Stollenwerck Mania!
Friday, February 24, 2006
Logan and his Grandmother
Here is Logan at 9 weeks with his Grandmother Natalie Stollenwerck
posted by Jeff Stollenwerck ¶ 5:50 PM 0 comments
Here is Logan at 9 weeks with his Grandmother Natalie Stollenwerck
posted by Jeff Stollenwerck ¶ 5:50 PM 0 comments
Saturday, December 17, 2005
introducing Logan Hunter Stollenwerck
Logan Hunter Stollenwerck was born December 12, 2005. He weighed in at 8lbs, 10oz. Mom Allyson and Dad Jeff are having a blast with him.
Logan is a popular name among the Texas Stollenwercks, the name dates back to Logan Hunter's great-great-great grandfather Logan Qualls. His daughter Quincy Qualls married into the Stollenwerck family and is Logan's great great grandmother. ¶ 12:49 PM 0 comments
Logan Hunter Stollenwerck was born December 12, 2005. He weighed in at 8lbs, 10oz. Mom Allyson and Dad Jeff are having a blast with him.
Logan is a popular name among the Texas Stollenwercks, the name dates back to Logan Hunter's great-great-great grandfather Logan Qualls. His daughter Quincy Qualls married into the Stollenwerck family and is Logan's great great grandmother. ¶ 12:49 PM 0 comments
Wednesday, November 30, 2005
Learn To Play Guitar
Here's you know who again. Somehow she found her way to PlayGuitar magazine and gives a lesson inside on all purpose rythm guitar.
There's this guy Justin who read Stollenwerck Mania! and sent me an email. Something about how he just took her picture and how great she is.
Out of the blue...say what?
Justin went so far as to write a comment on the Marin County newspaper posting further down telling everyone she'll play out there over New Years. I think it's his way doing some marketing. Not a bad idea.
Samantha is living in Charlottesville for about three months because her new production company is there.
She's playing every Monday night in New York at The Living Room should you, or someone in your sphere of influence want to stop by.
Tell them you heard it here first at Stollenwerck Mania!
Posted by Jamie Stollenwerck 11/30/05
¶ 4:52 PM 0 comments
Here's you know who again. Somehow she found her way to PlayGuitar magazine and gives a lesson inside on all purpose rythm guitar.
There's this guy Justin who read Stollenwerck Mania! and sent me an email. Something about how he just took her picture and how great she is.
Out of the blue...say what?
Justin went so far as to write a comment on the Marin County newspaper posting further down telling everyone she'll play out there over New Years. I think it's his way doing some marketing. Not a bad idea.
Samantha is living in Charlottesville for about three months because her new production company is there.
She's playing every Monday night in New York at The Living Room should you, or someone in your sphere of influence want to stop by.
Tell them you heard it here first at Stollenwerck Mania!
Posted by Jamie Stollenwerck 11/30/05
¶ 4:52 PM 0 comments
Monday, November 07, 2005
Stollenwerck Mania! Gets Hard Press
Stollenwerck Gets Around
She’s being compared to Janis Joplin, Joni Mitchell
Singer, songwriter, guitarist Samantha Stollenwerck carries her audiences away on smoky trails of her raspy voice.
Her shows are festivals of sorts: good spirited fun. Fresh from the Boom Boom Room in San Francisco, Stollenwerck gives Mill Valley an opportunity to hear what many are calling the next great voice of California. Stollenwerck and her band The Ritual perform at the Sweetwater for the first time in a year on December 29. most of the songs on the set list that night will be originals from their first album, "Square One," due out in February.
Stollenwerck's style is a fusion of folk, rock, soul and gospel, She had been compared to Janis Joplin and Joan Baez and her influences stretch from Simon and Garfunkel to Led Zeppelin to Nina Simone.
Within the last few months she has played at a December 11th Rex Foundation benefit with Bob Weir, opened for Karl Denson's Tiny Universe at the Fillmore Auditorium and performed at the Austin City Limits Music Festival along with big names like Sheryl Crow, Ben Harper, Elvis Costello and Modest Mouse. In the Pocket Records will officially release "Square One" in FEbruary, with a CD release part on February 4 at the Elbo Room in San Francisco. A slew of special musical guests will also perform.
Mill Valley Herald: You've been really busy lately.
Samantha Stollenwerck: Yeah, I've had some awesome shows. I played the Fillmore for the first time, that was really exciting. I performed at the Austin Music festival. Everywhere I've gone there has been a music idol. I've really loved all the behind-the-scenes stuff with other musicians. It's really inspiring. I've also gone on some road shows. And my CD's officially coming out on February 22.
MVH: You must be really excited about all your recent success.
SS: I've been having a lot of minor successes since the fall. I've had a couple of good breaks; I've been meeting a lot of great musicians. I feel like I am one of the luckiest people on the planet. I never set out to be a musician. I never studied music; it wasn't a trade for me. I was an English major at Berkeley. When I was younger I was an athlete. But I was always intersted in music, live music. I used to play little shows with a band I started in college called Shady Lady. We played all over Berkeley and I got to know how to run a band from the business side as well as the musical.
MVH: Do you ever use any of your literature background when you write your songs?
SS: Kind of. When I'm writing a tune, I like to research what I'm writing about, I like to use a lot of imagery in my songs. Recently, I based a tune on Icarus. I used the idea of the story, I like to intergrate past stories, ancient history and personal philosophies into my songs, so people can relate.
MVH: So, what is it like to play with musicians like Bob Weir?
SS: It was totally cool playing with Bob Weir. I know all the Grateful Dead songs, so it was great being able to sing back-up with him. He was like a college professor, he even had hand signals for every key change. He made hand motions, like a coach; it was super fun.
MVH: What was it like to record your first CD?
SS: THe Ritual and I recorded the CD at the beginning of the year, and it turned out really well. It took a long time to make. It was a struggle for me on a business and artistic. I wanted to see that recording an album was really what I wanted to do, and if the music would turn out well. I also had a heavy hand in it's production and arrangement. In the end , I really enjoyed it. It was cool to come out with something that I lot to do with.
MVH: Are you going to be playing songs from you new CD at the Sweetwater?
SS: Yeah, we'll do a bunch of those. It's mostly going to be all of my original stuff. We'll probably also do some fun covers, like "Burning Down the House" and "Whatta Man."
MVH: Have you been to the Mill Valley area before?
SS: Well, I grew up in San Diego, but my dad used to live in San Francisco so I would come up here a lot. I've always loved the area-- Mil Valley especially. It's always given off this nice hippie vibe. It has the laid-back feeling of Souther California, but with an edge, a European sensibility. Mill Valley has this pastoral, natural setting, with an edge of intellectualism.
MVH: Speaking of your dad, by the way, when I typed your name into Yahoo I found a web site called "Stollenwerck Mania." The man who created the web site referred to a daughter named Samantha. Is that your Dad's site?
SS: Yeah! I can't believe you found that. My dad created a blog for the Stollenwercks. He thought it would be funny to track all of us down, since we have such an unusual- and long- name. Now because of that I get a lot of Stollenwercks showing up at my shows.
MVH: Sorry to interrupt you, but I had to ask. So, since you do know the area, have you been to the Sweetwater Saloon before?
SS: Yeah, I've been going to the Sweetwater since my Berkeley days, I used to play open mics there. It's definitely one of my favorite venues. I actually just played solo there a month ago. I opened for the Rowan Brothers. Now I am going to play with the band. I'm so excited!
Samantha and the Ritual play Sweetwater Dec. 29 at 9 PM. Tickets are $7. For more information call 388.2820. ¶ 5:34 PM 0 comments
She’s being compared to Janis Joplin, Joni Mitchell
Singer, songwriter, guitarist Samantha Stollenwerck carries her audiences away on smoky trails of her raspy voice.
Her shows are festivals of sorts: good spirited fun. Fresh from the Boom Boom Room in San Francisco, Stollenwerck gives Mill Valley an opportunity to hear what many are calling the next great voice of California. Stollenwerck and her band The Ritual perform at the Sweetwater for the first time in a year on December 29. most of the songs on the set list that night will be originals from their first album, "Square One," due out in February.
Stollenwerck's style is a fusion of folk, rock, soul and gospel, She had been compared to Janis Joplin and Joan Baez and her influences stretch from Simon and Garfunkel to Led Zeppelin to Nina Simone.
Within the last few months she has played at a December 11th Rex Foundation benefit with Bob Weir, opened for Karl Denson's Tiny Universe at the Fillmore Auditorium and performed at the Austin City Limits Music Festival along with big names like Sheryl Crow, Ben Harper, Elvis Costello and Modest Mouse. In the Pocket Records will officially release "Square One" in FEbruary, with a CD release part on February 4 at the Elbo Room in San Francisco. A slew of special musical guests will also perform.
Mill Valley Herald: You've been really busy lately.
Samantha Stollenwerck: Yeah, I've had some awesome shows. I played the Fillmore for the first time, that was really exciting. I performed at the Austin Music festival. Everywhere I've gone there has been a music idol. I've really loved all the behind-the-scenes stuff with other musicians. It's really inspiring. I've also gone on some road shows. And my CD's officially coming out on February 22.
MVH: You must be really excited about all your recent success.
SS: I've been having a lot of minor successes since the fall. I've had a couple of good breaks; I've been meeting a lot of great musicians. I feel like I am one of the luckiest people on the planet. I never set out to be a musician. I never studied music; it wasn't a trade for me. I was an English major at Berkeley. When I was younger I was an athlete. But I was always intersted in music, live music. I used to play little shows with a band I started in college called Shady Lady. We played all over Berkeley and I got to know how to run a band from the business side as well as the musical.
MVH: Do you ever use any of your literature background when you write your songs?
SS: Kind of. When I'm writing a tune, I like to research what I'm writing about, I like to use a lot of imagery in my songs. Recently, I based a tune on Icarus. I used the idea of the story, I like to intergrate past stories, ancient history and personal philosophies into my songs, so people can relate.
MVH: So, what is it like to play with musicians like Bob Weir?
SS: It was totally cool playing with Bob Weir. I know all the Grateful Dead songs, so it was great being able to sing back-up with him. He was like a college professor, he even had hand signals for every key change. He made hand motions, like a coach; it was super fun.
MVH: What was it like to record your first CD?
SS: THe Ritual and I recorded the CD at the beginning of the year, and it turned out really well. It took a long time to make. It was a struggle for me on a business and artistic. I wanted to see that recording an album was really what I wanted to do, and if the music would turn out well. I also had a heavy hand in it's production and arrangement. In the end , I really enjoyed it. It was cool to come out with something that I lot to do with.
MVH: Are you going to be playing songs from you new CD at the Sweetwater?
SS: Yeah, we'll do a bunch of those. It's mostly going to be all of my original stuff. We'll probably also do some fun covers, like "Burning Down the House" and "Whatta Man."
MVH: Have you been to the Mill Valley area before?
SS: Well, I grew up in San Diego, but my dad used to live in San Francisco so I would come up here a lot. I've always loved the area-- Mil Valley especially. It's always given off this nice hippie vibe. It has the laid-back feeling of Souther California, but with an edge, a European sensibility. Mill Valley has this pastoral, natural setting, with an edge of intellectualism.
MVH: Speaking of your dad, by the way, when I typed your name into Yahoo I found a web site called "Stollenwerck Mania." The man who created the web site referred to a daughter named Samantha. Is that your Dad's site?
SS: Yeah! I can't believe you found that. My dad created a blog for the Stollenwercks. He thought it would be funny to track all of us down, since we have such an unusual- and long- name. Now because of that I get a lot of Stollenwercks showing up at my shows.
MVH: Sorry to interrupt you, but I had to ask. So, since you do know the area, have you been to the Sweetwater Saloon before?
SS: Yeah, I've been going to the Sweetwater since my Berkeley days, I used to play open mics there. It's definitely one of my favorite venues. I actually just played solo there a month ago. I opened for the Rowan Brothers. Now I am going to play with the band. I'm so excited!
Samantha and the Ritual play Sweetwater Dec. 29 at 9 PM. Tickets are $7. For more information call 388.2820. ¶ 5:34 PM 0 comments
Wedding Daze
Kate Stollenwerck snuck off and got married last May. Just kidding… Kate emailed me when she got back and it sounds like everything was perfect. Best Wishes, Kate!
She told me she planned to get married in late 2004. I can see a family resemblance between her and Adriane Stollenwerck (fourth cousins)-they’re both fair complected and thoughtful. It’s a coincidence Adriane and Greg decided to get married not too long after they met Kate. Genes, I think.
Kate’s married name is Zarczynski. Let’s see…Katherine Stollenwerck Zarczynski. Nine syllables by my count...out there.
Kate dropped Stollenwerck which is rational based on the number of times a day I have to spell my name for people. Stollenwerck has a higher degree of difficulty because it's three letters longer than Zarczynski, but the syllable count is the same. Hmmm…
I guess the next thing going to happen is babies. Babies are in the air. Babies are everywhere. I heard there might be another new addition, but don’t listen to me…I don’t know anything
Posted by Jamie Stollenwerck, November 2005
¶ 4:20 PM 0 comments
She told me she planned to get married in late 2004. I can see a family resemblance between her and Adriane Stollenwerck (fourth cousins)-they’re both fair complected and thoughtful. It’s a coincidence Adriane and Greg decided to get married not too long after they met Kate. Genes, I think.
Kate’s married name is Zarczynski. Let’s see…Katherine Stollenwerck Zarczynski. Nine syllables by my count...out there.
Kate dropped Stollenwerck which is rational based on the number of times a day I have to spell my name for people. Stollenwerck has a higher degree of difficulty because it's three letters longer than Zarczynski, but the syllable count is the same. Hmmm…
I guess the next thing going to happen is babies. Babies are in the air. Babies are everywhere. I heard there might be another new addition, but don’t listen to me…I don’t know anything
Posted by Jamie Stollenwerck, November 2005
¶ 4:20 PM 0 comments
Editor's Choice
The staff here at the Mania! get to sit around and dream up ways to stir reader interest. This year they want to use the folks in this picture as a theme for each post.
