On Friday, March 10, 2017, Consul General of Germany, Hans-Jörg Neumann, hosted a small ceremony at the Consulate General for Hans W. Eberhard who was presented with a Commendation from the County of Los Angeles by County Commissioner Dr. Frank de for 50 years of Distinguished Leadership and Service to the German-American community of Southern California.
One of Eberhard’s outstanding achievements in his life was initiating the legislation to establish a national German American Day which has been celebrated since 1987 on October 6. With his support of the bill from first draft to final ratification, Americans now have a better understanding of the achievements of Americans of German descend. The holiday marks October 6, the day on which the “Mayflower” with 13 German families from Krefeld on board, landed in Philadelphia in 1683 – an event that has been regarded by the starting point of the first large-scale German immigration to America.
Hans W. Eberhard came to the United States in 1949 and became interested in trade between Germany and the Western US. He became a dedicated member of the German American Business Association (GABA) in 1954 and for over 20 years organized and managed the largest exhibition for German consumer goods on the west coast. It was certainly not a popular time in the 50s to promote German goods as LA County Commissioner Dr. Frank de Balogbut mentioned in his address but Hans Eberhard convinced American business partners by his professional attitude and visionary thinking. Eberhard became also an important liaison between Germany and Southern California as a member of the City of Los Angeles Mayor’s Council of Foreign Visitors. He also served as a German language proficiency examiner for the Los Angeles Police Department.
Hans Eberhard who is the founder and chairman of the German heritage organization Tricentennial Foundation authored the book “The History of the German Americans in Early Los Angeles City and County: Before the Railroads and Freeways.” He dedicated the book to the preservation of German American Heritage and to educate all Americans about the many contributions German immigrants made in helping to build America. It is a must-read for anybody interested in German-American history and a wonderful keepsake for German-Americans.
For his many outstanding efforts and distinguished contributions over the years in fostering German American relations, Mr. Eberhard had been honored in previous years with two awards from Germany, the Order of Merit and the Officer’s Cross of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany.
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Hans W. Eberhard’s book “The History of the German Americans in Early Los Angeles City” is available has hardcover or paperback on www.Amazon.com as well as on www.Kindle.com