Vladimir Propp, son of Jakob Propp (whose father was Philipp) & Anna Elisabeth Beisel (whose father was Friedrich), was born 17 April 1895 in St. Petersburg. He was a literary scholar who analyzed Russian folk tales. He served as a professor at Leningrad University from 1932 to 1970. He died in Leningrad (St. Petersburg) on 22 August 1970.
His Volga German ancestors come from the colony of Hussenbach.
Bishop Jorge Novak, son of Jorge Novak & Christina Prediger, was the first Bishop of the Dioceses of Quilmes in Argentina. He was born 29 January 1928 in San Miguel Arcángel. He was ordained on 10 January 1954 into the order of the Society of the Divine Word. He was consecrated Bishop on 19 September 1976 and died in office on 9 July 2001.
His Volga German ancestors come from the colony of Kamenka.
Alfred Schnittke (1934-1998) was an internationally reknowned Russian composer. His parents were Harry Schnittke & Maria Vogel, a Volga German from the colony of Kamenka.
He began his musical education in 1946 in Vienna, where his father had been posted. Schnittke completed his graduate work in composition at the Moscow Conservatory in 1961 and taught there from 1962 to 1972.
"Bishop" David Toews was born 9 February 1870 in the Volga German colony of Lysanderhöh, son of the Rev. Jacob Toews and Maria Wiebe. In 1880, the Toews family moved to Turkestan, and in 1884 to Newton, Kansas. He moved to Gretna, Manitoba, as a teacher, and then on to Winnipeg to attend school. He married Margaretha "Margaret" Friesen in 1900. He was ordained a minister on 18 August 1901.
Richard L. "Dick" Kniss, son of John Kniss Jr. & Bernice Cutler, was born in Portland, Oregon, on 24 April 1937. Kniss performed for 5 decades as the double bassist with "Peter, Paul & Mary." He was also an original member of the The John Denver Band. He co-wrote the hit "Sunshine on My Shoulders" made it to number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in 1974.
He died 25 January 2012 in Saugerties, New York.
His Volga German ancestors come from the colony of Norka.
The Rev. Joseph Werth, son of Joseph Werth (from Schönchen) & Maria Hoerner, was born on 4 October 1952 in Karaganda, Kazakhstan.
He began his religious instruction in Lithuania under the auspices of the Society of Jesus (Jesuits). He was ordained as a Jesuit priest on 27 May 1984 and served in Aktyubinsk, Kazakhstan from 1984 to 1988 and in Marx (formerly Katharinenstadt) from 1988 to 1991.
Robert Brooks "Bob" Beall, son of Robert Clair Beall & Bonnie Brady, was born in Portland, Oregon, on 24 April 1948. He was a major league first baseman with the Atlanta Braves (1975, 1978-79) and the Pittsburgh Pirates (1980).
His Volga German ancestors come from the colony of Norka.
Dr. Alexander John Schleuning, son of Alexander Schleuning, was born in Portland, Oregon, in 1934. He died there on 30 April 2005. His Volga German ancestors come from the colony of Norka.
Maria Schleuning, daughter of Dr. Alexander and Patricia Schleuning of Portland, Ore., has been a violinist with the Dallas Symphony since 1994. She is also the artistic director of Voices of Change, a group with which she's been since 1996. An active chamber musician, Ms. Schleuning has performed in New York’s Alice Tully Hall, Weill Hall, Merkin Hall, Avery Fisher Hall, and the Museum of Modern Art, as well as at numerous festivals throughout the United States and Europe.
Dr. William H. Wunder, son of Henry F. Wunder & Lydia Eitel, was born in Kansas on 2 December 1929. He served as President of Marymount College (1987-1989). In 1995-1996, he was president of Lions Clubs International.
His Volga German ancestors come from the colonies of Moor and Beideck.