Presentation at 10 a.m.
Interested in Germanic heritage and genealogy? Then you won’t want to miss the September GAI Café! We’re excited to welcome guest speakers Jim Neuenfeldt and Gary Heyn for a morning of insight and discovery. Gary will introduce the Germanic Genealogy Society (GGS) and showcase the tools, resources, and support they offer to help uncover your Germanic family history. Jim will take us on a journey through the history of Pomerania, share the work of the Pommern Regional Group, and offer highlights from his recent travels to the Pomeranian region of Poland. It’s sure to be a fascinating event for anyone passionate about genealogy and cultural heritage.
Bios
Jim Neuenfeldt serves as the president of the Pommern Regional Group of Minnesota (PRG) and is the group’s liaison to the German Genealogy Society (GGS). He is also a member of the Polish Genealogy Society (PGS) and the Minnesota Genealogy Society (MGS), and a founding member of the International Germanic Genealogy Partnership (IGGP). For over fourteen years, Jim has volunteered as an instructor with WIESCO (Wisconsin International Educational Scientific Cultural Organization), teaching English language camps across various cities in Poland. In 2012, he and fellow American instructors were awarded the Distinguished Silver Medal (Unitas Durat Palatinatus Cuiaviano-Pomeraniensis) by the Marshall of the Kujawsko-Pomorskie Voivodeship. This honor recognized their long-term contributions to the U.S.-Polish relations and their commitment to youth education in the region. Jim remains passionate about promoting, educating, and researching his Germanic and Polish heritage.
Gary Heyn serves as the treasurer for both the Germanic Genealogy Society (GGS) and the International German Genealogy Partnership (IGGP). A University of Minnesota graduate, Gary spent his professional career as an executive with Tolomatic, a Minneapolis-based manufacturing company. Since retiring, he has dedicated himself to genealogical research, with a particular interest in the former Prussian province of Posen. Raised on a family farm near Rochester, Minnesota, Gary has published several articles and delivered numerous lectures on the German farming families who emigrated from Posen to southeastern Minnesota. His work reflects a deep commitment to preserving and sharing the stories of these early immigrants. In 2023, he published Standing at the Grave: A Family’s Journey from the Grand Duchy of Posen to the Prairies of North Dakota. The book was recently released in German as Das Grab in der Ferne: Von der Provinz Posen in die Neue Welt.
