abstracts

evaluative comments from the students at the end of the semester were very favorable, and the presenter

ABSTRACTS even had some unanimous scores of "excellent."

Silent Voices: Identifying the Historical Significance of Slovak Immigrant Women

Building Bridges: The VIA Foundation’s Flood Relief Campaign in the United States

Lisa A. Alzo, Ithaca, New York

Jiří Bárta, VIA Foundation, Prague, Czech Republic

A vast number of Slovaks emigrated to North America between 1875 and 1914, yet their history,

This presentation shows what the VIA Foundation has done to connect donors in the United States

and especially the history of the women among them, has been largely invisible. If given voice, their stories

with seriously flood affected communities in the Czech Republic. It should also create awareness that there

could be both compelling and engaging, yet few have been told. Although often overlooked, the Slovak

are opportunities for building a long-term relationship for the future.

woman was frequently the ―backbone‖ of the family in the New World – serving as not only the homemaker,

but also the disciplinarian, financial manager and teacher of religious morals, values and other lessons. It Image of the United States of America in Texts of Miroslav Holub from the 1960s

was the woman of the household who ensured that the cultures and traditions from the Old Country were

Michal Bauer, University of South Bohemia, České Budějovice, Czech Republic

preserved in America and passed on to successive generations. This session highlights the various roles

assumed by the Slovak immigrant woman and how such roles impacted the family and society; provides an

When entering Czech literature in the 1940s, Miroslav Holub was close to the group, ―Ohnice.‖

overview of some of the existing (albeit scant) literature on Slovak women; and discusses what is currently However, his activity among the writers of the journal, Květen, in the second half of the 1950s has been

being done, as well as what can be done, to make the lives of Slovak women more visible.

more known. With his emphasis on rationality, factuality, and triviality, he crystallized as one of the most

significant personalities representing not only this journal but also the whole generation. Because of his

Three Slovak Women: Telling the Story of One

science-based occupation (he was an immunologist, and he endeavored to bring arts and science

Slovak-American Family Using Oral and Social History

together), he sought parallels in both spheres and, at the same time, preferred facts in the arts as he did in

Lisa A. Alzo, Ithaca, New York

science. His scientific activity brought him to the United States several times. Already, in the 1960s, these

stays were reflected in his artistic texts – prosaic, poetic, or journalistic ones – resulting in pieces in

While conducting genealogical research, it is easy to become absorbed in finding and obtaining contemporary presses and three books: Anděl na kolečkách (―Angel on wheels‖), Ţít v New Yorku (―Live in

facts about our ancestors and to overlook the stories of how their lives were influenced by local, national, or New York‖), and Beton (―Concrete‖). Within those three books, published between 1963 and 1970, there is

world historical events and conditions. Often, the most interesting details are not found in the records or

perceived his development from a ―duty‖ to regard America with an ideological view of a man of the East to

documents uncovered, but in the life stories of family members and individuals who lived through such key

rational meditations on the form and situation of the North American world and its inhabitants. Holub´s view

events in history as the first two World Wars, the immigration wave, or the Great Depression.

oscillates among fascination, enthusiasm, and disillusion. His view as a scientist is markedly positive, but

Three Slovak Women chronicles the lives of three generations of Slovak women living in the steel

his appreciation as a tourist is ambivalent. He holds the position that he began in the second half of the

town of Duquesne, Pennsylvania. This session covers how the presenter used oral history and social

1950s, when describing native Czech vulgarities, and tries to apply it also in the US: it is an attempt to catch

history, in addition to traditional genealogical research, to flesh out the story of her ancestors. This talk also

a common man in a contemporary situation. Namely, in his book of poetry, Beton, New York space is being

discusses how the immigrant experience, Slovak culture and customs, and economic, employment, and

displaced by its inhabitants. It seems that Holub is getting nearer to the poetics of Group 42 and is trying to

social factors shaped the three different perspectives of three generations of women and details the oral

discover a new reality, to denominate and depict it in a new way. He uses the same methods that Jiří Kolář

history techniques and historical research processes used to build the story.

elects in poetry and visual arts – and founds his poetic methods. Reality becomes aesthetics in his eyes: he

finds poetry in trivial things and current events. The outskirts of Czech towns has been replaced by the

Teaching a Foreign Language Long Distance

maze of New York and other American towns where he finds life, not in the motion of cars, but in them as

Radha Balasubramanian, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, Nebraska

tokens of human existence.

In the fall of 2002, two Russian language courses were taught for the first time long distance from Czech Sokols in Iowa

UNL to UNO. Both of the classes were third-year Russian. One was devoted to reading literature, while the Janice A. Beran, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa

other concentrated on conversation and composition. Since the presenter was pioneering this course in her

department, a lot of detailed effort was required to prepare for the course. She had to come up with

Just three years after Dr. Miroslav Tyrš founded the Sokol in Prague, Czechoslovakia on February

innovative ways of teaching. For example, she had to change the way she collected homework: she had the

16, 1862, 67 men founded the first Sokol unit in St. Louis, Missouri, on February 14, 1865. Wherever there

students‘ work collected and faxed once a week from UNO. The vocabulary quizzes and tests were not

was a Czech settlement in the Midwest, a Sokol gymnastic club was founded. This paper focuses on the

proctored, so she had to come up with alternative ways of conducting them: the tests were written and

Sokol in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, examining the history of Sokols in American society. In 1958, when the Cedar

faxed immediately, while the originals were also sent by campus mail. Because there was a delay in

Rapids Sokol celebrated its 85th anniversary it included more than 400 members in its Gymnastic

returning the corrected work, she always discussed typical mistakes before every class from the previous

Association (men) and almost 100 members in the Sbor Sokolice Renata Thyrš (women). Since its

week's homework. She had to be aware of two sets of students at different places (in front of her and on the

founding, Sokol, in its program of physical training with marching, calisthenics and gymnastics, has had a

TV monitor) and had to visually orient herself to keep speaking to both groups. Sometimes she set up a

systematic course of instruction that is designed to address the needs of the physical body from childhood

discussion between the two groups, and these were successful. On some topics the UNO students would

to old age. Frank Machovský, an outstanding international gymnast from Czechoslovakia, gave skilled and

prepare to ask UNL students a set of questions and vice versa. Sometimes the audio or the video would fail,

dedicated leadership to the children's program, trained the board of instructors, and directed many

and this would require an alternative approach; for example, when the audio needed to be fixed, she had to

exhibitions including for the 1932 Olympic games in Los Angeles. The Cedar Rapids Sokol participated in

change a conversation class to a group discussion among UNO and UNL students separately. The

district Slets, every national Slet, and every international Slet, including the great reunion in 1994.

In 1908 they built a large three-story Sokol Hall to house classes and provide a site for their Cultural Contributions of Czech and Slovak Canadians

fundraising activities. Throughout its more than 130-year existence, Sokols have been an integral part of Josef Čermák, President, Czech and Slovak Association of Canada, Toronto

maintaining cultural identity. Currently, they struggle with dwindling membership and participation even

thought they have adapted their program to include contemporary equipment and less regimented exercise. The Moravian Brethren, who attempted to establish a mission in Canada in 1752, made the first

They take justifiable pride in their role in gymnastic training of children in Iowa and the number of cultural contribution. By 1800, they had three missions in Labrador and had built a church in Fairfield,

competitive gymnasts that have had basic gymnastic training in their program. Ontario. The 1939 and 1948 exodus from Czechoslovakia brought to Canada a number of excellent

musicians: composer Oskar Morawetz, conductor Walter Susskind, singer Jan Rubeš, a ‗territorial Czech‘

Bohemian Hall in Astoria, New York named Nicholas Goldschmidt (his father of Belgian descent and mother of Viennese), several scientists

Peter Bísek, Publisher/Editor, Americké Listy, Glen Cove, New York (including Vladimír Krajina) and, depending on how we define culture, Baťa. After 1968, Canada received

several writers (including Josef Škvorecký) and a significant number of scientists and teachers.

Nearly bankrupt in the early 90s, more than 100-year-old Bohemian Hall and Garden

(www.bohemianhall.com) is today a thriving cultural center where anybody of the Czech, Slovak, or The Cleveland Czech Legionaries

Czechoslovak heritage can send their children to the Czech School, attend various events staged during the Lawrence C. Cerny and Elaine L. Cerny, CERNYLAND OF UTICA, Huber Hts., Ohio

year, or just bring their American friends to enjoy good ethnic food and great beer under the majestic trees

(including President Havel‘s linden tree). This video presents the valiant effort of a group of patriotic American Czech and Slovak immigrants

to help establish the Czechoslovak Republic. These Legionaries joined forces with the nations of France,

Publishing an Ethnic Newspaper Americké Listy -- an Ego Trip or Service? Great Britain, and Russia during World War I. At the conclusion of the war, these loyal patriots remained in

Peter Bísek, Publisher/Editor, Americké Listy, Glen Cove, New York Europe to lend their support, helping to establish the

Republic of Czechoslovakia. This presentation was made possible with the help of the Krizek Family of the

So much time, effort and energy goes into publishing an ethnic periodical that it is very tempting – Washington, D.C. area and the late John Souders of Dayton, Ohio.

and easy – to forget the reason for its existence: service to the community. Is it possible to prevent this from

happening? This presentation explores that question. Civil Society: Nonprofit Organizations in a Market Economy

Milton Cerny, Past President, American Friends of the Czech Republic, Washington, D.C.

Five Hundred Years of Blahnik Family History:

Searching for One’s Ancestors in the Old Country This paper discusses the developing philanthropic sector worldwide with an emphasis on the

Joel Blahnik, President, Alliance Publications, Inc., Fish Creek, Wisconsin Czech Republic and the creation and development of the U. S. charitable sector, emphasizing public benefit

and mutual organizations, their development and functions, and focuses in part on the American Friends of

This presentation discusses the history and place of the family name, "Blahnik," in Czech culture. the Czech Republic and its promotion and advancement of philanthropic activity in the areas of

Dr. Frank Roubnik, ethnologist and author of many books of the Czech Chodsko culture of SW Bohemia, humanitarian relief, education, culture, and the Masaryk Project. Also discussed is grant making and fund-

states that the family name of "Blahnik" is one of the oldest names in Chodsko culture. References are raising in the international context of cross border grant making.

made to the Latin name of "Blasius" of the 12th century, and this then became the root of the Blahnik name.

Specifically, church and town records indicate the name of "Blahnik" was recorded in 1482, and now a T. G. Masaryk Stands Tall in Washington:

successive genealogical inventory (including names and possessions) is part of this family's treasure. The Creation and Completion of a Significant Memorial

Here are some other interesting facts regarding this family name: there are two celebrated Milton Cerny, Past President, American Friends of the Czech Republic, Washington, D.C.

mountains in the Czech Republic with this name: 1) the legendary "Mount Blaník" where the Knights of St.

Wenceslaus reside; this is located at Lounovice pod Blaníkem, which is near Vlašim in Central Bohemia The creation of a memorial for the first President of Czechoslovakia acknowledges that Masaryk

southwest of Prague; and 2) Mount Blahník, which is near the German border just south of Chodská Lhota, still lives in the hearts and minds of all people who respect human rights and have the will to fight for

about 3 miles from where the first name of "Blahník" is recorded and about 1/2 way between Klatovy and democratic ideals. This presentation discusses the creation of the concept, the mobilization of Czech

Domaţlice. Additionally, there is a "Blahníkova" street in Prague 3. Blahník is a distinctive name in Czech American communities in the United States and the Czech Republic, and how the project was funded. A 20-

history consisting of an esteemed body of esteemed Czech artists, musicians, play-rights, architects, minute video is available.

millers, and border guards. [Paper to be read by Anita Smisek, OP.]

Národní Sínĕ v Texasu: National Halls and Gathering Places in Texas (1880-1925)

Four Immigration Waves to Canada Retta Slavik Chandler, Texas Czech Heritage & Cultural Center, La Grange, Texas

Josef Čermák, President, Czech and Slovak Association of Canada, Toronto

This presentation provides an historical sketch of some of the first halls built in Texas in the period

If we do not count the Moravian Brethren, the first immigration wave started around the end of the from 1880 through 1925. Motivated by common interests and the desire to communicate and help each

19th century, very slowly in the beginning (a few miners in British Columbia), gaining momentum with other, these halls were built by the early Czech and German immigrants to Texas. The halls served as

th

settlements in Saskatchewan and Alberta, and becoming fairly steady in the first three decades of the 20 social gathering places for the community, and the ones to be presented are still in use today and serve the

century. Members of the next three immigration waves were largely refugees: in 1938–39, refugees from communities for numerous functions. In some cases the first halls were rebuilt or remodeled. Pictures

Hitler; in 1948, refugees from Communism; and in 1968, the exodus following the invasion of comparing the original to the hall today are included in this presentation.

