Categories: General

For copies of Dinglers of the South on CD, contact:

William Dingler Paige
7647 Trillium Blvd
Sarasota, FL 34241

Email: wp941fl@msn.com
(Note: Address updated 7/28/2006)

For the Dingler Family History web page maintained by Scott Ladewig , go to: http://www.dingler-family.org/

My address:

Terry Cowan
603 Circle Drive
Bullard, TX 75757

It is becoming increasing cost-prohibitive to mail out copies of the newsletter to over 300 addressees. I am attempting to convert as many mailings as possible to email. If you use email, please notify me at tcowan@jcowaninc.com. Many of you will be receiving this newsletter by email this year.

Ramona Kennedy loaned a copy of her family’s picture of Henry Dingler, son of Johannes and Nancy Paschall Dingler. This is not the oldest Dingler picture, but it is a portrait of the oldest generation of Dingler that we have. Thank you, Ramona!

Henry Dingler Portrait

I am saddened to report the death of our good friend Margaret Dingler Winkles on December 13, 2005. What can I say about Margaret? I first met Margaret in 1979. I was working on the Dingler genealogy and had sent letters to random Dingler addresses in Georgia. One of these letters was forwarded on to Margaret. Before long, she was on the road to Texas to see about these new cousins.

It was Margaret’s idea to have a family reunion. Frankly, I was skeptical at the time. We planned it for Vicksburg in the summer of 1980 and hoped for the best. The rest, as they say, is history. I grew to love Margaret and her family. And beyond that, I learned to appreciate her determination, her plain-spoken manner, her fierce love of family, and for lack of a better word, her just plain grit in the face of tragedies that would have crushed anyone else. Finally, it was Margaret’s insistence on having the first reunion that set in motion the chain of events that has allowed me to come to know all you wonderful people. Thank you, Margaret. We’ll not forget you.

by Terry Cowan

Terry Cowan passed on an email message from Melba Dingler on Monday. Melba said they were all OK. Their last child got out of New Orleans the day before Katrina hit. One son is looking for a new place to live due to tree damage. No gasoline the first week, no electricity for two weeks, and phone service was restored on Monday.

Terry Cowan passed along word that he received an email from Selma Smith in Mobile. Several family members have varying degrees of damage to homes, but all are safe and sound and doing well.

We just heard from Barb Weltzin that Pam Rowe Pollard is OK. She weathered the storm and was able to get back to her husband in Washington D.C.

Updates: Selma and James & Melba are all OK.

Terry Cowan checked the mailing list for people who may have been in the area impacted by Katrina. Terry identified James and Melba Dingler who live in Lumberton, MS, approximately halfway between New Orleans and Hattiesburg. We’re also waiting to hear from Selma Dingler Smith in Mobile. If you have any info about James & Melba or about Selma, please e-mail us at info@dingler-family.org.

Update: Pam is safe and well in Washington, D.C.

Sereta Bates Sims sent an e-mail to let people know that Pam Rowe Pollard, the daughter of Octavia and Harris Rowe, has not been heard form since Katrina made landfall. She is a computer programmer and was in New Orleans for a new job when the hurricane hit. If you have any information, please email Sereta or info@dingler-family.org.

If any one has news about Dingler family members in the areas affected by Hurricane Katrina, please post a comment here or send an email to info@dingler-family.org, and let us know how people are doing. The same goes for anyone either still in the area or who made it out. Let us know how you’re doing, so we can post it here and share the news with everyone.

If you’re looking for a way to help with disaster relief, you can make donations to the American Red Cross online.

Terry Cowan currently has well in excess of 300 addresses on the Dingler family mailing list. These names are compiled from those who have purchased books, attended reunions or have otherwise expressed interest. With postage being what it is, such a large mailing is becoming cost-prohibitive. If you have not attended a reunion in the last 10 years or so, but still wish to receive the newsletter, please let Terry (tc@tyler.net or 903-894-7935) know, and he will make sure that your name is not dropped from the mailing list.