Past Events
2018 JHG Champagne Tasting “Champagne Charlie”
November 3, 2018 – Friends and supporters of JHG Texas came together for our annual Champagne tasting “Champagne Charlie,” themed for the man who brought Champagne to America, at the Bremer residence in University Park. This tasting is quickly becoming our most popular event and was filled with great wine experiences and lots of excellent conversation.
2018 JHG Dinner “Eat Like A Knight”
September 15, 2018 – Friends and supporters of JHG Texas came together for our second annual “Eat Like a Knight” dinner at the house of Kim and Bob Clark. The event was very well attended, perfectly executed thanks to Marcus Edmonds and allowed all of us to enjoy great conversations along with excellent food and wine.
2018 JHG Wine Tasting “Chocolate Pairings”
May 12, 2018 – Friends and supporters of JHG Texas met for our annual wine tasting at the Bremer residence in University Park for an evening of oenological exploration. This year we decided to pair wines with chocolates, which led to some amazing results. Maybe most surprising, mint chocolate paired extremely well with Cabernet Franc while white chocolate flows very well with champagne.
2018 Johanniter Convocation
April 6, 2018 – Knights of the Johanniter Order met in Boston for their annual Convocation. The event and its setting in one of America’s most interesting cities was exciting and exhilarating. The group met for a very nice dinner on the evening before, then began the Convocation with a visit to the ‘Deutsches Altenheim’, the German retirement home in Boston. On the second night, we had our traditional festive dinner at the Park Plaza Hotel. The company and conversations were incredible, as they always are. It was certainly a weekend to remember.
2017 JHG Lecture Series
Dec. 9, 2017 – Friends and supporters of JHG Texas gathered for yet another incredibly captivating lecture, organized and co-hosted by the Dallas Goethe Center (Link), by Dr. Thomas Adam on the origins of our modern Christmas rituals. It was fascinating to hear that Christmas as we know it today originated in Germany and that several of our customs over the holidays, such as lighting candles on Advent, were invented in a home for foster children in Hamburg. Equally thrilling, we learned how the Christmas tree came about or why Santa Claus looks the way he does today (the very first documented Santa actually wore Stars and Stripes).
2017 JHG Champagne Tasting
Nov. 4, 2017 – Friends and supporters of JHG Texas gathered for our first annual Champagne tasting at the Bremer residence in University Park. With five different sparkling wines throughout the evening, we had the opportunity to compare products from France, Italy, Spain and California. As in all of our tastings, it was a highly engaging evening filled with great conversation and laughter. Henry Fink, our President, officially announced the launch of our JHG Scholarship program.
2017 JHG Lecture Series
Sept 28, 2017 – Friends and supporters of JHG Texas gathered for a highly engaging and interesting lecture by Prof. Dr. Michael Haspel, the Executive Director of the Evangelical Academy of Thuringen, Germany, on parallels between Martin Luther and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. In his talk, Prof. Haspel illustrated the similarities between the two men and shed light on many little known facts and anecdotes. The event was followed by a luncheon and open discussion.
2017 Johanniter Convocation
July 2, 2017 – Johanniter knights gathered for their annual convocation in the beautiful town of Erfurt in Germany. Amidst the excellent company and conversations as well as a beautiful service in a church where Martin Luther had spent five formative years of his life, we all truly enjoyed this time together.
2017 JHG Dinner “Eat Like A Knight”
May 27, 2017 – Friends and supporters of JHG Texas came together for our first dinner event at the Clark residence in Dallas. The dinner was built on medieval recipes and the experience of consuming our food according to the times.
2017 JHG Wine Tasting “The Underdogs”
March 25, 2017 – Friends and supporters of JHG Texas came together for our annual wine tasting at the Bremer Residence in University Park. Our theme for this year were underdogs – wines from under-appreciated or little known regions as well as those grown under unusual circumstances. Amidst engaging conversations and oenological delights from Uruguay, Transylvania and Israel, our group celebrated the birthday of Nici Bremer with cake and an excellent song.
2016 JHG Lecture Series “The German Military Deployment in Mali and Lessons Learned for Interfaith Cooperation”
December 16, 2016 – Friends and supporters of JHG Texas met for a captivating and highly interesting talk by Ruediger Scholz, Military Chaplain of the German Armed Forces in North America, who discussed the German military deployment in Mali. His talk shed light on the daily life of German soldiers abroad with a specific focus on joint initiatives between Muslims, Christians and Jews in Mali. It was fantastic to hear how people with diverse religious belief systems worked towards common goals and supported one another in the face of great material challenges as well as threats by fanatic Muslim groups and rebel fractions in Northern Mali.
