SOMSEN HORIZON

Volume 2, number.4 - November 1999

Preface The German poet Heinrich Heine once mockingly remarked 'If the world ends, I'm going to Holland where everything happens 50 years later'. Perhaps this is a consolation for everybody who fears the end of the world now that we are approaching the end of the millennium. It can also be a stimulation for all our foreign members of the family to visit Holland - and Aalten - within the next 50 years, as Holland is sure to exist till then! The coming century opens exciting horizons for our family foundation. There appears to be sufficient offspring who will now, or in the future, show an interest in the present and past history of our family. Moreover, there is ample space in our magazine. The 4th edition of SOMSEN HORIZON is hopefully proof of this. For the next century we as the board have quite a few wishes. However, a century is a long time, so we limit ourselves to a short term wish. A world-wide reunion in the United States if the world continues to exist! On behalf of the board, Theo Somsen SOMSEN HORIZON , special edition. Sien Overduin - Somsen [400], Management Assistant and deputy head of the Environment dept. of the Soest Council left her post in June. She had a long and varied career with the Soest Council. In as much as Sien belongs to the Somsen family, that publishes a half-yearly magazine, her colleagues found it appropriate to produce as a farewell gesture a special edition for SOMSEN HORIZON A friends magazine. In the right-hand column the cover is projected. So you see what a family-magazine can lead to.

Contents page Board and Advisors............................................ 2 Colophon, Objective of the Foundation........... 2 Preface, Contents............................................... 3 Somsen Horizon, special edition..................... 3 Together and Apart a two-part journey to Florida......................... 4 National Habits................................................... 5 From the Achterhoek kitchen........................... 6 Family books...................................................... 7 Take-off to Baldwin........................................... 8 Guru and Pastor.................................................. 13 Camping weekend IJzerlo.................................. 13 The Baldwin Letters (part 2)............................. 14 Christmas 1944 at the Somsenhouse............... 16 Courage............................................................... 18 Family Announcements..................................... 19 Two Somsens at the Multinational Siemens......................... 20 Thanks a lot to our guest-translators: Oscar Somsen [2040] and Enid van Berkel