ZARJA - THE DAWNW URADNO GLASILO OFFICIAL PUBLICATION SLOVENSKE ZENSKE ZVEZE V AMERIKI SLOVENIAN WOMEN'S UNION OF AMERICA NUMBER 3 MAY-JUNE 2003 VOLUME 75 Our National Convention In the Great Lakes Port City, Duluth, Minnesota June 12-16, 2003 MAY - MOTHER’S DAY PARTIES Corinne Leskovar: 3 Br. 47, Garfield Hts., OH, Quinn's, Solon 1 p.m. 5 Br. 23, Ely, MN, Dinner 5 Br. 39, Biwabik, MN 6 Br. 14, Euclid, OH, at SSH, Rechar Ave., 6p.m. 8 Br. 5, Indianapolis, IN, 75th Anniversary-Meeting 15 Br. 16, So. Chicago, IL, at Jovial Club 15 Br. 34, Soudan, MN, dinner at Fortune Bay, 1 p.m. 18 Br. 2, Chicago, IL, Celebration 18 Br. 42, Maple Ht., OH, Mass, St. Wenceslaus, 11 a.m. 18 Br. 13, San Francisco, CA 20 Br. 20, Joliet, IL, Banquet 21 Br. 50, Euclid, OH, Sterle’s 1 p.m. 28 Br. 10, Collinwood, OH, Fanny's Restaurant, 1 p.m. 28 Br. 43, Milwaukee, Wl, Carl's Catering, Noon JUNE 8 Br. 47, Mass for all members, St. Lawrence Church 10 a.m. 12-16 SWU NATIONAL CONVENTION - DULUTH, MN, Br. 33 national certified counselor MARIE T. STELOW, MS, LCPC Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor Individual, Couple & Family Therapy 370 Houbolt Road Suite 201 Joliet, IL 60431 Phone: (815) 773-2303 ZARJA - THE DAWN (ISSN 0044-1848) Postmaster: Send all changes of address to: ZARJA - THE DAWN, 4851 S. Drexel Blvd., Chicago, IL 60615-1703 VOLUME 75 NUMBER 3 MAY-JUNE 2003 Member, Illinois Fraternal Congress Official Publication of the Slovenian Women's Union of America — Uradno glasilo Slovenske Ženske Zveze. Published six times per year - šestkrat na leto. Annual Subscription for non-members. $15.00 — naročnina $15.00 letno za ne-članice. Publisher: SLOVENIAN WOMEN'S UNION OF AMERICA 431 No. Chicago St., Joliet, IL 60432 Telephone (815) 727-1926 Periodicals Postage Paid at Joliet. IL and at additional mailing offices All communications for the next issue of publication must be in the hands of the Editor by the firsrweek of the month — vsi dopisi za naslednjo izdajo mesečnika morajo biti v rokah urednice do I. v mesecu. Editor, CORINNE LESKOVAR Editorial Office: 4851 S. Drexel Blvd., Chicago, IL 60615-1703 Email: CORLESKOVAR@AOL.COM Telephone: (773) 548-8878 - Facsimile: (773) 268-4899 Internet webpage: www.swua.org e-mail: swuhome@msn.com On line newsletter: izalokar@yahoo.com Our Visit to Duluth for the National Convention! Minnesota has always been a very pleasant place to visit! The folks who live there have a long history of service to their country, to their communities and certainly, for the past 75 years, to our SWU. We are proud of having eight active branches, in locations from the northernmost part of the Iron Range in Ely, to southernmost, 160 miles south, in Duluth, on the border of Wisconsin. Most of the first immigrants worked as iron ore miners giving all their strengths and frequently, their lives to their new land. When they came to Minnesota from Slovenia, they brought with them honesty, the capacity for hard work, the highest human values, and the warmth and beauty of their culture. Today most of these families have children and grandchildren who are good Slovenian-Amer-icans, well-educated, and following professional careers. They are the real treasures of Minnesota. In May, 1983, in Chisholm, coinciding with one of our National Conventions, at the site of the largest Open Pit Mine in the world, a special dedication took place honoring the miners and laborers of this area. They were Slovenian men, and the Slovenian Women’s Union thought it appropriate to remember them in a tribute to their participation in the industrial revolution in the United States. One of our members, sculptor, Lillian Brule conceived and carried out the concept of a large memorial structure. One of our most prominent Chisholm, Minnesota leaders, Veda Ponikvar led the groundwork and gave her support to the project, and our Br. 20, Spiritual Advisor, the late Rev. David Stalzer promoted the fund-raising in all parts of the USA. Today this Memorial to the Slovenian Miners and Laborers of the Iron Range stands as a lasting commemoration. In Duluth, one of the largest bridges in the city is named for U.S. Congressman, a Slovenian-American, John Blatnick, at one time the senior Representative in the U.S. Congress. For the past many years, U.S. Congressman James Oberstar has served his state and country well in many important capacities. So, when we come to Duluth in June, we shall come with pride in the accomplishments of our people there and very proud of the history of the brave and strong Slovenian families who have dedicated a great and meaningful part of their hearts and souls to Minnesota. In this Issue: National Convention Minutes of Meeting Members/Mothers of the Year Activities of the Branches 1-5 6-8 10-16 21-30 II 5 4 7 8 3 Slovenian Women’s Union of America 24th National Convention Duluth, Minnesota, June 12-16, 2003 Hostess, Branch 33, Duluth welcomes all National