Don't be thrown for a loop if we slip in someone else too. There's nothing we can do about it and we try to please everyone.
There's only one terminal Stollenwerck here. The others are either coming to or going from the Stollenwerck name. There's one who isn't Stollenwerck, but who's last name begins in S. We took a vote at the meeting and decided that was good enough. Stollenwerck it is!
Stollenwercks have always been good with their hands. Go back in Stollenwerck Mania! and read about the clocks our ancestor built for royalty.
That skill is seen here generations later. It's hard to smile for a camera and not spill your wine at the same time.
Posted by Jamie Stollenwerck, November 2005
¶ 4:18 PM 0 comments
The staff here at the Mania! get to sit around and dream up ways to stir reader interest. This year they want to use the folks in this picture as a theme for each post.
Don't be thrown for a loop if we slip in someone else too. There's nothing we can do about it and we try to please everyone.
There's only one terminal Stollenwerck here. The others are either coming to or going from the Stollenwerck name. There's one who isn't Stollenwerck, but who's last name begins in S. We took a vote at the meeting and decided that was good enough. Stollenwerck it is!
Stollenwercks have always been good with their hands. Go back in Stollenwerck Mania! and read about the clocks our ancestor built for royalty.
That skill is seen here generations later. It's hard to smile for a camera and not spill your wine at the same time.
Posted by Jamie Stollenwerck, November 2005
¶ 4:18 PM 0 comments
And Now, From the Left Coast...
Introducing Felippe and Gabriella Stollenwerck Marques. Gabriella is my brother Dick's oldest child. Child? Right. How else do you say it. Beautiful, isn't she? Beautiful inside and out.
Felippe and Gabriella are Diego's parents. More about him later-a whole other story.
The Marques' are late to Stollenwerck Mania! Don't quite know why. Something to do with they never got the message. Or they got the message and were busy with Diego and would get around to it later.
That's OK. They finally made it. Felippe emailed me with some photos and items to publish. They live in LA and there are shots from Portugal and all over California.
Felippe and Gabriella had a blowout wedding just south of Cancun in Playa del Carmen on the Mayan Riviera. It redefined "destination wedding", I tell you. People flew in from all around the world and there were plenty of Stollenwercks. Tons of fun.
I knew I changed into a south of the border person when I didn't think twice about flying back to New York in a pair of shorts and flip flops. I could have froze to death standing in a snow drift trying to hail a cab. My Spanish isn't so good, though.
Posted by Jamie Stollenwerck, November 2005 ¶ 4:17 PM 0 comments
Introducing Felippe and Gabriella Stollenwerck Marques. Gabriella is my brother Dick's oldest child. Child? Right. How else do you say it. Beautiful, isn't she? Beautiful inside and out.
Felippe and Gabriella are Diego's parents. More about him later-a whole other story.
The Marques' are late to Stollenwerck Mania! Don't quite know why. Something to do with they never got the message. Or they got the message and were busy with Diego and would get around to it later.
That's OK. They finally made it. Felippe emailed me with some photos and items to publish. They live in LA and there are shots from Portugal and all over California.
Felippe and Gabriella had a blowout wedding just south of Cancun in Playa del Carmen on the Mayan Riviera. It redefined "destination wedding", I tell you. People flew in from all around the world and there were plenty of Stollenwercks. Tons of fun.
I knew I changed into a south of the border person when I didn't think twice about flying back to New York in a pair of shorts and flip flops. I could have froze to death standing in a snow drift trying to hail a cab. My Spanish isn't so good, though.
Posted by Jamie Stollenwerck, November 2005 ¶ 4:17 PM 0 comments
Ground Control To Major Tom
Samantha made the trip back to Vermont this year. She's pretty busy these days so it was a big sacrifice. It rained the entire time, and she gave it her all. Way to go, Samantha!
Here she is with Hanley and McKinley Franz. Stay with me now...
Hanley and McKinley belong to Scott and Allison Franz. Allison's my sister Mary's middle daughter. Allison never had the name Stollenwerck because Mary's married name was Hanley. Allison qualifies anyway-she's got Stollenwerck blood coarsing through her veins, name or no name. This is good.
It's interesting Scott and Allison gave Hanley the given name Hanley...sort of a way to keep the surname Hanley alive. Why do I keep thinking Hanley Hanley? Never mind. McKinley's named after the mountain in Alaska because Scott climbed it.
The boys were wild to meet Samantha...she's a cousin (once removed) and a "California Rock Star." They take piano lessons and play a few tunes. They're not bad either.
The prediction was one of two things: they'd get into it or go stoic. Looks like they're having a good time here. How good a time? Their size of their pupils are like flying saucers from Mars...that good a time.
Posted by Jamie Stollenwerck, November 2005
¶ 4:16 PM 0 comments
Samantha made the trip back to Vermont this year. She's pretty busy these days so it was a big sacrifice. It rained the entire time, and she gave it her all. Way to go, Samantha!
Here she is with Hanley and McKinley Franz. Stay with me now...
Hanley and McKinley belong to Scott and Allison Franz. Allison's my sister Mary's middle daughter. Allison never had the name Stollenwerck because Mary's married name was Hanley. Allison qualifies anyway-she's got Stollenwerck blood coarsing through her veins, name or no name. This is good.
It's interesting Scott and Allison gave Hanley the given name Hanley...sort of a way to keep the surname Hanley alive. Why do I keep thinking Hanley Hanley? Never mind. McKinley's named after the mountain in Alaska because Scott climbed it.
The boys were wild to meet Samantha...she's a cousin (once removed) and a "California Rock Star." They take piano lessons and play a few tunes. They're not bad either.
The prediction was one of two things: they'd get into it or go stoic. Looks like they're having a good time here. How good a time? Their size of their pupils are like flying saucers from Mars...that good a time.
Posted by Jamie Stollenwerck, November 2005
¶ 4:16 PM 0 comments
Fine Art
I got a camera last winter. I was so bored shoveling snow I needed something to do. I bought a flash attachment but never used it because it's more complicted than the camera. I knew they're'd be lots of night-time opportunity in Vermont this year, so I stuck my big toe in the water.
Here's one shot I got. It's Greg Stare of Adriane (Stollenwerck) and Greg...soon to be Stares all the way next July 4. The point of this picture isn't Greg, although Greg happens to be the subject.
What I like about this picture is the way it makes Greg look when the light bounces off the ceiling. I used a diffuser and a wide angle lens, so it brings out an effect you don't get straight on: it shows who Greg is plus what he looks like.
Adriane saw it and grabbed it out of my hands. "Dad, you really got him."
I keep looking at this picture and here's what I see. The light makes Greg look like he's blessed from above. Greg is relaxed and accepting the blessing he's receiving. I see a Madonna in the background looking on in approval with a light hearted smile, a Mona Lisa smile by Leonardo da Vinci.
And there's a hand reaching out from the left like on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel in The Creation of Adam. God's right arm is outstretched to impart the spark of life from His own finger into that of Adam, whose left arm is extended in a pose mirroring God's. Famously, Adam's finger and God's finger are separated by a slight distance.
Michaelangelo or Leonardo with a camera? Nikonians, eat your heart out.
Posted by Jamie Stollenwerck, November 2005
¶ 4:15 PM 0 comments
I got a camera last winter. I was so bored shoveling snow I needed something to do. I bought a flash attachment but never used it because it's more complicted than the camera. I knew they're'd be lots of night-time opportunity in Vermont this year, so I stuck my big toe in the water.
Here's one shot I got. It's Greg Stare of Adriane (Stollenwerck) and Greg...soon to be Stares all the way next July 4. The point of this picture isn't Greg, although Greg happens to be the subject.
What I like about this picture is the way it makes Greg look when the light bounces off the ceiling. I used a diffuser and a wide angle lens, so it brings out an effect you don't get straight on: it shows who Greg is plus what he looks like.
Adriane saw it and grabbed it out of my hands. "Dad, you really got him."
I keep looking at this picture and here's what I see. The light makes Greg look like he's blessed from above. Greg is relaxed and accepting the blessing he's receiving. I see a Madonna in the background looking on in approval with a light hearted smile, a Mona Lisa smile by Leonardo da Vinci.
And there's a hand reaching out from the left like on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel in The Creation of Adam. God's right arm is outstretched to impart the spark of life from His own finger into that of Adam, whose left arm is extended in a pose mirroring God's. Famously, Adam's finger and God's finger are separated by a slight distance.
Michaelangelo or Leonardo with a camera? Nikonians, eat your heart out.
Posted by Jamie Stollenwerck, November 2005
¶ 4:15 PM 0 comments
Back To Basics
Here’s Diego, my great nephew. He’s my newest best friend. Why? Diego’s perfect.
Look at ‘im. Serene, handsome, beautiful…whatever. Neurosis free. A clean slate.
A smiler after long moments of contemplation. Remember “Deep Thoughts with John Handy” on Saturday Night Live? You got it.
Diego’s under a year. Babies this age are busy a lot of the time. It implies he’s high maintenance.
Uh-huh. No maintenance. Diego sets an example for his aunt’s and uncles, great aunts and uncles, grandparents, and great grandmother who all are higher maintenance than he is. His cousins get a pass.
Listen up, everybody…the next time you act up, you’ll have to baby-sit Diego for therapy. He’ll set you right. Parents Gabriella and Felipe are making appointments now. The line starts at the rear.
Posted by Jamie Stollenwerck, November 2005
¶ 4:14 PM 0 comments
Here’s Diego, my great nephew. He’s my newest best friend. Why? Diego’s perfect.
Look at ‘im. Serene, handsome, beautiful…whatever. Neurosis free. A clean slate.
A smiler after long moments of contemplation. Remember “Deep Thoughts with John Handy” on Saturday Night Live? You got it.
Diego’s under a year. Babies this age are busy a lot of the time. It implies he’s high maintenance.
Uh-huh. No maintenance. Diego sets an example for his aunt’s and uncles, great aunts and uncles, grandparents, and great grandmother who all are higher maintenance than he is. His cousins get a pass.
Listen up, everybody…the next time you act up, you’ll have to baby-sit Diego for therapy. He’ll set you right. Parents Gabriella and Felipe are making appointments now. The line starts at the rear.
Posted by Jamie Stollenwerck, November 2005
¶ 4:14 PM 0 comments
Twixt and Between
This is Jack Goggin, another one of my great nephews. Jack is David and Carroll Goggin's older son. Carroll is my sister Mary's oldest daughter (my oldest neice) and never had the last name Stollenwerck like her sister Allison Franz. The same blood is in there, though. See Ground Control To Major Tom.
Jack and his parents got to Dorsett three hours late on the night my mother gave her annual October dinner. The plane was late. They got to eat outside in the rain around 9 P.M. Jack's about twelve and it's his idea of a good time.
Jack's a hugger. It's remarkable. Somewhere, somehow he got into hugging and now it's automatic. Man or woman, when Jack shows up, you get a hug.
Think about it. Jack's about to be a teenager. He's about to focus on girls. He's a hugger. My guess is he'll kill the competition coming out of the box.
My mother taught me a lot of tricks, but nothing like this.
Posted by Jamie Stollenwerck, November 2005
¶ 4:06 PM 0 comments
This is Jack Goggin, another one of my great nephews. Jack is David and Carroll Goggin's older son. Carroll is my sister Mary's oldest daughter (my oldest neice) and never had the last name Stollenwerck like her sister Allison Franz. The same blood is in there, though. See Ground Control To Major Tom.
Jack and his parents got to Dorsett three hours late on the night my mother gave her annual October dinner. The plane was late. They got to eat outside in the rain around 9 P.M. Jack's about twelve and it's his idea of a good time.
Jack's a hugger. It's remarkable. Somewhere, somehow he got into hugging and now it's automatic. Man or woman, when Jack shows up, you get a hug.
Think about it. Jack's about to be a teenager. He's about to focus on girls. He's a hugger. My guess is he'll kill the competition coming out of the box.
My mother taught me a lot of tricks, but nothing like this.
Posted by Jamie Stollenwerck, November 2005
¶ 4:06 PM 0 comments
Saturday, November 05, 2005
Let's Dance...
Alex and Clarissa's got married last June. Here they are six months later. Clarissa looks lovely. Alex looks like he’s getting the picture.
What about the wedding? Well, it was in a large Catholic Church in the middle of the afternoon. It was over ninety out but cooler inside. I like this church!
Catholic weddings are great. They’ve got it down to a science-they’ve been at it for a while. Everything’s informal, but they don’t skip the essentials.
There’s a good deal of wandering around by people who may, or may not, be part of the ceremony. The minister walks out into the aisle during his sermon. The soloist sounds great, but looks like she sings all day, every day.
Communion? Of course.
I’d have to say this was a partisan Cuban event. The Martinez family and their friends were represented well. There were plenty of tuxedos and dresses with trains. I wore a Brooks Brothers suit and looked like I belonged in the vestry. The bridesmaids looked the best of all other than the bride herself, naturally.
The reception was in a hotel after the ceremony around 4:30 P.M. This included dinner, so it was going to be a long night.
No matter. The room was a three-story rotunda with all the tables on the first floor...sort of like a huge oval office. You can not believe how good the sound was in those acoustics.
A live band with plenty of horns played Latino music. When they took a break, a DJ took up the slack. The music was continuous until the party ended. And that’s a good thing, because…
Cubans Really Like To Dance!
Believe me, it was a show. Juan Manuel Fangio, five time World Champion race-car driver (Argentina) said, “Racing is life, all the rest is waiting.” Well, I bet Cubans think, “Dancing is life, all the rest is waiting.” They’re so good at it, to sit there and watch was a pleasure, hour after hour.