Czechoslovakia by the Warsaw Pact Armies.

The Texas Czech Heritage & Cultural Center - La Grange main character to the level of national stereotype. It is the presenter‘s contention that Hašek‘s exploitation of

Retta Slavik Chandler, Texas Czech Heritage & Cultural Center, La Grange, Texas colloquial Czech with regard to characters, which he avoided in his earlier stories, in conjunction with the

narrator‘s literary Czech creates a sort of doubling of consciousness whereby the character of Josef Švejk

Spearheaded by a coalition of Czech-founded groups under the umbrella of Texans of Czech becomes a psychologically individualized.

Ancestry (TOCA), the story of the incorporation and progress of TCHCC to date is presented here. Also The presentation begins by placing Hašek‘s novel within the world literature of the period. The

included is the restoration of the Kalich House and the building of the Muziky, Muziky amphitheater, and the appearance of Švejk (1921-23) coincided with the peak of the genre or type of novel often referred to as the

goals and plans for the future development of the Center. Modern psychological novel. Authors such as James Joyce, Marcel Proust, and Virginia Woolf concentrated

almost exclusively on the human psyche. This is the point at which the European novel in general turned

Visual Documentation of Czech/Slovak Heritage in the Chicago Area inward to focus on the processes of human cognition. It is instructive to compare Švejk to this Modernist

Kyle Churness, Wheaton, Illinois psychological method. With Hašek‘s novel, we seem to be at the opposite end of the spectrum – the a-

psychological novel, if such a thing may be said to exist. Rather than a character individualized

The presentation gives a visual documentation of Czech/Slovak heritage in the Chicago area. This psychologically, we have one characterized by sociological situation. This involves an inevitable

includes the Pilsen neighborhood, the Cicero/Berwyn area, and other suburban towns. It focuses on generalizing process opening the way for allegory and sociologically illustrative characterization. In this

churches, notable restaurants, stores, and monuments. Included are images and information about Sokols, respect, we can see The Good Soldier Švejk as akin to novels such as Fielding‘s Tom Jones and

as well as the Bohemian National Cemetery. Information about significant historical personalities have been Cervantes‘ Don Quixote, wherein characters often serve as springboards for the narrator‘s unvarnished

incorporated as well. commentary on larger societal and world events.

Švejk, however, functions on a more psychological level. The relationship between the narrator

Czech Language Program at the University of Chicago and character here is crucial. Unlike in Hašek‘s earlier stories, in Švejk we find a clear discrepancy between

Steven Clancy, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois the discourses of character and narrator, creating a clear psychological divide between character and

narrator. The Good Soldier Švejk is not a psychological novel, and the main character seems to have no

This presentation discusses the Czech Language Program at the University of Chicago in the revealed psychological depth. Through a sort of narrative sleight of hand, however, Hašek creates the

context of their wider program offerings in Slavic Languages and Literatures. Currently, the university offers image of psychological depth of character only partially revealed.

two years of Czech language instruction with complementary courses in Czech literature, West Slavic

linguistics, and Cognitive Linguistics. They have an undergraduate major in Czech and an annual travel and Czech Immigration to South Dakota

study fellowship through the department‘s Prochazka Funds. Also discussed are the challenges of Michael A. Cwach, University of South Dakota, Vermillion, South Dakota

enrollment, curriculum design, and the implementation of technology in their language courses. Input and

suggestions from the panelists and participants are most welcome. Immigration to South Dakota is not unlike many states. There was both direct immigration from

Bohemia and Moravia and immigration from previously established Czech settlements in America. The first

th

Technological Approaches in the Czech Language Classroom known Czechs who spent some time in what is now South Dakota were two soldiers of the 6 Iowa Cavalry.

Steven Clancy, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois The first permanent settler who would come to the region (1867) was a man from Domaţlice, Jan Dufek.

But it was Frank Bem who led the first group of permanment settlers eventually to the Dakota Territory from

This talk provides a demonstration of technological materials used in conjunction with The Case Chicago in 1869. Later, the town of Tabor was established, and this served as a center of Czech activities

Book for Czech* as well as a sample of computer-based video listening comprehension exercises. The and when western South Dakota opened, Czechs settled there, too.

Case Book projects are each accompanied by CD-ROMs with electronic versions of the text, complete with Certainly, the most important work regarding Czech immigration to South Dakota can be found in

male and female native speaker recordings of all examples used in the book. The interactive exercises on the book published in 1920, Památní Kniha, Dějiny Čechův ve státu South Dakota (Memorial Book, History

the CD are set at elementary, intermediate, and advanced levels so as to be applicable in any Czech of the Czechs in the State of South Dakota) by Josef Dvořák. This book is the primary source of material for

course. The interactive exercises provide useful feedback to students as they work their way through the this paper.

materials in class or on their own.

The film, Lotrando a Zubejda, Zdeněk Sverák‘s musical adaptation of two of Čapek‘s tales, is well Two examples of Czech-Americans' Influence in American Popular Musical Culture

suited to an Elementary Czech course and complements the material covered in the most commonly used in the Early Twentieth-Century: Bohumír Kryl and J. S. Zámečník

Czech textbooks. The film is full of witty, but difficult songs and moderately paced dialogue, ideal for the Michael Cwach, University of South Dakota, Vermillion, South Dakota

first-year course. The computer interface makes it possible for students to watch the film clips multiple

times, to access parts of the script or lyrics to the songs, and to complete vocabulary and comprehension There are many peoples from all corners of the earth that have helped to shape popular music in

exercises. America. Two Czech-Americans – one born in Bohemia, the other born in America – added to America‘s

_______________ popular musical culture and entertainment while at the height of their careers.

*Sample chapters available at www.seelrc.org/casebooks. During the time of the ―Golden Age of Bands 1865-1915‖ (a period when nearly every town had a

band), one of the greatest figures of all that time was the cornet virtuoso and bandleader Bohumír Kryl, a

Narrative Abundance in Hašek’s The Good Soldier Švejk Czech born in Hořice by Hradec Králové. He arrived in America in 1889 and played the cornet with such

Craig Cravens, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas famous bands as Sousa and Innes. In 1906 Kryl formed his own band. He was a showman and a shrewd

businessman. Even named by some who knew him well as the ―robber baron of the music field.‖ Through

The paper is an examination of the narrative style of Jaroslav Hašek‘s novel in an attempt to his live performances, recordings, and self-promotion, he was certainly a personality that loomed large in

discover what makes The Good Soldier Švejk so different from the author‘s previous stories and elevates its

many respects. This presentation includes more details about his life and the playing of some cylinder avoid any consideration of the specific relationship between the literature and historiography of the Czech

recordings of Kryl and his band. Reformation and the Bohemian Enlightenment. He attributes the concern of the early awakeners with

The second half of the presentation includes a figure from the silent movie era. ―No one can deny sixteenth-century literature to a general interest in classicism and neo-Humanism during the Enlightenment.

that more good music is being heard in the motion picture houses than anywhere else in this country. These findings suggest the need to freshly examine the actual transmission of political and cultural

Where else can you hear orchestras of symphonic proportions playing the best music of the past and values over a gap of almost two centuries from the Bohemian Reformation to the national revival. The

present to the extent that it is heard in these theater?― This quote, from the composer of the music for the transfer could be traced through several channels, mainly (1) reprinting of sixteenth-century classics, (2)

first movie to win an Academy Award (Wings), is from a 1927 Metrome article about the Cleveland, Ohio- reproducing sixteenth-century writings in school and university textbooks, (3) celebrating Bohemian

born, Czech-American composer J.S. Zámečník. Like many young Czech-American musicians of the late Reformation in history and literature, and (4) embracing as a political program the historical rights of the pre-

19th century, Zámečník sought instruction in the ―old country.‖ There he took instruction from Antonín 1620 Bohemian state.

Dvořák in music composition. Eventually he returned to Cleveland and became the music director of the

new Hippodrome Theater. Later, he started to write and arrange music for the Cleveland based publisher Remarks on The Klácelka of Ţelizy and on It’s Mentor, František Matouš Klácel

Sam Fox. His output was quite large, and after the demise of the silent film industry he turned to writing for Stacey B. Day, World Health Organization, Chestnut Ridge, New York

public school bands. The presentation includes a more complete picture of J.S Zámečník, including

samples of his music. In 1845 the sculptor Václav Levý carved the cave and adjacent statues (Ţiţka, Prokop Holý,

Hussite Warriors) and named it the Klácelka, in honor of František Klácel. Levý and Klácel were under the

The Relevance of Václav Havel for American Undergraduates patronage of Baron Veith who was then setting up Slavín in the same forest of Ţelizy. This was to be a

David S. Danaher, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin Valhalla of monuments extolling mythological and ancestral forebears of the Czech Nation. Thus the

Klácelka was a shrine establishing ―patriotism‖ and ―national unity.‖ Here Klácel met with men like the

This paper discusses undergraduate reactions to Havel‘s writing in a literature-in-translation course painters Navrátil, Q. Mánes, and the priests Čermák and Bolzano. These men were undoubtedly aware of

taught at the University of Wisconsin-Madison during fall semester 2002. The course was entitled: ―The the spreading national sentiment and were influenced by the ―free-thinking‖ of the French Revolution. They

Writings of Václav Havel: Critique of Modern Society.‖ Twenty-three students enrolled, twenty-two of whom were part of the ―mind‖ that anticipated the conflagrations that broke out all over Europe in 1848.

were undergraduates; of the twenty-two, most were first-year students who had little to no prior knowledge This short paper discusses the symbolism of the Klácelka theme, harkening back to protestant

of Havel. The course challenged students to test Havel‘s own hypothesis regarding the relationship between memory of the Hussite Wars. The Hapsburg monarchy had increasingly obliterated the Czech language;

the post-totalitarian East and the post-democratic West. In this regard, Havel wrote that communist society germanization of the population was increasing; policy had made the Czechs a subservient people not to be

represented ―an inflated caricature of modern life in general‖ and that the experiences of those who lived granted ―nationhood.‖

under communism ―stand as a kind of warning to the West, revealing to it its own latent tendencies.‖ Klácel, then in Holy Orders, sought to face down this ―power structure,‖ the presenter believes, by

Students were required – in class discussions of the texts (dissident essays, plays, speeches), in their own founding his Czech-Moravian Brotherhood and establishing his philosophy of ―humanism‖ – Vesměrnost.

―Open Letters‖, and in informal reaction journals – to translate Havel‘s analysis of the post-totalitarian He attracted to his group such persons as the physician Jan Helcelet, Boţena Němcová, Veronika

system into contemporary American terms. This paper reports on the student reactions during the course Vrbíková, and others.

and presents a judgment on the relevancy of Havel‘s thought for American undergraduates today. In discussing this theme the presenter‘s position is that the 1845-1848 events molded Klácel. He

does not see Klácel as a “utopian idealist dreamer” but as a genuine thinker expressing the Slavic spirit,

Czech National Awakening and the Bohemian Reformation in Recent Historiography facing the absolute power of Vienna – Church and Emperor – German over Slav, and, of course, failing.

Zdenĕk V. David, Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, Washington, D.C. This was the spiritual strength that he brought to America. Had his destiny been different, had he had some

English background support, the Eastern American (New England) establishment might have heeded his

A perennial problem in Czech historiography has involved the relationship between modern Czech teaching. As it was, in the exuberant and difficult pioneering life of the Mid West, he was probably more in

political culture, which emerged in the nineteenth century, and the Bohemian Reformation of the fifteenth exile in his new country than had he been in the Czech Lands. This session deals only with this aspect of

and sixteenth centuries, and how to deal with the awkward 1620-1780 intermezzo of the Counter one who was, the presenter believes, quite a remarkable man.

Reformation. Traditionally, the two divergent viewpoints on this relationship were defined by Thomas

Masaryk, who postulated a disruption in the Czech intellectual life between the sixteenth century and the Martinů’s Arrival in America: Three Piano Pieces from 1941

Enlightenment, and by Josef Pekař, who sought to integrate the Counter Reformation into a seamless web Erik Entwistle, Cambridge, Massachusetts

of a continuous cultural development. Masaryk viewed the ideological content of the awakening as liberal

and universal, Pekař as ethnic and national. Three short, virtually unknown piano pieces, occasional works written during the Martinů‘s first

The paper is concerned with recent literature dealing with the Czech national awakening, its months in America as a refugee from war-torn Europe, provide a fascinating window into the composer‘s

sources, character, and objectives. It surveys the leading treatments on the topic in Czech, English, circumstances and state of mind. The haunting Mazurka, Martinů‘s first composition written on American

Russian and German: Hugh L. Agnew, Origins of the Czech National Renascence (1993); Josef Haubelt, soil, contains symbolic references to a past life forever lost, while its closing bars signal hope for the future.