Officers, Delegates and Members to the 24th National Convention. The following is the complement of the Convention: National Officers National President, Kathleen J. Dorchak National Vice President, Marjorie M. Church National Secretary, Bonnie Prokup National Treasurer, Jonita Ruth National Auditor, Beverly Menart National Auditor, Beverly Jackson National Auditor, Fran Morison * * * Scholarship Director, Mary Turvey Women’s Activities Director, Agnes Dobczyk Junior Activities Director, Angela Stare Online Newsletter Editor, Lynn Zalokar Webmaster, Linda Ford Heritage Director, Mary Lou Voelk Editor of Zarja, Corinne Leskovar * * * Regional Presidents Illinois-Indiana, Genevieve Buol Ohio-Michigan, Olga Dorchak Minnesota, Charlotte Launch Western States, Ceta Zagar Wisconsin, Josephine Janezic National Convention Schedule Delegates Branch Name of Delegate Name of Alternate 2 Jean Železnikar Dolores Puhek Rosemary Litwin Marija Rigler 10 Theresa Dagg Stephanie Segulin 12 Virginia Strukel Frances Remshak 13 Ceta Zagar 16 VidaKumse Gladys Buck 20 Patricia Figurowski Judy Derlinga Charlene Kobe Josephine Lustik Jean Herbst Bernice Nemanich 23 Jane Yadlosky Gerry Petrich 24 Mary Ann Brunner Bill Prokup 30 Gladys Born 33 Doris Skull Jackie Rukavina 34 Agnes Mattson Adrienne Miklich 35 Anita Vovk Anne M. Orazem 38 Catherine Sandvick Gail Milton 39 Jean Korsman Vida Lanari 42 Dorothy Mehosky 43 Betty Ann Kolesari Mici Bregant 47 Elsie Speliacy 89 Angela Nico Nancy Henkel 95 Dolores Hennelly 102 Rose Pakiz Vicki Krultz (Official as of 4-16-03) (For reference to the above Convention Delegation, you may refer to SWU Bylaws as follows: Board of Directors Article V-5.01 to 5.11; National Officers Article Vll-7.01 to 7.24 and Delegates Article IV 4.09.) June 12 - Registration and Welcome Reception at the Hawthorne Suites Hotel, 325 Lake Ave. South, Duluth, Minnesota. June 13 - Opening of the Convention -First Business Session -Camp Heritage June 14 - Convention Sessions - Camp Heritage -Evening Banquet and Installation of Officers June 15 - Original Polka Mass at St. Martin’s Church, Gilbert, MN - Brunch. Visit to Ironworld USA in Chisholm, MN June 16- Bus trip to St. Paul, MN, the Julian Sleeper House Museum and other activities in the area Plan to arrive Thursday early and get acquainted with our Convention Delegation at the Hotel. CONVENTION HOTEL: HAWTHORN SUITES AT WATERFRONT PLAZA 325 Lake Ave. S., 55802 (218) 727-4663; (800) 527-1133; (877) 766-2665 www.duluthsuperiorlodging.com hawthorn@hawthomsuitesduluth.com For all further information call or contact the Convention Committee: Beverly Menart, Lisa McDonnell and Rosemary Donald 1-218-626-3183 e-mail: menartvamama(« aol.com Our Juniors are waiting anxiously to learn and have fun at Camp Heritage! This is a FIRST for our Junior Members ages 5 and up: a Fun and Activities Camp! It will take place at the forthcoming National Convention, June 12-16, 2003 in Duluth, Minnesota, at the Hawthorne Suites Hotel and will be in session from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., during the same hours as the business session of the convention. Gonzalez Some of the SLOVENIAN HOLIDAY TRADITIONAL THINGS you will be learn to make and enjoy at the Junior Camp: • “Lectova srca” This is a heart-shaped honey gingerbread cookie. People give them as gifts to loved-ones. • “Sveti Miklavž” St. Nicholas - the Slovenian Santa Claus -why he comes bearing gifts. • “Janko in Metka” - Hansel and Gretel - of Storybook fame • “Jaslice” - Christmas Creche - How Slovenians make them and display them in the Bela krajina region of Slovenia • “Butara” - Greens Bouquet - The first plants growing in the spring are gathered in a special way. Slovenian Children’s Folksongs • You will learn three simple songs and perform them at the Convention Banquet Bishop Baraga, America’s first Sainthood Candidate of Slovenian origin • Elizabeth Delene, of the Bishop Baraga Association in Marquette, MI will present the story of the missionary of the Upper Peninsula, Frederic Baraga. Games and Surprises, even more than we can tell you at this time! Sign up for Junior Heritage Camp now! Beverly Menart, Lisa McDonell and Rosemary Donald, Co-Chairmen Elizabeth Sisters, Barbi and Bekki Pohar and twins, Hannah and Hayley Singletary Ad - Program Book Deadline extended to May 23, 2003! Be a part of this Duluth Convention -Express your greetings, ads, and patrons! (left): View of Lake Superior from Canal Park where our Hotel, the Hawthorne Suites, and Camp Heritage will be located! “24th National Convention Only a Month Away” Our 24th National Convention is planned for June 12th to the 16th in beautiful Duluth, Minnesota. 