There was a couple so in tune, so fluid together, I went up to them later on and said, “You two are married, right? You dance so well with each other.”
“Yes,” she said. “And you are the person who does the blog?”
Well, they dance way better than I blog. No question.
Posted by Jamie Stollenwerck, November 2005 ¶ 8:01 PM 0 comments
Alex and Clarissa's got married last June. Here they are six months later. Clarissa looks lovely. Alex looks like he’s getting the picture.
What about the wedding? Well, it was in a large Catholic Church in the middle of the afternoon. It was over ninety out but cooler inside. I like this church!
Catholic weddings are great. They’ve got it down to a science-they’ve been at it for a while. Everything’s informal, but they don’t skip the essentials.
There’s a good deal of wandering around by people who may, or may not, be part of the ceremony. The minister walks out into the aisle during his sermon. The soloist sounds great, but looks like she sings all day, every day.
Communion? Of course.
I’d have to say this was a partisan Cuban event. The Martinez family and their friends were represented well. There were plenty of tuxedos and dresses with trains. I wore a Brooks Brothers suit and looked like I belonged in the vestry. The bridesmaids looked the best of all other than the bride herself, naturally.
The reception was in a hotel after the ceremony around 4:30 P.M. This included dinner, so it was going to be a long night.
No matter. The room was a three-story rotunda with all the tables on the first floor...sort of like a huge oval office. You can not believe how good the sound was in those acoustics.
A live band with plenty of horns played Latino music. When they took a break, a DJ took up the slack. The music was continuous until the party ended. And that’s a good thing, because…
Cubans Really Like To Dance!
Believe me, it was a show. Juan Manuel Fangio, five time World Champion race-car driver (Argentina) said, “Racing is life, all the rest is waiting.” Well, I bet Cubans think, “Dancing is life, all the rest is waiting.” They’re so good at it, to sit there and watch was a pleasure, hour after hour.
There was a couple so in tune, so fluid together, I went up to them later on and said, “You two are married, right? You dance so well with each other.”
“Yes,” she said. “And you are the person who does the blog?”
Well, they dance way better than I blog. No question.
Posted by Jamie Stollenwerck, November 2005 ¶ 8:01 PM 0 comments
240 Days And Counting
I found this kicking around the back room at Stollenwerck Mania!
"Hello all, Adriane here. Thought I'd make a posting to the greater "family" and let you all know that I was recently engaged to marry Greg Stare in late February. Some of the Stollenwercks met Greg at gathering we had at Jeff's house in Connecticut. The wedding won't be until Summer, 2006. Very exciting news indeed. Here's a picture from Greg's and my recent adventures in the Dominican Republic."
This is how far Adriane got with the blog when she and Greg decided to get married last winter. I've seen the DR picture (nice), but it never made it to the draft stage of her post. Sigh...
I shot this photo in Vermont when Ado brought Greg up to meet this side of the family in October. Big Success!
Adriane asked me to give her wedding website a plug at the Mania! Here it is: www.adrianeandgreg.com. Go there for late breaking news as their special day draws nearer. Hurry, it's only 240 days away!
Posted by Jamie Stollenwerck, November 2005 ¶ 7:27 PM 0 comments
I found this kicking around the back room at Stollenwerck Mania!
"Hello all, Adriane here. Thought I'd make a posting to the greater "family" and let you all know that I was recently engaged to marry Greg Stare in late February. Some of the Stollenwercks met Greg at gathering we had at Jeff's house in Connecticut. The wedding won't be until Summer, 2006. Very exciting news indeed. Here's a picture from Greg's and my recent adventures in the Dominican Republic."
This is how far Adriane got with the blog when she and Greg decided to get married last winter. I've seen the DR picture (nice), but it never made it to the draft stage of her post. Sigh...
I shot this photo in Vermont when Ado brought Greg up to meet this side of the family in October. Big Success!
Adriane asked me to give her wedding website a plug at the Mania! Here it is: www.adrianeandgreg.com. Go there for late breaking news as their special day draws nearer. Hurry, it's only 240 days away!
Posted by Jamie Stollenwerck, November 2005 ¶ 7:27 PM 0 comments
Sunday, April 03, 2005
great article on cousin Samantha
http://www.sfgate.com/columns/thefemalespectator
Austin, Texas -- Samantha Stollenwerck might not have been offered an evening slot at the South by Southwest music conference, but she'll do her damnedest to make sure her afternoon showcase at the tiny Momo's bar, at the wrong end of Sixth Street, is the best show of her young life.
It took all of Stollenwerck's money and frequent-flier miles to shuttle her and her band, the Ritual, to this most famous of pop music showcase festivals recently, where agents, record-company execs and producers hopscotch from venue to venue looking for the Next Big Thing. But it was worth any amount of time and money to the aspiring San Francisco singer-songwriter.
"We had to come! How could we not?" she says, tossing a head full of unruly blond curls as she cruises the streets near the Austin Convention Center the night before D-Day, looking for barbecue for dinner. "You know what they say," she says with a sunny smile. "Luck is the intersection of hard work and opportunity."
And if opportunity doesn't knock on her door, Stollenwerck, 26, will go gunning for it.
At a gig at the Hotel Utah in San Francisco the week before, she mingled with her rapidly growing network of supporters, including Counting Crows guitarist Dan Vickrey, who said he once invited the tomboyish singer to play poker with his friends, "but she took all our money." Stollenwerck raised a shot of tequila and toasted her first foray into the Texas melee. "To Austin! To music!" She downed her shot, slamming one open hand down on the bar and letting loose an infectious alto guffaw that hinted of her biggest gift, her voice.
Underplayed on her shoestring-budget debut CD, "Square One," Stollenwerck's voice hints of the earthy charms of a young Melissa Etheridge or Bonnie Raitt. To hear her live is to understand the buzz. Sincere and organically soulful, she is as different from packaged young talents like Britney Spears as they come. And despite having enlisted the talents of heavyweight entertainment lawyer Jacqueline Sabec, the Cal graduate is still a babe in the music woods in many respects.
"Today I went to see Jason Mraz in this outdoor venue," she says in Austin, walking backward while she speaks and gesturing enthusiastically with her hands. "And he was so amazing that it made me cry. I mean, there was this huge crowd, and he was so good ..." her voice trails off; perhaps she is imagining herself in such a setting.
Finally settling on a restaurant, Stollenwerck and her friends are joined by another group that includes Jerry Hall, (a.k.a. the former Mrs. Jagger) and her friend Rachel Fuller, the live-in girlfriend of Pete Townsend and a singer in her own right who is also in Austin to do a gig. Both Hall and Fuller are solicitous of the young chanteuse, and promise to come to her show the next day. During the dinner, Robert Plant, a friend of Fuller's, comes over to say hello.
"OK, I'm freaking out a little here," says Stollenwerck under her breath to manager Jennifer Brazill. "I mean, this is too much."
When Plant leaves, she smiles at him and softly says goodbye -- but he doesn't notice. He might be the only one within 20 miles to be unresponsive to Stollenwerck's charms. Although she is resolutely granola-crunchy in her appearance -- eschewing makeup for the most part and looking as if she shops Haight Street secondhand stores -- she is also naturally stunning. As she moves through South by Southwest crowds, heads turn. It is not a coincidence that her showcase -- which also features four other fetching female singers -- has acquired the subtitle "Indie music never looked so fine."
She squirms a bit when this is mentioned. "I know, that's a little weird, huh? I'm not sure why it doesn't just say we're musicians."
Stollenwerck leaves dinner on the early side, nervous about her gig the next day. Before she goes she turns to Hall for an embrace. "You seem like such a great spirit," she says warmly. "I hope you come tomorrow."
To Stollenwerck's delight, Hall brings not only Fuller but her sister Rosie as well. The crowd at Momo's is divided between an indoor stage area and an outdoor patio. And on a gorgeous March afternoon in Texas, far more are outdoors than in. But Stollenwerck is undaunted by the smallish audience in front of her, and plows into her 40-minute set with fire and abandon. She proves herself not just a great singer but also an able guitarist, and by the end of her set, the audience is in her pocket.
After she is rushed by friends and well-wishers, a couple of men cautiously approach. They are with Rounder Records, they tell her. That was an awesome show. Does she have representation? A CD for them? Stollenwerck plays it cool, but dashes quickly to get copies of "Square One," which she thrusts into waiting hands. "Here you go," she says breezily. "It's not that good, but you get the idea."
Asked later why she would say such a thing, she winces. "Did I really say that? Oh God, I don't know. I have to be honest. I guess I was just trying to say that my voice sounds higher on the record -- I don't feel that I was able to pull up the soul from deep down. I wanted them to know I was capable of doing better."
Before leaving, Hall puts her arm around Stollenwerck's shoulder. "You have a wonderful voice, darlin,' " she says in a soft drawl. "I think you have a very bright future."
Stollenwerck, for a moment, is speechless.
"Was it worth it?" Stollenwerck ponders later, lugging her gear out of the club. She stops and looks around. "Hell, yeah. It was worth it."
She smiles slowly, knowing her journey is just beginning. "Anyway, we'll see what happens from here." ¶ 9:46 AM 1 comments
Austin, Texas -- Samantha Stollenwerck might not have been offered an evening slot at the South by Southwest music conference, but she'll do her damnedest to make sure her afternoon showcase at the tiny Momo's bar, at the wrong end of Sixth Street, is the best show of her young life.
It took all of Stollenwerck's money and frequent-flier miles to shuttle her and her band, the Ritual, to this most famous of pop music showcase festivals recently, where agents, record-company execs and producers hopscotch from venue to venue looking for the Next Big Thing. But it was worth any amount of time and money to the aspiring San Francisco singer-songwriter.
"We had to come! How could we not?" she says, tossing a head full of unruly blond curls as she cruises the streets near the Austin Convention Center the night before D-Day, looking for barbecue for dinner. "You know what they say," she says with a sunny smile. "Luck is the intersection of hard work and opportunity."
And if opportunity doesn't knock on her door, Stollenwerck, 26, will go gunning for it.
At a gig at the Hotel Utah in San Francisco the week before, she mingled with her rapidly growing network of supporters, including Counting Crows guitarist Dan Vickrey, who said he once invited the tomboyish singer to play poker with his friends, "but she took all our money." Stollenwerck raised a shot of tequila and toasted her first foray into the Texas melee. "To Austin! To music!" She downed her shot, slamming one open hand down on the bar and letting loose an infectious alto guffaw that hinted of her biggest gift, her voice.
Underplayed on her shoestring-budget debut CD, "Square One," Stollenwerck's voice hints of the earthy charms of a young Melissa Etheridge or Bonnie Raitt. To hear her live is to understand the buzz. Sincere and organically soulful, she is as different from packaged young talents like Britney Spears as they come. And despite having enlisted the talents of heavyweight entertainment lawyer Jacqueline Sabec, the Cal graduate is still a babe in the music woods in many respects.
"Today I went to see Jason Mraz in this outdoor venue," she says in Austin, walking backward while she speaks and gesturing enthusiastically with her hands. "And he was so amazing that it made me cry. I mean, there was this huge crowd, and he was so good ..." her voice trails off; perhaps she is imagining herself in such a setting.
Finally settling on a restaurant, Stollenwerck and her friends are joined by another group that includes Jerry Hall, (a.k.a. the former Mrs. Jagger) and her friend Rachel Fuller, the live-in girlfriend of Pete Townsend and a singer in her own right who is also in Austin to do a gig. Both Hall and Fuller are solicitous of the young chanteuse, and promise to come to her show the next day. During the dinner, Robert Plant, a friend of Fuller's, comes over to say hello.
"OK, I'm freaking out a little here," says Stollenwerck under her breath to manager Jennifer Brazill. "I mean, this is too much."
When Plant leaves, she smiles at him and softly says goodbye -- but he doesn't notice. He might be the only one within 20 miles to be unresponsive to Stollenwerck's charms. Although she is resolutely granola-crunchy in her appearance -- eschewing makeup for the most part and looking as if she shops Haight Street secondhand stores -- she is also naturally stunning. As she moves through South by Southwest crowds, heads turn. It is not a coincidence that her showcase -- which also features four other fetching female singers -- has acquired the subtitle "Indie music never looked so fine."
She squirms a bit when this is mentioned. "I know, that's a little weird, huh? I'm not sure why it doesn't just say we're musicians."
Stollenwerck leaves dinner on the early side, nervous about her gig the next day. Before she goes she turns to Hall for an embrace. "You seem like such a great spirit," she says warmly. "I hope you come tomorrow."
To Stollenwerck's delight, Hall brings not only Fuller but her sister Rosie as well. The crowd at Momo's is divided between an indoor stage area and an outdoor patio. And on a gorgeous March afternoon in Texas, far more are outdoors than in. But Stollenwerck is undaunted by the smallish audience in front of her, and plows into her 40-minute set with fire and abandon. She proves herself not just a great singer but also an able guitarist, and by the end of her set, the audience is in her pocket.
After she is rushed by friends and well-wishers, a couple of men cautiously approach. They are with Rounder Records, they tell her. That was an awesome show. Does she have representation? A CD for them? Stollenwerck plays it cool, but dashes quickly to get copies of "Square One," which she thrusts into waiting hands. "Here you go," she says breezily. "It's not that good, but you get the idea."
Asked later why she would say such a thing, she winces. "Did I really say that? Oh God, I don't know. I have to be honest. I guess I was just trying to say that my voice sounds higher on the record -- I don't feel that I was able to pull up the soul from deep down. I wanted them to know I was capable of doing better."
Before leaving, Hall puts her arm around Stollenwerck's shoulder. "You have a wonderful voice, darlin,' " she says in a soft drawl. "I think you have a very bright future."