JHG Provides Christmas Gifts and Lunch for Employees at the Mosaic Document Destruction Center in Carrollton, TX
December 14, 2016 – Under the leadership of Regitze von Holck, several JHG Texas Board members met at the Mosaic Document Destruction Center in Carrollton, TX for lunch and to offer Christmas gifts. Mosaic gractiously provided a tour of the facility, which allows intellectually challenged individuals to earn a wage while they work on the machines or go on routes with pickup or disposal trucks. Obviously, there is a strong element of cameradery as well in that the facility serves as a focal point for joint activities and to congregate during the day. Most important, the warm and heartfelt welcome we received by everyone was extremely touching.
If you have any document destruction needs at all, please help Mosaic by giving them your business. For sales and to schedule a pickup or drop off, you can contact Bobbie Hamilton at Mosaic. For more details about the Mosaic document destruction business, please see this brochure.
2016 JHG Lecture Series “The History of Philantrophy”
November 12, 2016 – Friends and supporters of JHG Texas met for a tremendously interesting talk on the history of charitable giving as well as parallels between Islam, Judaism and Christianity by Dr. Thomas Adam, the professor for transatlantic history at the University of Texas in Arlington. In his talk, Dr. Adam highlighted the commonalities across groups with diverse religious beliefs in their desire to help others and do good. He illustrated different charitable practices over the past millenium and then discussed the foundations of charity in the US. All of us truly enjoyed the experience and we had a very lively discussion with close to an hour of Q&A at the end.
You can view and download a copy of the presentation here.
2016 JHG Lecture Series “The Early Texan Colonization”
October 1, 2016 – Friends and supporters of JHG Texas met for a highly engaging and lively talk on the early Texan colonization by Henry “Hank” Fink, the President of JHG Texas and direct descendant of the earliest German settlers in Texas. Spanning the period from 1842 until the twentieth century, Hank described the the forces that shaped German settlement, the motivation behind the Mainzer Adelsverein and the interactions between settlers and native Americans. His lecture provided many great details on key individuals who shaped the development of communities and farms in Texas. In addition, he painted a vivid portrait of every day life on the farms long before law and order were established and when citizens still had to fend for themselves.
You can view and download a copy of the presentation here. The download may take a few moments.
2016 JHG Wine Tasting “The Wines of Royalty”
March 30, 2016 – Friends and supporters of JHG Texas came together for our fourth annual wine tasting at the Bremer residence in University Park to experience the favorites of Friedrich the Great, Queen Elizabeth, Louis XIV, Marie Antoinette, Napoleon Bonaparte, Henry the 8th and Benjamin Franklin. It was a fun and engaging evening with great company and fascinating conversations.
JHG Texas Makes a Substantial Donation to the Salvation Army
March 11, 2016 – Johanniter knights and members of JHG Texas visited the Salvation Army Center in downtown Dallas today to make a donation of well over $10,000 from our supporters for the disaster recovery from a tornado that hit the Dallas Metroplex over Christmas. The funds will be used to purchase much needed supplies for victims of this devastating event. Our volunteers then served food to homeless individuals at the Salvation Army. We concluded the evening with an excellent dinner at a local BBQ restaurant.
JHG Board Delegation Visit to the Salvation Army
February 26, 2016 – Several JHG Texas Board members met with representatives of the Salvation Army today to discuss how we can better support their efforts during disaster relief operations. We visited a warehouse in Arlington where the organization keeps non-perishable supplies raging from beds and blankets to water as well as houses food trucks and other necessary vehicles. Our visit was extremely interesting and we learned a lot about how the Salvation Army responds to tornadoes, floods and hurricanes.
2015 JHG Private Tour of the Special Collections Library at UT Arlington
November 14, 2015 – Friends and supporters of JHG Texas met for a private tour of the special collections library at the University of Texas at Arlington. This highly engaging event was a follow-up to the JHG lecture by Ben Huseman on the relationship between Germans and Indians. Among many other artifacts, we saw an original Texas Declaration of Independence, marketing materials used by the Mainzer Adelsverein to lure German settlers into the territory and maps by Alexander von Humboldt.
2015 Johanniter Convocation
November 7, 2015 – Johanniter knights from all over the world attended the annual Convocation of the Order in Washington DC in the presence of their Herrenmeister, HRH Prince Oskar von Preussen. The service took place at St. John’s, which is often called the church of Presidents due to its proximity to the Whitehouse and the fact that several Presidents, including Abraham Lincoln, regularly attended services there.
2015 German Church of Dallas “Reformation Day Service”
October 25, 2015 – Johanniter knights, under the leadership of Andreas Bremer and Jürgen von Hoevell, actively supported the Reformation Day Service held by the “Deutsche Kirche Dallas”. Following the service, the Johanniter organized a celebration of the Reformation at First United Lutheran Church featuring beer, brats and entertainment. The program included several excellent musical performances and highly engaging sketches performed by Andreas and Nici Bremer.