1 hope that all of our branches have made arrangements to send a delegate to this important meeting. Every four years our organization faces major decisions and changes. You, as members, are vital to the outcome of these decisions. Your branch delegate^) is your voice. I am excited to see how many of our branches will be represented. If your branch has decided not to send a delegate, I urge you to consider changing your mind. There is still time to send a delegate. Contact Bonnie Prokup, our National Secretary, to make the appropriate plans. At this convention we will vote for important bylaw changes and a new National Board. Since the amendments affect the appointed members of the National Board, the appointments to the National Board will be made at the National Board meeting held in August, 2003 by the new board. Many of you have expressed an interest in these positions by completing your Member Survey. The new board plans to contact everyone that has indicated they wish to volunteer in some capacity. One way to make our jobs easier, as well as new and exciting, is to consider forming committees for some of our appointed positions. This is one way to get all of our volunteers involved. The new board will consider forming project committees at the next board meeting. Another important issue facing the delegates at the convention is consideration of a dues increase. The National Board has been working hard and diligently to keep our costs as low as possible. However, with the overhead of the Home Office and to continue to provide our members with bimonthly issues of the ZARJA, we are faced with a difficult decision. In this issue of the ZARJA you will see our financial picture from 2002. We are working towards getting stronger and better. A dues increase will help us accomplish this goal. NATIONAL PRESIDENT Kathleen Dorchak A new Heritage Director, Mary Lou Voelk is hard at work trying to make our Heritage Museum and Library viable and active. With her own “Wish List”, she is asking for our help. Read further in this issue of the ZARJA to see how many items we are looking for as well as the projects that are planned. Mary Lou has a great vision and together we can make it happen. Bonnie has an update to our membership drive. We are doing great! Members, I thank for making a difference. This organization is our MEMBERSHIP! The months of May and June are special months to honor our beloved Mothers and Fathers. May you all have happy and blessed special days with your families and friends. In the words of John Burroughs, ‘7 still find each dax too short for the thoughts I want to think, all the walks / want to take, all the hooks / want to read and all the friends I want to see." I look forward to seeing many of my old friends and making new friends in Duluth. Love, Peace and Joy! Kathleen Dorcliak-Hall Thanks to Leslie Cummings, a Br. 2 member and volunteer, for preparing the Member of the Year tribute stories this month. MAY Dedicated to SWU Members of the Year The annual Members/Mothers of the Year tribute is a feature of this issue! There are nineteen that have been individually selected and also, groups of members will be honored at various branch meetings. Along with our sincere congratulations we thank them for their splendid contributions to our organization. On behalf of myself, and all sister-members we extend best wishes to each and every one! You will easily follow their stories and photos, on pages 10 thru 16. Dr. Seth C. Hawkins: MUSEUM WELCOMES SWU CONVENTION GUESTS The official viewpoint of the Julian H. Sleeper House Museum is that the ceremonial highlight of the Special Exhibition on the History and Culture of Slovenia is the SWU Convention visit on Monday, June 16. We will be open all day, exclusively for SWU members and their families and guests, for as long as you wish to stay. Here is some information on what to see and what to expect. The Slovenian Exhibition. It’s the only museum exhibition in America on Slovenia, and we’ve got it! Even if you have already been here, we have managed to work in some new items since your last visit. Most noteworthy are the artifacts from the Museum of Recent History in Ljubljana. We were particularly impressed by their coverage of the War of National Liberation, and Dr. Marjeta Mikuž, their director, was kind enough to send a box of remarkable materials. Most moving is a commemorative edition of a Tarot deck by noted Slovenian artist Prof. Boris Kobe, done while he was a concentration camp prisoner! Not only did he survive, but his stunning testament to the horrors of Fascism did also. Most ingenious is a hollow rolling pin used to conceal secret dispatches, followed closely by a three-peaked army cap to mimic Mt. Triglav. There is a limited edition of the woodblock-print illustrated edition of Dr. Prešeren’s Zdravljica. Also, see leaflets, and the stamps that produced them; photos of Allied servicemen who landed in Slovenia; maps of the partition of Slovene lands by the Axis; and an aluminum spoon made from a piece of a downed fighter plane. Of course, these new items are just a small part of what appears in the Special Exhibition: