It is with great sadness that we share the news of the passing of Andris Straumanis, Associate Professor of Communication and Media Studies at the University of Wisconsin-River Falls, on September 11, 2023 at the age of 66.
Prof. Straumanis was a long-time member of the Association for the Advancement of Baltic Studies and served as co-chair of the
Communication and the Media division at AABS Conference in 2022. Below, we publish his obituary, written by the Straumanis Family with additions by his former student, AABS member Laura Dean.
Andris Straumanis, 1957–2023.
Andris Straumanis, who is remembered by his family and friends as a dedicated mentor, talented photographer, and passionate historian for immigrant and diaspora press in North America, died Monday, Sept. 11, in Regions Hospital, St. Paul, MN. He was 66.
Straumanis, a resident of River Falls Township, was born March 08, 1957, in Long Island, NY. He was the only child of Alfreds and Biruta Straumanis. He was a first-generation Latvian-American, his parents having relocated to New York in 1956 after immigrating to the United States the previous year. He received his BA from Southern Illinois University, an MA from the University of Minnesota, and a Graduate Certificate from George Mason University. In addition to his work toward a doctorate in mass communication at the University of Minnesota, he had ongoing projects on Latvian Baptists in America, early Latvian press in America, and Latvian anarchists.
Straumanis has published numerous articles on Latvian immigrants including a recent Journal of Baltic Studies article entitled “’300,000 Thrifty Letts in U.S.:’ Speculation and exaggeration in reports about early Latvian immigrants in America”and a 2021 co-authored article in Baltistica baltų kalbotyros žurnalas “Lihdumneeks: the use of antiqua typefaces in a pioneering Latvian newspaper printed in Brazil.” Just last month, he published the results of his most recent research project tracing the life stories of nearly of 72 young Latvian Baptists from Philadelphia on his website and the digital history project “Latvian Baptists in America, 1890-1940” provides numerous searchable archival documents and exhibits. Straumanis was also one of the founders of LatviansOnline.com, a popular news and information website for anyone interested in Latvia and its diaspora founded in 2000.
To his loved ones and friends, his love for journalism needs no introduction. Having worked at various newspapers and media outlets over the years—as a photographer, writer, editor, and more—one of his recent joys was being a mentor and faculty advisor to the Student Voice, a student-run news organization at the University of Wisconsin River Falls. In 2023, Student Voice won nine awards in the annual Better Collegiate Newspaper Contest sponsored by the Wisconsin Newspaper Association Foundation, under the tutelage of Straumanis. He loved working with his students, and took great pride in their accomplishments and work.
In the last decade, Straumanis split his time between the U.S. and Latvia, where he also taught courses at Riga Stradiņš University and Turība University. He was also starting to look forward to retirement, when he would keep traveling the world and enjoy more time with his loved ones. He had a brilliant sense of humor, a knack for culinary experimentation, and a love for all things French.
Straumanis is survived by his daughter, Kaija Straumanis (and husband Chad W. Post), editorial director of Open Letter Books and literary translator, and grandson Aleksandrs, all of New York. He was preceded in death by his parents, Alfreds and Biruta Straumanis. A private memorial service was held Sept. 17 at the O’Connell Family Funeral Home in River Falls.
Services are entrusted to O’Connell Family Funeral Home and Cremation Services of River Falls, www.oconnellfuneralservices.com, 715-425-5644