Dubois County Museum hosting tribute to Mary Jo Meuser for lasting impact on student exchange program

With the upcoming 2025 Strassenfest, a remarkable milestone will be honored. 2025 marks the 40th Anniversary of the Jasper-Pfaffenweiler Sister Cities Partnership. One of the significant achievements of this special partnership was the creation of an annual High School Student Exchange with students from Jaspe and Pfaffenweiler, Germany. 

The exchange program, which typically lasts four weeks, pairs students with host families for a more immersive cultural experience.  In 2025, the Sister Cities would like to recognize a special person. Mary Jo Meuser (1943-2012) was the first full-time German teacher at Jasper High School (teaching from 1974-1999) and was instrumental in strengthening the German Heritage of Dubois County throughout her career. 

With the full support of the Sister Cities of Jasper and drawing on her profound passion for education, Frau Meuser established the Exchange Program with the Staufen High School (Gymnasium) near Pfaffenweiler in 1985. Through her vision and organizational skills, hundreds of students from Dubois County and the Pfaffenweiler area, as well as host families, have participated in the program so far, now numbering over 500. 

Her enormous contribution to continuously renewing the connections between Pfaffenweiler and the Jasper Community, which have carried on since her passing in 2012, will be celebrated in a special new memorial.

Grand opening and dedication of a memorial to Frau Meuser will be unveiled at the Dubois County Museum on Thursday, July 31, at about 10:15 a.m. in the Sister City display area as you enter the log house area at the museum. Special banners will be displayed, featuring a biography of Mrs. Meuser’s education, work experience, and family on one banner, and highlighting Mrs. Meuser’s role and passion in the early days of the Partnership committee and the establishment of Jasper Sister Cities on another banner. 

More information will be presented on the history and creation of the Student Exchange with Staufen and Poessneck by others presently involved in the program.

The public is invited to attend. Special guests from Pfaffenweiler will be attending. Those former students and host families of the exchange program are especially invited to attend. Past participants are asked to share any group photos and items from the exchange. Food and refreshments will be provided. 

This event is sponsored by Sister Cities of Jasper.