see previous issues of ZARJA for summaries. Oh yes: we can’t forget the souvenirs and photos from Kurentovanje 2003, where we were the special guests of Dr. Stefan Čelan, mayor of Ptuj, and of Dr. Aleš Gačnik at the publication party for his new book. The Permanent Collection. The JHSH has two floors and nine rooms that display daily life and interior design in the 1880s in the USA, and a special collection on President James A. Garfield. There is new wallpaper in the Wooton Parlor. The JHSH is that rare museum in which you are invited to sit on the furniture, to browse and rest as long as you like. For background atmosphere, we have over three dozen CDs of Slovene music in all styles, from traditional to techno-pop, jazz to classical, and Avsenik to Helena. Make youself at home. Grand Avenue Shopping. The JHSH is half a block from an upscale 21/i-mile strip of interesting shops, both chain-affilated and unique. We will provide the convention with enough Grand Avenue Business Association maps so that you can plan your shopping strategies on the way here. We will also prepare an exclusive guide to our favorite stores, just for you. If you tire of walking, $1.25 gets you 2l/’ hours of unlimited stopover rights on the Grand Ave. bus. The JHSH Gift Shop. Enticing as the Grand Avenue stores are, save a little for our modest museum shop. In addition to JHSH champagne glasses, we have limited quantities of many Slovene-themed items, all at attractive prices. Books include Dr. Bogataj’s beautifully illustrated studies on Slovene handicrafts, an architectural guide to Ljubljana, a chronicle (with great photos) of Martin Strel’s conquest of the Mississippi River, and others. Posters include three different official ones from Kurentovanje, one of Ljubljana, and one of Avsenik’s bands. Beer logo collectors will find Pivo Union items. There are many postcards and photos, Avsenik baseball caps, traditional woodenware, and unique souvenirs. Look for a list in our convention program advertisement. Giveaways. The JHSH stocks 122 national, regional, and local Slovenian tourist brochures. While they last: Slovenian Tourist Board lapel pins, Martin Strel posters, and real Slovene paper money, all free. See you on Monday, June 16th. Come and help the SWU set a single-day attendance record for the JHSH Museum that may well stand for years! Julian H. Sleeper House Museum, 66 South St. Albans St., St. Paul, MN 55105 HAPPY BIRTHDAY IN MAY & JUNE Presidents: May 1 - Jean Korsman, Br. 39, Biwabik, MN June 11 - Margaret Cullen, Br. 3, Pueblo, CO June 17 - Mary Lou Terselic. Br. 103, Washington, D C. Secretaries: May 6 - Gladys Buck, Br. 16, So. Chicago, IL May 13 - Mary Mejac, Br. 103, Washington, D.C. May 17 - Marge Mollica, Br. 57, Niles, OH May 27 - Anka Krakora, Br. 55, Girard, OH June 2 - Blanche Laurich, Br. 81, Keewatin, MN June 19 - Dorothy Brezonik, Br. 1, Sheboygan, WI June 29 - Elizabeth Spolar, Br. 56, Hibbing, MN MANY HAPPY RETURNS OF THE DAY! National Secretary, Bonnie Pohar Prokup: Happy Mother’s Day and Happy Father’s Day to everyone and especially to my parents, John and Barb Pohar of LaSalle, 1L. Also congratulations to all our Members of the Year and the 2003/2004 Scholarship winners! We have just a few weeks left till Convention time. I can’t believe how fast time flies. 1 am busy collecting dues (if you have not paid up please send in your money) and getting ready for the convention. I will be responsible for supplying information for a few of the presentations that will be given. A favorite of mine will be the membership reporting. This year’s campaign is extremely successful. Already at printing date we have 113 new members. Can you believe it? It’s only been three short months. Our goal is 150 and I think we will get that by June. Below is a list of branches that have reached or are close to their 2003 goal as of 4/1/03. Way to go! For those not listed -it is not too late! Recruiting is easier than you think. Just ask! Branch Region 2003 New 2002 New 2003 Members Members Goal 23 Ely, Minn Minnesota 7 2 4 34 Soudan, Minn Minnesota 23 0 1 14 Euclid, Ohio Ohio 1 0 1 50 Euclid, Ohio Ohio 1 0 1 100 Fontana, Calif Western 4 1 2 43 Milwaukee, Wis Wisconsin 4 2 4 103 Washington, DC Eastern 3 2 4 93 New York, NY Eastern 11 11 22 25 Cleveland, Ohio Ohio 2 3 6 42 MapleHts.,OhioOhio 3 5 10 102 Willard, Wis Wisconsin 2 2 4 12 Milwaukee, Wis Wisconsin 1 2 4 In this issue are some important articles to read. especially the National President - Kathleen Dorchak, the Heritage Director Mary Lou Voelk and minutes (rom the National Board meeting and financial reports. If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to ask. I thank you for reading my articles and for being a member. Sincerely, Bonnie Pohar Prokup National Secretary, SWU 3119 Carrie Street, Peru, IL 61354 Wprokup@aol. com YODEL -O- DEE - O! Campaign Climbers are getting up there! Goal for this campaign? • 150 Goal for this campaign! • 113 New members already! 