Cornelius Bormann

Cornelius Bormann

Cornelius Bormann (born January 21, 1939 in Berlin ) is a German radio and television journalist for the WDR . After his retirement he is involved in the cultural field and as an author of historical research.

education

After attending the humanistic old grammar school in Oldenburg , he first studied German and history and then Protestant theology at the universities of Hamburg and Bonn , including a semester in 1963 as a scholarship holder of the German National Academic Foundation at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem . After passing the first theological exam before the commission of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in the Hamburg State in 1965, he was able to realize his dream of journalism . In retirement he took up theology again and did his doctorate in Bonn in 2014 with Professor Andreas Pangritz on Dietrich Bonhoeffer .

WDR journalist

In accordance with his training, he began at the editorial office of church broadcasting for WDR radio 1965–1969 and was then from 1969–1973 a correspondent at the WDR studio in Düsseldorf . He remained connected to WDR his entire professional life and continued his career as a parliamentary correspondent in Bonn 1973–1980, in between, 1974–1975, he was seconded to the television training center of Indonesian television ( Televisi Republic Indonesia ) in Jakarta, Indonesia as part of German development aid. From April 1979 to September 1980 he was alternately the moderator of the daily topics . West Africa correspondent and correspondent in Washington, USA, he was then for two years each, then 1984–1991 head of the radio and television studio in Düsseldorf and finally 1991–1998 editor-in-chief for North Rhine-Westphalia of WDR television, where he was responsible for local reporting considerably expanded the various North Rhine-Westphalian WDR studios. His career ended with his work as ARD correspondent in Poland from 1998–2001.

author

Contacts and experiences from these activities are reflected in some books that are particularly praised by the critics. His biography about Johannes Rau from 1999 was rated by him as the best work on him. His book about Poland was published in 2004. Before that, he and his wife had already written a book about the fate of Jews in the town where they lived in 1992. His dissertation on Dietrich Bonhoeffer is entitled: Jesus Christ and the mature world, Dietrich Bonhoeffer's letters and notes from imprisonment against the background of his remembered youth . It was released in 2015.

Culture and Social

Bormann sees himself as part of the cultural and social life in his place of residence. He works in the editorial department of the Erftstädter Jahrbucher, founded the Kulturhaus Erftstadt association with others interested in art and culture in 2008 , and he was elected chairman. One goal is to create a house for cultural activities in real life. The association recently published the book “Artists Erftstadt 2011”. Bormann is socially committed to the board of the Marienhospital Frauental association .

Honors

In 2008 his city honored him with the Carl Schurz Medal for his commitment to the city.

family

Cornelius Bormann has been married to the art historian Heidi, née Pratje, since 1963. The couple have two daughters and live in Erftstadt - Lechenich .

Works

• with Erhard Eppler: Offensive without weapons: development aid, part e. new peace strategy . Jugenddienst-Verlag, Wuppertal, 1968
• The importance of local radio and television offers from the point of view of West German broadcasting . Institute for Broadcasting Economics, Cologne, 1996, ISBN 3-930788-47-0
• A bit more human: Johannes Rau - the biography. Hammer Verlag, Wuppertal 1999, ISBN 3-87294-828-8 .
• Poland - our neighbor. The eagle with the woman in his heart. Publishing house Hentrich & Hentrich, Teetz 2004.
• With Heidi Bormann: Heimat an der Erft, the country Jews in the synagogue communities Gymnich, Friesheim and Lechenich. Ed. City of Erftstadt, 1992, ISBN 3-9802650-3-X . (out of print)

Web links

• Literature by and about Cornelius Bormann in the catalog of the German National Library

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Horst Komuth: Encouragement for a mature life , Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger, Rhein-Erft, August 28, 2014, p. 32