| June 15, 1999
VITAME VAS!!! It is our pleasure to introduce five new members
to the Bexar Co. Chapter. They are: Teresa Belcher, Patty Edwards, Jerry
Koula, Susanne Mazac,
and Jerome Sulak. We know that you will greet them as friends, and make them
feel
welcome. This brings our membership total to 138, and we sincerely appreciate
the
efforts of all who are assisting in our recruiting efforts.
FROM THE PRESIDENT'S DESK: The Spring State Meeting at
Boysville, March
20th, was the best it could possibly be. Everyone I spoke with, and the many
notes and letters I have received, are filled with praise for the great meeting,
and the most interesting and exciting keynote address by Col. JOHN BLAHA. Those
who attended heard him tell about his Czech ancestry; as well as his interest in
space exploration. He told of his training in Russia prior to spending time on
the MIR space station, and included a video showing what it is like to live and
work in space. The audience gave him a standing ovation upon the conclusion of
his presentation. On behalf of all members of the Czech Heritage Society of
Texas, a most sincere thank you, John.
There were over 200 attendees at this meeting, of which 83 were
members of the
Bexar Co. Chapter. Some of the special guests included members of the Blaha
family, Claudia and Rex Ball of the Institute of Texan Cultures, and Czech,
Slovak, and
Polish students from the Defense Language Institute at Lackland Air Force Base.
The success of the State Meeting was due in no small part to the
efforts of our co-chairmen for this event, KAY VAJDOS and BEA JARZOMBEK.
They handled everything from beginning to end, and it all came together
beautifully. Thank you for a job well done!
At a recent awards luncheon at the ITC, certificates of recognition
were given to BOB BISKUP, JERRY JURENA, AL MORAVEC, C.J. TRENDA, and
LADISLAV
ZEZULA for their work in the outreach program. If this is something
that you would like to be a part of, more volunteers are always welcome.
A special donation of $2000 was received from TOCA for the upgrade of
our
display at the ITC.
I will be returning in mid-June from a trip to the Czech Republic.
While there I will be joining a group from the CHS of Texas as they meet
with the Mayor of Roznov. There will be more to tell at the next General
Meeting, June 27th.
Ladislav Zezula
SPRING STATE MEETING: We wish to thank everyone who assisted
us in hosting the State Meeting in March. We have received numerous
compliments on the gracious welcome Bexar Co. extended to the visiting
Chapters. We certainly could not have done this without your help.
Thanks to all who assisted with the decorations; set-up and clean-up;
the serving of juice, coffee and kolaches; host and hostess duties;
those who handled the sign-in and welcoming duties at the door; the
telephone committee; and especially to all the members who contributed
the desserts that were needed for the luncheon-- we never ran out (there
was even enough for seconds!). It was a very successful event, but it
could not have been accomplished without the help of all of you. Thank
you most sincerely.
Kay Vajdos and Bea Jarzombek
CZECH HERITAGE DANCE, MARTINEZ: A fun-filled afternoon was had by all
who attended the dance in Martinez on March 7th. Leo Majek and his
orchestra kept the dance floor crowded with happy people. The food and
desserts were delicious, as usual. Once again, thanks to all who donated
baked goodies and raffle items. The sale of raffle tickets was brisk,
and there were manyv winners. Those who donated items for the raffle
were: Lupe and Frank Jasek, George and Barbara Hruby, Bob and JoAnn
Biskup, Pat Jurena, C.J. Trenda, Joan and Bill Meluch, Sr. Julianna,
Laddie Zezula, Gene Labay, Frances Whitmore, Frances Schimek, Kay Vajdos,
George and Loretta Valenta, and John Kuba. See y'all next year!
CHS DISPLAY, SAN ANTONIO PUBLIC LIBRARY: The exhibit we
arranged at the
Main Library was an unqualified success. At the request of the library staff, it
was extended from April through the month of May. Based on the theme of
"Sailing Ships to Space Ships", old as well as new items were included
in our display. Some of these were: wedding photos from the 1890's and early
1900's, a handwritten diary, home medical book, crystal baskets filled with
decorated eggs, ladies kroj, tarok cards, man's jacket and hat, and books
telling about the areas of Czech and Texas which were home to the early
immigrants. There were many other items as well. Those who donated to our
display were: Bea Jarzombek, Mike and Kay Vajdos, Andy Tokoly, Helen Hyzak,
Loretta Valenta, Joan Meluch, Irene Mazoch, Sr. Bernadette, and Jerry Jurena. We
hope that many of our members were able to see this display. (If you did not,
see our pictures at the June meeting.) The library staff has asked us to
"do it again next year", and we have agreed to do so. It pays to
advertise!