30 days to go! That’s the way! We are doing superduperfantastic! Already we have 113 new members. Can you believe it? We have 8 weeks to go and are short 37 new members. I believe we can do it. So, who deserves some rounds of applause - THEY MET 2003 NEW MEMBER GOAL! 14 Euclid, Ohio 23 Ely, Minnesota 34 Soudan, Minnesota 43 Milwaukee, Wisconsin 50 Euclid, Ohio 99 Lemont, Illinois 100 Fontana, California THESE MET 2002 NEW MEMBER COUNT! 47 Garfield Heights, Ohio 93 New York City, New York 102 Willard, Wisconsin 103 Washington, D.C. EVERYONE ELSE? You are very close, don’t give up. You can do it. I would like to see every branch listed on the big sign I will have posted at the convention. Don’t get left behind. If you need applications you can write the home office OR just download one from the website. And speaking of the website - check it out. Yes, we are on the move. And much more to come in that area. Bonnie Minutes of Slovenian Women’s Union National Board Meeting Feb. 27th, 28th and March 1, 2003, Home Office, Joliet, IL Thursday, February 27, 2003 The meeting was opened with prayer led by Acting President Marjorie Church at 10:20 a.m. All Board members were present with the exception of President Kathy Dorchak. Appointees in attendance were Mary Lou Voelk, Special Projects Coordinator, Lynn Zalokar, On-line Newsletter Editor and Corinne Leskovar, Zarja Editor. A letter by Kathy was read and her concerns were to be discussed. Convention update was given by Beverly Menart. All activities and details were discussed and finalized. Ad/Convention Brochure book requests were sent to only members at this time. The deadline for submission is May 15, 2003. A theme chosen for the convention was suggested as “S(love)nians to Polka.” Guest speaker will be Father John Petrich, a former scholarship winner. Camp Heritage for children 5 years of age and older will offer a variety of activities. Camp Heritage times will be open 9 a.m. till 4 p.m. Friday and Saturday during Convention meetings. Home Office equipment acquisition was discussed. A new copy machine is needed, one that prints in color as well as black/white in order to do more in-house printing. Fran Morison, National Auditor, and President of Branch 2, said her branch will make the needed donation. It was gratefully accepted. Nominations Chairperson, Bonnie Prokup reported no new nominations were received for the National Office positions. Fund raiser for the Heritage Museum (Frosty Morning Quilt) is still active and waiting for additional response. Fund raiser for the Heritage Museum (Magic Month Calendar) was limited in returns this past January, 2003. Earlier sales in the year 2003 was suggested for the January 2004 fund raiser. Heritage gift item sales are available at the home office through the website, e-mail or office phone. Sales had increased in November and December 2002. Other possible avenues of sales for heritage items and cookbooks were discussed. Request was made by Corinne Leskovar to reactivate Branch 99 to incorporate new members in Lemont, IL by revitalizing the Elmhurst, IL branch. After discussion, approval was made by the Board. Request was made to change the title “Activities Director” to Membership/Activities Director by dissolving “Women’s Activities Director’s” position and the “Junior Activities Director’s” position. It is thought it would be more beneficial if activities for adults and youth members be done on a branch level. Approved by the Board. Board members will assist to activate branches in supporting and implementing more individual activities. This request is to be put before the National Convention delegates for vote. National activity project planned is for a trip to Slovenia known as the “2nd Slovenian Heritage Tour” planned for September 2003 was reviewed. Details will be outlined in the upcoming issues of ZARJA. The ZARJA publication will continue under the Editorship of Corinne Leskovar. Her position will remain until a new Editor is found and accepted by the National Board. ZARJA is to be maintained at 32 pages per issue. A review of the tardiness of dues collection was discussed. The bylaws of SWU will prevail and be strictly adhered. Invoices are mailed in January of each year; if not paid by March of the same year, the individuals will be cancelled. The bylaw regarding this section will be published in a separate issue of ZARJA. Friday, February 28, 2003 Meeting opened at 9:30 a.m. with prayer led by Father James Radek, Pastor St. Joseph’s Catholic Church (oldest Slovenian Church in Joliet.) Membership Campaign was brought up to date by Bonnie Prokup, Chairperson. The first two months of 2003 have proved successful. Complete detailed reports were submitted to all Board Members and on-going reports have been printed in ZARJA. Ron Erjavec and Jeremy Blair from First Midwest Bank, investment