Guest speaker, Professor Imre Demhardt, shared his deep knowledge about the German explorer Alexander von Humboldt at the March 20th joint program sponsored by the Arlington Gruppe and the Dallas Goethe Center (DGC).   Lothar Heller welcomed the audience to the event, which was held in Bedford.   Karl Ziebarth, DGC Program Committee Co-chair, introduced the speaker and provided an overview of the activities of the DGC, most importantly its Samstagschule and Stammtisch.   He encouraged all present to join the DGC if they were not already members.

Dr. Demhardt, one of only two historical cartographers in the U.S. and of only six in the world, currently teaches history and geography at the University of Texas at Arlington where he also coordinates UTA’s antique map collection.   He has worked extensively in Germany, South Africa, and all over the world.   His presentation covered von Humboldt’s family life, early education, and life-long dedication to exploring South America, Mexico, and what is now Texas.   The fascinating lecture, and the following discussions, kept the audience’s rapt attention for the entire 90 minutes.