On Nov. 22, Horwege traveled to Philadelphia to accept the Certificate of Merit from the American Association of Teachers of German and the Goethe-Institut. In late October, the Foreign Language Association of Virginia recognized him with the award for excellence in teaching (post-secondary) at its annual conference in Richmond. The unassuming instructor, who arrived at Sweet Briar in 1971, said the burst of recognition feels good.
"When it rains, it pours," he said. "After 32 years of relative obscurity, two awards in one year!"
Horwege said he was particularly overwhelmed at being chosen for the nationally distinguished Certificate of Merit. The award is for outstanding achievement in furthering German teaching in schools, colleges, and universities in the United States. German educators consider it one of the highest honors in the field. "To get recognition from people in your own profession is always very flattering," he said.
Despite growing up in a German community in St. Francis, Kan., a career on based on a foreign language was the farthest thing from Horwege’s mind. He said he planned to study something practical such as math or law, but a flip of a coin determined that German, not French, was the language he would study to fulfill his college requirement. A couple of trips to Germany furthered his interest in the country’s language, culture, and history -- and changed the course of his education and career.
"After spending a summer in Bavaria I was determined to return to Germany at all costs," he said. "I did not decide to major in German until I had spent my junior year abroad in Bonn." Horwege earned his bachelor's degree in German from the University of Kansas in 1966 and received a master’s degree and Ph.D. from Indiana University in 1968 and 1971, respectively.
In addition to the recent recognition for his teaching, Horwege has kept busy organizing various German-oriented activities. On Nov. 14-16, he led a successful German Immersion Weekend on the Sweet Briar campus. The annual event for German teachers in Virginia featured folk dancing and discussions of German films. "Every year we pursue a different topic," he said.
Horwege is currently putting together plans for a summer workshop called TPRS: Total Physical Response and Storytelling, sponsored by the American Association of Teachers of German. The teaching method was developed 40 years ago and is popular among German teachers in America and elsewhere. He’s planning a spring workshop at the University of Virginia and also serves as associate director of the Vassar-William and Mary-Sweet Briar Summer Program, which takes 20 to 30 students to Münster, Germany for seven weeks.
"I always have fun when I am doing something in the field of German," he said. "I love what I do and look forward to every event and the opportunity to work with both students and colleagues. Some dark force probably drives me, because I always look forward to the adrenaline flow as I watch each upcoming event take shape. And after completing each event I look forward to the next one."
For further information on German activities, programs, and news on campus, go to www.german.sbc.edu.