Stollenwerck, for a moment, is speechless.
"Was it worth it?" Stollenwerck ponders later, lugging her gear out of the club. She stops and looks around. "Hell, yeah. It was worth it."
She smiles slowly, knowing her journey is just beginning. "Anyway, we'll see what happens from here." ¶ 9:46 AM 1 comments
Tuesday, December 21, 2004
All Creatures Great And Small
December 21: zero minus four days and counting. Dudley the Welsh Springer Spaniel is ready. Dudley's my brother Richard's dog in Miami. Miami's in the tropics and it's hot in December...just ask those of us who saw 5 degrees this morning. Dudley doesn't care, he's leaving nothing to chance. Classic Santa's elf hat with knitted earmuff applique and festive holiday cravat sporting a sprig of holly underneath his dog tag...everything draped in whimsical red ribbon motif should get the job done. Yes, Dudley, there really is a Santa Claus.
Posted by Richard and Jamie Stollenwerck
¶ 11:08 AM 0 comments
December 21: zero minus four days and counting. Dudley the Welsh Springer Spaniel is ready. Dudley's my brother Richard's dog in Miami. Miami's in the tropics and it's hot in December...just ask those of us who saw 5 degrees this morning. Dudley doesn't care, he's leaving nothing to chance. Classic Santa's elf hat with knitted earmuff applique and festive holiday cravat sporting a sprig of holly underneath his dog tag...everything draped in whimsical red ribbon motif should get the job done. Yes, Dudley, there really is a Santa Claus.
Posted by Richard and Jamie Stollenwerck
¶ 11:08 AM 0 comments
Tuesday, December 14, 2004
another recent Stollenwerck event
Hi Jeff Stollenwerck here; my youngest sister Kate recently turned a certain age we will not mention-- and in celebration her fiance Kris Zarczynski orchestrated the perfect surprise party. My wife Allyson and I travelled to Chicago for the secret event, as did our sister Jaxie Alt and her husband Alex.
Attached is a photo of the 6 of us freezing our butts off at the Lincoln Park Zoo the day after the party. Any and all pictures from the party itself are of questionable suitability for publication here.
Happy holidays, and I encourage other Stollenwercks to follow Jamie's lead and help make this even richer.
¶ 4:41 PM 0 comments
Hi Jeff Stollenwerck here; my youngest sister Kate recently turned a certain age we will not mention-- and in celebration her fiance Kris Zarczynski orchestrated the perfect surprise party. My wife Allyson and I travelled to Chicago for the secret event, as did our sister Jaxie Alt and her husband Alex.
Attached is a photo of the 6 of us freezing our butts off at the Lincoln Park Zoo the day after the party. Any and all pictures from the party itself are of questionable suitability for publication here.
Happy holidays, and I encourage other Stollenwercks to follow Jamie's lead and help make this even richer.
¶ 4:41 PM 0 comments
Monday, December 13, 2004
Seasons Greetings!
Seasons Greetings from Stollenwerck Mania! Breath a sigh of relief in case you thought Stollenwerck Mania! is stillborn. The Blog needed a break from the torrent of October and November interest of Stollenwercks across the land. The Administator, me, had a meeting with the Pundit, me, to figure out which direction to go in. I stood in front of a mirror and said, "Jamie, the Blog is off to a good start and I've got plenty of material to work with. I don't want to do too much too soon though, or I'll run out of things to talk about. How do I get tell everything yet make it interesting and long lasting at the same time?"
"Well," I said to myself, "stay calm. I bet there's something you didn't think of."
"Name it," I said.
"Stuff's going to happen as time goes by."
"Like what?"
"People's lives. All you've got to do is let things happen and put it on the Blog from time to time. That way you can mix up topics of historical interest with current events...it'll be a long time before you run out of things to write about."
"Interesting," I said. "I didn't think of that. How often do you think I should post?"
"Whenever the need arises," I said to myself. "It's OK to build up some suspense. Maybe make the Stollenwercks ask themselves 'What's up with Stollenwerck Mania!?' Doesn't good salesmanship always includes a takeaway? They'll be relieved to read the Blog is OK and you will make them want to be a Team Member. As a Team Member they know they can add their own message and get notified automatically about any new postings. If they do, one day the blog will be self sustaining will live on without you. How can they resist?"
"Brilliant," I said. "I'm reminded of the Wisdom of Soloman."
"We're in the Holiday Season," I said to myself with a wink. "Always room for a little religion around this time of year. Anything else? No? Then A Merry Christmas To All And To All A Good Night."
"You too," I said, "and thanks. Anything I can do to repay you...," but I myself vanished before my eyes.
Then I myself disappeared up the chimney on the way to my appointed rounds. Just kidding... Got carried away with the Christmas thing. I updated the Blog with everything that happened the last two months, so read on. Stollenwerck Mania!...my Christmas card to you.
Posted by Jamie Stollenwerck
¶ 7:13 PM 0 comments
"Well," I said to myself, "stay calm. I bet there's something you didn't think of."
"Name it," I said.
"Stuff's going to happen as time goes by."
"Like what?"
"People's lives. All you've got to do is let things happen and put it on the Blog from time to time. That way you can mix up topics of historical interest with current events...it'll be a long time before you run out of things to write about."
"Interesting," I said. "I didn't think of that. How often do you think I should post?"
"Whenever the need arises," I said to myself. "It's OK to build up some suspense. Maybe make the Stollenwercks ask themselves 'What's up with Stollenwerck Mania!?' Doesn't good salesmanship always includes a takeaway? They'll be relieved to read the Blog is OK and you will make them want to be a Team Member. As a Team Member they know they can add their own message and get notified automatically about any new postings. If they do, one day the blog will be self sustaining will live on without you. How can they resist?"
"Brilliant," I said. "I'm reminded of the Wisdom of Soloman."
"We're in the Holiday Season," I said to myself with a wink. "Always room for a little religion around this time of year. Anything else? No? Then A Merry Christmas To All And To All A Good Night."
"You too," I said, "and thanks. Anything I can do to repay you...," but I myself vanished before my eyes.
Then I myself disappeared up the chimney on the way to my appointed rounds. Just kidding... Got carried away with the Christmas thing. I updated the Blog with everything that happened the last two months, so read on. Stollenwerck Mania!...my Christmas card to you.
Posted by Jamie Stollenwerck
¶ 7:13 PM 0 comments
Sunday, December 12, 2004
Stollenwerck/Martinez Wedding Announced!
Clarisa Martinez and Alex Stollenwerck announced their engagement to be married June 25, 2005. The wedding will be in Miami, the home town of the bride and the adopted home town of the groom. Alex is my nephew and first cousin to my children Samantha and Adriane because he's my brother Richard's son. That would make him fourth cousin to Jeff Stollenwerck, Kate Stollenwerck, and Jaxie Stollenwerck Alt for example. Still with me? Gabriella Stollenwerck Marquez and Amanda Stollenwerck Chandler are Alex's two sisters and we're looking forward to hearing from them. Rumor has it they don't know about Stollenwerck Mania! Team Membership yet, but Alex is going to tell them, right Alex? You can join yourself while you're at it.
Find out all the details of the courtship and proposal at their website www.alexandclarisa.com. Good reading. Nice photos too. Clarisa and Alex work for Carnival Cruise Lines but the company doesn't allow married persons to work together. Clarisa will stay and Alex will take his superior marketing and sales skills honed by ten years in the hospitality business to the pharmacutical industry. Go get 'em, Alex!
Alex and I made a deal. I said, "Look...I'll promote your website on the Blog if you'll promote the blog on your website." Seemed like a good idea at the time. He said OK, but when I looked at www.alexandclarisa.com and saw how beautiful it is, I figured Clarisa would give the link swap two thumbs down. She's right. What if I leave a message in the Guestbook section directing people to Stollenwerck Mania! so those who aren't Stollenwerck's can read all about the family Clarisa is marrying into? Alex, give me a sign... And Clarisa, Allyson Serxner Stollenwerck, Jeff's wife, has first hand experience with your name change. Her Mother-In-Law, Natalie, too. Maybe if you all were Team Members you could email each other and compare notes.
We know Clarisa is a wonderful, sweet woman who will make Alex very happy and we welcome her to the Greater Stollenwerck Family. Best Wishes to you, Clarisa, and Congratulations, Alex.
Posted by Jamie Stollenwerck
¶ 8:18 PM 1 comments
Clarisa Martinez and Alex Stollenwerck announced their engagement to be married June 25, 2005. The wedding will be in Miami, the home town of the bride and the adopted home town of the groom. Alex is my nephew and first cousin to my children Samantha and Adriane because he's my brother Richard's son. That would make him fourth cousin to Jeff Stollenwerck, Kate Stollenwerck, and Jaxie Stollenwerck Alt for example. Still with me? Gabriella Stollenwerck Marquez and Amanda Stollenwerck Chandler are Alex's two sisters and we're looking forward to hearing from them. Rumor has it they don't know about Stollenwerck Mania! Team Membership yet, but Alex is going to tell them, right Alex? You can join yourself while you're at it.
Find out all the details of the courtship and proposal at their website www.alexandclarisa.com. Good reading. Nice photos too. Clarisa and Alex work for Carnival Cruise Lines but the company doesn't allow married persons to work together. Clarisa will stay and Alex will take his superior marketing and sales skills honed by ten years in the hospitality business to the pharmacutical industry. Go get 'em, Alex!
Alex and I made a deal. I said, "Look...I'll promote your website on the Blog if you'll promote the blog on your website." Seemed like a good idea at the time. He said OK, but when I looked at www.alexandclarisa.com and saw how beautiful it is, I figured Clarisa would give the link swap two thumbs down. She's right. What if I leave a message in the Guestbook section directing people to Stollenwerck Mania! so those who aren't Stollenwerck's can read all about the family Clarisa is marrying into? Alex, give me a sign... And Clarisa, Allyson Serxner Stollenwerck, Jeff's wife, has first hand experience with your name change. Her Mother-In-Law, Natalie, too. Maybe if you all were Team Members you could email each other and compare notes.
We know Clarisa is a wonderful, sweet woman who will make Alex very happy and we welcome her to the Greater Stollenwerck Family. Best Wishes to you, Clarisa, and Congratulations, Alex.
Posted by Jamie Stollenwerck
¶ 8:18 PM 1 comments
Saturday, December 11, 2004
Rock & Roll Gets R-e-s-p-e-c-t
San Francisco Magazine, December 2004: the Style section. A person working for SFM saw one of Samantha Stollenwerck's shows with The Ritual and asked her if she'd do some modeling. This is what they came up with. Runway>Reality, indeed. Samantha's doing something right.
I think Samantha looks lovely and these are clothes I'd like to see her in all the time. It's not going to happen, though. Moschino dresses and Ana Capri sweaters don't cut it on the the road. SFM did do a good job of promoting her website so readers can go to hear her sing. They also misspelled her last name. Stollenwerck's know all about that problem. Reality>Runway.
Posted by Jamie Stollenwerck
Daddy,
The blogspot is hilarious! I love the fact that you’ve found every Stollenwerck in America, great job!
Posted by Samantha Stollenwerck
¶ 9:06 PM 0 comments
San Francisco Magazine, December 2004: the Style section. A person working for SFM saw one of Samantha Stollenwerck's shows with The Ritual and asked her if she'd do some modeling. This is what they came up with. Runway>Reality, indeed. Samantha's doing something right.
I think Samantha looks lovely and these are clothes I'd like to see her in all the time. It's not going to happen, though. Moschino dresses and Ana Capri sweaters don't cut it on the the road. SFM did do a good job of promoting her website so readers can go to hear her sing. They also misspelled her last name. Stollenwerck's know all about that problem. Reality>Runway.
Posted by Jamie Stollenwerck
Daddy,
The blogspot is hilarious! I love the fact that you’ve found every Stollenwerck in America, great job!
Posted by Samantha Stollenwerck
¶ 9:06 PM 0 comments
Tuesday, November 09, 2004
Stollenwerck Kinfolk Reunited
Look at the food. Outstanding. Could go into detail plate by plate but
see for yourself. The low carb diet went out the window... fresh cut
flowers put it over the top. Thank You Allyson.
On November 7, 2004 Stollenwercks from Texas, Illinois, Connecticut,
New York, and Rhode Island met at Jeff Stollenwerck's house in Westport.
The occasion was a reunion of Stollenwerck kinfolk to regain contact.
Stollenwerck Mania! had something to do with it and I'm
proud. Jeff's father Tom is my third cousin. His Greatgrandfather and my
Greatgrandfather were brothers in the 1840's. Tom's was about twelve
years older than mine, along season without rain.
Front Row, left to right: Mary Stollenwerck Lynch, Natalie
Stollenwerck, Kate Stollenwerck, and Debbie Stollenwerck
Back Row, left to right: Tom Stollenwerck, Jamie Stollenwerck, Adriane
Stollenwerck, Allyson Stollenwerck, Jeff Stollenwerck, John Lynch.
A good cross section of Stollenwercks. Nice to see Mary
Lynch hanging in there and we thank her husband John for coming out too.
The Allyson I thanked above is Jeff's wife. Tom is married to Natalie.
I'm married to Debbie. Adriane is my daughter and Kate is Jeff's sister
and/or Tom and Natalie's daughter. Adriane and Kate are singletons for
now. I like this picture because the ladies look good. The guys look
good too, but it's not even close.
Posted by Jamie Stollenwerck
¶ 9:21 AM 0 comments
Look at the food. Outstanding. Could go into detail plate by plate but
see for yourself. The low carb diet went out the window... fresh cut
flowers put it over the top. Thank You Allyson.
On November 7, 2004 Stollenwercks from Texas, Illinois, Connecticut,
New York, and Rhode Island met at Jeff Stollenwerck's house in Westport.