counselors, presented their annual report of the burial funds held in trust for future disbursements to beneficiaries. Account at year-end was $717,000, a more than adequate amount to pay all those who have burial insurance. The Board reviewed summary of financial report and the limits and guidelines have been met. Our account is in compliance of common stock position. SWU receives return on investment monthly. It was decided to keep the distribution of funds as before. Bonnie Prokup moved to accept report with Beverly Jackson making a second of the motion. Motion carried. Bill Prokup, SWU Accountant, discussed the financial situation of the organization namely that expenses are increasing and interest rates are decreasing resulting in less cash flow. He further suggested that SWU maintain fiduciary responsibility to SWU membership through investment policy guidelines, as indicated. Investment Policy Criteria: 1) Adhere to Insurance Standards Policy 2) Annual Contract to employ the banking/ investment firm and 3) Re-elect auditors formally. Bonnie Prokup moved the policy be accepted, seconded by Fran Morison and motion carried. Recap: The objective of the Slovenian Women's Union is to wisely manage the assets of the Slovenian Women's Union in order to cover actuarial liabilities of the Burial Insurance Policies in effect, preserve the surplus of the funds in Trust, generate sufficient annual investment income to cover all annual burial insurance payments, and follow the guidelines established by the Illinois Department of Insurance as referenced in 215ILCS of the Illinois Insurance Code. This plan has been in effect since inception of SWU and, this time, included in the minutes to show reaffirmation. It was suggested that SWU Auditors should receive periodic reports. Slovenian Women’s Union of America Financial Report, 2002 Source of Funds Dues $ 54,314.00 Donations 3,007.00 Income Transfers from Trust 36,000.00 Proceeds from sale of bonds 25,000.00 Interest from Checking Account 417.81 Cookbook sales 11,469.27 Raffle Proceeds 267.00 Rent 4,000.00 Advertising 1,637.50 Total Sources 136,112.58 Use of Funds Death Claims 15,100.00 Salaries of Officers (4) 9,940.00 Salaries of Employees (Home Office/ZARJA) 13,440.00 Board of Directors Travel (2 Meetings) 5,151.43 Insurance Dept. Fees 555.67 Taxes - Real Estate 2,432.22 Taxes - Payroll 163.80 ZARJA Printing 50,445.00 Final Cookbook Payment 15,829.00 Envelopes & Invitation Printing 872.30 Cookbook Advertising 492.75 Postage (Cookbooks & Officers) 3,779.48 Bank Fees 673.89 Office Expense - ZARJA 1,764.46 Office Expense - National Secretary 1,764.95 Office Supplies 1,241.15 Calendar Mailing 2,329.94 Maintenance & Repair 604.00 Home Office Incidentals and Petty Cash 1,137.38 Web Hosting and Home Office Web Expenses 425.50 Dues Mailing Expenses 1,429.88 Other Miscellaneous 784.64 Prior Years’ Reconciliation Clearance Adjustments (2,682.43) Insurance 1,814.00 Utilities (Gas, Electric, Water for Home Office) 2,918.99 Administrative Assistance (Nat’l. Secretary/Marketing) 2,988.00 Other Officers Annual Stipend 200.00 Total Use of Funds $135,596.00 Net Source/Use 516.58 Mary Lou Voelk, Special Projects Coordinator, volun- teered to work on the Museum Library and Artifact preser- vation as an interim position until National Convention time in June, 2003 and agreed to set up guidelines for volunteers to assist in this project. She reported that the volunteers she had to date were extremely knowledgeable, enthused and supportive. The survey sent to members in January has already produced over 700 responses. After her complete review and analysis, a report will be submitted to the Board and to the membership of the results. Board of Directors’ Resolutions Resolved that the Board has reviewed the Investment Policy of the Slovenian Women’s Union of America dated February 1, 2003 and hereby adopts, ratifies and confirms the Investment Policy of the Slovenian Women’s Union of America attached hereto and shall be effective as of March 1, 2003. Vote: Unanimous Resolved, that the Board has reviewed and assessed the technical investment and administrative capabilities and expertise of the First Midwest Bank and hereby determines that it is qualified to execute the Investment Policy of the Slovenian Women’s Union of America dated February 1, 2003. Vote: Unanimous Resolved that the Board has reviewed the summary investment reports for the 4th quarter 2002 and determined that all the Society’s investments have been made in compliance with the SWU standards, limitations, and investment guidelines as specified in Investment Policy of the Slovenian Women’s Union of America. Vote: Unanimous Lynn Zalokar, On-Line Newsletter Editor, recapped 2002 membership campaign and the growth of the New Neighborhood Newsletter. Both have been successful. Meeting adjourned at 7:40 with a closing prayer. Saturday, March 1, 2003 Opening prayer at 8:50 Auditors