České osvícenství (1986); Josef Kočí, České národní obrození (1978); Alexandr S. Myl‘nikov, Vznik národní Here the historical context is critical to understanding and interpreting the work. In Dumka No. 3 Martinů

osvícenské ideologie v českých zemích: Prameny národního obrození (1974); and a Russian language incorporates motives from his tragic dream-opera Julietta, as he did in the Mazurka, but with very different

version, Epokha Prosveshcheniia v cheshskikh zemliakh: Ideologiia natsional’noe samosoznanie, kul’tura expressive results. The last of the three, Merry Christmas 1941, is the most apparently optimistic. Its

(1977); Walter Schamschula, Die Anfänge der tschechischen Erneuerung und das deutsche Geistesleben, rhythms are fully characteristic and the simple ternary form contrasts joy with nostalgia in a pattern typical of

1740-1800 (1973); and Bedřich Slavík, Od Dobnera k Dobrovskému (1975). The survey finds that existing the composer‘s lighter works. Taken together, these three works underscore certain fundamental aspects of

literature has paid scant attention to the link between the sixteenth-century Utraquist culture and the Martinů‘s aesthetic, significantly in evidence during this critical time in the composer‘s life.

national awakening. Schamschula‘s voluminous work of impeccable scholarship, for instance, manages to

Wilber, Nebraska: A Czech Community and Its Accomplishments Holocaust and lesser-known genocides in Europe, she had several opportunities to visit Prague the week

John Fiala, Chadron State College & La Salle Law School, Lincoln, Nebraska preceding and including Easter. In Prague, she found that the people of the Czech Republic had

experienced two profound genocides: the first at the hands of the Nazis and the second, a cultural genocide

In the state of Nebraska exists a unique and quaint Czech-American community that was founded and ethnic cleansing, at the hands of the Communists. To her pleasant surprise, when visiting a research

and settled in 1870 by the geologist and educator Charles Wilber. By proclamation of the State of Nebraska scientist's family in Prague, the author found that her experiences beginning in Grandma Svoboda's (her

legislature in 1963 and the United States Congress in 1987, it is the Czech Capital of both Nebraska and fiance's paternal grandmother) kitchen, near Muscatine, Iowa, twenty years earlier provided some

the United States (in fact, Nebraska and Texas are the only states with a state organization that governs unexpected cultural links. The author shares how she and the researcher explored opportunities to

their statewide chapters). Of all the states, Nebraska has the highest percentage of citizens of Czech experience the changes in the city. More importantly, however, while cooking together in Grandma's kitchen

descent. In Wilber, cultural preservation is a high priority. Visitors to this Czech community are fascinated by in Prague, they found a small way to begin to restore a cultural tradition and sense of cultural identity and

its ethnic character. The atmosphere and environment of the Wilber community stirs the hearts and souls of belonging once lost to both of them.

visitors from all over America and the world.

Here are some key facts and features of Wilber, Nebraska: it‘s the healthiest spot in America The Czech Influence in Cuba, Kansas

based on people's longevity; its sister city is Telč in Čechy; the Wilber Czech Festival is rated one of the Nelson Havel, Czech & Slovak Society of Oregon, Sherwood, Oregon

best 100 festivals in the United States; and it‘s been the home of the Miss Czech-Slovak USA Pageant for

the past 16 years. The vision for Wilber by its citizens is continued camaraderie and togetherness for the This presentation discusses Czech settlement in and around the small town of Cuba, Kansas and

perpetuation of Czech heritage, culture, and traditions. focuses on hardships the presenter‘s ancestors overcame after immigrating, as well as the presenter‘s

personal memories of living on the Great Plains as a child.

Czech Nebraska and Dr. Vladimír Kučera

Aaron Freeman, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, Nebraska Trafficking of Women and Children with a Special Focus on

Eastern Europe and the Czech Republic

Dr. Kučera came to Nebraska in the 1950s as a refugee after the 1948 Communist coup in Lois Herman, SVU Committee on Women’s Rights, Minneapolis, Minnesota

Czechoslovakia. Before 1948, he was an active journalist in Brno. Very soon after his arrival he became

involved in the organization of the Czech ethnic life in Nebraska. After the death of Professor Orin Trafficking of women and children is an international phenomenon. Trafficking is officially defined

Štěpánek, he got involved in the teaching of Czech language and culture at the University of Nebraska and as the transport of human beings for the purpose of any form of forced labor in any labor sector. Victims of

in several state community colleges. This paper deals with the life of Dr. Kučera and publications he trafficking are often promised high paying jobs, only to find themselves coerced into the sex industry. These

prepared for the Czech culture classes in a ―class notes format‖ that are deposited in the Love Library phenomena are looked at in more detail and also what is being done to combat it. (Paper developed by Lois

Archives. (Within the U.S., the UNL library has the second largest collection of periodicals and other Herman; read by Mary Douglas Swoboda.)

archives dealing with Czechs in North America.)



Czech Studies at Princeton University Genesis of an Academic Program in the Czech and Slovak Republics

Mirjam Fried and Charles Townsend, Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey for a 4-Year Liberal Arts College

Norma Hervey, Luther College, Decorah, Iowa

The Slavic Department at Princeton University has been putting a lot of energy into developing

Czech Studies as a distinct component of the regular departmental curriculum. This effort is part of the The development and evaluation of an academic program in Central Europe at a small private

university-wide Central European Initiative and so far has enjoyed enthusiastic support from the liberal arts college is the focus. It is a different challenge than that of universities.

administration. The core of the program rests on two courses, currently offered in two-year cycles: first and

second-year Czech language courses and a freshmen seminar on Czech and Central European culture.

This year, Elementary Czech is taught for the first time as a 5-hour-per-week course, and completion of the German Settlement in Bohemia and Moravia

two-year series has been approved for satisfying the university's foreign language requirement. The culture Karen Hobbs, Independent Scholar, Colorado Springs, CO

seminar was offered in the spring of 2002 for the first time and drew a very positive response both from the

students and the university administration. This presentation starts with a short summary of Germanic people who once lived in Bohemia and

The program also incorporates a number of other courses which are taught more or less regularly Moravia and then covers the Monastic settlements invited in during the 970s through about the 13th

at other departments (Comparative Literature, History, Jewish Studies, etc.) and address specific topics Century, Bohemia's takeover of the German Egerland, and, if there is time, the immigrations after the 30

connected to Czech culture and history, such as The East European Novel of the 20th Century; From years‘ war.

Prague to Constantinople: The Making of Eastern Europe; History and Film of East Central Europe in 1945-

1989; European Intellectuals and Politics in the 20th Century.

Historical Markers Honor Thomas Garrigue Masaryk

Following a Czech Tradition from an Iowa Kitchen to Prague and Back Carol Hochman, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Jaclyn (Svoboda) Gisburne, Lincoln, NE

Pennsylvania's historical marker program, established in 1946, honors people, places, and events

This paper shares the author's experiences of being invited to share Czech culture, traditions, and significant in state and national history with blue and gold markers located along highways and city streets.

sense of belonging. The author shares how, while working in Berlin from 1994-1996, researching the Recently, two historic markers were dedicated to the efforts of Thomas Garrigue Masaryk to establish a free

and independent Czechoslovakia. The markers honor Professor Masaryk‘s participation in the signing of the operated a furniture store and worked as a carpenter and cabinetmaker. With the exception of three years

Pittsburgh Agreement and a speech he gave at Independence Hall in Philadelphia on October 26, 1918. in Missouri, he spent the rest of his life in the Spillville vicinity until his death in 1929.

Some of the details of T.G. Masaryk‘s visit to Pennsylvania, as recorded in the 1933 publication American It is not known where Andera received his training as a cabinet maker or where he got the financial

Slovaks and the Evolution of the Czechoslovak Concept written by Milan A Getting, are shared in this resources to open a furniture store. Even more mysterious is where he learned his subsidiary skills as a

session. photographer and a designer of cast iron grave marker crosses – perhaps he needed supplementary

income to support his wife and ten children. In 1893, Andera took a portrait of Antonín Dvořák when the

With Service to Locate Community Comes Link to Surname in Slovakia famous composer spent the summer in Spillville, and after the birth of each of his children he took a new

Joseph J. Hornack, SLRP Founder/Director, Slovak Institute, Vice President, Cleveland, Ohio family group photograph with himself included. His daughter reported that he devised a remote control

apparatus that would trip the shutter after he returned to his seat in the posed arrangement.

In conducting individual genealogical research, there should be a single sheet Pedigree Chart More remarkable than any of the above-mentioned skills were the beautiful grave marker crosses

created by the researcher for his or her own use to distribute when trying to link with someone having a that he designed and produced from 1875 until his death. Literally thousands of these crosses were made

surname in common. This chart should start with dates and places about the researcher and then go back and sold across the United States, from Texas to North Dakota to New York. Andera has at least seven

to parents, grandparents, great-grandparents and finally great-great grandparents. This is your standard different patterns of crosses, six styles of bases, and several alternative ornamentations on the body of the

five-generation chart, which has the potential of showing 16 different surnames when completed, all on one crosses. The crosses were cast of an alloy so strong that, more than a hundred years after installation,

page. Mothers who give birth should be identified on this Pedigree Chart only by their original surname, not corrosion is a slight problem. Andera'a crosses are works of artistic beauty and lasting memorials for the

their married name. Czech people whose graves they mark.

For those who were born or have died in Slovakia, community of birth on this chart is the most

important information when trying to connect with other distant relations, along with those important dates

and religious faith. This was the presenter‘s starting idea in 1984 after completing a Pedigree Chart that Wisconsin Slovaks

applied to his children. The Slovakia-Surname Location Reference Project (SLRP) started sharing this John J. Hosmanek, Editor, Wisconsin Slovak, Pleasant Prairie, Wisconsin

concept to readers of Slovak publications in North America, promising a service to locate a community in

Slovakia today, but sometimes only providing an outdated community title. The SLRP then developed a Slovak immigration to Wisconsin was relatively late, but the State attracted 50,000 Slovaks; only

database with updated information from those receiving its service, and today this can be found on the six other states attracted a greater number. Many of the immigrants to southeastern Wisconsin came from

presenter‘s Institute website and in a booklet that they sell. cities and villages in the western part of Slovakia, in a broad area along the Moravian border – stretching

The computer era has helped speed the processing of questions between the SLRP and those northward from Bratislava (35 miles from Vienna) to cities such as Trenčín and Ţilina near the Tatra

making queries of their Slovak roots. Regular mail and publications proved to be far too slow and costly. Mountains, which form a natural boundary between present-day Slovakia and Poland.

The Institute has geared its work to an English speaking audience and, when needed, has contacts living in Unskilled industrial jobs, mainly in southeastern Wisconsin, attracted the immigrants, with a good

Slovakia who can work with clients in English. All this is done electronically by e-mail and through websites. representation of farmers, tradesmen, and entrepreneurs in many other areas of Wisconsin. Today, among

many of the descendants of the Slovak immigrants the customs and traditions are maintained, and with

educational opportunities many have entered the professions and skilled trades. A number of clubs and

Prolific Writers, Duplicate Book Inventory, and Notables File: societies continue their activities, and the Wisconsin Slovak Historical Society is one of the largest with

Work in Progress in Cleveland more than 800 members.

Joseph J. Hornack, SLRP Founder/Director, Slovak Institute, Vice President, Cleveland, Ohio



The Slovak Institute has been located in Cleveland Ohio since 1954 and in that time it has seen to Support for the Czech Reforms, Economic Experiences, and Additional Burdens

the publishing of numerous books and periodicals. At the same time it has benefited by receiving other Joseph Hraba and Frederick O. Lorenz, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa

materials, accumulated or published, by Slovaks in America as well as those produced by institutions such

as those located in Trnava (SSV), Martin (MS), and Rome Italy (SI), just to name a few. This has created an Czechs experiencing economic strain soured on both the political and market reforms while those

inventory that in the past year is again being put in manageable order. Aging has started to take its toll on doing well remained positive. Stress-distress research in the country shows that economic strain creates

paper that was originally used in the printing and this is an issue that soon needs to be faced because even additional burdens as well. Do these social burdens also impact Czechs‘ support for the market reforms

just the handling requires much care. along with economic strain? The question was asked with two data sets, eleven repeated surveys 1990-

Over the years many notables directly or indirectly have left their mark in the Cleveland Slovak 1998, and a four-wave panel 1994-1999 in the Czech Republic. Consistent with transition research, the

community, and beyond. They were journalists, translators, poets, architects, political figures, professionals presenters found a connection between market support, demographic characteristics, economic standing,

in many fields and just plain doers. It is our current attempt to try to give an unbiased view of these and economic strain with both data sets. The panel study enabled the presenters to then include additional

individuals/organizations/parishes in the files we are building. burdens, job and family problems, as well as panel members‘ personal/social resources, health, mastery

and social support. Additional burdens were not related to market support. Among the resources, only self-

Charles Andera’s Gravemarker Crosses reported health was related to market support. The results suggest that the effects of additional burdens do

Loren N. Horton, State Historical Society of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa not extend to attitudes about post-communist economic reforms. (This research was supported by NIMH

(Grant 50369) and a NATO Collaborative Research Grant.)

