Dr. Eleanor ter Horst, a professor in the Clarion University Department of Modern Languages, and Jedediah Millard, an alumnus of Clarion University, attended the arrival ceremony for Her Excellency Dr. Angela Merkel, the chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany, June 7 on the White House.
Both ter Horst and Millard had a particular interest in attending the ceremony, as she is associate professor of German, while he completed a minor in German at Clarion in 2007 (along with a bachelor’s degree in international business and business economics, and a Master of Business Administration in 2008). Millard lives in Rockville, Md., and works for an aide to a council member for Montgomery County, Md.
Merkel was officially welcomed to Washington, D.C., by President and Mrs. Obama. Her arrival marked the first official visit and state dinner for a European leader during Obama’s presidency. In their speeches, both Obama and Merkel stressed the close economic, strategic and personal ties between the United States and Germany.
Obama said that “the transatlantic alliance is the cornerstone, is the heart of our efforts to promote peace and prosperity around the world. And Germany, at the heart of Europe, is one of our strongest allies.” Merkel mentioned that “more than 600,000 Americans are working for German companies here in the United States, and the reverse is also true – more than 600,000 Germans work for American companies in Germany.”
As Americans with a strong interest in German culture and politics, both ter Horst and Millard were pleased to attend the arrival ceremony and hear these affirmations of the vital partnership between the United States and Gemany.