The occasion was a reunion of Stollenwerck kinfolk to regain contact.
Stollenwerck Mania! had something to do with it and I'm
proud. Jeff's father Tom is my third cousin. His Greatgrandfather and my
Greatgrandfather were brothers in the 1840's. Tom's was about twelve
years older than mine, along season without rain.
Front Row, left to right: Mary Stollenwerck Lynch, Natalie
Stollenwerck, Kate Stollenwerck, and Debbie Stollenwerck
Back Row, left to right: Tom Stollenwerck, Jamie Stollenwerck, Adriane
Stollenwerck, Allyson Stollenwerck, Jeff Stollenwerck, John Lynch.
A good cross section of Stollenwercks. Nice to see Mary
Lynch hanging in there and we thank her husband John for coming out too.
The Allyson I thanked above is Jeff's wife. Tom is married to Natalie.
I'm married to Debbie. Adriane is my daughter and Kate is Jeff's sister
and/or Tom and Natalie's daughter. Adriane and Kate are singletons for
now. I like this picture because the ladies look good. The guys look
good too, but it's not even close.
Posted by Jamie Stollenwerck
¶ 9:21 AM 0 comments
Monday, November 08, 2004
Third Cousins
Another great food shot. That aspic right in the middle has my name on it. Third cousins Jamie Stollenwerck, Mary Stollenwerck Lynch, and Tom Stollenwerck get over they're related and plan the next assault on what lays before them. I'm the youngest of the three but got all the gray hair. I must be doing something wrong, unlike my gussied up daughter Samantha, third cousin once removed from Tom.
Posted by Jamie Stollenwerck
¶ 9:41 AM 0 comments
Another great food shot. That aspic right in the middle has my name on it. Third cousins Jamie Stollenwerck, Mary Stollenwerck Lynch, and Tom Stollenwerck get over they're related and plan the next assault on what lays before them. I'm the youngest of the three but got all the gray hair. I must be doing something wrong, unlike my gussied up daughter Samantha, third cousin once removed from Tom.
Posted by Jamie Stollenwerck
¶ 9:41 AM 0 comments
Sunday, November 07, 2004
Fourth Cousins
You're looking at the future and it is now. Kate Stollenwerck's a lawyer, Jeff Stollenwerck's a financial analyst, and Adriane Stollenwerck's getting an advanced degree in urban policy. Whew! The third cousins should sit back and let the fourth cousins take over. It works for me....
Kate's done a lot of research about Stollenwerck's in her legal database. This means I've got plenty to do in the winter to market Stollenwerck Mania! by mail. Plenty.
Jeff's been at the same job for some time now...a good sign. I understand he's been in contact with John Lynch and John and Allyson may be planning a charity golf tournament at the Fairfield CC. Great golf course. Watch out for the trap in front of the fifth green.
Adriane's been feeding the poor at City Harvest In NYC for two or more years and runs a volunteer department. She gives seminars at places like Goldman Sachs and gets her picture taken with Mayor Bloomberg. Ado knows how to promote.
With Adriane and Allyson putting it out there, Jeff running the money, and Kate telling us whats legal, Donald Trump's history.
Posted by Jamie Stollenwerck
Great job! The site looks great . . . so much fun!
Posted by Kate Stollenwerck
¶ 10:11 AM 0 comments
You're looking at the future and it is now. Kate Stollenwerck's a lawyer, Jeff Stollenwerck's a financial analyst, and Adriane Stollenwerck's getting an advanced degree in urban policy. Whew! The third cousins should sit back and let the fourth cousins take over. It works for me....
Kate's done a lot of research about Stollenwerck's in her legal database. This means I've got plenty to do in the winter to market Stollenwerck Mania! by mail. Plenty.
Jeff's been at the same job for some time now...a good sign. I understand he's been in contact with John Lynch and John and Allyson may be planning a charity golf tournament at the Fairfield CC. Great golf course. Watch out for the trap in front of the fifth green.
Adriane's been feeding the poor at City Harvest In NYC for two or more years and runs a volunteer department. She gives seminars at places like Goldman Sachs and gets her picture taken with Mayor Bloomberg. Ado knows how to promote.
With Adriane and Allyson putting it out there, Jeff running the money, and Kate telling us whats legal, Donald Trump's history.
Posted by Jamie Stollenwerck
Great job! The site looks great . . . so much fun!
Posted by Kate Stollenwerck
¶ 10:11 AM 0 comments
Saturday, November 06, 2004
Urban Travelers
Greg and Adriane. Greg's Adriane's pal from New York and they drove out together to meet the cousins. That's dedication, Greg. I called Greg into duty to take pictures and he fell into line like a trouper. I suspect the two of them came directly from wherever they went out to in the city the night before and I can't see any camera jiggle...no small feat. Greg already has an advanced degree in urban policy so it's interesting to listen to his opinion about it from the back end. Adriane's heard it too and is going ahead anyway. That's dedication, Adriane.
Posted by Jamie Stollenwerck
Dad- You refer to Greg as my "pal" on the blog. FYI, since we've been dating for more than 6 months now, I think it's only fair to refer to him as my boyfriend.
Posted by Adriane Stollenwerck
Mea Culpa.
Posted by Jamie Stollenwerck
¶ 10:27 AM 0 comments
Greg and Adriane. Greg's Adriane's pal from New York and they drove out together to meet the cousins. That's dedication, Greg. I called Greg into duty to take pictures and he fell into line like a trouper. I suspect the two of them came directly from wherever they went out to in the city the night before and I can't see any camera jiggle...no small feat. Greg already has an advanced degree in urban policy so it's interesting to listen to his opinion about it from the back end. Adriane's heard it too and is going ahead anyway. That's dedication, Adriane.
Posted by Jamie Stollenwerck
Dad- You refer to Greg as my "pal" on the blog. FYI, since we've been dating for more than 6 months now, I think it's only fair to refer to him as my boyfriend.
Posted by Adriane Stollenwerck
Mea Culpa.
Posted by Jamie Stollenwerck
¶ 10:27 AM 0 comments
Tuesday, October 12, 2004
The Stollenwerck Harvest Reunion
Columbus' Birthday is a three day weekend in early October around the 10th. It's the time our family gets together in Vermont where my Mother, Mary Joe, lives half the year and my sister Mary has a second home. October in Vermont's gorgeous.
October 10 is my birthday too so I get a lot of stuff no one else does. Yes! The photo is a pretty complete picture of the group out to dinner on October 8 at the Barrow's House, a local inn around since it was a farm in colonial days a couple of centuries ago. It's the kickoff event for the weekend and Mom hosts the dinner. None of her Great Grandchildren are allowed at this one.
Left to Right, Back Row: Andrew Davison, John Lynch, Debbie Stollenwerck, David Goggin, Stephanie Freed, Anthony Chandler, Amanda Chandler, Jamie Stollenwerck
Left to Right, Front Row: Carroll Goggin, Brooke Davison, Richard Stollenwerck, Mary Stollenwerck Lynch, Allison Franz, Mary Joe Stollenwerck, Scott Franz.
Mary Joe Stollenwerck is the mother of Mary Stollenwerck Lynch, Richard Stollenwerck, and Jamie Stollenwerck in that order. Mary Stollenwerck Lynch is the mother of Carroll Goggin, Allison Franz, and Brook Davison in that order. Richard Stollenwerck is Amanda Stollenwerck Chandler's father. Everyone else married a Stollenwerck or a Stollenwerck decendant except for Stephanie Freed who goes out with Richard Stollenwerck and who will probably end up being a Stollenwerck. There will be a quiz at the end of class.
The picture's crooked. It's Vermont. Everything's crooked.
Posted by Jamie Stollenwerck
¶ 8:13 PM 0 comments
Columbus' Birthday is a three day weekend in early October around the 10th. It's the time our family gets together in Vermont where my Mother, Mary Joe, lives half the year and my sister Mary has a second home. October in Vermont's gorgeous.
October 10 is my birthday too so I get a lot of stuff no one else does. Yes! The photo is a pretty complete picture of the group out to dinner on October 8 at the Barrow's House, a local inn around since it was a farm in colonial days a couple of centuries ago. It's the kickoff event for the weekend and Mom hosts the dinner. None of her Great Grandchildren are allowed at this one.
Left to Right, Back Row: Andrew Davison, John Lynch, Debbie Stollenwerck, David Goggin, Stephanie Freed, Anthony Chandler, Amanda Chandler, Jamie Stollenwerck
Left to Right, Front Row: Carroll Goggin, Brooke Davison, Richard Stollenwerck, Mary Stollenwerck Lynch, Allison Franz, Mary Joe Stollenwerck, Scott Franz.
Mary Joe Stollenwerck is the mother of Mary Stollenwerck Lynch, Richard Stollenwerck, and Jamie Stollenwerck in that order. Mary Stollenwerck Lynch is the mother of Carroll Goggin, Allison Franz, and Brook Davison in that order. Richard Stollenwerck is Amanda Stollenwerck Chandler's father. Everyone else married a Stollenwerck or a Stollenwerck decendant except for Stephanie Freed who goes out with Richard Stollenwerck and who will probably end up being a Stollenwerck. There will be a quiz at the end of class.
The picture's crooked. It's Vermont. Everything's crooked.
Posted by Jamie Stollenwerck
¶ 8:13 PM 0 comments
Monday, October 11, 2004
Four Generations Together
Missy the Lhasa Apso marvels at four generations posing for the camera. Left to Right: Mary Joe Stollenwerck, Mary Lynch Stollenwerck, Brook Davison, and her daughter who started out named Jaime but was renamed Chase later on. It's a long story.
Posted by Jamie Stollenwerck
¶ 8:08 PM 0 comments
Missy the Lhasa Apso marvels at four generations posing for the camera. Left to Right: Mary Joe Stollenwerck, Mary Lynch Stollenwerck, Brook Davison, and her daughter who started out named Jaime but was renamed Chase later on. It's a long story.
Posted by Jamie Stollenwerck
¶ 8:08 PM 0 comments
Sunday, October 10, 2004
Mary Stollenwerck Lynch and her Grandchildren
MSL with her six Grandsons and one Granddaughter, the youngest of the seven. You thought I was kidding about Vermont in October? Skyscraper the Golden Retriever didn't think so. Mary was so thrilled to get a Granddaughter nothing pink was left on Greenwich Avenue.
Posted by Jamie Stollenwerck
¶ 7:57 PM 0 comments
MSL with her six Grandsons and one Granddaughter, the youngest of the seven. You thought I was kidding about Vermont in October? Skyscraper the Golden Retriever didn't think so. Mary was so thrilled to get a Granddaughter nothing pink was left on Greenwich Avenue.
Posted by Jamie Stollenwerck
¶ 7:57 PM 0 comments
Friday, October 08, 2004
FAQ To Get Up And Running...
Stollenwercks from across the land are reporting in. I'm gratified. We may be on to something here, so don't be left out. Here's what everyone wants to know:
Q. How do I participate in the Stollenwerck Mania weblog? Do I send my stories, pictures, and so forth to you? Or can I join so I can do everything myself?
A. There's two ways.
Method #1: I am the administrator of the blog. If you want to start a new posting, email me anything you want including pictures and I will post it for you with a credit to you at the bottom of the entry so everyone who reads it will know who wrote it. Do this by clicking on James Stollenwerck under Contributors to the right of the blog home page where you'll find a button saying "Email." Your email address will remain anonymous. Click on comments at the bottom of a post if you want to say something about it. Click on the envelope at the end of the post if you want to email the person credited with writing the post.
Method #2: Become a member of Stollenwerck Mania weblog. Do this by expressing interest in an email to me. Contact information is in Method #1. I will send you a separate email with an invitation to join. You'll be asked to click on a link which will register you on Blogger as a Stollenwerck Mania Team Member. It will ask for your name and your email address. Your name and profile will be listed alphbetically under Contributors to the right of the home page.
Three Advantages of Method #2:
1. You will be notified automatically by email each time someone posts to the blog or makes a comment on someone elses post so you can take a look.
2. You don't have to do anything. You aren't obliged to be an active participant to get email notifications sent to you.
3. You can make your own posts without sending it through me.
One Thing To Know About Method #2:
Your email address and personal profile will be available to everyone visiting the blog. This may or may not concern you because of security reasons like spam and the like. Only Stollenwercks and decendants are being invited to read and join, so I don't think we're running a risk. I could be wrong. I have the power to remove Team members as Administrator, for what it's worth.
All Stollenwercks who opt not to become Team Members will receive a periodic email reminding them new postings have been published.
That's about all I can think of for now. Your comments at the end of this post will be welcomed if you can improve on the system.
Posted by Jamie Stollenwerck
¶ 1:09 PM 0 comments
Q. How do I participate in the Stollenwerck Mania weblog? Do I send my stories, pictures, and so forth to you? Or can I join so I can do everything myself?
A. There's two ways.
Method #1: I am the administrator of the blog. If you want to start a new posting, email me anything you want including pictures and I will post it for you with a credit to you at the bottom of the entry so everyone who reads it will know who wrote it. Do this by clicking on James Stollenwerck under Contributors to the right of the blog home page where you'll find a button saying "Email." Your email address will remain anonymous. Click on comments at the bottom of a post if you want to say something about it. Click on the envelope at the end of the post if you want to email the person credited with writing the post.
Method #2: Become a member of Stollenwerck Mania weblog. Do this by expressing interest in an email to me. Contact information is in Method #1. I will send you a separate email with an invitation to join. You'll be asked to click on a link which will register you on Blogger as a Stollenwerck Mania Team Member. It will ask for your name and your email address. Your name and profile will be listed alphbetically under Contributors to the right of the home page.
Three Advantages of Method #2:
1. You will be notified automatically by email each time someone posts to the blog or makes a comment on someone elses post so you can take a look.