Charles Andera immigrated to North America in 1862 with his parents, and the family settled in

Winneshiek County, Iowa. After his marriage in 1875 he settled in the small village of Spillville where he

st

Using 21 Century Technology for Genealogy Research

Daniel Hrna, Chairman, Board of Trustees, Czech Heritage Society of Texas, Houston, Texas Czech Language Studies at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill

Laura Janda, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, North Carolina

The paper will trace the evolution of genealogy research from tombstones to today‘s DNA

searches and discuss techniques used to locate and establish contact with living relatives based upon This presentation discusses how interest in Czech studies can be fostered on an American

available data on the Internet and laboratory examinations. campus, focusing particularly on integration of heritage students into this community, the use of study

abroad options, and affiliations with music, theater, and art departments.



What is Meant Having the First Slovak Institute The Dative Case in Czech: What it Means and How si Fits In

Formed Outside the Homeland in 1952 Laura Janda, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, North Carolina

Andrew F. Hudak, Jr., Director, Slovak Institute of Cleveland, Cleveland, Ohio

This talk examines the meaning of the dative case in Czech that integrates all uses into a single

coherent metaphorical model. Also discussed is how the dative can be taught using The Case Book for

The Slovak Institute of Cleveland was founded as the Slovak Library in 1932 with a donation of Czech, which is available on the web at www.seelrc.org. The dative clitic pronoun si plays a very important

approximately 800 books. In 1952, the name was changed from the Slovak Library to the Slovak Institute. role in Czech (often overlooked in textbooks), and it is fully integrated into the meaning system of the dative

The Institute united about 80 exiled Slovak writers, poets, and historians living in the US, and the Slovak case. Also addressed is the use of authentic material in teaching; all examples in The Case Book for Czech

government in exile gathered at the Institute for their meetings. Published at the Institute was Most, a involve authentic material.

cultural magazine, Slovenské noviny (a Cleveland Slovak weekly newspaper), and the Ave Maria, and,

together with the Slovak Institute in Rome, over 600 books and journals were jointly published. These Selective Laser Trabeculoplasty and Glaucoma

Institutes provided cultural guidance, supplied public speakers, and hosted radio programs in Cleveland and Lawrence F. Jindra, Floral Park, New York

from the Vatican.

The Slovak Institute of Cleveland is now the repository for approximately 12,000 books; its Discussion of glaucoma and a novel treatment method (Selective Laser Trabeculoplasty) is

archives include files on several hundred Slovak personalities (writers, historians, politicians, poets, etc.) in presented, including a clinical trial of patients treated with SLT.

Slovakia, the US, and around the world. The "wall of fame" in the Institute features dozens of pictures,

portraits, and paintings of famous Slovak political and cultural leaders, writers, and historians. On display Experiences of a Czech-American Infantryman on Omaha Beach on D-Day, June 6, 1944

are many Slovak costumes (kroje), artifacts, ceramics, and woodcarvings. The Slovak Institute keeps in Leonard Jindra, Floral Park, New York

close contact with its country of heritage and Slovakia's cultural institutions, including the Ministry of Culture,

Matica Slovenská, and Spolok Sv. Vojtecha. A genealogy department was established within the Slovak This presentation describes the presenter‘s experiences during the landing at Omaha Beach on D-

Institute and is headed by Joseph J. Hornack, who has helped many people reconnect with their roots and th

Day, June 6, 1944. Leonard Jindra served in the 29 Division as a rifleman in World War II. He will also

reestablish ties with family members back in "the old country." discuss his meeting at the end of World War II with some of the Czechoslovakian servicemen who held

The presenter warmly invites you to visit the Slovak Institute of Cleveland at 10510 Buckeye Road; Dunkirk. The presentation will end with observations about his visit to Omaha Beach in 1999, fifty-five years

Cleveland, Ohio 44104. Their telephone is (216) 721-5300, ext.294. They are open to the public Monday- after the D-Day invasion.

Friday from 10am-3pm or by special appointment. You may also visit their website at

www.slovakinstitute.com. Women in the Sokol Movement

Otilia M. Kabes, Washington, D.C.

Bohemian Day, Waco, Texas, 1910 This lecture focuses on the birth of the Sokol movement in the mid-nineteenth century and its

Robert Janak, Czech Heritage Society of Texas, Beaumont, Texas general patriotic program and gradual development. The movement coincided with the growing awareness

of the key importance of women in society and their claim to fair recognition and participation in a men's

On November 15, 1910, the Czechs of Texas participated in a manifestation of national identity. world. It was not an easy task and took some time before women were considered equal partners,

The occasion was the reopening of the Cotton Palace, an exposition center in Waco. For two weeks, particularly in the organization of the famous international gatherings called Slet. The related problems and

individual days were dedicated to different groups and organizations in Waco. Activities included parades, ultimate success were described in a book by Marie Provazníková, the outstanding female figure in the

concerts and exhibits. Two particular days were dedicated to Texas ethnic groups: the Czechs and the Sokol movement, whose life covered an entire century. This subject should be interesting to an audience in

Germans. Bohemian Day was held on November 15. It was estimated that five to six thousand Czechs from the American heartland, where Sokol groups are vigorously active.

all parts of the state descended on Waco on that day. Entire trainloads of Czechs arrived in the city. There

was a parade through the city with floats depicting events in Czech history, with Sokols and bands, and with Czechs, Slovaks, and Americans During the Cold War

thousands of Czechs who had come to Waco marching along. The parade was followed by speeches and Dr. Vladimir M. Kabes, V. M. Kabes International Consultants, Washington, D.C.

entertainment at the exposition center, as well as a display of artifacts and handicrafts. Bohemian Day was

remarkable in that it brought together people from every segment and area of Czech Texas. What is more, it From the Czech and Slovak point of view, the Cold War started with the coup of Prague in

established a system of networking that was to prove invaluable six years later when the same community February 1948. It was then that president Harry Truman summoned the Czechoslovak Ambassador and

organized into units of the Czech National Alliance to work towards the establishment of an independent administered a tongue-lashing on the American disapproval of that action. In 1968, President Lyndon

Czechoslovakia. Johnson avoided even a verbal confrontation over the Soviet-bloc invasion of Czechoslovakia. Another

twenty years later, President George Bush endorsed the Civic Forum Movement, while the foreign affairs teacher (both of Czech language and American citizenship), an editor of the Cedar Rapids Listy, and a

establishment would have favored Dubček over Havel at the helm of the renascent democracy. On the member of the Hus Memorial Presbyterian Church, the Czech reading society and Karci Lodge No. 4 of the

Czechoslovak front, the united approach to the struggle against Soviet rule was affected by strong remnants Západní Česko-Bratrská Jednota.

of the wartime Slovak state, centered in Canada, and focused on the ultimate separation of the two The presenter discusses what she knows of her great-grandfather, Czech institutions in Cedar

components of the common country. On the eve of the fall of the communist regime, there was no full Rapids, and how they (and he) fit into the history of Czechs in America.

agreement on the future velvet revolution's political course, with some exile political theorists still playing

with the idea of a continued, though restrained, Soviet presence in the liberalized former satellites, the The Spillville of A. Dvořák’s Sojourn and Inspirations for the "American"

argument being a concern over a possible excessive influence of a reunited Germany in the Central Cyril M. Klimesh and Michael F. Klimesh, Spillville, Iowa

European region.

The seeds of Spielville (Spillville) were planted in 1848 when Joseph Spielman visited the area in

Czech Language Instruction for Czechs in America search of new land to settle. That Spielville should become a predominantly Czech/Bohemian community

Radan Kapucián, Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic (as settlement picked up in 1855/56) and, among other things, inspiration for the Great Czech Composer,

Antonín Dvořák, in 1893, is one of the pleasant twists of fate, luck and chance in history - as you shall see.

This paper deals with a new project for Czech language instruction, directed towards Czechs in This presentation covers, primarily, early events in the town history to around 1900 (the first third of

America. It is assumed that the majority of these Czechs have a rather passive level of knowledge, and the life of Spillville), as well as the visit of Antonín Dvořák. The early days were hard but successful. Settlers

therefore the lessons are constructed in the spirit of Jan Amos Komenský, so that the materials could be came, and some stayed. Homes, business, farms, and churches were established and developed. In the

understood with the help of descriptive illustrations. The presenter is very interested in the presentation not 1870's the town reached a population of nearly 400 souls, from which it has not diminished to this day. An

only of themes that have been prepared but in themes that are asked for by the Czech-Americans during ethnic solidarity, sprinkled with some diversity, resulted in a community of customs, language, feeling, spirit,

the planning and preparation of the course. necessity, capability, music, art and craftsmanship that set the stage for those special and unique

Included is an overview of the themes that have been directed to the presenter‘s previous characteristics and features for which Spillville is, and long will be, remembered. For a small town (or, for

students. For example, motives of the bandit in Czech and world literatures, an explanation of Czech that matter, any town), Spillville must be among the richest, most pleasant and blessed places on earth.

sayings accompanied by a humorous commentary, Czech popular songs that involve movement, and an There is no other place in the universe like Spillville.

introduction to Czech by Pajsduláček the Bohemian.



High-tech Czech: Technology and Teaching and Learning Czech Language and Culture The Home of John J. Kovarik: “Home” to Opus 96, Spillville, Iowa

Anne Keown, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, North Carolina Steven A. Klimesh, Spillville, Iowa



This presentation demonstrates the Czech language resources site the presenter has been This paper deals with a building constructed in 1871 and the people that occupied it over the next

developing while working at Duke University - University of North Carolina Slavic and East European 130 years. It is most probably the oldest Catholic Czech parochial school in the United States. It served as

Language Resource Center (SEELRC), with funding from Title VI of the U.S. Department of Education. The the home of J. J. Kovarik and his son Joseph Kovarik. J. J. was an accomplished musician and taught the

site (http://www.seelrc.org/langres/czech.php), which is still under construction, contains useful links to web children of the Saint Wenceslaus Parish for 25 years. Joseph was also an accomplished musician, served

pages on, among other topics, Czech culture, media, education, and language. There is also an online as personal secretary to Antonín Dvořák and was instrumental in bringing Antonín Dvořák and his family to

Czech grammar, a word-a-day calendar, a clearinghouse for Czech teaching materials donated by Czech Spillville in 1893. It is the building where Dvořák and the Kovariks first performed Opus 96 and Opus 97;

teachers around the country, and various interactive Czech language games. The site is intended for use both works composed by Dvořák while in Spillville. After 1900, the building served as a residence convent

not only by Czech teachers but also by students of Czech who might not otherwise have easy access to for the teaching nuns in Spillville and served as a boarding residence for the farm children that were

interactive materials for using and improving their Czech. schooled in the catholic school in Spillville.

Also discussed is how to implement technology in a ―traditional‖ university-level Czech class that

meets three hours per week. The presenter‘s own experience both learning Czech as an adult and teaching

second-year Czech has taught her that three contact hours per week does not provide nearly enough From a Sentence to a Paragraph: Developing Students' Communication

exposure to the language. Assigning homework that involves the Internet or email is one way for teachers to Skills in a Beginning Czech Class

increase students‘ exposure to ―real‖ Czech outside the classroom. In the classroom, film and music, as well Katya Koubek, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, Nebraska

as the Internet, can provide excellent opportunities for students to practice listening comprehension as well

as to undertake analysis of the spoken language. Thus, discussed are various technologies to increase Since the movement toward standards in foreign languages, the teaching profession has been

students‘ exposure to ―real‖ Czech inside and outside the classroom, as well the benefits and pitfalls faced with a new task: to reexamine communication previously seen as four separate skills: speaking,

involved in trying to integrate technology into language teaching. reading, listening, and writing. In light of these standards, communication has become a pivotal element in a

truly communicative language classroom. The skills and the modes of communication, such as interpretive,

John Stepan (Jan Štĕpán) and Czechs in Cedar Rapids interpersonal, and presentational, are integrated as students interact with written and oral texts and with one

Anne Keown, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, North Carolina another.

This paper presents an overview of activities, student products, and techniques used to develop

This paper represents the beginning of genealogical research the presenter hopes to undertake on students' communicative skills in a beginning Czech class. The emphasis is placed on integration of

her great-grandfather, Jan C. Štĕpán, who emigrated from Chleb, Bohemia to Chicago in 1889. Eventually authentic materials and culture in order to create a classroom environment that is conducive to language

he settled in Cedar Rapids, where he was actively involved in the Czech community for 45 years as a proficiency. [Paper to be read by Layne Pierce.]