reviewed the General Fund, Heritage Fund, Scholarship Fund and Scholarship Foundation Financial reports and found all to be in order. See reports printed in this issue of ZARJA. The Executive Board and Auditors worked on a proposed budget for 2003 working on such detail as increased overhead expense in general, need for office equipment update, increased cost of printing ZARJA Magazine as well as other expenses which might occur. The Convention per diem was finalized for delegates, 7 Board Officers, Regional Presidents and designed appointees. The aforementioned will be advised accordingly. Due to the financial circumstance of SWU, the yearly dues issue was again discussed in detail and would find the proposed budget in a better position with increasing all junior members to $5.00 (some were grandfathered in at $4.00) and all adult members to $20 to become effective in January 2004. Through the years, adult membership rates had changed, increased or reduced depending upon the age of a member, and all those changes were grandfathered (kept the same) leaving members at rates of $8.00, $10.00 or $12.00 per year creating a deficit in the general fund caused by the rising costs of operation. This increase was incorporated into a possible bylaw change and will be determined by the delegates at the National Convention in June. SLOVENIAN WOMEN’S UNION SCHOLARSHIP FUND Slovenian Women’s Union Scholarship Foundation Non tax exempt account, Year Ended December 31, 2002 (First Midwest Bank, Joliet, Illinois) Check Book Balance at 12/31/01 CD Balance at 12/31/01 Total Assets at 12/31/01 8,481.01 11.187.15 19.668.16 Income Interest earned - checking Interest earned - CD Donations Total Income - 2002 Total Assets - 2002 Expenses Scholarship Payments Scholarship Payments Non-winners Operating expenses (supplies, photocopies, phone) Postage Administration Stipend Advertising Bank Maintenance Fee Total Expenses - 2002 Total assets - 2002 94.00 206.63 1,019.00 1,319.63 20,987.79 1.500.00 104.15 135.11 1.200.00 15.00 17.88 00 Income and Expense Report, Year Ended Dec. 31, 2002 (Wells Fargo Bank, Marquette, MI) Check Book Balance at 12/31/2001 Total Assets at 12/31/2001 Income Interest Earned - Checking Donations Total Income 12/31/2002 Total Assets 12/31/2002 Expenses Scholarship Payments Teleconference State of Michigan Income Tax Preparation Service Fee Officers’ Stipends Total Expenses 2002 Total Assets 2002 Investment Portfolio - Market Value 12/31/2002 Total Assets - Checking And Portfolio 12/31/2002 7.575.02 7.575.02 16.96 2,220.00 2,236.96 9,811.98 4,000.00 81.40 10.00 80.00 14.00 350.00 4,535.40 5,276.58 80,900.47 86,177.05 The auditors found the Scholarship Foundation in good order. Beverly Menart, Beverly Jackson, Frances Morison 2,972.14 18,015.65 Checking Account Balance at 12/31/2002 6,621.87 Certificate of Deposit 12/31/2002 11,393.78 Total Assets - 12/31/02 18,015.65 The auditors found the scholarship fund in good order. Beverly Menart, Beverly Jackson, Frances Morison It was further decided that, hereafter, auditors should attend the annual Board Meeting one-half day early for reviewing financial statements allowing them time to attend and participate in all discussions of the Board agenda during the meetings. There being no further business brought before the Board, the Acting President adjourned the meeting at 12:00 p.m. Minutes respectfully submitted by Pat Figurowski, Recording Secretary, condensed for publication by Marjorie Church; Vice President. Board Members: Kathleen Dorchak, President, Marjorie Church, Vice President, Bonnie Prokup, Secretary, Jonita Ruth, Treasurer, Beverly Menart, 1st Auditor, Beverly Jackson, 2nd Auditor, and Fran Morison, 3rd Auditor. Heritage Fund Income and Expense Report, January 1, 2002 to December 31, 2002 Checking Account Balance as of 1/1/02 $ 4,597.11 Donations 4,285.52 Heritage Items Income 5,697.50 75th Jubilej 12,086.45 Total Income $ 22,069.47 Expenses Bank Maintenance Fee 23.50 Cards 494.75 Gifts and Societies 773.00 Heritage Items 1,959.10 75th Jubilej Expenses 15,090.71 Miscellaneous Expenses 1,842.47 Museum Expenses 2,756.99 Office Supplies 572.23 Video Production 1,690.40 Total Expenses 25,203.15 Income and Expense Balance as of Dec. 31, 2002 1,463.43 Checking Account Reconciled as of Dec. 31, 2002 1,463.43 The auditors found the Heritage Accounts in good order. Beverly A. Menart, Beverly Jackson, Fran Morison SWU Heritage Museum Gifts “Butcher Aprons” available The popular apron, perfect for outdoor cooking, for men and women, is now available at the SWU Home Office! Great Mother’s Day and Father’s Day gifts! Unisex! One size fits all! Bright blue color with logo: LOVE IS IN EVERY S-LOVE-NIAN! $25 post paid ($22 for cash and carry) MOTHERS’ DAY CARDS $2.50 each These are beautiful photograph-art by Bernadette Kovacic Fitzsimmons “Marija Pomagaj” Rosaries from Brezje, Slovenia $5.00 each Story of the Shrine