Rebecca (Obenauf) Hill, a member of the 1958, 1959, & 1960 Chorales, has volunteered to coordinate this project with the Archives of Michigan. If you are planning on attending the 2008 Chorale reunion and would like to donate materials, please contact Rebecca at:
Sour Lake,
(409) 287-2390
rohill@cmaaccess.com
If you would like to speak with an Archives representative, please contact:
Helen V. Taylor, Archivist
*** New from Jim Arneff: Click here for a great letter describing the Chorale's first trip to South America! The State Department was not only involved in the Chorale but they asked Rachel Andersen to take over the administration of the first exchange students to come to Michigan the very first year in 1952 when the Rotary Clubs did not have the organization to properly administer the program. She was the Executive Director of the Ann Arbor-Washtenaw Council of Churches and went to the Michigan Council of Churches to be the statewide sponsor. They agreed as long as the Ann Arbor Washtenaw Council would take administrative responsibility for the program.
Archives of
(517) 373-1452 taylorhv@michigan.gov
From Jim Arneff ('60 + chaperoned '66):
It is hard to believe that it has been 50 years since the Chorale started. As you may know, Rachel Andersen was almost like a Grandmother to me. Working in the HQ staff for several years and starting YFU in this part of the US was an important part of my life. It is so difficult for me to believe that most of the early people who worked with YFU are either in their 80ties or are now deceased. The Chorale was the engine which helped expand YFU all over Europe and South America. As you may know, the trip to South America in 1960 was made at the request of the US State Department. The Chorale was scheduled to go to Europe and in September the State Department called her to Washington and asked her to take the Chorale to South America. They helped her arrange a trip around South America to make contacts. She did this and then in November she announced that we were not going to Europe, but rather we were going to South America. What an adventure and great life we all had in the early 60ties.
Then, they were trying to decide what to call the program. It was her husband, Arvid, who came up with the idea to call it "Youth For Understanding". You may not know that he was from Denmark. All of the early development of YFU is very interesting.
The idea of how they developed a chorale in the first place is a good story. I am sure many people may know about that and I am not sure what Mrs. Andresen wrote. I think she finished her book but I have never seen it. I will try to find it.