Keep Your Town Alive – Czechwise cultural projects of the Czech related Non Government Organization‘s (NGO) abroad amounts to USD

Jean Lamp, Nebraska Czechs of York, York, Nebraska $300,000 a year. More than USD $300,000 a year is paid to similar NGO‘s registered and seated in the

Czech Republic. The Ministry supports preserving the Czech national heritage abroad, provides assistance

―How can I preserve and promote my Czech heritage in my town and community?‖ to Czech communities in less developed regions (e.g., in Southeastern and Eastern Europe), offers

Come, find out. This could be adapted to any nationality. Don't take your heritage for granted. scholarships and educational programs aimed at improving the knowledge of Czech language, culture and

Remember: The key word is "I." history, sends Czech teachers to Czech communities abroad, etc.



A Question of Acculturation: What is “Czech Music” in America?

Collecting and Interpreting Czech and Slovak Art Forms in America Judith Mabary, Marywood University, Scranton, Pennsylvania

Carmen Langel, Curator, National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library, Cedar Rapids, Iowa

In recent years, acquainting students with world music has been a primary concern at elementary,

The mission of the National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library (NCSML) is to be this nation‘s secondary, and university levels. And yet, what is world music? Are educators attempting to teach the

preeminent institution dedicated to collecting, preserving, and interpreting Czech and Slovak history and ―authentic‖ music of a culture? Or is even the task of finding an authentic music an exercise in futility?

culture. The NCSML has encountered a host of challenges as it strives to attain this goal. For example, how Whatever the culture, music is a product of numerous influences from within and outside the

does an institution grow beyond ―expected‖ interpretations of folk art to a fuller interpretation that includes a population in question. When immigrants enter another environment, the pressures to conform are even

broad range of art forms? What constitutes ―authentic‖ Czech or Slovak art in this country? Do traditions greater, resulting in marked acculturation, a combination of foreign cultural influences and the traditions of

that have been passed down in Czech- and Slovak-American communities still reflect Old World culture? the immigrant population, not only in terms of music but in many other aspects of their lives as well.

Langel‘s presentation will explore questions in the preservation and interpretation of Czech and In light of this premise of acculturation – whatever the population – how has Czech music altered

Slovak art, history, and culture as encountered by the National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library. itself to acclimate to a new home in the United States? As a consequence of acculturation and the pressure

to conform, has a stereotype of Czech music resulted that mirrors only a small portion of the original culture

(i.e., the polka as representative of folk music and for classical music, Dvořák‘s “From the New World” and

Some Mental Health Facts in Fiction Smetana‘s Moldau, the name itself an exercise in pseudo authenticity as the German translation of the true

Martha Peaslee Levine, Middletown, Pennsylvania name Vltava)? This paper perhaps raises more questions than it answers by investigating the stereotype of

Czech music and whether or not the task to retain a real or imagined Czech uniqueness and separatism

Medicine and fiction have often been entwined. We can find mysteries in which serial killers are should be abandoned in a world focused both on diversity and internationalization.

profiled and lyrical narratives in which characters‘ psyches are plumbed. Physicians have often sought an

understanding of man not only through clinical medicine, but also through creative writing. William Carlos Czech and Slovak News...in English

Williams found poetry from his practice and his patients. Walker Percy, while not a practicing physician, Jerry Machalek, Czech & Slovak Connections, Minneapolis, Minnesota

brought the same intense observation and intuition used in clinics and medical wards to his characters and

manuscripts. The presenter reports on the founding of the publication, Czech & Slovak Connections

Even when looking at fiction crafted by authors who have no medical training, we see psychiatric Clearinghouse, in the very early 1990‘s when the impact of the collapse of communism in central Europe

disorders creep through the narrative. When novels recreate life and offer a deeper view of the world began to register on those living in the Twin Cities who remembered their ―roots‖ in Czechoslovakia.

around us, how can mental illness not make an appearance? Many individuals suffer either directly or The earliest stage was to meet and talk with mostly strangers whose last names identified their

indirectly from the ravages of these emotional disorders. likely origins. Quickly these meetings grew into more formal gatherings with food and drink and sometimes

We can clearly understand the plight of Mr. Shimerda as he descends into depression and dance and music.

subsequent suicide in the gray, snow-filled Nebraska plains in Willa Cather‘s novel, My Ántonia. Sheri It eventually became obvious to the presenter – a former magazine publisher – that there was

Reynolds, in Bitterroot Landing, takes us on a powerful road of abuse and self-mutilation as Jael finally enough ―hunger‖ for current information from that land that a printed version of what they were sharing in

scrambles out of the depths of her pain and finds the rocky path to hope and recovery. their conversations would be of high interest. This publication became an instant reality very dependent on

In recent young adult fiction, depression, self-mutilation, abuse, and psychotherapy are often the introduction and rise of new technologies centering on the Internet. And also the services of superb

explored. This can be helpful when it provides young readers with a sense of connection and deeper news reporters such as Radio Free Europe and Radio Prague both based in Prague.

understanding. But do these works of fiction offer an accurate or distorted view of mental illness? Are the This marked the introduction of Czech & Slovak Connections Clearinghouse. It was originally

expectations of therapy enhanced or hindered in these volumes? mailed to about 100 folks in the immediate Twin Cities area, most of whom had demonstrated their interest

The fields of medicine and fiction are huge. The roads in which they intersect are many. This talk by attending small gatherings. The word got around rather quickly, and, in a year or so, the circulation had

will explore some of those paths. expanded to several hundred subscribers located well outside Minnesota‘s boundaries. It was evident that

there was a growing serious interest in what was happening in those lands across the sea, and nearly ten

years later that interest is now being served in all 50 states.

st

Supporting Czechs Abroad: The Role of Ministry of Foreign Affairs Department As of March 1 of this year, this growth and the presenter‘s own personal circumstances led to a

for Cultural Relations and Czechs Living Abroad new home for the publication in Chicago with the CSA Fraternal Life Association. And under their direction,

Zdeněk Lyčka, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic, Prague there is now a bright new vision for the future of the publication.



This presentation includes a brief overview of financial and other support given by the Czech

Ministry of Foreign Affairs to Czechs living abroad and their organizations. Financial contribution to various

Readings from A Letter to Wollongong A National Resource: The National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library

Honorable Jaroslava Moserová, Senator, Parliament of the Czech Republic, Prague Gail Naughton, President/CEO, National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library, Cedar Rapids, IA



A Letter to Wollongong is a one-actor play written by Dr. Jaroslava Moserová in Australia, The National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library (NCSML) has grown from the original local

dedicated to Czech exiles. It was produced on stage in London, New York, South Africa, Sweden, heritage museum started in 1974 to national recognition as the preeminent institution in the United States

Switzerland, and other countries. The author of the play had an author‘s reading in the Library of Congress collecting, preserving, interpreting, and exhibiting Czech and Slovak history and culture. In 2002, 30,000

and also a reading during one of the SVU World Congresses. persons from 34 states and 5 foreign countries walked through the doors of the museum, attending over

100 different programs and events. The museum and library provides professionally curated and designed

Women in the Reinstated Democracies exhibits: a permanent exhibit of the history of Czech and Slovaks from the days of Slavic tribes entering

Honorable Jaroslava Moserová, Senator, Parliament of the Czech Republic, Prague Central Europe through the Velvet Divorce; and a variety of temporary exhibits throughout the year,

including such topics as Czech manufactured cars and motorcycles, famous Czech- and Slovak-Americans,

The development of our reborn democracy suffers still from the ills of the past, the political quotas kroje (folk costumes), art glass produced behind the Iron Curtain, and the formation of Czechoslovakia in

in the parliament, absence of women in highest decision making positions and – and that is important – a 1918. The NCSML also hosts exhibitions on loan from other prominent institutions in the US, the Czech

certain aversion of intellectual women to the Women‘s association of the past that lingers on even now, Republic, and Slovakia. Another important part of the programming of the NCSML is the development of in-

when it is no longer in place. Reasons for this state of affairs is discussed. depth conferences and symposia on old world and new world history and culture. Presented to a national

audience, the content is both scholarly and anecdotal, conveying the rich history and experience of Czechs

and Slovaks. The library is rapidly expanding to be a source for scholars and a clearinghouse for

The Library and Archives of the National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library: information sought by visitors, persons of Czech and Slovak descent, and researchers around the world.

New Developments and Future Plans

David Muhlena, National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library (NCSML), Cedar Rapids, Iowa

Competition or Cooperation: Czech and Slovak American and Canadian (and European) Archival

This presentation provides a brief overview of the NCSML library and archival collections and Institutions Trying to Preserve Their Nations' Heritage in North America

highlights new developments within the library, specifically an explanation of the library's cataloging project Daniel Necas, Immigration History Research Center (IHRC),

and the implementation of an online library catalog. Also discussed are plans to develop a "vision" that will University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota

position the NCSML library to be the preeminent U.S. research institution devoted to the study of Czech and

Slovak history and culture. Information gathered from the visioning process will provide the foundation for Since the end of the Cold War, there has been a resurgence of the interest in the cultural heritage

the future construction of an expanded library and an endowment to support it. of the Czech and Slovak communities in North America. In addition, the new possibilities make the archival

material documenting the Czech and Slovak experience abroad attractive also for repositories and newly

Painting Dvořák: Musical and Artistic Blueprints for Identity and Culture established research centers in the home countries in Europe. Related archival collections often find their

Patrick Muller, Palacký University, Olomouc, Czech Republic new homes at mutually distant locations. What are the causes of this trend? What is the impact on the

collections‘ availability and research use? Should there be a discussion within the Czech and Slovak

The natures of identity (the framework of an individual) and culture (the framework for a collection communities as to their goals regarding these issues and the ways to achieve such goals? Examples of

of individuals) have changed over the last century. Identity and culture are no longer seen as concrete, solutions other ethnic groups have adopted to cope with similar developments are given, as well as

biologically preordained entities. They are now conceptualized as living, open-systemed, and co-inventible suggestions for possible answers to the above questions.

organisms. The definitions of identity and culture have changed from ―a declaration of nature‖ to ―a

conversation between nature and nurture‖ to ―a dynamic confluence‖ of biology, language-structures,

environment, experience, learning, history, and contingency. Czech Presence in Minnesota

The notion of identity and culture as living organisms is still highly contentious. Each element of Daniel Necas, Immigration History Research Center (IHRC),

this claim has been copiously and vigorously defended/attacked elsewhere over the last century. The University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota

purpose of this paper is not to revisit any particular defense or attack, but rather to give one possible

overview for how the living organism conceptualization came to be. As early as the 1850‘s, the Czech immigrants started to establish their own communities in the

This discussion begins with the assumption that identity and culture are living organisms. The state of Minnesota. Although Minnesota is still often referred to as the ―Scandinavian state,‖ its history has

following questions are then posed: Could a universal template for human identity or culture exist – a been shaped by many other ethnic groups as well, above all the Germans who were – very early and

template that could increase enrichment and reduce hostilities among peoples? And if such a template closely – followed by the Bohemians/Czechs. Both rural and urban, the Czech community in Minnesota

exists, what does it look like? Despite all the discussions of identity and culture recently, a satisfactory quickly created its churches, halls, and gymnastic and fraternal organizations, contributing to the cultural

universal template has not been articulated. diversity of the state. During the 150-year history of the Czechs in Minnesota, there have been many

However, this discussion asserts that a universal template of human identity was offered a few remarkable events, personalities, and trends, which will be the focus of the present contribution. Today, the

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years before the 20 Century began. While not likely an original or exclusive articulation, it is one of the U.S.Census estimates approximately 100,000 Czech ancestries in Minnesota, and even though the number

most complete and instructive articulations. The template contains the compositions of Antonín Dvořák as is relatively small compared to the major ethnicities there, the Czech-American population continues to be a

he tried, in music, to create first a Czech identity and then an American identity. visible group with its own distinct heritage.

This paper examines, in narrative and artistic explorations, how the compositions and the

composing process of Dvořák may have articulated a universal framework for human identity and culture.

Reflections on Dvořák and the American Indian Jan Shary, Czech Pioneer Land Developer of South Texas

Diane M. Paige, Hartwick College, Oneonta, New York Richard Pavlasek, Czech Heritage Society of South Texas, Austin, Texas



This paper examines the real and imagined influences the music of Native Americans had on the Jan Shary was a Czech immigrant who came to the Rio Grande Valley of South Texas around

works of Antonín Dvořák during his American sojourn. 1916. He purchased large tracts of fertile land and placed it into cultivation. He is known as the founding

father of the large citrus fruit industry in the area. Eventually a town called Sharyland, Texas, was named in

his honor. His daughter was married to the late Texas Governor Allan Shivers.

