Personalities
Beckum personalities
Rudolf Dunker, Dr Max Hagedorn and Heinrich-Gerhard Bücker
... were the last three in a whole series of honorary citizens of Beckum. They have rendered outstanding services to Beckum. The photo (right) was taken at the reception organised by the town of Beckum to mark Dr Max Hagedorn's 90th birthday.
Rudolf Dunker
born 13.05.1916, died 29.09.2008
As the combat commander of the German Wehrmacht in Beckum, the then 28-year-old was tasked with defending the town of Beckum to the last man. So on Good Friday, 30 March, he began to prepare the resistance against the Allied forces.
It was mainly thanks to Rudolf Dunker's responsible and courageous actions that the town of Beckum was peacefully handed over to the US forces on 1 April 1945.
On Holy Saturday, the Americans peacefully captured the town of Ahlen and set up their armoured vehicles and artillery pieces on the eastern edge of the town in order to advance to Beckum on Easter Sunday.
That evening, Rudolf Dunker made a decision that he himself later said was the most difficult of his life. In view of the hopeless military situation, which would have resulted in the destruction of the town of Beckum and the death of countless people, he decided to refuse soldierly obedience and surrender the town of Beckum without a fight.
This decision of conscience is to be valued all the more highly because he was aware that he could have been sentenced to death for his actions. So it also came to an indictment before a summary court martial, but fortunate circumstances prevented a conviction.
For his courageous and selfless actions for the benefit of the city of Beckum, he was made an honorary citizen in 1995.
Heinrich-Gerhard Bücker
born 05.03.1922, died 11.08.2008
Heinrich-Gerhard Bücker has created countless important works in the many decades of his artistic career and has thus gained great recognition in Germany and internationally. In this way, he has also made his hometown with the district of Vellern known far beyond the borders of Europe.
His work is characterised by the biblical-Christian world of symbols. For him, religion was the link between past and present, between "time and eternity", as the title of his last major exhibition in 2006 read. Thus, the focus of his work was in the field of sacred art. Since the 1950s, he has designed numerous church interiors in his unmistakable style. With his works, he set trend-setting accents for the emphasis of original styles by means of contemporary art.
His concern to create statements through the choice of form, colours and materials is always apparent. One of the highlights of his work was the exhibition of the drawings of his Bible volume "Alpha-Adam-Atom-Omega" in the Vatican Library in 1983/84. He was the first living artist to be allowed to exhibit there.
In addition to sacred art, he also created works of a profane character such as fountains and monuments. There are also numerous works of art by him in his home town of Beckum, to which he always showed great attachment, both in the town's churches and in public spaces. His research on the site of the Varus Battle has impressed many historians.
He has received many prizes and honours for his outstanding artistic work. Among others, he was awarded the Cross of Merit on Ribbon of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany in 1983. In 1992 he was made an honorary citizen of the city of Beckum.
Dr Max Hagedorn
born 26.04.1904, died 24.12.1998
Dr. Max Hagedorn took over the office of mayor in January 1946 in an extremely difficult time. His untiring commitment to the common good earned him great recognition and he enjoyed the special trust of the people. High personal commitment, competence and his friendly and modest manner distinguished him during his 24 years as mayor.
Under the chairmanship of Dr Max Hagedorn, the Beckum town council set key priorities for the positive development of the town after the Second World War. He was particularly committed to improving road conditions and creating urgently needed housing for the many displaced persons, refugees and evacuees. Under his direction, the development measures in the urban area and the creation of the first land utilisation plan were initiated in 1958. He was also an exemplary advocate for the common good in various supra-regional committees.
Dr. Max Hagedorn received high recognition for his decades of service. In 1971, the Federal President awarded him the Federal Cross of Merit, First Class. The city of Beckum awarded him honorary citizenship on 24 March 1974, thanking him for his beneficial work for his home town.
Sister Maria Blanda, née Anita Bußmann
born 20.04.1898 in Buenos Aires, died 26.07.1980
For 45 years, Sister Blanda cared for and raised needy children from Beckum, the Warendorf district and beyond in a blessed and often self-sacrificing manner.
Particularly great difficulties had to be overcome in the post-war period. Despite the most adverse circumstances, Sister Blanda cared for the children who had become parentless and partly homeless due to the turmoil of war, and who were accommodated in several building complexes of the former Vinzenzhaus, and gave them a new home. She was like a mother to these children, she gave them a home, brought them up with love and care and in this way successfully prepared them for their later path in life.
An important step in their work was the move of the children's home in 1953 to the newly built rooms on Paterweg.