CZECH LANGUAGE CLASSES have recessed for the summer. They are
scheduled
to begin again Sept. 13th. LIBOR CEJKA has been our instructor for the past two
years, however his new work schedule will not permit him to continue doing so.
We wish to thank him for being our teacher, and extend our best wishes for the
future.
Happy landings!
GENEALOGY NEWS AND UPDATE: As you may be aware, the card
catalog of the
Family History Dept. of the LDS (Mormon) Church is now on-line on the world wide
web. The web site is http://www.familysearch.org.
If you have not found the time to visit one of the local branches of the LDS
Library, check this out.
The CHS of Texas will be holding their Czech Genealogy Seminar at
Hill College,
Hillsboro, Texas, on Saturday, July 31, 1999. This will be a one day event. A
registration form was included in the May, 1999 issue of Cesky Hlas. Seating is
limited, so early registration is highly recommended. For more information, see
the CHS of Texas web page at http://www.czechheritage.org.
The 7th Czechoslovak Genealogical/Cultural Conference of the CGSI
(Czechoslovak
Genealogical Society Int'l) will be held in Lincoln, Nebraska, October 13-16,
1999.
This event is open to members and non-members. Information about the CGSI or
the conference may be had by writing to CGSI, PO Box 16225, St. Paul, MN
55116-0225. Their web site is http://www.cgsi.org.
If there are other web sites you have found particularly helpful,
please let me know (Joan Meluch, (210-945-0765) so that we may keep our
membership informed. This way we can all keep our searches moving ahead.
NOTE: IF YOU HAVE BORROWED ANY VIDEO TAPES AT PAST MEETINGS, YOU ARE
ASKED TO RETURN THEM AT THE JUNE 27TH MEETING. Your cooperation will be
appreciated.
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GENERAL MEETING, SUNDAY June 27,1999
Our Lady of Grace Church, 2 PM
Located at the corner of Summit & McCollough (between Hildebrand
and Mulberry)
On site parking available. (We meet in the classroom building behind
the Church)
*********************************************************************************************
UPCOMING SPECIAL EVENTS
FOLKLIFE FESTIVAL, ITC, AUG. 5-8, 1999: This is a wonderful
way to showcase our Czech heritage. Every year thousands of visitors
attend this three-day event, many of whom may not be acquainted with
Czech culture. Many members are needed to work at our booth over the
course of the 3 days. The more volunteers we have, the easier it will be
for everyone. If you can give two or three hours of your time to help,
please sign up at the June meeting.
CZECH HERITAGE DAY, OCTOBER 24, 1999: October will be here
before you know it, and many hands are needed for this event to continue
to be the success it has always been. We have reserved the KofC hall on
Rigsby and have booked Chris Rybak for 1999. All of our planning takes
place over the summer. For those who are new to the Chapter, it is a
social event for family and friends and includes dinner, dancing, and
displays . There are also Czech imports and gift items for sale. This
year we would like to have a special presentation or program for the
children. If you have any suggestions, about how we can improve on our
past celebrations, we would like to hear from you. New ideas are always
welcome. Please contact: Mike Vajdos (210-657-4001), leave a message if
I am not home, and I will return your call. Our success in the past can
be attributed to all those who have taken the time to be actively
involved and helped make this day one we all look forward to each year.
NEWS ABOUT OUR MEMBERS: Recently JOE MOKRY, DOM NETEK, MILTON
SCHILLER, and HELEN HYZAK were hospitalized. All are at home and
recuperating.
We wish all of you a full and speedy recovery.
If you know of any news about our members which you consider of
interest to others, please contact the Newsletter Editor.
INTERNET WEBSITES:
CHS of Bexar Co.: http://www.czechs.org
CHS of Texas (State): http://www.czechheritage.org
Czech the News (homepage of the Czech Embassy): http://www.czech.cz/washington
MARK YOUR CALENDARS:
June 27, 1999 - General Meeting, Our Lady of Grace, 2 PM
Aug. 5-8 - Folklife Festival, ITC, San Antonio
Oct. 24 - Czech Heritage Day, K of C Hall Rigsby, San Antonio
Nov. 7 - General Meeting, Our Lady of Grace, 2 PM
Dec. 5 - Christmas Potluck, Madonna Room, Our Lady of Grace
Newsletter Editor: Joan C. Meluch (210-945-0765)
Folklife Festival, San Antonio, June, 2000 - Dancing Puppet
|
Czech
Heritage Society of Texas