The Image of Home Country in the Works of Czech Immigrants in America

Vladimír Papoušek, University of South Bohemia, České Budějovice Politics, Economics, and the Mendel Museum in Brno

Margaret Heřmánek Peaslee, University of Pittsburgh at Titusville

Czech immigrants who came to America in the second half of 19th century went through dramatic Titusville, Pennsylvania

changes after their arrival. From the Austrian monarchy, under which the Catholic Church had been

indirectly forced upon them, they came into a republic where freedom of religion is considered a common Johann Gregor Mendel joined the Augustinian Monastery of St. Thomas in Brno in 1843. The

thing. From a very narrow, closed space, they came into the wide multinational community. It is no surprise Monastery already had established itself as a center of learning, and Mendel thrived in that environment.

that, while in the New World, they attempted to keep all their habits and old modes of life. America, as a After achieving a solid educational foundation in the natural sciences, physics, and mathematics, Mendel

whole, did not exist in their minds at this time. They projected to this space all of their Panslavic and utopian designed and performed plant-breeding experiments that formed the basis for the science of genetics. As

ideas side-by-side with idyllic images of their old country home. the significance of Mendel‘s insight became apparent to scientists around the world, efforts were initiated in

From 1890 – 1918 we can recognize a dramatic and quick change in the images of their home Brno to develop a center in recognition of this great man‘s contributions. In the early 1900s Fr. Anselm

country in the literary texts of Czech émigré writers in America. The American Czechs, on one hand, Matoušek began collecting what remained of Mendel‘s relics, and these materials formed the basis of the

showed with pride the walls of their ghetto, and, on the other hand, started to deconstruct it. In ambitious little Monastery Museum, the ―Museum Mendelianum.‖ World War I put a temporary halt to further

novels by R.J. Pšenka, H.Chotek, or V. Miniberger, heroes crossed (very often) the borders of national development of the museum, but efforts were resumed soon afterwards.

enclave and started to be successful in typical American environments. These American-style Czech When World War II broke out and Czech high schools were closed by the German occupiers, deep

heroes, who live in the fictitious worlds of émigré authors, visit the old country where they very often display silence was imposed upon any scientific life in Brno. Mendel‘s theories were twisted into support for the

their successes in the New World. They are equipped with critical points-of-view toward Czechs in historical propaganda of the Nazi‘s racial ideology.

countries. They criticize non-American qualities, such as submission to authority, low political activity, and a After the liberation in 1945, attempts to expand the museum and establish a living and working

low rate of interest in public change. During the period 1914-1918 a wide spectrum of images of home memorial were again initiated, but with no success. The year 1948 found the Communist Party in control of

country as a holy place for the blood of victims fighting for freedom can be found. The massive enthusiasm the country and in all the regions of the USSR the science of genetics was completely subordinated to

of American Czechs for the liberation of the Czech nation brings a paradoxical release of binds to the old Marxist ideology. T. D. Lysenko had persuaded Stalin and the party officials that the theory of ―acquired

country. Since this historical turning point, the walls of the Czech ghetto in America finally break down and characteristics‖ was the foundation of inheritance, and those who disagreed with Lysenko‘s ideas were

the Czech community – step-by-step – emerges into the American cultural environment. persecuted, imprisoned, and/or executed. Not only did the science of genetics suffer under Russian control,

but in April 1949 the Augustinian Monastery was abolished, the members of the Order were dispersed to

other localities, and the monastery buildings were occupied for public purposes.

German-Bohemian Immigration to North America By the mid-1960s, when the Lysenkoist madness had subsided, the Mendel Museum was

Robert Paulson, German-Bohemian Heritage Society, St. Paul, Minnesota reestablished, and Dr. Vítĕzslav Orel became head of the Mendelianum. The author of this paper, a

biologist, first visited the Mendelianum in 1992, while tracing her Bohemian roots to a location where her

Emigration from the German speaking parts of Bohemian to the Upper Midwest began as early as science and ethnicity intersected. At that time the artifacts of Mendel‘s career were the main focus with

the 1850s. This presentation discusses their reasons for immigration, locates their villages of origin, shows pictures from his life plus his books, microscopes, spectacles, furniture, scientific instruments, and various

their routes of travel, finds their final destinations in the U.S., and elaborates on their chain migration and awards on display. The site of Mendel‘s garden and the foundation of his greenhouse were visible in the

settlement patterns. This paper is an overview of German-Bohemian immigration to America with an courtyard. The country was just emerging from the Communist stranglehold, and a democratic government

emphasis on the states of Wisconsin and Minnesota. was working to bring prosperity and freedom to its citizens.

The current abbot, Lukáš Evţen Martinec who took charge of the Monastery in 1995, recognized

the need for restoration and renovation of the Church and the Monastery buildings. He and Mgr. Imma

Unique German-Bohemian Resources For Family History Research Mautner Markhof, Local Project Coordinator, have totally transformed the Mendel Museum and have

Robert Paulson, German-Bohemian Heritage Society, St. Paul, Minnesota secured funds for renovation of the property. This paper examines the changes that have taken place in the

Museum and in the country from 1992 to 2003.

This paper presents information about the vast resources available for German-Bohemian family

history research. Genealogical and family history societies, Heimat groups, archives and museums, Internet Researching the Pejsar Family from Bohemia to Saline County, Nebraska,

resources, maps, and periodicals are presented with special attention to the wealth of information found in To Manitowoc, Wisconsin

the Heimatbücher, the ―homeland‖ literature written by the expelled Sudeten Germans to preserve their Gordon Pejsar and Helen Pejsar, SVU Nebraska Chapter, Lincoln, NE

history and unique cultural heritage.

This presentation is an overview of the presenters‘ search for their roots – how they became

interested, how they proceeded, the experiences along the way, people they have met, where their travels

and research has taken them, and where they plan to go with their research. They also hope this will 1686) of Prague, the first known Bohemian who permanently settled in America. Equally famous was

encourage others to take the plunge, to research their families and enjoy the trip as much as the presenters Herman's contemporary Frederick Philipse, presumed to descend from a Bohemian aristocratic family and

have and continue to do. slated to become the wealthiest person in New Amsterdam (later New York).

The first significant wave of immigrants consisted of the Moravian Brethren who began arriving in

“I Have a Dream” – Promoting Private Enterprise in Formerly Communist Countries the first half of the 18th century and helped form the Moravian Church. Bohemian Jews were clearly among

Roderick Pejsar, Philanthropic Small Business Education and Consultation, Indian Harbour Beach, FL the first immigrants to come to the New World from the territory of former Czechoslovakia, arriving during

the 18th century (they include Mathias Bush, the Phillips Family, and Joseph Karpeles). The first immigrant

This talk is a briefing that uses viewgraphs for illustration and clarification, shows research of Slovak descent who permanently settled in America, according to this author's research, was Anton

development, and uses the systems development approach and methodologies for small business planning Schmidt, a tinsmith by trade, who emigrated with his parents from Pressburg (Bratislava) and settled in

and setup in countries where capitalism is a new thing to the people at the grassroots end. It is an Bethlehem, Pennsylvania in 1745. Most immigrants from the Czechlands and Slovakia were of humble

illustration of how to help people in Eastern Europe. origin, artisans and craftsmen by trade, seeking better and happier lives in the New World. Some were

further motivated by the promises of new riches or high adventure, while others left for conscience sake or

Online Information Resources for the Czech Republic missionary zeal. What made them unique, in comparison to immigrants from other countries, was their

Layne Pierce, Lincoln City Libraries, Lincoln, Nebraska distinct individuality, formidable competitiveness, and impressive accomplishments.



Finding accurate, timely information about the Czech Republic can be a frustrating and time consuming Brainwashing to Societies and Individuals (What Did Happen to Elizabeth Smart?)

activity. The search engine, Google, alone claims to index over 3 trillion web pages, and a simple search Michael G. Rokos, Vice President, American Friends of the Czech Republic,

under ―Czech Republic‖ produces a little over 4.5 million hits. This paper, presented from the perspective of Baltimore, Maryland

a reference librarian, briefly examines what kind of information is there, and how it can be most easily

found. A ‗webliography‘ is included. The 20th Century saw the perfection of techniques of mind control that are the hallmarks of

totalitarian regimes as well as destructive cults. Using these techniques allows the leaders of the nation or

The Renovation of the Bohemian National Hall the group to make individuals "deployable agents of management" doing the will of the leader rather than

Aleš Pospíšil, Consul General of the Czech Republic, New York the will of the individual. These techniques are not just usable on a grand scale; they can also be employed

on a one-to-one basis and can help to explain such cases as Elizabeth Smart.

On December 7, 2001 at 2 p.m., ownership of the Bohemian National Hall was transferred to the

Czech Republic according to the contract between the Bohemian Benevolent and Literary Association The Changing Czech and Slovak Diets: Impact on Health Status

(BBLA) and the Czech Republic, signed on January 31, 2001. The origins of the contract date back to 1997, Dr. Cecilia Rokusek, Florida Gulf Coast University, Ft. Myers, Florida

when the BBLA and the Czech Republic began negotiations over cooperation on renovation of the

Bohemian National Hall. The only feasible solution appeared to be the transfer of ownership of the building The traditional Czech and Slovak diets are characterized by high saturated fat, high complex

to the Czech Republic and the consequent commitment of the CR to renovate the entire building and give a carbohydrate, high animal protein, and overall high calorie consumption along with low intake of fresh fruits,

rent-free use of one floor to the associations of the umbrella organization of BBLA. NYS Attorney General vegetables, and dairy products. During the 1990s the diets of the Czechs and Slovaks changed

approved the contract on June 14, 2001 and the Supreme Court of the New York State gave the consent to considerably, as a result, in part, of rises in food prices and the fall of real purchasing power of income.

the sale in November 2001. There has been a marked reduction in the consumption of excess calories. In addition, consumption of beef,

The Czech Republic is aware of the great responsibility it assumed as it took over the property built animal fats, and dairy products fell significantly. Current calcium intake in both countries is below the

in the years 1895-1897 from the funds of Czech-American associations and, until recently, held and recommended daily intake. Consumption of sugar, potatoes, cereals, fish, eggs, and pork fell slightly.

managed by the Bohemian Benevolent and Literary Association. To emphasize the link with the Czech Poultry, pulses, vegetable fats, vegetables, and fruit consumption increased. Overall, there have been

Republic the building will host offices of the Consulate General and the Czech Center. The BBLA will use positive changes in the diet. Exercise and daily activity fell only slightly. This paper presents the findings of

the entire third floor and Czech-American foundations, exhibitions, museums and a Czech restaurant will be a meta-review of the literature examining these dietary changes and the potential impact on disease

located in other areas of the building. After renovation, expected to be finished in the 2004/2005, the prevention and overall health status. A brief discussion is presented on the nutritional impact of the Czech

Bohemian National Hall will become a truly common space for organizing events and meetings of Czechs and Slovak traditional diets on people living in the United States.

living in America and their countrymen back home.

The Novák and Tomeš Families of Nebraska: An Oral History

The Immigration to America from the Czechlands and Slovakia Megan R. Rooney, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, Nebraska

in the 17th and 18th Centuries

Miloslav Rechcígl, President, Czechoslovak Society of Arts and Sciences, Rockville, Maryland Although this paper details the experiences of just the Novák and Tomeš families of Dwight,

Nebraska, their experiences in their new homeland are similar to the experiences of many of their Czech

The purpose of this presentation is to discuss and document the cases of early arrival on the North immigrant peers. This presentation elucidates the struggles of the Nováks and Tomeš with assimilation into

American continent of the first visitors and pioneer settlers from the territory of former Czechoslovakia. The the American culture and their attempts at preservation of their Czech heritage. Also, this presentation

first visitors from Bohemia to the New World were an anonymous group of Jáchymov miners who were sent includes relevant photos and documents concerning the time periods in which the Novák and Tomeš

prior to 1528 to Little Naples (present Venezuela) to establish silver mines there while in the employ of the families lived and worked.

banking house of the Welser family. Other notable immigrants include Joachim Gans of Prague, the first

documented Bohemian to enter the territory of the present United States; and Augustine Herman (1621-

Jan F. Tříska, An Appreciation connection to the homeland. It was a worthy culture of Grecian-style gymnastics that emphasized grace,

Eliška Ryznar, Stanford University, Mountain View, California poise, and self-reliance above the mere muscle building. In 1964, Postmaster General John A. Gronouski

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unveiled the five-cent postage stamp honoring the 100 anniversary of the Sokols in America. As Mr.