2. You don't have to do anything. You aren't obliged to be an active participant to get email notifications sent to you.
3. You can make your own posts without sending it through me.
One Thing To Know About Method #2:
Your email address and personal profile will be available to everyone visiting the blog. This may or may not concern you because of security reasons like spam and the like. Only Stollenwercks and decendants are being invited to read and join, so I don't think we're running a risk. I could be wrong. I have the power to remove Team members as Administrator, for what it's worth.
All Stollenwercks who opt not to become Team Members will receive a periodic email reminding them new postings have been published.
That's about all I can think of for now. Your comments at the end of this post will be welcomed if you can improve on the system.
Posted by Jamie Stollenwerck
¶ 1:09 PM 0 comments
Thursday, October 07, 2004
From Kate Stollenwerck....
Hi! I'm Jeff's younger sister and wanted to make sure I was on the list! Please send me an invite to join! Thanks!
I also am very interested in family history and a few years ago I emailed briefly with Wouter Stollenwerck in the Netherlands. He is about your daughter's ages -- if you want to try and get the European Stollenwercks involved, here's his email: "wouter stollenwerck", wstollenwerck@yahoo.com. He is from the Netherlands and apparently his father knew quite a bit about their history. I also have used my legal research to find listings of all Stollenwercks in the United States -- I will have my dad bring his copy to Connecticutt -you might find it interesting. Lots of Stollenwercks in Alabama, a branch in Houston we don't know, and a few in Chicago that I'm not sure of the connection.
Cheers!
Kate L. Stollenwerck
Hi Kate:
I was wondering where you were... Nice to meet you. Glad you are enjoying the Blog and an invitation is on the way. I'll post your email on the Blog to show family solidarity. What about Jaxie...can you twist her arm?
Jamie
Jamie:
Jaxie will definitely want to participate . . . I'll get on that! Looking forward to meeting you in a few weeks! Also, my brother has been trying to get Samantha's agent (?) Brizz to send me a CD. One of my closest friends from high school is a pretty hot director in Hollywood and I wanted to give him Samantha's CD. He is always looking for interesting music for sound tracks, plus he knows lots of people. I'm seeing him next Tuesday when he is in town for the Chicago Film Festival -- I would love to be able to give it to him in person. It might not lead to anything, but it might very well lead to something. I'm not sure if Brizz had told Samantha about this connection and I would love to help out!
Kate
Posted By Kate and Jamie Stollenwerck
¶ 11:01 AM 0 comments
Hi! I'm Jeff's younger sister and wanted to make sure I was on the list! Please send me an invite to join! Thanks!
I also am very interested in family history and a few years ago I emailed briefly with Wouter Stollenwerck in the Netherlands. He is about your daughter's ages -- if you want to try and get the European Stollenwercks involved, here's his email: "wouter stollenwerck", wstollenwerck@yahoo.com. He is from the Netherlands and apparently his father knew quite a bit about their history. I also have used my legal research to find listings of all Stollenwercks in the United States -- I will have my dad bring his copy to Connecticutt -you might find it interesting. Lots of Stollenwercks in Alabama, a branch in Houston we don't know, and a few in Chicago that I'm not sure of the connection.
Cheers!
Kate L. Stollenwerck
Hi Kate:
I was wondering where you were... Nice to meet you. Glad you are enjoying the Blog and an invitation is on the way. I'll post your email on the Blog to show family solidarity. What about Jaxie...can you twist her arm?
Jamie
Jamie:
Jaxie will definitely want to participate . . . I'll get on that! Looking forward to meeting you in a few weeks! Also, my brother has been trying to get Samantha's agent (?) Brizz to send me a CD. One of my closest friends from high school is a pretty hot director in Hollywood and I wanted to give him Samantha's CD. He is always looking for interesting music for sound tracks, plus he knows lots of people. I'm seeing him next Tuesday when he is in town for the Chicago Film Festival -- I would love to be able to give it to him in person. It might not lead to anything, but it might very well lead to something. I'm not sure if Brizz had told Samantha about this connection and I would love to help out!
Kate
Posted By Kate and Jamie Stollenwerck
¶ 11:01 AM 0 comments
Wednesday, October 06, 2004
....And From Jaxie STOLLENWERCK Alt
Hi Jamie!
Twist my arm, are you kidding? This is awesome. You don't have to twist my arm! Please get me on the list so I can contribute too!
I'm Jaxie Stollenwerck Alt -- daughter of Tom and Natalie Stollenwerck, sister of Jeff and Kate Stollenwerck. I live in Dallas, Texas where we were all born and raised. My name is now Jaxie Alt, I just got married and I took my husband's name...but moved Stollenwerck to be my middle name because I'll always be a Stollenwerck! I'm attaching a picture with some of our Stollenwerck family in Dallas from my wedding - one of my Dad's cousins, Sam Stollenwerck, his wife Carol, his son John Stollenwerck and John's wife Stephanie as well as my Dad, Mom, sister, her fiance Kris, my sister in law, Allyson, and brother. Thought you'd like a Stollenwerck picture! I'll see John at church on Sunday and I'll tell him he needs to get involved with Stollenwerck Mania too!
We're headed up later this month for a big family weekend with my brother and Allyson in Westport and I so hope we can meet you and your family!
Hope to see you then!
Jaxie
Posted by Jaxie Stollenwerck Alt
(...like I said, Stollenwerck's from accross the land are reporting in. It's a beautiful thing...) Jamie S.
¶ 6:51 PM 0 comments
Hi Jamie!
Twist my arm, are you kidding? This is awesome. You don't have to twist my arm! Please get me on the list so I can contribute too!
I'm Jaxie Stollenwerck Alt -- daughter of Tom and Natalie Stollenwerck, sister of Jeff and Kate Stollenwerck. I live in Dallas, Texas where we were all born and raised. My name is now Jaxie Alt, I just got married and I took my husband's name...but moved Stollenwerck to be my middle name because I'll always be a Stollenwerck! I'm attaching a picture with some of our Stollenwerck family in Dallas from my wedding - one of my Dad's cousins, Sam Stollenwerck, his wife Carol, his son John Stollenwerck and John's wife Stephanie as well as my Dad, Mom, sister, her fiance Kris, my sister in law, Allyson, and brother. Thought you'd like a Stollenwerck picture! I'll see John at church on Sunday and I'll tell him he needs to get involved with Stollenwerck Mania too!
We're headed up later this month for a big family weekend with my brother and Allyson in Westport and I so hope we can meet you and your family!
Hope to see you then!
Jaxie
Posted by Jaxie Stollenwerck Alt
(...like I said, Stollenwerck's from accross the land are reporting in. It's a beautiful thing...) Jamie S.
¶ 6:51 PM 0 comments
Dead At 36: The Grandfather I Never Knew...
E.C. Stollenwerck, Sr. while a student at Johns Hopkins University from 1907-1911. His Father, my Greatgrandfather, was Dallas resident Tom Stollenwerck's Greatgrandfather's brother.
Posted by Jamie Stollenwerck
¶ 5:22 AM 0 comments
E.C. Stollenwerck, Sr. while a student at Johns Hopkins University from 1907-1911. His Father, my Greatgrandfather, was Dallas resident Tom Stollenwerck's Greatgrandfather's brother.
Posted by Jamie Stollenwerck
¶ 5:22 AM 0 comments
Tuesday, October 05, 2004
Here's The Whole Story As Told By My Father, Deceased At 82 In 1996...
You're looking at a photo of an article from The John's Hopkins Journal dated Spring, 1981. I can't read it either. There's a story here, so I'm going to copy all the letters that went back and forth leading up to this being printed. This is going to be a long blog, probably the only one I'm going to post in October. It explains who our end of the family is better than I can though, which is a big relief...
From: Stanley E. Blumberg, Director, Johns Hopkins University, Office of Alumni Relations, Baltimore, Maryland, August 21,1980
Mr. Richard Stollenwerck, 186 Avenue Victor Hugo, 75116, Paris, France
Dear Mr. Stollenwerck,
You may remember that we almost met in Paris two years ago, when you were unable to accept my invitation to be the luncheon guest of our alumni tour. We had a great time, by the way, so much so that we were able to repeat the event when university president Muller visited Paris last summer.
This communication is far removed from that occasion and may be the most bizarre you have received in many a day. Upon receipt of the enclosed letter, our very best sleuthing leads to an Edward Stollenwerck. He attended Hopkins from 1907 to 1911, ran the 440-yard event in 1908, and died in 1925. He was probably one of three brothers who were undergraduates here during the early 1900's, Guy and Frank being the others.
I have no idea if you are part of the same family, but you are our best prospect by far. The medal is your to claim.
From: Mrs. R.D. Mongomery, 2618 Lincoln Avenue, Richmond, VA 23228, No Date
Athletic association, Johns Hopkins Unversity, Baltimore, MD
Gentlemen:
Some years ago I found a medal (xerox enclosed), dated 1908 and engraved "400 Yds Run."
For further indentification, the R does not carry the final downstroke.
For several weeks, I inquired at our Westhampton Post Office, since the medal was found in the parking lot, in the event some one may have called there for the medal. I, also, watched our local papers for several weeks.
When these efforts proved unsuccessful, I stored the medal in a far corner of my desk, where it remained these ten years.
When I uncovered the item the other day, a co-worker suggested writing to your office with the possibility of tracing the family of the medal's owner.
If you have information leading to some one in the Richmond area, I shall be pleased to make contact. It is a lovely medal and should be in the pssession of family members.
I do regret not having contacted you when I found the medal-just did not think of writing to you.
Thank you for your help.
...I'd like to know what Blumberg meant by sleuthing. My guess is they went to the 1908 440 Yard Run track and field records and found out who competed. Then they matched those names to the same names of alumni on the books in 1980. If a running teammate had the name Smith for example, all the 1980 Smith alumini got the same letter from Blumberg. Just guessing...
From: Richard Stollenwerck, Paris, France, September 16, 1980
Mr. Stanley E. Blumberg, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland
Dear Mr. Blumberg,
Thank you for your intriguing letter of August 21 which I found on my return from summer vacation.
It may be pure coincidence, but my father's name is Edward Carroll Stollenwerck. He was born in Baltimore and his father died when he was just 11 years old.
So the long lost medal may have belonged to my grandfather, although I have no idea whether he attended Johns Hopkins or ran the 440-yard event. How the medal wound up 72 years later in a Westhampton parking lot is totally beyond me.
I am taking the liberty of forwarding your letter together with the note from Mrs. Montgomery to my father in the States who, I asume, will be able to solve the mystery.
My grandmother, incidentally, is still alive and will be 90 years old soon. If the medal does indeed turn out to be her husband's, she will be absolutely thrilled to claim it.
Thank you for getting in touch with me and please let's do get together the next time you're in Paris.
From: Edward C. Stollenwerck, Dorsett, Vermont, October 17, 1980
Mr. Stanley E. Blumberg, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland
Dear Mr. Blumberg,
The enclosed letter is self-explanatory but I do want you to know how appreciative we are of you efforts in this matter. I guess it's a small world, as they say.
Incidentally, the brothers were Edward Carroll, the eldest, and Guy Victor. Frank was a cousin. All are deceased.
Many thanks for your interest and help with kindest regards.
Enlosed letter from Edward Stollenwerck, Dorsett, Vermont, October 17, 1980
Mrs. Montgomery,
You recently wrote a letter to the Athletic Association of Johns Hopkins University about a medal you found some ten years ago in the parking lot of the Westhampton Post Office.
Johns Hopkins forwarded your letter to my son, Richard who has worked and lived in Paris for some ten years and who received his MA degree through the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies. He was contacted because the alumni records showed him to be the only graduate probably living and possibly related to three individuals named Stollenwerck (Frank, Guy , and Edward) who attended Hopkins in the early 1900's.
Hopkins' records show that Edward attended the college from 1907-1911, ran the 440-yard event in 1908 and died in 1925.
At least part of the mystery can be stated as solved because Edward Stollenwerck was my father and, of course, Richard's grandfather whom he never knew. As a matter of fact he died when I was 10 so I hardly knew him myself.
But you might be interested in hearing a bit about him. His family settled in what is now known as Selma, Alabama before it became a state. He and his parents moved to the Baltimore area after his birth in Selma. At Hopkins he was a stellar athelete playing football and lacrosse and holding Southern Conference records in sprints. He also was extremely musical and I vaguely recall having seen a Hopkins song book which carried his name as a contibutor of music, if not words, to several of the songs.
He was an immensely popular man with many talents but with it came the inabiltiy to drink and thus he died an alchoholic in his early thirties.
His wife, my Mother, was born and raised on the Maryland Eastern Shore in Chestertown where sho lives at the present time. She is 87 and a couple of years ago renovated and moved into a house in Chestertown into which her grandmother went as a sixteen year old bride 150 years ago. She continues in good health and was amazed at your find--and very appreciative of your kindness as evidenced by this generous effort of yours.
My Mother had no idea how the medal may have reached Virginia and, in fact, the memory of any medals at all escapes her. However, my Mother's baby sister (76) and I both remember way, way back either a shoebox or a cigarbox containing a pretty sizable number of medals won by my father. I suppose that in moves made from, say, 1925 over the next several decades the box, if in fact there was one, could have been lost or misplaced, if, indeed, it would be the kind of thing which would be held on to at all over the years.
So the mystery of it's being in Virginia I guess will never be solved.
I am very conscious of the fact that considerable time has lapsed since your original letter was posted. How long it stayed at Hopkins before it was sent to Paris I don't know. But in France my son was away on vacation on its arrival and after he sent it off to me here in Vermont I then was away and thus the embarassing delay in reply to your generous offer to make the medal available to now family members.
