Secretary Records from the Kolb-Kulp-Culp Reunions

6/23/2022

Hello members of the Kulp Reunion!

Just wanted to send out a short recap of the 2022 Kulp Reunion held on Sunday, June 12th.

We had a nice day, not too warm and comfortable in the Social Hall.  We had 47 people attend, with Paul Weinman driving up from Jacksonville Florida as the furthest traveled! The oldest attendee was Arlene Umstead of Schwenksville, PA at 90. Gianna Reiss, 11, was our youngest attendee! But many thanks for all that came and those of you who could not but were attending in spirit. We hope you can make it next year on June 11, 2023!

Kathy and Allen Kratz provided us a great “groaning board” as usual. Brian Moyer displayed a rubbing his father made of the Dielman Kolb fence inscription once found in Wolfsheim, Germany.

Jack Oberholtzer chaired the meeting portion. Doug Moyer recited the Lord’s Prayer in German in acknowledgement of our religious heritage. We remembered the many of our reunion who left us since we last met over the last three years. This included former reunion president Ned Kulp, reunion MC Linwood Kulp, music leader Robert Wenger, Mark Moyer’ sister – Jackie Moyer-Hunsburger, and longtime attendee from Delaware Bessy Shockley (a reunion originator descendent), and many others. Jack noted he had been in contact with Revis Leonard of Uvalde, Texas, who could not attend due to the tragedy at their elementary school, which did not directly affect her family, but her granddaughter knew many of the victims.

The reunion secretary, Jack Oberholtzer, noted after our last’s year’s mailing update and request for those able to receive the mailing electronically, we currently have 350 on our list with about 96 of those going out via email, providing us some savings in postage and printing.

Jack spoke about a few projects to be worked on in the upcoming year:

• The website needs updating and will be a main effort for the upcoming year. It should be a reference point about our early ancestors, as well as the reunion. If you have anything of interest that might be of interest to let him know.
• Facebook is another avenue by which we might be able to expand our group outreach. Jack will look at this as there is an old page that Grace Muscarella started long ago to see if it can be resurrected or start a new page. Either way it will be connected to the webpage.
• Jack compiled the first two American generations of Dielman Kolb on Ancestry. Would like to do this for the other early settlers. If interested, please let him know.
• Lower Skippack Mennonite Cemetery: Glenn Landis used to lead groups on a cemetery tour of Kolb headstones after reunions. I would like to recapture the information he presented for the website. If you took the tour and might have any information related to it or willing to help out, please let me know. (After the meeting, Donna Gerber and Jack looked around the cemetery and found several of the markers, so we do have a place to start).

Our treasurer Mark Moyer announced as of 11 June 2022 we had $2664 in the bank. We took in approximately $1200 for the reunion this year, which does include some of the monies in the bank, so we have a decent financial base. Mugs and shirts are available, but we will have to increase the postage for mailing these items in the future to cover our costs.

The current officers were nominated and elected to continue serving in their respective positions (but we would welcome help in any capacity). Carol Wenger also led us in music before the groaning board, during the offering and as a benediction.

If anyone has a suggestion for next year’s speaker topic or knows someone who could give an appropriate talk to our reunion, please let me know.

That’s about it for now. If you have any questions, want to offer some time to help, etc., please contact me and I will be glad to help you out. Be on the look-out for an email in the next month or two about Facebook and any posting to that page. I also hope to get a recording of the speaker available at some time as well.

Many thanks for those who helped out with donations or other work!  Thanks to all that were able to come and enjoy the reunion!  Looking forward to seeing you next year on 11 June 2023!

Jack Oberholtzer
Secretary
Kolb, Kulp, Culp Family Association

P.S. Please remember to keep me appraised of any address changes or deaths in your family.

P.P.S.  On a side note, I have been working with the “Stories Behind the Stars” organization, which is trying to remember the fallen of World War II by writing their stories, which would be available to be read by just taking a photo of their gravestone or memorial on their phone! I have written 22 stories to date, mostly of those buried or memorialized at Arlington National Cemetery. But I have been in contact with the Pennsylvania coordinator of this project, and she has given me 12 names of Kolb, Kulp, Culp fallen from our Commonwealth. I did look through the old reunion programs and found in 1946 they noted 7 had died in service without naming them. So, if you know of anyone who was killed during the war and can provide me with any information, I would appreciate it.

We are saddened to announce the passing of two of our biggest supporters of the KKC Family Reunion. Linwood Kulp passed away in May 2021 and had served on the committee and as Master of Ceremonies for many years. Ned Kulp passed away in December 2021. Ned had served as president of the Reunion and was responsible for our celebration of 300th Anniversary of our Ancestors arrival in 2007. Ned also served our country in the US Coast Guard, retiring with the rank of Captain.