12/12/2005 - Alexander Longolius Receives the Bundesverdienstkreuz Award

Alexander Longolius, former Vice President of the Berlin House of Representatives and AFS returnee (Germany to USA 1952-53), was awarded the Bundesverdienstkreuz (the Order of Merit) at the Berlin City Hall on November 2, 2005 for his long-standing active support of German-American friendship. The Governing Mayor of Berlin, Klaus Wowereit, handed the award to Longolius on behalf of the President of the Federal Republic of Germany.

Alexander Longolius serves as Chairman of the Checkpoint Charlie Stiftung (The Checkpoint Charlie Foundation) in Berlin. He was its President for many years until his retirement in 2001. He is a founder of the Partnership of Parliaments, a German-American council of state legislators. He is also involved with the Berlin-USA e.V. Initiative, a non-profit organization furthering short term exchanges between young people. He was a member of the Berlin City Council in 1963 on the occasion of President John F. Kennedy historic visit to Berlin.

Longolius was awarded an AFS scholarship in 1952-53. While in the United States, he attended the Gunnery School, a private boarding school in Washington, Connecticut. He was actively involved in AFS program activities in Berlin in the early years and in the “International Student Conference” (Berlin, 1963, after the Wall was built) which was attended by some 400 AFS returnees from around the World. He served as a member of the Kuratorium of AFS Interkulturelle Begegnungen e.V since its founding in February of 1982 until November of 1988.

In the photo: (L to R) Alexander Longolius, the Governing Mayor of Berlin Klaus Wowereit and Berlin City Hall official.