If the offer still stands, I would be very happy if you could send it to the above Florida address where I will be by the end of next week. I have there the only substantial evidence of my Mother and father and my early life together (I being an only child) through a scrapbook carefully put together in World War 1 concerning their lives in the Army in which he was an aerial gunnery instructor. I will incorporate your letter, copies of which are enclosed for you, and the medal into the scrapbook with the hope that it proves less errant than the medal collection.
Incidentally, my Father's full name was Edward Carroll Stollenwerck and was nicknamed Stoney. That nickname must be catching because his sister Alice was also called Stoney as am I and each of my sons, Richard and James.
Many, many thanks for everything. I do wish it were possible for me to thank you personally face to face. For this in the future I will keep my fingers crossed.
...My father was 66 when he wrote this letter, not too old. He was retired though, and had been for over ten years. He had a lot of time on his hands and I remember him looking for things to do. This letter writing project following up on the medal was perfect. It shows he writes in plain talk and is easy to understand. He makes sense. I think he should have done more of it. Mrs. Montgomery returned a short typwritten note of acknowledgement mentioning she was a secratary to the editor of her Baptist state paper and her husband Ray was with a local auto concern. But wait, there's more...
From: Stanley Blumberg, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore Maryland , December 1, 1981
Dear Mr. Stollenwerck,
Pardon my tardy reply to your gracious letter of Oct. 17. Considering it's amazing contents, I should have responded much sooner.
Actually, my neglect has not been total. I have mentioned the bizarre series of events to many people, including the editors of the Johns Hopkins Journal. With your permission, they and I would like very much to do a story in the Spring issue. In fact, if at all possible with the principals concerned, we should like to arrange a get-together either in Baltimore or Chestertown with appropriate press coverage.
In connecting with either prospect, will you kindly provide answers to the following questions:
1. Has Mrs. Montgomery returned the medal to you?
2. Would you and your mother approve of the type of publicity I have suggested?
3. Could your mother come to Baltimore?
Many thanks for getting back to me at your earliest convenience.
From: E.C. Stollenwerck, Hobe Sound, Florida, December 10, 1980
Dear Mr. Blumberg,
I think it is a great idea if the following information continues to make it practical.
1st: Mrs. Montgomery did send the medal per the enclosed copy of her letter transmittal.
2nd: I would approve of the publicity and I presume my mother would have no objection.
3rd: My Mother could not come to Baltimore and I feel that practically she would not bring anything to the table anyway. My Father's death took place in 1925 and she was married twice afterward. Her third marriage was for about forty years up to the time of her husband's death . Furthermore, she never lived in the past at any time and I am convinced she has few if any contributory recollections of her marriage to my Father. As to his undergraduate life at Hopkins, I am sure she never knew him at that time. At least the only college she ever mentioned in connection with her youth is the Navel Academy where she hung out a lot. Therefore, if I were you I would stick with Mrs. Montgomery, me and, if you wish, my son Richard.
I go monthly to visit my Mother in Chestertown and could easily come or go via Baltimore. If you wished to do so, the last week in January might be a good time all around. I am having a cateract operation on the 6th or I would make it earlier. At any rate, let me know if I should put anything down on my calander.
Incidentally, two Hopkins names associated with my Father were Corbin Street and Eveleth Bridgeman, if this is any help. They were both graduates of the Medical School--I don't know about the University.
All the best and thanks for your interest.
...A series of short notes went back and forth about photgraphing the medal for the Journal. My Father gave up and wrote to Stanley Blumberg, "I fear that I would not have the medal photographed properly for publishing and accordingly am enclosing it so that the Journal can direct the matter to its satisfaction. It can be returned to me afterward. I would like four copies of the Journal--one for me and one for each of my three children who have followed this with interest"...
From: E.C. Stollenwerck, Hobe Sound, Florida, February 9, 1981
Dear Mrs. Montgomery,
Well, you certainly started things up when you found that medal.
For instance, just look at the enclose correspondence which has taken place since since my last letter to you and your very nice reply.
The letters back and forth to Hopkins are self explanatory, but the one to my son James bears a bit of ellaboration.
In the first of the Hopkins letters a Guy Stollenwerck is mentioned. He was my uncle and had two daughters, Elizabeth and Ellen, my first cousin and thereby second cousins of James. Elizabeth, or rather Betty, has lived in and about Memphis for all of her life and is the widow of a doctor. I think it must be about 45 years since I saw her in Memphis on way driving to Louisiana when I was about 20 years old.
Ellen is another story. She attended college in Bronxville, N.Y. (Sarah Lawrence) when I lived in Greenwich , Connecticut. She contacted us and we used to see her from time to time. She married a Greenwich lad and lived in England for a while. She was divorced and married again and subsequently divorced. Her third husband died while she was living in California and she, fortunately, has remarried and still remains in California. During this period my two sons met her and from time to time saw a good deal of Ellen.
Now, at Ellens's third marriage in California, James met Betty for the first time. She initiated a conversation about a family geneology book put together by Frank Stollenwerck, also mentioned in an early Hopkins letter. They met again at Ellen's most recent wedding, at which time the book came up again. James expounded on you and the medal and all the circumstances and correspondance. Not only does does Betty want a copy of all this but also does Ellen and another relative in California, Idealette, who, I believe is a first cousin of their father.
On top of this, it looks as though James has become interested in the entire project and appears to be on the way as family custodian for family data--all due to you.
The other day I happened to find a photo which I didn't know existed. Then I remembered that it was of my Father when in college at Hopkins. I had some copies made and enclose one for you so you could visulaize the subject.
Also, many thanks for the Xmas greetings.
I'll keep you posted of any further developments.
With all best regards.
From: E.C. Stollenwerck, Hobe Sound, Florida, February 9, 1981
Dear James:
I enclose herewith a copy of all correspondence having to do with the medal, from which you can make other copies for interested parties such as Betty, Ellen, and Idelette. Your brother and sister have been provided copies by me.
I also enclose the geneology book compiled by Frank Stollenwerck and his wife. I mention in the letter to Mrs. Montgomery that Frank S. appears in the first letter from Hopkins University.
In this book it mentions that the name Stollenwerck appears to have come from Aachen, otherwise known as Aix-la-Chapelle, located at the juncture of France, Holland, and Belgium. It was the first German city to fall in World War II and I was there. We had a small unit of about 25 guys and we moved into and took over a small apartment building to live in for about a week. The soldier in charge of arrangements and repairs found out that many of the local residents bore the name of Stollenwerck to the extent that he would hire no civilians who were not so named. Actually, within a fifteen mile radius of Aachen the name is as common as Smith is in New York.
Although the book states that Aachen was so beaten up in the war that probably the really old documents could be located now, as a matter of fact the city was not beaten upto any great extent and I suggest that it is not the location of documents which would prove difficult but rather the culling out which would be unbelieveable due to the number of people in the area carrying the name. But, if sometime you don't have anything else to do-----------.
Take care of yourself and all the best.
...I've got Good News and Bad News...sorry to be trite. The Good News is on my 40th birthday I went to Aachen and attempted to reconnect with our European reletives. I'll tell this story in another posting because it's a tale unto it's own. The Bad News is I never got around to sending copies of the correspondence to Betty, Ellen, or Idelette. In fact I can barely remember Betty or Idelette or their request for more information. I lost track of Ellen about twenty years ago when she got married for the fifth time and moved to Sun Valley Idaho. I think I heard she was back in Los Angeles, but I can't be sure...
So there you have it, right from the horses mouth. I couldn't top it, could I? I will say this: the exercise of retyping what my Father wrote is an eerie experience. It's like him talking through me, which is something I bet few people can say they've done with their own parent(s) who are gone. I miss him.
Posted by Jamie Stollenwerck
¶ 5:41 PM 1 comments
You're looking at a photo of an article from The John's Hopkins Journal dated Spring, 1981. I can't read it either. There's a story here, so I'm going to copy all the letters that went back and forth leading up to this being printed. This is going to be a long blog, probably the only one I'm going to post in October. It explains who our end of the family is better than I can though, which is a big relief...
From: Stanley E. Blumberg, Director, Johns Hopkins University, Office of Alumni Relations, Baltimore, Maryland, August 21,1980
Mr. Richard Stollenwerck, 186 Avenue Victor Hugo, 75116, Paris, France
Dear Mr. Stollenwerck,
You may remember that we almost met in Paris two years ago, when you were unable to accept my invitation to be the luncheon guest of our alumni tour. We had a great time, by the way, so much so that we were able to repeat the event when university president Muller visited Paris last summer.
This communication is far removed from that occasion and may be the most bizarre you have received in many a day. Upon receipt of the enclosed letter, our very best sleuthing leads to an Edward Stollenwerck. He attended Hopkins from 1907 to 1911, ran the 440-yard event in 1908, and died in 1925. He was probably one of three brothers who were undergraduates here during the early 1900's, Guy and Frank being the others.
I have no idea if you are part of the same family, but you are our best prospect by far. The medal is your to claim.
From: Mrs. R.D. Mongomery, 2618 Lincoln Avenue, Richmond, VA 23228, No Date
Athletic association, Johns Hopkins Unversity, Baltimore, MD
Gentlemen:
Some years ago I found a medal (xerox enclosed), dated 1908 and engraved "400 Yds Run."
For further indentification, the R does not carry the final downstroke.
For several weeks, I inquired at our Westhampton Post Office, since the medal was found in the parking lot, in the event some one may have called there for the medal. I, also, watched our local papers for several weeks.
When these efforts proved unsuccessful, I stored the medal in a far corner of my desk, where it remained these ten years.
When I uncovered the item the other day, a co-worker suggested writing to your office with the possibility of tracing the family of the medal's owner.
If you have information leading to some one in the Richmond area, I shall be pleased to make contact. It is a lovely medal and should be in the pssession of family members.
I do regret not having contacted you when I found the medal-just did not think of writing to you.
Thank you for your help.
...I'd like to know what Blumberg meant by sleuthing. My guess is they went to the 1908 440 Yard Run track and field records and found out who competed. Then they matched those names to the same names of alumni on the books in 1980. If a running teammate had the name Smith for example, all the 1980 Smith alumini got the same letter from Blumberg. Just guessing...
From: Richard Stollenwerck, Paris, France, September 16, 1980
Mr. Stanley E. Blumberg, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland
Dear Mr. Blumberg,
Thank you for your intriguing letter of August 21 which I found on my return from summer vacation.
It may be pure coincidence, but my father's name is Edward Carroll Stollenwerck. He was born in Baltimore and his father died when he was just 11 years old.
So the long lost medal may have belonged to my grandfather, although I have no idea whether he attended Johns Hopkins or ran the 440-yard event. How the medal wound up 72 years later in a Westhampton parking lot is totally beyond me.
I am taking the liberty of forwarding your letter together with the note from Mrs. Montgomery to my father in the States who, I asume, will be able to solve the mystery.
My grandmother, incidentally, is still alive and will be 90 years old soon. If the medal does indeed turn out to be her husband's, she will be absolutely thrilled to claim it.
Thank you for getting in touch with me and please let's do get together the next time you're in Paris.
From: Edward C. Stollenwerck, Dorsett, Vermont, October 17, 1980
Mr. Stanley E. Blumberg, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland
Dear Mr. Blumberg,
The enclosed letter is self-explanatory but I do want you to know how appreciative we are of you efforts in this matter. I guess it's a small world, as they say.
Incidentally, the brothers were Edward Carroll, the eldest, and Guy Victor. Frank was a cousin. All are deceased.
Many thanks for your interest and help with kindest regards.
Enlosed letter from Edward Stollenwerck, Dorsett, Vermont, October 17, 1980
Mrs. Montgomery,
You recently wrote a letter to the Athletic Association of Johns Hopkins University about a medal you found some ten years ago in the parking lot of the Westhampton Post Office.
Johns Hopkins forwarded your letter to my son, Richard who has worked and lived in Paris for some ten years and who received his MA degree through the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies. He was contacted because the alumni records showed him to be the only graduate probably living and possibly related to three individuals named Stollenwerck (Frank, Guy , and Edward) who attended Hopkins in the early 1900's.
Hopkins' records show that Edward attended the college from 1907-1911, ran the 440-yard event in 1908 and died in 1925.
At least part of the mystery can be stated as solved because Edward Stollenwerck was my father and, of course, Richard's grandfather whom he never knew. As a matter of fact he died when I was 10 so I hardly knew him myself.
But you might be interested in hearing a bit about him. His family settled in what is now known as Selma, Alabama before it became a state. He and his parents moved to the Baltimore area after his birth in Selma. At Hopkins he was a stellar athelete playing football and lacrosse and holding Southern Conference records in sprints. He also was extremely musical and I vaguely recall having seen a Hopkins song book which carried his name as a contibutor of music, if not words, to several of the songs.
He was an immensely popular man with many talents but with it came the inabiltiy to drink and thus he died an alchoholic in his early thirties.
His wife, my Mother, was born and raised on the Maryland Eastern Shore in Chestertown where sho lives at the present time. She is 87 and a couple of years ago renovated and moved into a house in Chestertown into which her grandmother went as a sixteen year old bride 150 years ago. She continues in good health and was amazed at your find--and very appreciative of your kindness as evidenced by this generous effort of yours.
My Mother had no idea how the medal may have reached Virginia and, in fact, the memory of any medals at all escapes her. However, my Mother's baby sister (76) and I both remember way, way back either a shoebox or a cigarbox containing a pretty sizable number of medals won by my father. I suppose that in moves made from, say, 1925 over the next several decades the box, if in fact there was one, could have been lost or misplaced, if, indeed, it would be the kind of thing which would be held on to at all over the years.
So the mystery of it's being in Virginia I guess will never be solved.
I am very conscious of the fact that considerable time has lapsed since your original letter was posted. How long it stayed at Hopkins before it was sent to Paris I don't know. But in France my son was away on vacation on its arrival and after he sent it off to me here in Vermont I then was away and thus the embarassing delay in reply to your generous offer to make the medal available to now family members.
