Below is the translation of the three-page document Steve has sent me.
I have decided to leave some of the terms in German, especially the ones that do not translate very well and/or that may be presumed to be known to members with an interest in this subject. I have explained some of the terms in footnotes.
Right; here we go:
"Transcription
FDJ-Grundorganisation
VEB Fahlberg-List*
Magdeburg, 15 Feb. 1965
District Administration of the FDJ
Office for the Industry- and Construction sector
Magdeburg
Goethestraße 49
Re: Proposal for the award of the Artur-Becker-Medaille in Silber to the Jugendfreund** Ronald Grölle
The Jugendfreund Ronald Grölle had already been a member of the Junge Pioniere*** in primary school. He became a member of our youth organisation at the time of the 7 October 1950 direct elections. He was admitted by the FDJ-Ortsgruppe Biere, started working as an unpaid functionary right upon joining up and in recognition of his active participation in the 1950 direct elections was awarded the Friedensmedaille for outstanding achievements in the peace program of the FDJ.
In 1952 - after successfully completing his apprenticeship as a baker - he voluntarily took up service with the German Border Police. Here, he received several awards in the form of books and other non-monetary bonusses, presented in recognition of his achievements in the youth league.
All of his spare time was devoted to youth work. In recognition of this, he was awarded the Phillip-Müller-Nadel in October 1954.
During his term of service with the German Border Police, he attended the District Youth School in Gardelegen and a course for the heads of amateur dramatic societies at the Central Institute for Amateur Arts in Colbitz.
In recognition of his military achievements, he was awarded the Medaille "Für treue Dienste" in Bronze.
He was promoted to Gefreiter in March 1954, to Stabsgefreiter in October 1957 and, after having attended NCO school, to Unteroffizier in June 1958.
He has been a member of the DSF and the DTSB since 1956****.
He became a member of the Sozialistische Einheitspartei Deutschlands in March 1956.
Following his discharge from the German Border Police in the year of 1959, he took up employment with the VEB Fahlberg-List. He started out as a shunter and qualified to become a shunting supervisor. In 1964, he became a member of the Kampfgruppe of the VEB Fahlberg-List and due to his military knowledge was appointed platoon leader in our Hundertschaft.+
At the time of taking up employment with VEB Fahlberg-List, he lived in Biere in the district of Schönebeck. Here, too, he actively participated in work for our organisation and became an unpaid secretary of the Ortsleitung Biere.
At the time of the construction of the Schutzwall++ in Berlin, he was on active duty as a Kampfgruppen member at the nation's western border for 3 weeks. Because of his achievements for the community in the municipality of Biere, he was elected as a local councillor of his municipality in the 1961 direct elections. He always fulfilled the duties assigned to him as a representative of his area to the complete satisfaction of the municipal council. This was not always easy for him, for he was working in 3 shifts at Magdeburg.
In January 1963, Jugendfreund Grölle was appointed as a full-time 2nd Secretary for the Grundorganisation Fahlberg-List at very short notice due to the departure of the FDJ secretrary in office. He has been doing active work there ever since, the effect of which is a noticeable fundamental change of our organisation's work in the factory. Most of all, it was about establishing the implementation of organisational materials, as prior to Comrade Grölle's taking over there was no overview whatsoever as to just how many FDJ'ers were working at the factory. In his role as the GO's Secretary he built up the FDJ work to a systematic and organized level. He understood his most important duties to be conducting ZBGL counselling+++, secretary training and providing advice to cashiers. In 1965, Jugenfreund Grölle was elected as a member of the factory's Party Leadership, an office for which he is running again this year.
Under his leadership, exact and quantifiable results had come from the preparation for and participation in the nationwide German convention so that our FDJ-Grundorganisation was among the best. Under his leadership, this was consolidated and improved upon even more for the 15th anniversary competitions, so that, in honor of the 15th anniversary of our GDR, our FDJ-Grundorganisation came out as the winner among all chemical- and raw material factories of the district. It is also to his personal credit that 100% of the monthly membership fees could be cashiered in 1963 and 1964.
Together with the Secretary of the BBS,++++ he has known how to consolidate the entire work of the FDJ-Grundorganisation. This was particularly evident during the preparation for and execution of this year's elections for our organisation.
Thanks to a thorough and exacting preparation by the ZBGL, we may say that the election events were of a very high standard and that good commitments have been made so that our FDJ-Grundorganisation will continue to further consolidate itself in this year as well.
In the light of the fact that Comrade Grölle has been doing systematic work - to include unpaid work - for years, we as the ZBGL endorse him being awarded the Artur-Becker-Medaille in Silber.
Confirmed:
...
(Kwapulinski)
Deputy Party Secretary
...
on behalf of the ZBGL"
*) FDJ = Freie Deutsche Jugend [Free German Youth], the GDR's Communist youth organisation.
Grundorganisation [roughly translated "basic organisation"], the lowest organisational level of the FDJ; made up of the collective of all FDJ members within a school, factory, academy faculty or residential district.
VEB = Volkseigener Betrieb [roughly translated Publicly Owned Enterprise], the main legal form of industrial enterprise in the GDR. Jokingly interpreted by the population as "Vatis ehemaliger Betrieb" [Daddy's former business].
Fahlberg-List was a major chemical- and pharmaceutical company which existed from 1886 to 1995. Among other things, the company was the first manufacturer of saccharin.
**) Jugendfreund [literally translated "youth friend"], the official form of address for an FDJ member
***)Junge Pioniere [literally translated "Young Pioneers"], the GDR's Communist children's organisation for first- to seventh graders, subordinate to the FDJ.
****) DSF = Gesellschaft für Deutsch-Sowjetische Freundschaft [Association for German-Soviet Friendship]; DTSB = Deutscher Turn- und Sportbund der DDR [German Gymnastics- and Sports League of the GDR].
+) Hundertschaft = a unit of 100 men, equivalent to a company.
++) Schutzwall [protective wall, rampart], also Antifaschistischer Schutzwall [Anti-Fascist Protective Wall/Rampart]; the GDR leadership's cynical euphemysm for the Berlin Wall.
+++) ZBGL = Zentrale Betriebsgewerkschaftsleitung [the Central Union Leadership for a factory]
++++) BBS = Betriebsberufsschule [Factory Vocational School]
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