Mary Jo Meuser Memorial Dedication
July 31 @ 10:00 am - 11:00 am EDT
Celebration of Sister Cities Partnership since 1985 and a special dedication to a strong founder of this partnership, Mary Jo Meuser, will take place on July 31, 2025. Doors open at 10AM with the event starting shortly after.
Come out to celebrate the sister cities’ 40th anniversary and learn about this connection to a different country, the community’s German heritage, and much more!
Importance of Mary Jo Meuser
Mary Jo Meuser (1943-2012) was the first full-time German teacher at Jasper High School and was instrumental in strengthening the community’s German heritage. Through the Sister Cities Organization, Frau Meuser created the Student Exchange Program with German communities including Pfaffenweiler. 400+ JHS students and host families have participated in the program since 1986. Her enormous contributions to the thriving relationship with Pfaffenweiler will be celebrated in this new memorial.
History of Sister Cities Partnership
In 1846, residents of Pfaffenweiler, Germany, settled in Jasper, Indiana. In 1984, 138 years later, residents of Dubois County returned to Pfaffenweiler and asked the community to be a Jasper Sister City. The Sister City relationship between Pfaffenweiler and Jasper was finalized in 1985.
Jasper, 50 miles north of the Ohio River in southwestern Indiana, is a city of 16,000 people. The community was platted in 1830 when it became the Dubois County seat. Jasper is home to many industries such as woodworking, manufacturing and technology, that are at the forefront of business growth.
Pfaffenweiler, in the foothills of the Black Forest, is a town of about 2,600 people. In the state of Baden-Wuerttemberg, just south of Freiburg, the community lies 40 miles north of Switzerland and about 16 miles east of where the Rhine River borders France. Pfaffenweiler dates back more than 1200 years and is known for its stone quarries and for growing grapes and making wine.