Jan F. Tříska came to the United States in 1948 when he was 26 years old. Born in Prague, he Gronouski said, ―These Americans learned from their forefathers that freedom must be fought for and that

finished his gymnasium studies and a short course in business administration during the German liberty is not easily acquired or preserved. For these reasons, I believe that the Sokols – taken man for man

occupation of Czechoslovakia. In 1943, he was arrested and sent to a forced labor camp in Eisenach. He – comprise one of the finest physical and patriotic assets America has.‖

returned to Prague after the war and graduated from the Charles University School of Law in 1948. As he To paraphrase the Sokol Creed: the American Sokols of Czech descent strive for the development

was one of the most active members of the student organization, Všehrd, which had strong Western ties, of men and women to be strong in mind and body. They realize that education and high ethics are the only

his career as a lawyer in the Communist regime did not have a future. This considered, he emmigrated road to a better way of life with their fellowmen. Our forefathers brought Sokol to St. Louis, Missouri first,

through Germany to the United States. Here he earned law degrees from Yale Law School in 1950 and and then it spread to several other cities, including Wilber, Nebraska, and through perseverance T. J. Sokol

1952 and a Ph.D. in political science from Harvard University in 1957. He subsequently taught at the (Tělocvičná Jednota Sokol) has held together for over 75 years in Wilber. It made the Czech immigrants feel

University of California in Berkeley and at Cornell University and, from 1960 till his retirement, at the Dept. of connected to their homeland, plus it was a helpful service to the community and themselves.

Political Science of Stanford University. He was highly respected as an expert on communist Eastern

Europe and Soviet foreign policy. The Land of Milk and Honey: Immigration to Iowa, 1850-1920

Jan F. Tříska considered his moral duty to support the Czech activities in exile. He helped Czech Dorothy A. Schwieder, Retired, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa

students, Czech scientists and visitors. One of his significant contributions to the Czech cause was his

involvement with the Czechoslovak Society of Arts and Sciences. He was elected president of SVU twice. In This talk covers the Iowa immigration story of the major groups that arrived in Iowa from Britain

his second term he organized the 16th SVU Congress in Prague where foundations were laid for a and eastern and western Europe in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Emphasis is placed on the

permanent cooperation of the Czech exile with people of the Czech Republic and Slovakia. After the Velvet experiences of the Germans, Irish, Italians, and Czechs. The groups' main reasons for immigrating are

Revolution of 1989, he worked with some Czech research institutions and universities, once teaching discussed, along with their settlement patterns in Iowa, their occupational choices, and their ethnic

political science and then as a consultant on coordination between teaching law and doing legal research. traditions. Also discussed is the discrimination experienced by some groups due to their place of origin and

For his service to the Czech Republic, Jan F. Tříska received the Medal of Merit, First Grade, from the their religion.

Czech President, Václav Havel, in 2002. He died February 20, 2003. [This paper will be read by John

Tříska.] Koloman Sokol: The Life of an Artist-Exile

Vlado Simko, Brooklyn VA Medical Center, Brooklyn, New York

Czech Language Program at UNL: Its History and Future

Míla Šašková-Pierce, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, Nebraska One of the most prominent Slovak painters and graphic artists, Koloman Sokol (KS) died on

January 13, 2003 in Tucson, AZ, shortly after his 100th birthday. Presented here are visual documents,

The University of Nebraska Czech Language Program was inaugurated in the fall of 1907 in including photographs of his paintings that are based on frequent personal encounters while KS lived in the

answer to persistent demands by Czech-Nebraska politicians. There was a genuine need for the children of suburb of Philadelphia, Bryn Mawr, between 1950 and 1996. KS was very creative and active until the end

the Czech settlers to study the literary form of the Czech language in order to take over the cultural work of of his fruitful life. Hundreds of Picassoesque figurative paintings that are not at the Slovak National Gallery

their parents, the first and second generation of settlers. At the time, there were Czech newspapers and in Bratislava or at the Koloman Sokol Gallery in Liptovský Mikuláš are still in possession of his descendants

journals, the Rosický Publishing House in Omaha, and several amateur theatrical groups in the state of in the U.S. The long life of this proud giant of Slovak illustrative art was full of struggle during political

Nebraska; and many schools had Czech children who had a poor knowledge of English, if any, when they upheavals and occasionally exposed to poverty of an emigrant seeking a home. Born in Liptovský Mikuláš,

started instruction and who needed Czech-speaking teachers. Churches were in need of priests and KS was initially intensively magyarized in the family of his stepfather. Later, in his very youthful years, his

ministers who could perform services in Czech. All these institutions, in order to maintain their professional creative talent broke away from the job of a butcher when he entered schools of painting in Košice and

status and their cultural roles, called for new educated and devoted Czech youth with a good knowledge of Bratislava. A real breakthrough in his career occurred at the Prague Academy of Creative Arts where he

the Czech language. Significant, too, was that an admission of Czech language as a subject of study at the studied under Max Švabinský. KS said, ―Prague made me realize I am a Slovak, not a Magyar.‖ His talent

university constituted de facto recognition of Czech culture at the university pantheon as being on a par with led him to art studies in Paris with contacts to the famous František Kupka and musician Bohuslav Martinů.

English and French. In Paris he met and married Lydia Kratina, the daughter of a well-known Czech American sculptor. Before

At present the University of Nebraska-Lincoln Czech Program offers three years of undergraduate WW II he was invited to teach at the School for Graphic Arts in Mexico City. After WW II the family

instruction and a minor in the Czech Language. It also offers several exchange programs in the Czech attempted a new life in Bratislava. KS weathered the impending totalitarianism and used his exhibition in

Republic. Students in the Czech program take part in several cultural initiatives, including the cultural Paris to immigrate to the United States in 1948. After a very difficult beginning in New York City, the family

program of the Czech Komensky Club (see www.unl.edu/KomenskyClub), the Czech Heritage Project (see found a protective haven in Bryn Mawr, where Lydia taught art at the Bryn Mawr College while KS was free

www.unl.edu/Czechheritage), and the Czechoslovak Society of Arts and Sciences cultural activities in the to express his creative artistic impulse and play tennis with Lydia until a very late age.

Great Plains (see: www.unl.edu/SVUNebraska). [Paper to be read by Layne Pierce.]

Czech and Slovak Folksongs: Images of Our Ancestors' Songbooks,

Sokol – Our Czech Heritage Recordings, and Sing-Along

Evelyn M. Schleis-Roesler, Lincoln, Nebraska Anita Smíšek, Alliance Publications, Sinsinawa, Wisconsin



What is Sokol? It is a physical fitness program. Where did it originate? In Bohemia by Dr. Miroslav Czech and Slovak Folksongs: Images of Our Ancestors' Songbooks, recordings and sing-along led

Tyrš and Jindřich Fugner in the year 1862. This culture was brought to the New World because it was a by Sr. Anita Smíšek, OP, who will provide a real participatory cultural sharing with good fellowship.

The Štěpán Family Bible criticism that could restore a fruitful dialogue to her complex art. This presenter has the modest ambition

L. Joe Stehlik, Pawnee City, Nebraska that, in taking Toyen‘s work first and foremost as work, rather than a gender, sexual or geopolitical curiosity,

she can add her voice to this dialogue.

The Czech Bible, printed in 1542, is a family heirloom and religious relic that unifies the Štěpán The aim of this paper is to forward an understanding of Toyen‘s art, and, more generally, art as it

family across generations. The Bible is printed in the Czech language, but in the German Script. The Bible may be affected by emigration, by assessing its development from her work in Prague under the auspices

has a storied history since it was in constant danger of destruction – of being burned in the raids in the of the Czech surrealist movement to her emigré identity in Paris.

times of religious persecution and wars. The Bible has been handed down generation after generation. The Haunted by the war and, as the presenter wishes to argue, by the ricocheting effects of leaving

Nebraska State Historical Society advises that the Book is a postella, not truly a Bible, but that this probably behind her Prague and all it entailed for her (her partner Jindřich Styrský had died in 1942 of pneumonia,

renders the Book more valuable. many others were incarcerated or murdered), the art Toyen produced in the first years of her exile in Paris is

rife with paradoxes of emotion, from a bitter nostalgia and a resentful freedom. But the transition from this

The Marie Column Incident: Jaroslav Hašek, Anarchism, still ultimately Czech Toyen to a Franco-Czech one is the focus of the essay. The questions the paper asks

and the Reformations of Czech National Identity are ‗real‘ questions and not academic ones; that is, the answer is not yet supplied in the inquiry being

Malynne Sternstein, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois pursued. As too often happens within academic discourse, the question itself (that is, the search fueled by

curiosity without a preconceived object) becomes secondary to the evidentiary pursuit and the answer. In

The sprawling, Secessionist-style monument to Jan Hus (that almost dominates the indomitable this inquiry, then, the presenter must confess to a hopeful naiveté. She does not have a sense of an answer

Old Town Square) was erected in 1915 to mark the five-hundredth anniversary of the reformer's martyrdom, prior to her questions, and the paper is meant to be a laboratory, rather than a solution. Among the

but the foundation stone for this ideologically rich national symbol had been laid already in 1903. The questions being asked are: How does a shift in one‘s artistic focus express itself? What are the factors that

foundation and the finished monument stood along with the Marie column, erected in 1650 by the Habsburg may motivate this shift or shifts? What can be considered an artistic shift at all; are only stylistic, technical,

Empire to commemorate its defeat of the Swedes. Hus‘s presence had intervened across history, in a great syntactic or thematic concerns adequate for tracing change in an artist‘s expression, or is there something

irony only history could provide, to disturb the over two-and-a-half centuries of hegemonic presence the more essential and uninterpretable available in manifestations of change? The questions are asked with the

Marie column had enjoyed. The two had a dialectically strained relationship as plastic discourses on the help of visual examples from 1940-1947, the most turbulent years of Toyen‘s life.

state of the nation, yet they coexisted in relative peace for 15 years. That strange visual conversation

between the two monuments changed in 1918, when the column, as some accounts sedately put it, was Starting a Czech Program

removed. Mary Lou Stika, Kansas City Public Schools, Kansas City, Missouri

This paper adumbrates Cynthia Pace‘s account of the column‘s fate. Her article, ―The Fall and Rise

of the Marian Column in Prague‖ (Radical History 79 (2001): 141-155) gives a thorough and objective In the Czech language courses that the presenter teaches, she often encounters students who are

accounting of the incident of the column‘s felling in 1918, but it does not, nor is it the article‘s intention to, middle-aged or older, who have not been to school in a long time, who do not like, or even know how to

account fully for the relationship between the famed and popular Jaroslav Hašek and his loosely banded use, the Internet, or who have various other special situations. There are many techniques to increase the

group of anarchists and the Marie column‘s demise. What she does say, in a scant two paragraphs, language abilities of such students. This paper discusses some of the most successful techniques that the

implicates Hašek‘s cohort and, of course, drinking partner, Franta Kysela-Sauer, as the mastermind of the presenter has used.

column‘s destruction. The presenter wishes to return to this moment in Pace‘s account to enlarge it with the

help of not only Kysela-Sauer‘s writings on the power of anarchic action, but also with the aid of Hašek‘s The Komensky Society

own work on the theme of social change, to return to a history of the Marian Column incident the hallmark of Robert J. Stone, Cedar Rapids, Iowa

Czech national history: the active engagement of writers, artists and critics in the social and political life of

their country. Against the master discourse about the Czechs as passive or cynical realists (see Pynsent, This presentation is an overview of The Komensky Society, located at Cedar Rapids, Iowa. The

Holy, et al), the Marian column incident, the presenter argues, is emblematic of the unique way in which the Komensky Society was first organized on the campus of Coe College in the fall of 1909 by eight students for

Czechs — throughout history — have been agents undermining the dominant political power and its the purpose of studying Bohemian literature and history. In 1912, Dr. Anna Heyberger arrived at Coe and

attendant language (visual and verbal) that would otherwise seem to overwhelm them. provided important leadership for the organization. She taught both the Czech and French languages until

her retirement in 1939. The primary activity of the organization during this period was the support of a

Toyen Between Prague and Paris Childrens' Hospital known as The Coe Camp and located at Černovice u Tábora in Czechoslovakia. After

Malynne Sternstein, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois the death of Dr. Heyberger in 1952, the Komenský Society reorganized and began awarding scholarships to

high school seniors who were of Czech or Slovak descent. To this date a total of 171 scholarships have

With the highly successful retrospective of Toyen‘s art at Prague‘s City Gallery, the life and work of been awarded.