2015 JHG Lecture Series “The Relationship between Germans and Indians in the American West”
September 19, 2015 – Friends and supporters of JHG Texas came together for a fascinating and truly captivating lecture by Ben Huseman on the relationship between Germans and Indians and specifically about German children who were captured by Indian tribes. Ben is the curator of Special Collections at the Library of the University of Texas at Arlington and an extensively published expert on the American West.
You can view and download a copy of the presentation here.
2015 JHG Hands-On Help “Mosaic at the Trinity River Horse Farm”
July 5, 2015 – Friends and supporters of JHG Texas came together to take a group of 37 intellectually disabled individuals and their caretakers living in Mosaic homes to a horse and animal farm. It was incredibly rewarding to witness the sheer joy and happiness that everyone experienced as we all interacted with and fed the animals. We finished the afternoon with hot dogs, beans and refreshing lemonade.
2015 JHG Lecture Series “Fall of the Wall”
May 8, 2015 – Friends and supporters of JHG Texas came together for a highly engaging lecture and “look behind the scenes” of the German unification that began in the summer of 1989 with public unrest in the city of Leipzig. Our speaker, Dr. Thomas Adam, is the professor for transatlantic history at the University of Texas in Arlington and grew up in East Germany. In this incredibly fascinating talk, he provided the background for the emergence of a divided Germany after WW-II and then illustrated many aspects of life in Communist Germany to conclude with the cultural developments that ultimately caused an entire nation to cast aside their political and social system of over forty years.
You can view and download a copy of the presentation here.
2015 JHG Wine Tasting “The Judgment of Paris”
April 24, 2015 – Friends and supporters of JHG Texas gathered for the third annual wine tasting at the Bremer residence in University Park. Our theme this year was the “Judgment of Paris”, a famous blind tasting in which Californian wines, most notably Stag’s Leap and Chat. Montelena, beat several of the best French wines. We relived this historic event with three side-by-side comparisons of French and Californian wines. Most important, the evening served to raise funds for North Texas foster children in the care of Upbring (Website).
2014 JHG Education “Heraldry”
November 8, 2014 – Friends and supporters of JHG Texas met for a fascinating evening lecture by Dr. Joseph Crews, a renown and published expert on heraldry. In his talk, Dr. Crews shed light on the many different elements in coats of arms and took us on a captivating journey through time to illustrate the historic evolution of heraldry over the centuries. He concluded with a current status of heraldic institutions in England, Scotland, Ireland, South Africa, Germany and Spain. Afterwards, everyone enjoyed a fine selection of cheeses and wines provided by the Bremer family, who had graciously hosted our group in their private home.
You can view and download a copy of the presentation here.
2014 JHG Movie Night “Monuments Men”
July 26, 2014 – Friends and supporters of JHG Texas met for a fascinating evening of lectures and true Hollywood style entertainment. Kira Johnson, daughter of Princess Cecilie of Prussia and Clyde K. Harris, one of the original monuments men, gave a tremendously captivating talk about the work and life of her parents. Following, and no less intriguing, Lisa Elgin Jones gave a talk about her work in the museum community and specifically with Robert Edsel, the author of the book that served as a basis for the screenplay. Afterwards, we watched the movie “Monuments Men” and gathered for a glass of wine at the Bremer residence in University Park.
You can view and download a copy of the presentation here.
2014 Johanniter Convocation
April 5-6, 2014 – The Johanniter Order celebrated its annual North American Convocation in Dallas this year. The event was characterized by many truly engaging and enlightening conversations, a formal dinner with ladies, two days of meetings and panels as well as a church service at Christ Lutheran Church on Lovers Lane where we were joined by our friends from the Order of Malta and the Venerable Order of St. John.
2014 JHG Wine Tasting
February 15, 2014 – Friends and supporters of JHG Texas met for the annual wine tasting at the Bremer residence in University Park to relive the Battle of Wines, a tasting that took place at the court of the French king Philippe-Auguste in 1221. It was a truly unique event, fueled by many great conversations, and featured several of the wines that were celebrated during the actual event.
2013 JHG Texas Night at the Museum
October 26, 2013 – Friends and supporters of JHG Texas visited the Samurai Collection near Downtown Dallas for a private tour of the museum, which houses one of the largest private collections of Samurai armor in the world, and had a very pleasant dinner at the Mercat Bistro afterwards.
2013 JHG Texas Lecture Series
August 16, 2013 – Friends and supporters of JHG Texas enjoyed a tremendously interesting evening with lecture by Dr. Larry Sall, Dean (emer.) of the Libraries of the University of Texas in Dallas, on Kurt von Schleicher and the events that led to the rise of Nazi Germany and eventually the indescribable horrors of anti-Semitism and World War II.
2013 JHG Texas Wine Tasting
April 20, 2013 – Friends and supporters of JHG Texas gathered for an evening of companionship, great conversation and special wines that eclipsed with a taste of the exquisite 2001 Chateau Gazin “Ancien Domain des Hospitaliers”.