Dear member of the Austrian community in Canada,

You may have heard of the ambitious project which we will undertake on behalf of Austrians in Canada, namely a Biographical Dictionary of Austrians in Canada which will, we hope, provide details about the personal and professional lives of the thousands of Austrians who have made Canada their home.

The project. You probably own a copy of the book A History of the Austrian Migration to Canada which was compiled and published last year as part of the Austrian Millennium celebrations, and you may have remarked to others that the chapter on contributions by Austrians to Canadian culture seemed to focus primarily on doctors, artists and professors. The authors were keenly aware of these shortcomings of the chapter and offered apologies to those who could not be included because of publication deadlines.

Well, this project is partly in response to such comments made by Austrian-Canadians from all walks of life. Its intent is to provide, as comprehensive as possible, a reference book to "Who is Who in Canada in the Austrian Community": this Dictionary is not limited to those who have made a "splash" in Canadian society. Every Austrian-Canadian has made a contribution in his or her own way, and each and every one should be acknowledged for it, be in the trades, in business, in the arts, or in academe. In particular, women who might feel that they "haven't really done anything worth writing down" are encouraged to send in an entry for themselves or others. Of course, there are many Austrian women who have had their own career, but then there are countless others who have established businesses with their husbands, helped in clubs and in public and social events, have given birth to and brought up children, and in innumerable ways have left their mark as Canadians of Austrian origin. We hope that this Dictionary will include literally thousands of Austrian-Canadians! Please feel included!

Compiling the Dictionary will not be an easy task. Certain information should be available for everyone for consistency's sake, but how do we make sure that you have the necessary flexibility to feel included and tell us - and your fellow Austrian-Canadians - about yourself? For this reason, we have decided, on the one hand, to use a format with tables and sections which are intended to prompt you to supply relevant information. On the other hand, there are also sections which are open-ended and only offer suggestions as to what you might include about yourself; please make use of this opportunity. AND: If you would like to add a concise "life history" please feel free to do so; we will attempt to include as much of it as possible in this Dictionary.

The completion of this project will likely take several years as it may take that long to be sure to have included every Canadian of Austrian origin who should - and wants to be - included. For this reason, there will be at least two phases in the data collection. In the current, first, phase you are asked to provide entries for yourself and your relatives and encourage your friends and business partners to do the same (make as many photocopies as required).

It will then take several months to enter all names into a data base. In the second phase, all of you who have sent in a completed questionnaire will receive an alphabetized list (in very small print!!!) of all names received in the first phase. Please go through this list carefully and check if all your Austrian-Canadian friends and acquaintances--living or deceased--are on it. If not, provide entries or pass a copy of the questionnaire on to them or their relatives. This phase should be completed by late fall 1997. The names received will be added to the data base. In the accompanying letter to the second phase you will be asked to indicate whether you would be willing to serve as a final "reader" of names--just in case someone was forgotten--in a limited-circulation third phase.

Obtaining the data. Clearly, the main difficulty to be overcome will be the fact that not all Austrian-Canadians are listed in membership directories of Austrian-Canadian and German-Canadian clubs and organizations. Any lists of names and addresses that you can send to me as the compiler of this Dictionary are greatly appreciated; but it is equally important to reach those Austrian-Canadians who still feel quite Austrian and would want to be listed in the Dictionary, but are not a member of an organized Austrian-Canadian group. This is where your help in Phase Two of this project is really crucial and where the entire project becomes truly a project of the Austrian-Canadian community. YOU will know best who these Austrian-Canadians are, where they are in your community and what YOU can do in your town or city to somehow inform your fellow Austrian-Canadians-- be it with an article in a community newspaper, an advertisement, or a community announcement on radio or TV.

This is indeed the underlying message: This project is being undertaken by Austrian-Canadians for Austrian-Canadians (and all other Canadians) so that we know Who We Were And Who We Are. Your help is essential.

A sample entry might read like this (two-column format):

Novak, Johanna, daughter of Josef Richter and Maria Schlosser, née Würzer, was born on March 21^th, 1932 in Langenlois, Lower Austria. She went to the Volks- and Hauptschule in Tulln, Lower Austria where she also completed her apprenticeship as a lawbook salesclerk and spent four years as a journeyman salesperson. During this time she attended various courses at night school at the local highschoool; this is where she learned English and completed her matriculation. She joined a mixed choir and worked as an assistant swimming instructor with the Girl Guides. In response to a newspaper ad seeking domestic help in Canada she immigrated in 1953 and took a job with a family in Edmonton. In 1956 she married Joe Novak, a Canadian-born carpenter of Czech origin and quit her job to look after her two children who were born within two years of her marriage.

The Novaks bought a city lot in Edmonton in 1960 and built their own house within the next year. Johanna stayed at home with the children until the oldest was 14 years old. During this time she joined the YMCA and volunteered as a swimming instructor. This position provided her with an opportunity to introduce an exercise program which benefitted the swimmers, resulting in two of her students winning local championships - a first for that branch of the "Y". Through self-study in the field of sanitary pool management and by attending courses at the University of Alberta she became the local expert in drafting guidelines for pool maintenance. These guidelines were eventually implemented in all city pools. Her expertise helped her in landing a job with the Government of Alberta as a health inspector, just when her children were old enough to take care of themselves. She was the first and only Austrian health inspector with the Alberta government.

Johanna retired in 1962; both children have become teachers. Johanna is still active, now as a fundraise for the Austrian ladies choir where she has been a member ever since she came to Edmonton. While Johanna has many friends in the Austrian community, others come from many walks of life and include her neighbours, mostly people born in Canada as well as immigrants from other countries.

It is expected that the completed Biographical Dictionary of Austrians in Canada will be published as a book in a series on Austrian migration by Carleton University Press. I am sure you will agree that this is a valuable project to follow after two other books on Austrian migration to Canada, namely F. C. Engelmann, M. Prokop, and F.A.J. Szabo, (eds.), A History of the Austrian Migration to Canada (Ottawa: Carleton University Press, 1996), and F.A.J. Szabo (ed.), Austrian Immigration to Canada: Selected Essays (Ottawa: Carleton Press, 1996). Copies are still available if you haven't got yours yet!