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The Josef Eberle Endowment was established
in 2000 by Henry and June Giebel of Des Plaines, Illinois, in
honor of Mr. Giebel's late uncle, Prof. Dr. Josef Eberle.
Josef Eberle, a native of Rottenburg am
Neckar and long-time resident of Stuttgart, was a poet, journalist,
essayist, and Latinist. His lifetime spanned almost the entire
20th century: during his adulthood he experienced the Weimar
Republic, the era of National Socialism and World War II, and
the rebuilding of democratic Germany.
Eberle was forbidden to work as a journalist under the National
Socialist regime, but managed to continue writing about his Swabian
homeland--sometimes using the local Swabian dialect--by using
the pseudonym Sebastian Blau. During the final weeks of the war
Eberle and his wife Else, who was Jewish, were forced into hiding,
but both survived. Within months of war's end, Eberle and several
fellow-journalists began publishing a newspaper in Stuttgart,
and while editorial leadership shifted over the years, Eberle
remained its chief publisher until his retirement.
Eberle is well-known in Germany, especially in the state of Baden-Württemberg.
He was author of numerous books about Swabia and composed poems
in both Latin and German. His Latin poems refer primarily to
the Roman legacy of southwest Germany, which he celebrated also
by becoming a collector of antiquities: those items are housed
today in the Museum of Schloß Hohentübingen in the
city of Tübingen.
Mr. and Mrs. Giebel honor Josef Eberle
by having established the Josef Eberle Endowment at Valparaiso
University. The endowment allows students and scholars from Rottenburg
am Neckar to spend time at Valparaiso University, where their
presence enriches the lives of students, faculty, and staff of
the university and of members of the community.
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