Toyen (née Marie Čermínová) has finally become more well-known outside of highly Czech- or Surrealist-

specific circles, though much has yet to be done to gain the world recognition Toyen‘s art clearly deserves. Learning The Czech Language After Age 50

While some forward movement has begun in the dissemination of Toyen‘s reputation as a foremost Robert J. Stone, Cedar Rapids, Iowa

artist of her generation, and one who has had a lasting influential effect on currents in art today, her legacy

continues to be constrained by readings of her work that focus on her gender (e.g., she is often called one This presentation is the story of Bob Stone and how he learned Czech as a hobby. He reviews the

of the great female artists of the Surrealist movement, next to Dorothea Tanning and Leonora Carrington, following general questions: Why Learn Czech? Can you learn a new language after age 50? How To Learn

as if this category were one that piggy-backed the greater category of ―Surrealist artist‖). Gender issues and Czech? How Do I Get Started? What Should I Learn Or Emphasize First? Other subjects discussed are

sexual politics are, of course, components of the Toyen identity and yet, with all her efforts at overcoming Czech grammar, literary Czech and colloquial Czech. He talks about his experiences while attending

the gender-specific trap of social categorizations, she seems to be subsumed still to them in the very art-

Summer School at Palacký University in Olomouc, Czech Republic. He encourages everyone to learn Eating Disorders from a Feminist Perspective

Czech no matter what your age is. Mary Douglas Swoboda, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, Nebraska



Reaching New Communities in Slovak American Relations There are many different theories as to why women develop eating disorders and the symptoms

Jan Erik Surotchak, Friends of Slovakia, Washington, DC and Bratislava, Slovakia that go along with eating disorders. One theory is that eating disorders are a form of oppression and a way

to subordinate women. Some of the historical precedents and development of eating disorders are looked at

As political, economic, and cultural relations between the United States and independent Slovakia in this presentation. Eating disorders are discussed within the framework of feminist theory.

develop and mature, there is an increasing number of Americans with direct ties to current-day Slovakia

living and working in the United States and elsewhere (including many still in Slovakia). These people – Main Dangers of Our Times

among them returned Peace Corps Volunteers, English teachers, businessmen and women, diplomats, and Miroslav Synek, Ph.D., Independent Consultant, San Antonio, Texas

tourists – have ties to Slovakia that they are eager to maintain, but many of them are not Slovak Americans

and do not have regular connection to a Slovak American community. Friends of Slovakia is working to Global terrorism and threatening dictatorships are the main, manmade, dangers of our times. They

engage these people through a range of events and activities that are directly related to their experience have a common denominator. They are run by master demagogues, or, brainwashing manipulators. Main

and that help present a picture of contemporary Slovakia in the United States. dangers of our times should become global priorities for our SURVIVAL considerations.

Over its first three years, FOS has hosted visits to the United States by President Schuster, Prime Potentialities of conceivable manmade disasters are now exceeding potentialities of typical natural

Minister Dzurinda, Deputy Prime Minister Miklos, Foreign Minister Kukan, and former President Kovac, disasters, considering contemporary technology and contemporary protective capabilities.

among many other leading Slovak political figures. Additionally, it has been instrumental in bringing to The main problems may sometimes be obscured by many details. Sometimes we may not see the

Washington and New York (and other American cities), renowned Slovak contemporary artists and forest because of the trees. Our present situation should be well understood and not obscured, in spite of

performers, as well as leading folk music and performance groups. our past mistakes, even if some methods of approach for a necessary improvement may become quite

This has all been accomplished with a mix of corporate and individual support from across the problematic. Practicality is, of course, important. Yet, if we do not see quick and easy solutions, we should

United States and Slovakia that has enabled Slovakia to become more of a presence in Washington and not neglect the existence of main dangers of our times. A good chance for practical solutions starts with a

among decision-makers there and elsewhere. FOS believes this model – bringing together Slovak sufficient understanding of the problems.

Americans, those with a professional interest in Slovakia, and broad individual and corporate support – can Publicly obvious atrocities produced by terrorism brought us to the stage when we can say, that,

help move relations between the two countries to an even higher level. predominantly, united we stand against terrorist activities ..... --- Human society on our planet may be,

perhaps, in various degrees, sometimes typically, divided by political systems, economical interests,

Preserving Nebraska Czech Polka Heritage geographies, religions, races, nationalities, ethnicity, tribes, languages, dialects, classes, political groups,

Amy E. Swoboda, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, Nebraska cliques ..... and in many other ways (sometimes in vastly different degrees, while some categories are

heavily overlapping) ..... --- Nevertheless, predominantly, united we stand against mass--murdering terrorist

Nebraska is very fortunate to have such a strong Czech community. Over the years there have activities, anywhere on our planet. Our defensive responding to terrorist activities has been plausible; our

been many great Czech polka artists that have come from Nebraska. This past year the presenter has been defensive responding should continue, in several ways ..... --- We are considering our subsequent steps,

collecting information via interviews, the Internet, and old vinyl records through a grant at the University of conceivably in several directions. We are repeatedly realizing that we are facing terrorist individuals, groups

Nebraska-Lincoln. In this presentation she talks about the great Czech polka artists and why it is important and schools run by master demagogues, or, brain--washing manipulators. Thereby, supporting education

to preserve this information. The polka artists are a great representation of the strong Czech heritage in that would emphasize, at least, the most unifying (and the least controversial), yet, BASIC, CIVIC

Nebraska. RESPECT for lives of people in a civilian human society (a human society which is nonviolent and

nonaggressive), is a priority, as soon as it is practically feasible, everywhere on our planet. Such education

The Good Soldier Švejk: The Paradox of Freedom should take place at all educational levels, including a pre-kindergarten level. Such education should be

Joseph S. Swoboda, Community Mental Health Center of Lancaster County, Lincoln, Nebraska gradually proceeding with explanations of antihuman horror of terrorism and its societal consequences, at

all educational levels. (This should be started and facilitated, step by step, by educational and sophisticated

This presentation involves Bateson's communication theory and Whitehead and Russell's Theory diplomacy, combined with economical incentives and communication media, wherever it may be feasible.)

of Logical Types regarding the phenomenon known as the pragmatic paradox in relation to Hašek's The At the same time we are facing various, mostly small, threatening dictatorships, capable of

Good Soldier Švejk. Specific emphasis is on identifying the phenomenon of paradox in Švejk's encounters producing, step by step, weapons of mass destruction (chemical, biological and nuclear), quite dangerous

and predicaments, and on how these double-bind or no-win predicaments are resolved, or not resolved, by even on a limited scale. We do not have a choice; we have to try to contribute to developing governmental

him. Implications for identification, and resolution, of pragmatic paradoxes in literature and in life situations systems of FREE ELECTIONS, controlling dangerous areas (areas potentially setting up weapons of mass

are also explored. destruction), wherever, on our planet, such dangers exist. (Sophisticated diplomacy, economical incentives

and communication media should be included, in a diversified, yet, ultimately, determined and liberating

Mental Health and Czech Culture: T.G. Masaryk Perspective approach.)

Joseph S. Swoboda, Community Mental Health Center of Lancaster County, Lincoln, Nebraska In a foreseeable future, unfortunately, we are facing a danger even by orders of magnitude greater

than present--day terrorism, or, small threatening dictatorships. We are facing the possibility of a mass--

Thomas G. Masaryk's writings on suicide and national character are the background against which produced heavy accumulation of inter--continental nuclear missiles, on a computerized "push-button"

the phenomenon of suicide and suicidal behavior are explored and compared. Using data from global control, by a conceivably very powerful, unpredictable (quite possibly miscalculating, or, even suicidal)

sources, with a focus on incidence of suicide and depression within the Czech Republic and in the United DICTATOR, which could present a danger to the very EXISTENCE OF HUMANITY on our planet.

States, implications for treatment of, for education about, and prevention of suicide are explored. Therefore, it is a historical urgency that such a technological power be under the control by a government of

the people, by the people and for the people, based on a sufficiently reliable governmental system of FREE The Czech and Slovak Presence at the Metropolitan Opera

ELECTIONS (with thoughtfully improving constitutional checks and balances for its survivability), wherever, Dagmar Hasalová White, Northern Virginia Community College, Annandale, Virginia

on our planet, such a potential danger may exist ..... (Sophisticated diplomacy, economical negotiations and

communication media should be included, to facilitate a transition to an initiating free--election system, The Metropolitan Opera ranks first among the famous opera houses in the world. It is the pinnacle

wherever it may become appropriate.) of achievement for singers to perform there. There have been and are a number of Czech and Slovak

singers gracing the stage of this famous opera house, either for a few seasons or for individual

performances. Three Czech singers, whose presence there evolved into a legend, were Emmy Destinn,

Czech and Slovak Republics: Strategic Partners for U.S. Business Maria Jeritza, and Jarmila Novotná.

Sean Timmins, International Trade Specialist, Washington, D. C.



This presentation covers the bilateral U.S. commercial relations with the Czech and Slovak Jan Masaryk, As Seen Through the Eyes of Marcia Davenport

Republics (including facts and figures); U.S. government programs to help U.S. companies export to and Vladimira Williams, Morton College, Cicero, Illinois

invest in the Czech and Slovak Republics – CEEBIC; the U.S. Commercial Service; other U.S. government

programs; and what EU accession means for U.S. companies doing business in the Czech and Slovak Marcia Davenport, whose novels have held international appeal for a great many years, has also

Republics. written a personal record of Jan Masaryk, the Foreign Minister of Czechoslovakia. Jan Masaryk, the suave

and charismatic Czech diplomat, was the son of T.G. Masaryk, founder and first president of the Republic.

Teaching Czech Adjectival Derivation In her book Too Strong for Fantasy, Davenport describes Masaryk‘s diversified life and his role as a brilliant

Charles Townsend, Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey statesman caught in the clutches of the Communist vice. This man, who was loved and admired by people

on both shores of the Atlantic, lost his life eventually to the savage enemy of his own homeland.

Adjectives in Slavic languages, including Czech, are often regarded as a derivative and

unproblematical category, and it is true that, morphologically, except for formation of comparatives, they

pose fewer problems than nouns. Yet a proper analysis of adjectival morphology is not without its place in One American POW: The Life and Times of a Czech from Texas

both linguistic description and teaching, and the presenter believes that learning about adjectival derivation Deanna Wooley, Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana

can be of particular benefits to students learning Czech. The number of suffixes is quite finite, and there are

many fewer than with nouns. The very basic and important division of Czech adjectives into qualitative, e.g. What does it mean to research one's family history? While genealogy provides a pedigree of

srdečný (pozdrav) and relational, e.g., srdeční (záchvat) is much better developed in Czech than in most ancestral names, dates and places, the identity of the family is created through the biographies of its

other Slavic languages, yet there is little or no discussion of the question to be found in Czech language individual members. This paper examines the history of a family of Czech immigrants in Texas by looking at

textbooks. This paper discusses how Czech adjectives might be taught, in particular with respect to their how one second-generation family member uses his Tex-Czech identity to contextualize his experiences as

word formation. a prisoner of war in World War II. Born and raised in a small, predominantly Czech town in central Texas,

Edwin Hejl was captured during the invasion of Italy and subsequently transferred to German POW camps

Czech Village, Cedar Rapids, Iowa: Past, Present, and Future for a little over one year. Through oral history, he relates his experiences in global war largely by

Janet L. Stoffer Tursi, National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library referencing the Czech nationals and Tex-Czechs he met while in Europe. The close connection between

And Mark W. Hunter, The History Center, Cedar Rapids, Iowa everyday life and Czech identity in the second generation is then compared to the relative distance between

the two by the fourth generation. The author, his granddaughter, reflects on the meaning of "Czech

The first Bohemian immigrants arrived in Cedar Rapids in the 1850s. With the arrival of T. M. heritage" from her experiences as an academic historian studying Czechoslovakia in the twentieth century.

Sinclair‘s Meatpacking Plant in 1871, Bohemian immigration soared. Soon, the south side of Cedar Rapids By contrasting these two concepts of Czech-American identity, the author seeks to explore more fully the

had a distinct ethnic flavor. Czech Village, as it is now known, has changed over the years, and a new dawn ideas of family history and immigrant heritage in the United States.

is on the horizon.

In 2001, the City of Cedar Rapids decided to use Vision Iowa money to revitalize this historic

ethnic neighborhood. Several proposals were put forth, and now Cedar Rapidians must make hard The Face of Czech and Slovak in and around Cedar Rapids, Iowa

decisions about what should be done in this unique district. Ezra Zeitler, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, Nebraska

This slide show presentation shows historic and contemporary photographs of Czech Village and Lisa Volesky, University of Northern Iowa, Swisher, Iowa

puts forth ideas and possible changes for the future of the neighborhood.

Eastern Iowa has been home to significant concentrations of Czechs and Slovaks for over a

century. This presentation identifies, in a historical and geographical context, the imprints of Czech and

The Accent on Youth: A Roundtable Discussion Slovak social religious institutions on the urban and rural landscape in and around Cedar Rapids.

Lisa Volesky, University of Northern Iowa, Swisher, Iowa



The preservation and promotion of Czech-Slovak heritage has drastically evolved with changing

times and society. In this panel, presenters will discuss a variety of experiences, research, and ideas to help

define and ignite the role of youth in the Czech-Slovak heritage and society. The presentation concludes

with a question-answer session about youth involvement and the role of youth in the future.