EDITOR
'S MESSAGE
istorical societies such as ours look to the future by preserving the past. We celebrate
the recurring cycles of life which bring forth the accomplishments of talented indi-
viduals, both singly and collectively. Among those cycles, however, there are both
happy and sad moments. This volume begins with a sad one. A little over a year ago Klaus
Wust died after a long illness. As Gary Grassl's necrology, which follows here, makes clear
Klaus made an inestimable contribution to the field of German-American studies, particu-
larly to the history of the Germans in Virginia. As individual he was charming and as a schol-
ar he was meticulous. He was unabashedly proud of his heritage, even at a time when being
openly German was not particularly politic. Klaus edited the Report for almost thirty years.
During that time and in articles since he shared his wealth of knowledge about the history of
the German element in the United States with a broader public. He will be missed.
Yet even as we mourn the passing of Klaus Wust, we need to appreciate as well the
scope of his accomplishments. His Virginia Germans has become a classic, and—closer to
home for those of us in Baltimore—his history of Zion Church of Baltimore City is the defin-
itive source for the details of the rich history of that remarkable institution. Klaus Wust was
one of a small number of talented individuals whose life and work will long outlast their
physical presence among us.
Another of those names which survive in the field of German-American studies is
Albert Faust. In fact, for many Faust may well be the first name to come to mind when one
thinks of those who have contributed much to the history of the German element in the
United States. An article by Faust leads off an extremely varied and fascinating array of dis-
cussions in the current volume. There are generals from both the American Revolution and
the War between the States. There are college professors, artisans, and upwardly-mobile
immigrant families. There are members of the European aristocracy, craftsmen from rural
South Carolina, and—oddly enough—Buffalo Bill Cody. I hope that you will agree that this,
the forty-fifth edition of the Report of the Society for the History of the Germans in
Maryland, amply demonstrates the remarkable variety of accomplishment of both those of
German extraction who have settled in North America and those who have subsequently
investigated and recorded the history of German migration westward across the Atlantic.
Rpd
Baltimore, August 15, 2004
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