Herr B. O. Dürr
Congress President 1926-29
Honorary IVU President 1938-194?

From the report of the 1923 IVU Congress in Sweden:

the Roll Call of the Delegates. Each rose as his or her name was called. The following is a full list : . . . Czecho-slovakia - . . .B. O. Dürr, Komotau ; . .

From the report of the 1926 Congress in London:

. . . the delegates were introduced to the assembly, and the following is the order in which they responded to the roll call . . . Herr B. O. Dürr and Herr H. F. Feix (Czecho-Slovakia), . . .

From the report of the 1929 IVU Congress in Czechoslavakia:

As for the warmth and graciousness of the welcome offered to the delegates, it is hard to see in what way these could have been exceeded. Herr Dürr and Herr Feix (both of whom will be remembered as visitors to the last International Congress, held in London three years ago) alike won golden opinions for the way in which they exercised their respective functions - the former as President of the Congress, the latter as its Secretary and chief organiser -

It was standard procedure at that time for the President of the next host society to become 'Congress President' until the next Congress. We assume from the above that Herr Dürr was President of the Vegetarian Society in Czechslovakia between 1926-29.

The reports of the 1932 Congress, held near Berlin, and 1938 Congress, in Denmark, make no specific mention of Herr Dürr. But he was there as we see below.

From the reports of the 1938 Congress, held in Norway:

. . .A popular proposal was that Herr Dürr (eighty-two years of age next December, and a vegetarian of twenty-eight years' standing should be elected Hon. President of the International Vegetarian Unionan - an office which he duly accepted. The present President, Hon. Treasurer, Hon. Secretary and Committee of the Union were unanimously re-elected. . . .
[The position of 'Honorary President' seems to have been a ceremonial role of honour, the President of IVU at this time was Mr Borrendam from Holland.]

. . . followed by Herr Dürr, the Union's esteemed Honorary President. Herr Dürr (CzechoSlovakia), now in his 82nd year, who spoke in a charming manner, said that he had attended every Congress since the war and was looking forward to being in England in 1941 and Holland in 1944. In Steinschönau he had seen chronic diseases cured by means of a vegetarian diet and he appealed to the doctors to follow our way of living. It was not necessary, he said, to wait and to approach vegetarianism slowly - it could be done at once.

. . . at the conclusion of Mr. Waerland's speech an interesting discussion followed in which the following speakers took part: Messrs. . . . , Dürr. .
. . .The speakers included . . . Herr B. O. Dürr (Czechoslovakia); . . .
. . . reports from delegates were also received covering the period since the last triennial Congress was held. . . .others were delivered by Herr B. O. Dürr (Czechoslovakia), . .

Herr Dürr is 3rd from the right, with the beard, in this photo from the 1938 Congress

The report of the 1947 Congress, held in England, included: "the President, . . .referred to the passing (during the war) of the Union's former President, Mr. C. J. van Borrendam, of Holland, of its Honorary President, Herr Durr, of Czecho-Slovakia, . . .

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