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VGI Updates

Menon, Anna née Wilhelm

Anna Wilhelm, daughter of Chandler Wilhelm & Laura Vonholdt, was born 24 December 1985 in Houston, Texas. Following her education at Texas Christian University and Duke University, Anna worked for seven years with NASA, most of that time serving as a biomedical flight controller for the International Space Station.

She joined SpaceX in 2018 as a Space Operations Engineer. She was a crew member of the Polaris Dawn mission 10-15 September 2024 during which she served as the on-board medical officer and conducted scientific experiments.

Williamson Family

The children of LaMont Williamson & Pamella Marriott are international professional dancers. The children grew up in Australia and learned to ballroom dance from their mother who was a professional instructor.

Ashli Rose Williamson was born 23 August 1985 in Burbank, California. Ashli is a 10-time World Champion Dancer. Her dance partner is her husband Bjørn Bitsch.

Earle Marriott Williamson was born 16 January 1990 in Sylmar, California. He started his career dancing for Denmark, and is now a professional international dancer representing Ukraine.

Gretsch*

Melchior Gretsch arrived from Lübeck at the port of Oranienbaum on 15 September 1766 aboard a ship under the command of Skipper Hans Karholm.

Melchior Gretsch is recorded on the list of colonists being transported from St. Petersburg to Saratov in 1767.

Johann Melchior Gretsch, a single cobbler (Schuhmacher), is recorded on the 1767 census of Katharinenstadt in Household No. 191 working as a day laborer (Lohnarbeiter). He had arrived in Katharinenstadt on 3 August 1767.

Teutschneureut, Stadt Karlsruhe, Baden-Württemberg

There is evidence of human settlement in the area of Neureut that dates back to the 5th and 6th centuries. When Huguenots from France moved into the area in 1699, the town of Welschneureut was founded. To differentiate itself, the old Neureut became Teutschneureut.

In 1935, Welschneureut and Teutschneureut merged, and the town became again known as Neureut. Today, it is administratively part of the municipality of Karlsruhe.

Nate Dreiling

Nate Dreiling, son of Randy Dreiling & Cathy Younger, was born 27 October 1990 in Victoria, Kansas.

Dreiling played college football as a linebacker for Pittsburg State University.

He signed with the Green Bay Packers as a free agent in 2014 and later signed with the Kansas City Chiefs. He also played for the Omaha Mammoths of the FXFL.

Since then, he as coached with a number of institutions including Utah State University and New Mexico State University.

Nate's Volga German ancestors came from the colony of Herzog.