View source for Paetkau, David H. (1903-1972)

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[[File:Paetkau-David-H.jpg|300px|thumb|''Helene and David Paetkau, 1965. Family photograph'']]
David H. Paetkau: music teacher; born 20 January 1903 in [[Bachmut (Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine)|Bachmut]], [[Russia|South Russia]], the fifth of nine children of Heinrich Paetkau (1864-1910) and Sara (Goerzen) Paetkau (1873-1959). One of his older brothers was [[Pätkau, Jacob H. (1895-ca. 1947)|Jacob H. Pätkau]]. He married Helene Unger (24 September 1905, [[New York (Ignatyevka Mennonite Settlement, Dnipropetrovsk, Ukraine)|New York]], Ignatyevka, South Russia - 23 November 1983, Richmond, [[British Columbia (Canada)|British Columbia]], [[Canada]]) on 19 June 1927 in Reesor, Ontario, Canada. David and Helene had four children (a fifth, their youngest, died in infancy). David died 6 June 1972 in Richmond, British Columbia, Canada.

David was baptized in May 1920 in [[Memrik Mennonite Settlement (Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, Ukraine)|Memrik]], trained as a teacher in Ekaterinoslav in 1920 and in 1926 immigrated to Canada with his mother and four siblings. He married Helene Unger in 1927 in [[Ontario (Canada)|Ontario]] and then moved to [[Rosthern (Saskatchewan, Canada)|Rosthern]], Saskatchewan, where he trained as a teacher in the Rosthern [[Rosthern Junior College (Rosthern, Saskatchewan, Canada) |German-English Academy]] and the Normal School in Saskatoon. He spent several years teaching in a rural school near Rosthern before he joined the teaching staff of the German-English Academy in 1935, where he worked until 1951. There he introduced systematic instruction in music and established a concert choir, the Mendolssohn Choir, that became a model for good choral singing in Saskatchewan and Alberta. Paetkau participated actively in the musical life of the [[Rosenort Mennonite Church Group (Saskatchewan, Canada)|Rosenorter Church]], serving as a frequent choral workshop leader.

Paetkau published two volumes of <em>Liederalbum (1945, 1947),</em> a collection of choral music that provided a source of choral music for prairie choirs as long as they retained a German repertoire. It was reprinted three times, the last reprinting sponsored by the British Columbia Mennonite Youth Organization. He was a member of the committee that produced the <em>Gesangbuch der Mennoniten</em> (1942) for the [[General Conference Mennonite Church (GCM)|General Conference Mennonite Church]]. Paetkau and his wife lived in Coaldale, Alberta from 1954 to 1964, and then retired to Richmond, British Columbia.
= Bibliography =
Berg, Wesley. ''From Russia With Music: A Study of the Mennonite Choral Singing Tradition in Canada''. Winnipeg, Manitoba: Hyperion Press, 1985.

Epp, Frank H. ''Education with a Plus: The Story of Rosthern Junior College''. Waterloo, Ontario: Conrad Press, 1975.

GRANDMA (The <strong>G</strong>enealogical <strong>R</strong>egistry <strong>an</strong>d <strong>D</strong>atabase of <strong>M</strong>ennonite <strong>A</strong>ncestry) Database, 6.03 ed. Fresno, CA: <span class="link-external">[http://calmenno.org/index.htm California Mennonite Historical Society]</span>, 2010: #435546.

Klassen, Irene and others. ''Their Mark, Their Legacy''. Calgary, Alberta: Mennonite Historical Society of Alberta, 2006.
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[[Category:Persons]]
[[Category:Teachers]]
[[Category:Musicians]]