The council of the town of Beckum unanimously conferred honorary citizenship on Sister Blanda at the festive meeting on the occasion of the 750th anniversary of the town on 26 March 1974.
Heinrich Haverkemper
born 19.02.1901, died 20.11.1989
The trained baker and confectioner and later cement worker Heinrich Haverkemper joined the SPD in 1922 and was a member for more than 50 years. After the war, he rebuilt the party as chairman of the local SPD association. In 1945, he was appointed to the Beckum town council, where he served for 19 years, many of them as SPD parliamentary group leader. He was also active in the district council for ten years.
He earned special merits as chairman of the Finance and Housing Commission. This task was particularly demanding in the difficult post-war years. Heinrich Haverkemper always had an open ear for the needs and concerns of those affected, such as refugees, and helped wherever he could.
Due to his many years of local political activity and his selfless commitment to the town of Beckum, he was awarded honorary citizenship on 26 March 1974.
Dr.-Ing. Curt Prüssing
born 26.03.1896, died 02.04.1988
After leaving school, Dr Prüssing studied chemistry at the University of Munich and began his career in 1922 as a scientific assistant at the Institute of Cement Technology at Charlottenburg Technical University. In the same year, he married Ilse Polysius, the daughter of Max Polysius from Dessau.
In 1924, Dr Prüssing moved to Portland-Hemmoor AG and was appointed to the Management Board in 1936. From 1936 to 1945, he was Chairman of the "Association of German Portland Cement Manufacturers" in Berlin.
In 1946, Dr Prüssing founded Westpol GmbH under difficult conditions. From here he established relations with the former customers of Dessau-based Polysius AG. In just a few years, together with proven employees from Dessau, he succeeded in restoring the company, which had since been renamed Polysius GmbH, to a global reputation.
In 1962, Dr Prüssing decided to relinquish the management of the company and take over the chairmanship of the supervisory board, which he held until 1970. In this capacity, too, he made a major contribution to the development of Polysius into one of the largest engineering companies in Europe.
For his services to the economic development of the municipality of Neubeckum, Dr. Prüssing was awarded honorary citizenship by resolution of the municipal council in 1961.
Clemens Sprenker
born 26.01.1883, died 14.01.1968
Clemens Sprenker was mayor of the parish of Beckum from 1946 to 1961 and also mayor of the Beckum district from March 1946.
The council of the parish of Beckum decided on 28 April 1961 to make him an honorary citizen for his services to the parish of Beckum.
Alfred Moll
For 42 years, Alfred Moll, like his father Gustav before him, had rendered outstanding services to the development of Neubeckum as a member of the council.
He was appointed honorary citizen by the council of the municipality of Neubeckum on 10 December 1952.
Carl Fehling
born 07.04.1860 in Warburg, died 09.07.1933
Fehling was elected mayor of Beckum by the town council on 14 June 1899. He had previously been mayor of Obermarsberg in the Sauerland region.
The capable administrative official pushed ahead with the consistent municipal development and the adaptation to the economic, especially the industrial development of the district town.
During his 27 years in office, the district court was opened in Beckum, the tax office for the district was established, the abattoir was built, work began on the sewerage system, the first public baths were built, the population was supplied with electricity and water, the grammar school was founded and the road construction programme began.
His work was crowned with the celebrations for the 700th anniversary of the town's charter in 1924.
After his retirement, he was made an honorary citizen on 11.10.1926.
Amtmann A. D. Theodor Anton Brüning
born 21.05.1822, died 30.03.1911
Theodor Brüning distinguished himself during the Kulturkampf through his courageous stand for the church, was sentenced to prison for a newspaper article and had to take his leave as Amtmann.
He was made an honorary citizen on 19.02.1906 "in appreciation of his faithful service in the interest of the city".
Medical Councillor Dr. med. Ferdinand Anton Heyne
died 1906
Dr Heyne had gained a special reputation as a doctor in his commitment to public hygiene and was a member of the magistrate for many years.
On his retirement from the magistrate's office, he was awarded honorary citizenship on 13.06.1897.
Two local politicians who have left their mark on Beckum
The former mayors Gerhard Gertheinrich and Aloys Gödde received the honorary title of "Honorary Mayor" at a special session of the Council on 14 June 1995 in appreciation of their many years of service as mayors.
Gerhard Gertheinrich
born 25 October 1930, died 1 May 1996
He was committed to the common good in an exemplary manner for decades, always ensured a balance across all party lines and was extraordinarily popular with the citizens "as a mayor to touch". Gerhard Gertheinrich joined the SPD in 1961 and in the same year was elected to the representation of the then parish of Beckum, where he served until 1969, from 1962 as deputy mayor. Subsequently, interrupted by the period from 1979 to 1984, he was a member of the Beckum town council until 1995.
