Collection Guide
Collection Title:
Collection Number:
Get Items:
View entire collection guide
Search this collection
Table of contents
Title: Ansis Pommers papers
Date (inclusive): 1929-2012
Collection Number: 2007C6
Contributing Institution: Hoover Institution Library and Archives
Language of Material: In Latvian and English
Physical Description:
23 manuscript boxes
(7.6 Linear Feet)
Abstract: The Ansis Pommers Papers contain materials pertaining to the history of the Latvian emigration after World War II, from the
experience of Latvians in Displaced Persons camps in Germany immediately after the war to their subsequent lives as immigrants
in the United States, Canada and other countries. In particular, the collection has numerous publications that reflect the
efforts of Latvian Americans to sustain their culture through various community based institutions and publications.
Creator:
Pommers, Ansis
Physical Location: Hoover Institution Library & Archives
The collection is open for research; materials must be requested in advance via our reservation system. If there are audiovisual
or digital media material in the collection, they must be reformatted before providing access.
For copyright status, please contact the Hoover Institution Library & Archives.
Acquired by the Hoover Institution Library & Archives in 2007, with subsequent increments
[Identification of item], Ansis Pommers papers, [Box no., Folder no. or title], Hoover Institution Library & Archives.
| 1935 | Born, Rīga, Latvia |
| 1945-1949 | Lives with family in the Displaced Persons camp in Fischbach, Germany |
| 1950 | Emigrates with family to the United States |
| 1955 | Awarded A.A. degree, Sierra Community College |
| 1966 | Awarded B.S. degree, Sacramento State College |
| 1966-1992 | Works as an engineer for Link Flight Simulation Systems |
| 1970 | Awarded M.S. degree, Santa Clara University |
| 1992 | Starts own technical writing business |
| 2007 | Publishes Fis̆bachas virs̆os 1945-1950 |
Scope and Content of Collection
The Ansis Pommers Papers contain materials pertaining to the history of the Latvian emigration after World War II, from the
experience of Latvians in Displaced Persons camps in Germany immediately after the war to their subsequent lives as immigrants
in the United States, Canada, and other countries. In particular, the collection has numerous publications that reflect the
efforts of Latvian Americans to sustain their culture through various community based institutions and publications.
The two
edited works by Pommers in the papers describe the lives of Latvians in the Displaced Persons camp in Fischbach, Germany, where Pommers
and his family were among the camp residents. The first of these works,
Fis̆bachas virs̆os 1945-1950, provides a comprehensive account of life in Fischbach, including the numerous cultural activities that took place in the
camp. The work describes the educational institutions in the camp, and, in particular, the Kārlis Skalbe elementary school
and high school. The second edited work,
Lāpa 15, describes the final period of the Skalbe schools and includes many short biographies of the schools' graduates, with details
on their later careers in the countries they emigrated to.
The
Printed matter series in the collection contains many serial issues, most of them emanating from Latvian American organizations. These include
numerous issues of the newsletter of the Northern California Latvian Association. There are also many issues of
Jaunā Gaita, the most prominent Latvian cultural journal in North America, as well as all the issues of
Lāpa, published by former Fischbach students. Other serial issues relate to academic life in the Latvian emigration (
Akadēmiska Dzīve), Latvian military history (
Kadets and
Latvju Karavīrs), and a Latvian church in San Francisco (
Zelta Vārtu Vēstis). There are also two journals published by young Latvian Americans in Sacramento, California (
Dzirksts and
Sakramento Latvies̆u Jaunatne). In addition, this series contains copies of programs for various Latvian song festivals and theatre productions.
The
Organizations file series includes minutes of meetings and other records of the Baltic Alliance of Northern California, a group whose members
advocated for the independence of the three Baltic States during the period immediately prior to the collapse of the Soviet
Union. The collection also contains a
recording of an extensive interview with Pommers in which he describes his own formative experiences, his participation in Latvian-American
community life, and recounts some of the political controversies that divided Latvian Americans during the Cold War.
The collection is organized into 6 series: Edited works; Writings by others; Organizations file; Printed matter; Sound recording;
Photograph
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Latvians -- United States
World War, 1939-1945 -- Refugees
World War, 1939-1945 -- Latvia
Refugees