If the offer still stands, I would be very happy if you could send it to the above Florida address where I will be by the end of next week. I have there the only substantial evidence of my Mother and father and my early life together (I being an only child) through a scrapbook carefully put together in World War 1 concerning their lives in the Army in which he was an aerial gunnery instructor. I will incorporate your letter, copies of which are enclosed for you, and the medal into the scrapbook with the hope that it proves less errant than the medal collection.
Incidentally, my Father's full name was Edward Carroll Stollenwerck and was nicknamed Stoney. That nickname must be catching because his sister Alice was also called Stoney as am I and each of my sons, Richard and James.
Many, many thanks for everything. I do wish it were possible for me to thank you personally face to face. For this in the future I will keep my fingers crossed.
...My father was 66 when he wrote this letter, not too old. He was retired though, and had been for over ten years. He had a lot of time on his hands and I remember him looking for things to do. This letter writing project following up on the medal was perfect. It shows he writes in plain talk and is easy to understand. He makes sense. I think he should have done more of it. Mrs. Montgomery returned a short typwritten note of acknowledgement mentioning she was a secratary to the editor of her Baptist state paper and her husband Ray was with a local auto concern. But wait, there's more...
From: Stanley Blumberg, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore Maryland , December 1, 1981
Dear Mr. Stollenwerck,
Pardon my tardy reply to your gracious letter of Oct. 17. Considering it's amazing contents, I should have responded much sooner.
Actually, my neglect has not been total. I have mentioned the bizarre series of events to many people, including the editors of the Johns Hopkins Journal. With your permission, they and I would like very much to do a story in the Spring issue. In fact, if at all possible with the principals concerned, we should like to arrange a get-together either in Baltimore or Chestertown with appropriate press coverage.
In connecting with either prospect, will you kindly provide answers to the following questions:
1. Has Mrs. Montgomery returned the medal to you?
2. Would you and your mother approve of the type of publicity I have suggested?
3. Could your mother come to Baltimore?
Many thanks for getting back to me at your earliest convenience.
From: E.C. Stollenwerck, Hobe Sound, Florida, December 10, 1980
Dear Mr. Blumberg,
I think it is a great idea if the following information continues to make it practical.
1st: Mrs. Montgomery did send the medal per the enclosed copy of her letter transmittal.
2nd: I would approve of the publicity and I presume my mother would have no objection.
3rd: My Mother could not come to Baltimore and I feel that practically she would not bring anything to the table anyway. My Father's death took place in 1925 and she was married twice afterward. Her third marriage was for about forty years up to the time of her husband's death . Furthermore, she never lived in the past at any time and I am convinced she has few if any contributory recollections of her marriage to my Father. As to his undergraduate life at Hopkins, I am sure she never knew him at that time. At least the only college she ever mentioned in connection with her youth is the Navel Academy where she hung out a lot. Therefore, if I were you I would stick with Mrs. Montgomery, me and, if you wish, my son Richard.
I go monthly to visit my Mother in Chestertown and could easily come or go via Baltimore. If you wished to do so, the last week in January might be a good time all around. I am having a cateract operation on the 6th or I would make it earlier. At any rate, let me know if I should put anything down on my calander.
Incidentally, two Hopkins names associated with my Father were Corbin Street and Eveleth Bridgeman, if this is any help. They were both graduates of the Medical School--I don't know about the University.
All the best and thanks for your interest.
...A series of short notes went back and forth about photgraphing the medal for the Journal. My Father gave up and wrote to Stanley Blumberg, "I fear that I would not have the medal photographed properly for publishing and accordingly am enclosing it so that the Journal can direct the matter to its satisfaction. It can be returned to me afterward. I would like four copies of the Journal--one for me and one for each of my three children who have followed this with interest"...
From: E.C. Stollenwerck, Hobe Sound, Florida, February 9, 1981
Dear Mrs. Montgomery,
Well, you certainly started things up when you found that medal.
For instance, just look at the enclose correspondence which has taken place since since my last letter to you and your very nice reply.
The letters back and forth to Hopkins are self explanatory, but the one to my son James bears a bit of ellaboration.
In the first of the Hopkins letters a Guy Stollenwerck is mentioned. He was my uncle and had two daughters, Elizabeth and Ellen, my first cousin and thereby second cousins of James. Elizabeth, or rather Betty, has lived in and about Memphis for all of her life and is the widow of a doctor. I think it must be about 45 years since I saw her in Memphis on way driving to Louisiana when I was about 20 years old.
Ellen is another story. She attended college in Bronxville, N.Y. (Sarah Lawrence) when I lived in Greenwich , Connecticut. She contacted us and we used to see her from time to time. She married a Greenwich lad and lived in England for a while. She was divorced and married again and subsequently divorced. Her third husband died while she was living in California and she, fortunately, has remarried and still remains in California. During this period my two sons met her and from time to time saw a good deal of Ellen.
Now, at Ellens's third marriage in California, James met Betty for the first time. She initiated a conversation about a family geneology book put together by Frank Stollenwerck, also mentioned in an early Hopkins letter. They met again at Ellen's most recent wedding, at which time the book came up again. James expounded on you and the medal and all the circumstances and correspondance. Not only does does Betty want a copy of all this but also does Ellen and another relative in California, Idealette, who, I believe is a first cousin of their father.
On top of this, it looks as though James has become interested in the entire project and appears to be on the way as family custodian for family data--all due to you.
The other day I happened to find a photo which I didn't know existed. Then I remembered that it was of my Father when in college at Hopkins. I had some copies made and enclose one for you so you could visulaize the subject.
Also, many thanks for the Xmas greetings.
I'll keep you posted of any further developments.
With all best regards.
From: E.C. Stollenwerck, Hobe Sound, Florida, February 9, 1981
Dear James:
I enclose herewith a copy of all correspondence having to do with the medal, from which you can make other copies for interested parties such as Betty, Ellen, and Idelette. Your brother and sister have been provided copies by me.
I also enclose the geneology book compiled by Frank Stollenwerck and his wife. I mention in the letter to Mrs. Montgomery that Frank S. appears in the first letter from Hopkins University.
In this book it mentions that the name Stollenwerck appears to have come from Aachen, otherwise known as Aix-la-Chapelle, located at the juncture of France, Holland, and Belgium. It was the first German city to fall in World War II and I was there. We had a small unit of about 25 guys and we moved into and took over a small apartment building to live in for about a week. The soldier in charge of arrangements and repairs found out that many of the local residents bore the name of Stollenwerck to the extent that he would hire no civilians who were not so named. Actually, within a fifteen mile radius of Aachen the name is as common as Smith is in New York.
Although the book states that Aachen was so beaten up in the war that probably the really old documents could be located now, as a matter of fact the city was not beaten upto any great extent and I suggest that it is not the location of documents which would prove difficult but rather the culling out which would be unbelieveable due to the number of people in the area carrying the name. But, if sometime you don't have anything else to do-----------.
Take care of yourself and all the best.
...I've got Good News and Bad News...sorry to be trite. The Good News is on my 40th birthday I went to Aachen and attempted to reconnect with our European reletives. I'll tell this story in another posting because it's a tale unto it's own. The Bad News is I never got around to sending copies of the correspondence to Betty, Ellen, or Idelette. In fact I can barely remember Betty or Idelette or their request for more information. I lost track of Ellen about twenty years ago when she got married for the fifth time and moved to Sun Valley Idaho. I think I heard she was back in Los Angeles, but I can't be sure...
So there you have it, right from the horses mouth. I couldn't top it, could I? I will say this: the exercise of retyping what my Father wrote is an eerie experience. It's like him talking through me, which is something I bet few people can say they've done with their own parent(s) who are gone. I miss him.
Posted by Jamie Stollenwerck
¶ 5:41 PM 1 comments
Saturday, September 11, 2004
A little on the role I played in motivating Jamie to start this Blog...
It was July 4th weekend and my wife Allyson and I decided that rather than go away for the Holiday weekend, we would take day trips to nearby areas we had always wanted to visit. We had lived in Connecticut for about 10 years now, 7 years together as married people, and had always talked about visiting certain places that were in easy driving distance from our home in Westport.
The top 2 on our list were Watch Hill, RI and Litchfield County, CT. Our timing was very undefined, so we decided if we actually made it to Watch Hill, we would try to look up my relative James, with whom I had briefly spoken and emailed a few years back.
I believe we drove to Watch Hill on Saturday in the late morning; we have a friend with a home in nearby Hopkinton, so we had long heard how gorgeous it was in Watch Hill, but the town far exceeded our expectations. It is amazingly picutresque but also very personal and restrained in its charm. It is a real jewel and it was very clear why James had settled there.
Anyway, we had lunch, walked along the beach, and decided before starting the roughly 2 hour trip home to Westport to see if we could look up James. Allyson played a particularly key role at this point in the "re-uniting" of the Stollenwerck clan, as it was getting to be the late afternoon and I was a little nervous about possibly disturbing Jamie's Holiday and showing up announced-- but my brilliant wife said something like "dummy, when else are you going to have a chance like this, of course he will want to hear from you"-- and she was right as usual.
Jamie's number was listed in the book as was his address, so we drove towards his house and placed a call. As Jamie has written on this blog, he was home, he told us we had to immediately come in and visit, and we had a great time with him and Debbie. We learned about his kids, and subsequently I have been able to meet both Samantha and Adriane who are just fantastically personable, friendly, charming, talented people of whom Jamie is understandably and overwhelmingly proud.
Now my whole family is fired up about getting to know our relatives and sharing stories via this blog. More about and from them to follow.
Posted by Jeff Stollenwerck
¶ 10:41 AM 0 comments
The top 2 on our list were Watch Hill, RI and Litchfield County, CT. Our timing was very undefined, so we decided if we actually made it to Watch Hill, we would try to look up my relative James, with whom I had briefly spoken and emailed a few years back.
I believe we drove to Watch Hill on Saturday in the late morning; we have a friend with a home in nearby Hopkinton, so we had long heard how gorgeous it was in Watch Hill, but the town far exceeded our expectations. It is amazingly picutresque but also very personal and restrained in its charm. It is a real jewel and it was very clear why James had settled there.
Anyway, we had lunch, walked along the beach, and decided before starting the roughly 2 hour trip home to Westport to see if we could look up James. Allyson played a particularly key role at this point in the "re-uniting" of the Stollenwerck clan, as it was getting to be the late afternoon and I was a little nervous about possibly disturbing Jamie's Holiday and showing up announced-- but my brilliant wife said something like "dummy, when else are you going to have a chance like this, of course he will want to hear from you"-- and she was right as usual.
Jamie's number was listed in the book as was his address, so we drove towards his house and placed a call. As Jamie has written on this blog, he was home, he told us we had to immediately come in and visit, and we had a great time with him and Debbie. We learned about his kids, and subsequently I have been able to meet both Samantha and Adriane who are just fantastically personable, friendly, charming, talented people of whom Jamie is understandably and overwhelmingly proud.
Now my whole family is fired up about getting to know our relatives and sharing stories via this blog. More about and from them to follow.
Posted by Jeff Stollenwerck
¶ 10:41 AM 0 comments
Tuesday, September 07, 2004
Samantha Stollenwerck's First CD Release Is This Month. Here's A Review.
http://www.samanthamusic.com/
Posted by Jamie Stollenwerck
¶ 5:00 PM 0 comments
http://www.samanthamusic.com/
Posted by Jamie Stollenwerck
¶ 5:00 PM 0 comments
The Gunfighter's Site.
There was lot of talk in the news about patriotism last month because the national election is coming up. Swift Boat veterans from Vietnam have a problem with John Kerry. I went to school with John and knew him. He was a senior. I liked him too, but his classmates didn’t. I was an underclassman and was astonished someone with his stature would even talk to me. That’s a subject for another posting, though.
Stollenwercks were represented in Vietnam by Commander Stolly Stollenwerck, F-8 Crusader Jet Fighter Pilot. The Crusader was the last U.S. fighter designed with guns as its primary weapon. Read all about it at The Gunfighter’s Site. Great pictures and lots of links. Go here to see pictures of Commander Stollenwerck then and now (1996).
Posted by Jamie Stollenwerck
¶ 1:59 PM 0 comments
Stollenwercks were represented in Vietnam by Commander Stolly Stollenwerck, F-8 Crusader Jet Fighter Pilot. The Crusader was the last U.S. fighter designed with guns as its primary weapon. Read all about it at The Gunfighter’s Site. Great pictures and lots of links. Go here to see pictures of Commander Stollenwerck then and now (1996).
Posted by Jamie Stollenwerck
¶ 1:59 PM 0 comments
Born about 1700, Died 1768
Clockmaker
German
In the 1700s people everywhere marveled at the musical clocks of Michel Stollenwerck. After his death, one of his contemporaries remarked that Stollenwerck's products "can be transported into the remotest lands, will complete the taming of barbarian Nations, who have already been filled with admiration upon seeing [his] productions...." The writer continued with proof: "Some [clocks] by Stollenwerck transported to China, Mongolia, Turkey, and amongst the Hurons, have enchanted the sovereigns of these vast countries."
Born in Germany, Stollenwerck settled in Paris around 1730. He was a relatively wealthy man, living near the Place Dauphine, a quarter of Paris where only the most fashionable craftsmen were found. He sold most of his products himself, a fairly unusual occurrence at a time when wealthy patrons preferred to purchase their goods from merchants such as the marchands-merciers rather than from the actual craftsmen. His clientele included rich aristocrats and connoisseurs of fine mechanical pieces.
Although Stollenwerck made clocks and watches with traditional movements, he specialized in highly technical mechanisms for clocks that showed the movements of the planets or had musical chimes and planispheres.
Posted by Jamie Stollenwerck
¶ 11:03 AM 0 comments