Gerhard Gertheinrich was mayor of the city of Beckum for 10 years from 1984 to 1994. He exercised this responsible office with foresight, great commitment and the ability to compromise across all party lines. At the same time he always remained a "man of the people" and thus approachable for everyone.
In addition, he also represented the town of Beckum on the administrative board of the Sparkasse Beckum-Wadersloh and on the supervisory board of the Beckumer Wohnungsgesellschaft.
His word also carried weight in the district of Warendorf. From 1979 to 1984 and then again since 1989, he was a member of the district council, which elected him first deputy district administrator in November 1994. He held this office until his sudden death in 1996.
His professional career was marked by a successful effort to achieve a fair balance between the interests of the employees and the company. As chairman of the works council, general works council and group works council as well as deputy chairman of the supervisory board of Dyckerhoff AG, he stood up for his colleagues and the company in equal measure as a member of the Chemical, Paper and Ceramics Industrial Union. Gerhard Gertheinrich's membership in the Workers' Welfare Association was also important.
In recognition of his great services to the common good, he was awarded the Federal Cross of Merit on Ribbon by the Federal President on 23 December 1995.
Aloys Gödde
Born 29 March 1933, died 25 April 2013
Aloys Gödde went down in history as the last mayor of the municipality of Neubeckum. He was appointed mayor at the young age of just under 30. This made him the youngest mayor in North Rhine-Westphalia at the time. This was followed by 11 eventful years in which he guided Neubeckum's fortunes in the best possible way. During this time, large building estates were created and the population grew enormously. The Roncalli School and the Kopernikus Grammar School were built. The building complex comprising the municipal library, leisure centre and senior citizens' day care centre enriched social life in the community and the construction of the tennis facility enhanced the sports facilities.
Above all, however, Aloys Gödde was regarded as a mayor who was close to the people, who had an open ear for the concerns and needs of the citizens and helped many in difficult situations.
With the municipal reorganisation in 1975, Neubeckum was incorporated. Aloys Gödde had resisted this for a long time. Nevertheless, from 1975 onwards he contributed in many ways to Beckum and Neubeckum setting out to grow together.
In the transitional phase from January to May 1975, he was a commissioner of the council of the city of Beckum. In the first council of the new city of Beckum he was elected deputy mayor and held this office with one interruption for 9 years.
Until the end of his municipal political career in 1994, he was involved in the planning and transport committee and the Neubeckum district committee. He was also a member of the district council and the supervisory board of the Volksbank.
In 1994, he received the Federal Cross of Merit on Ribbon for his outstanding commitment.
Israeli peace activist with roots in Beckum
Uri Avnery
Born 10 September 1923, died 20 August 2018
Uri Avnery was born Helmut Ostermann in Beckum in the house at Alleestraße 17 and lived in the Püttstadt until 1925. He emigrated to Palestine with his family in 1933. The well-known peace activist has been honoured several times for his commitment to reconciliation between Israelis and Palestinians, including the Aachen Peace Prize in 1997, the Alternative Nobel Prize in 2001, the Carl von Ossietzky Prize in 2002 and the Lev Kopelev Prize in 2003.
Uri Avnery was publisher and editor-in-chief of the news magazine Haolam Haseh from 1950 to 1990. Between 1965 and 1981, he was a member of the Knesset for a total of about 10 years. In 1975 he was a founding member of the Israeli Council for Israeli-Palestinian Peace, and in 1993 he was one of the founding members of Gush Shalom, the Israeli Peace Bloc.
His grandfather Johannes Ostermann had been a teacher in the Jewish community since 1878. In addition, he held the sermons in the Beckum synagogue, as the small Jewish community in Beckum could not afford its own rabbi. The father, Alfred Ostermann, ran a small banking business in Beckum, which, however, faced increasing problems in the early years of the National Socialist movement. So the Ostermann family moved from Beckum to Hanover as early as 1925, where Helmut Ostermann also went to school. One of his classmates at the grammar school was the long-time editor of the "Spiegel" Rudolf Augstein.
The family had already sold the house at Alleestraße 17 to the Jewish doctor Dr. Walter Kronenberg before moving to Hanover.
Uri Avnery has been a guest in his native town of Beckum several times. For example, in 1995 on the occasion of the award of honorary citizenship to Rudolf Dunker and in 2005 when he presented his book "In den Feldern der Philister" (In the Fields of the Philistines) at a reading.