Richard Druckenbrod (May 29, 1929 — October 27, 2003) was a 20th century Pennsylvania German language teacher, historian, pastor, and writer.

Early life and education

Druckenbrod was born in

Reading, Pennsylvania Reading ( ; Pennsylvania Dutch: ''Reddin'') is a city in and the county seat of Berks County, Pennsylvania, United States. The city had a population of 95,112 as of the 2020 census and is the fourth-largest city in Pennsylvania after Philade ...

, on May 29, 1929, the son of Harry E. Druckenbrod and Kathryn (Reisch) Druckenbrod. He graduated from Denver High School in

Denver, Pennsylvania Denver is a borough in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. The population was 3,794 at the 2020 census, down from 3,861 at the 2010 census. History Denver was founded by in 1735, by Hans Bucher, a Swiss immigrant. It was originally known as ''Buch ...

in 1947, and then from

Franklin and Marshall College Franklin & Marshall College (F&M) is a private liberal arts college in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. It employs 175 full-time faculty members and has a student body of approximately 2,400 full-time students. It was founded upon the merger of Frankli ...

in Lancaster. In 1951, he was awarded a Fulbright Scholarship to study at the

University of Graz The University of Graz (german: link=no, Karl-Franzens-Universität Graz, ), located in Graz, Austria, is the largest and oldest university in Styria, as well as the second-largest and second-oldest university in Austria. History The unive ...

in Austria. Returning from Austria, he studied at

Lancaster Theological Seminary Lancaster Theological Seminary is a seminary of the United Church of Christ in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. It was founded in 1825 by members of the German Reformed Church in the United States to provide theological education for prospective clergy an ...

and was ordained by the

United Church of Christ The United Church of Christ (UCC) is a mainline Protestant Christian denomination based in the United States, with historical and confessional roots in the Congregational, Calvinist, Lutheran, and Anabaptist traditions, and with approximately 4 ...

in 1954. His wife, Norma Jane, preceded him in death in 1991. They were the parents of one son.

Career

Druckenbrod served as president of the

Pennsylvania German Society The Pennsylvania German Society is a non-profit, educational organization dedicated to studying the Pennsylvania German people and their 330-year history in the United States and Canada. The Society works to preserve and promote the history, cultu ...

from 1980 to 1992 and authored the column, "Es Deitsch Schtick," in ''

The Morning Call ''The Morning Call'' is a daily newspaper in Allentown, Pennsylvania. Founded in 1883, it is the second longest continuously published newspaper in the Lehigh Valley, after ''The Express-Times''. In 2020, the newspaper permanently closed its Al ...

'' newspaper in

Allentown, Pennsylvania Allentown (Pennsylvania Dutch language, Pennsylvania Dutch: ''Allenschteddel'', ''Allenschtadt'', or ''Ellsdaun'') is a city in Lehigh County, Pennsylvania, Lehigh County, Pennsylvania. The city has a population of 125,845 as of the 2020 United ...

from February 13, 1978 to July 29, 1985. A frequent preacher at church services in the Pennsylvania German dialect and a speaker at Fersommling gatherings, Druckenbrod's dialect pseudonym was ''Pit Schweffelbrenner''. His final major appointment as pastor was at St. John's United Church of Christ in Howertown, where he served until 1980. He continued his ministry through subsequent appointments as an interim and supply pastor for nearly two additional decades, ultimately retiring in 1998. He also worked as a professor of theology at

Cedar Crest College Cedar Crest College is a Private college, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts Women's colleges in the United States, women's college in Allentown, Pennsylvania. At the start of the 2015-2016 Academic term, academic y ...

in Allentown and as a professor in the Chemistry Department at

Franklin & Marshall College Franklin & Marshall College (F&M) is a private liberal arts college in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. It employs 175 full-time faculty members and has a student body of approximately 2,400 full-time students. It was founded upon the merger of Fran ...

Lancaster, Pennsylvania Lancaster, ( ; pdc, Lengeschder) is a city in and the county seat of Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. It is one of the oldest inland cities in the United States. With a population at the 2020 census of 58,039, it ranks 11th in population amon ...

Awards and other honors

In 1991, Druckenbrod was recognized by the

Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; (Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, Maryl ...

for his efforts to revitalize Pennsylvania German history.

Death

Druckenbrod died at Lehigh Valley Hospital-Cedar Crest in

Allentown Allentown may refer to several places in the United States and topics related to them: *Allentown, California, now called Toadtown, California *Allentown, Georgia, a town in Wilkinson County *Allentown, Illinois, an unincorporated community in Taze ...

, on October 27, 2003, at age 74."The Rev. Richard Druckenbrod, 74, UCC minister," ''Intelligencer Journal'', October 30, 2003.

Bibliography

*''Mir Schwetz Deitsch: A Guide for Learning the Skills of Reading, Writing and Speaking Pennsylvania German'' (1977) *''Mir Lanne Deitsch: A Guide for Learning the Skills of Reading, Writing and Speaking Pennsylvania German'' (1981, 1997) * Earl C. Haag,
A Pennsylvania German Anthology
' (1988)

References

External links

Grave
at Fairview Cemetery in

{{DEFAULTSORT:Druckenbrod, Richard 1929 births 2003 deaths Poets from Pennsylvania German-American history Pennsylvania Dutch people People from Reading, Pennsylvania Educators from Allentown, Pennsylvania Writers from Allentown, Pennsylvania United Church of Christ ministers United Church of Christ in Pennsylvania Franklin & Marshall College alumni University of Graz alumni American writers in Pennsylvania Dutch Pennsylvania Dutch culture German language in the United States Journalists from Pennsylvania Linguists from the United States