Local Professor Emeritus Honored for Uncovering South Dakota's WWI-Era German Language Struggles

Professor Emeritus Gombocz received the Herbert S. Schell Award for his article in South Dakota History, a journal of the State Historical Society. The award is named after historian Herbert S. Schell. Gombocz's article discusses the reaction of German speakers to language restrictions during WWI.

In 1918, when the U.S. entered the war, German speakers in South Dakota faced several restrictions. They made up about 22% of the state's population. The state's Council of Defense banned teaching in German and speaking German in public meetings. Gombocz's research found letters from clergy expressing concern over these restrictions.

Gombocz also studied German language newspapers from that time, such as Eureka Rundschau, Dakota Freie Presse, and Deutscher Herold. These newspapers initially supported the American government when the U.S. entered the war. However, they criticized the language bans, arguing that they were un-American.

Gombocz's research required reading many newspaper pages printed in Gothic script. He admired the high-quality writing in the newspapers, which were read by a diverse audience. He was impressed by the early twentieth-century farmers who could read complex German.

Gombocz's article was published in the Summer 2023 issue of South Dakota History. The South Dakota State Historical Society will honor him at the annual state history conference in Pierre on April 6. His research offers a new perspective on the reaction of German speakers to language restrictions during WWI, highlighting a lesser-known part of South Dakota's history.

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