Andres, Herman J. (1900-1992)

Herman J. Andres.
Bethel College Library and Archives photo #2020-0172

Joanna Sudermann Andres.
Bethel College Library and Archives photo #2020-0171

Herman J. Andres: hospital administrator and conference leader, was born 26 December 1900 at Newton, Kansas, USA, to Gustav Andres (5 April 1859-26 November 1913) and Anna Neufeldt Andres (14 January 1858-18 February 1937). Herman was the second youngest in a family of four sons and eight daughters. On 16 August 1931, Herman married Joanna Sudermann (23 November 1903-31 March 1998), the daughter of Jacob "Jasha" Sudermann (4 September 1867-12 March 1909) and Amy Greaves Sudermann (1 January 1878-2 November 1975). They had two children: Amy Elizabeth and James Herman. Herman Andres died 12 October 1992.

Herman Andres grew up on the family farm. He attended the public schools of Harvey County, Bethel College, and the University of Colorado. After farming several years he joined the staff of an investment banking concern in Newton.

In 1938 he became administrator of the Bethel Deaconess Hospital and the Bethel Home for Aged in Newton, Kansas. He continued in this work for nearly 20 years and always considered his work in the health field as his major life activity.

Andres served as president of the Kansas Hospital Association, and was one of the original incorporators of Kansas Blue Cross and Blue Shield, and served as its president for a number of years. For several years he served as board chair of Prairie View Hospital during its development period. He helped to organize the Association of Mennonite Hospitals and Homes and also has served as its president.

Herman Andres was a member of the Executive Committee of the General Conference Mennonite Church and for 12 years served as president of the Board of Education and Publication. It was during this time that he helped develop the Every Home Plan for the conference periodicals. In 1957 he was appointed president and manager of the newly organized Schowalter Foundation. This position he held until his retirement in 1975.

Twice he was commissioned by the Mennonite Central Committee to go on special assignment to South America. In the fall of 1948 he went to Uruguay to help resettle a contingent of Mennonite World War II refugees. In 1958 he went to Paraguay to help establish a mental hospital facility in Filadelfia and also to consult with the director of the Agricultural Experimental Farm there regarding several projects supported by the Schowalter Foundation.

Joanna Sudermann Andres's step-father was Gustav H. Enss (13 April 1885-10 November 1965), who taught at a variety of post-secondary schools, leading to Joanna's varied educational experience as a young woman. She studied theology at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, Texas, in 1925-26. She began her collegiate studies at Kansas State Teachers College in Emporia in 1926, then transferred to Hesston College for three semesters, 1927-1928 and completed her junior college degree in 1928. She attended Goshen College in 1928-30, and received her BA with a major in German. She studied at Bethel College in 1931-32 and received a BTh in 1932.

Herman and Joanna Andres were members of First Mennonite Church in Newton, Kansas. They are buried in the Greenwood Cemetery in Newton, Kansas.

Bibliography

GRANDMA (The Genealogical Registry and Database of Mennonite Ancestry) Database, 21-01 ed. Fresno, CA: " California Mennonite Historical Society, 2021: #339051.

"Joanna S. Andres." Mennonite Weekly Review (30 April 1998):11. Web. 10 June 2021. https://mla.bethelks.edu/mediawiki/index.php/Andres,_Joanna_Sudermann_(1903-1998).

"Retired Leader ff Institutions Dies in Hesston." Mennonite Weekly Review (15 October 1992): 6. Web. 10 June 2021. https://mla.bethelks.edu/mediawiki/index.php/Andres,_Herman_J._(1901-1992).

Archives

"Joanna Sudermann Andres Papers." Bethel College Mennonite Library and Archives. MS.422. Web. 10 June 2021. https://archives.mhsc.ca/index.php/joanna-sudermann-andres-papers.

Author(s)	David A Haury
Date Published	June 2021

Cite This Article

MLA style

Haury, David A. "Andres, Herman J. (1900-1992)." Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. June 2021. Web. 22 Nov 2024. https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Andres,_Herman_J._(1900-1992)&oldid=171606.

APA style

Haury, David A. (June 2021). Andres, Herman J. (1900-1992). Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. Retrieved 22 November 2024, from https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Andres,_Herman_J._(1900-1992)&oldid=171606.

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