of Marija Pomagaj (English) $5.00 each Order from Slovenian Women’s Union 431 No. Chicago St., Joliet, IL 60432 STAR-STUDDED BRANCHES Wow! Your generosity is star-studded! Branch 24, LaSalle, Illinois Offers SWU a donation of $500 for the purchase of new computer equipment for the Home Office! Branch 2, Chicago, Illinois A donation of $300 for a new office copier! Thank you, Br. 24! - Thank you Br. 2! With more star-studded Branches we could do a lot -don’t you think? Slovenian Women’s Union Convention Raffle Proceeds for the Slovenian Women’s Union Heritage Museum Hand-made, full-size QUILT, by National Auditor, Beverly Menart, in blue, cream and gray colors, in a pattern called, “A Frosty Morning” Drawing: Tickets, $1.00 each JUNE 16, 2003 - 6 for $5.00 - DULUTH, MINNESOTA We will fill out your tickets, and place them into the Raffle for you You will not receive any tickets. Send to SWU National President, Kathleen Dorchak, 3088 Markle Drive Silver Lake, Ohio 44224 Telephone: (330) 686-1336 Email: KDORCHAK@NEO.RR.COM Name:____________________________________Number of Tickets: ____________ Address: ________________________________ Make your checks to S.W.U. City, Zipcode: __________________________ Amount Enclosed: _____________ 1 ■' * :: * « * K A I « * * a. * I 1 * :: * 8 * 1 V a * 8 * :: * I f * « * ♦♦ «» * a ' a ►*- * «* S * V* tt »VI *v 2003 MEMBERS OF THE by LESLIE CUMMINGS They’ve served their branches in unique ways - some helping out at meetings, some baking and quilting, others fundraising. What makes this year’s SWUA Members of the Year special? Read on to find out. For her endless work at the Slovene Rest Home, her generosity, and her loyalty, Branch 100 selected Elvie Skavich Blasick as its member of the year. Blasick joined Branch 100 in 1993. She’s been involved with Slovenian activities all her life. As a child and young adult in Chicago from the 1920s through the mid-1940s, she participated in Slovenian youth activities. Blasick’s family hosted many Slovenian parties and picnics during the World War II years. She met and married Chuck Blasick shortly after her family moved in 1945 to Fontana, Calif. The couple had three children and Blasick kept busy working with SNPJ youth groups. Blasick continues to show what branch members call “her spirit of love and caring” by making blankets for every baby bom to family, friends, and Branch 100 members. Elvie Skavich Blasick Branch 100 For being the most staunch supporter of any and all activities Slovenian, Branch 47 named Dorothy Cabot its member of the year. Cabot, a 60-Year-member of the branch, credits her mother as the person who influenced her to love and cherish her Slovenian heritage. When she’s not busy making chicken for the annual Christmas potluck, Cabot drives many miles to pick up members to ensure they can attend meetings and affairs. “With her engaging smile and genuine amiability, Dorothy lights up any place with her presence,” say branch members. Dorothy Cabot Branch 47 When Theresa Dagg isn’t keeping busy as secretary of Branch 10, she’s lending a helping hand wherever she’s needed. Bom in 1964 to parents William and Stephanie Dagg in Chelse, Mass., Dagg enjoys dancing, movies, and cooking. Dagg loves people Branch 10 members love her. “She’s a very caring, helpful person and we really appreciate her,” say members. Theresa Dagg Branch 10 For his generosity with his wisdom, time, talent, and resources, Branch 43 named Ray J. Delopst its member of the year. Now patriarch of the Delopst family in Slovenia and America, he was bom to parents Frank and Gertrude (Globochnik) Delopst in 1918. He’s been involved in SWUA activities since childhood when his mother was the first president of Branch 43. Delopst has made more than 24 trips to Slovenia and is fluent in Slovene and has become the “Stric Ramon” to his nieces and nephews there. He’s paid the yearly dues of his 15-member family for 60 years. Branch members say he Ray J. Delopst “makes them proud to be Slovenian.” Branch 43 Branch 20 named 25-year-member Heidi Domark as its member of the year for her dedication and continued volunteer work. Domark, whose mother and aunt are also Branch 20 members, chairs the bar for the Grape Harvest Festival Dance every September and at the Member of the Year banquet each May. Recently, Domark’s been overseeing reservations for the branch’s 75lh Anniversary Banquet. When she’s not volunteering for SWUA, she gives her time to St. Joseph’s Church and school, where her children attend. Heidi Domark Branch 20 BRANCH 33- Rosemary Donald Membership to SWUA is all in the family for Rosemary Donald, Branch 33’s member of the year. Both her grandmothers were members, one of whom was also named member of the year in 1968. Donald, a 35-year-member, has been financial secretary since 1995 and was the delegate to the 23rd National Convention in Orlando, Fla. When she’s not keeping busy as secretary, she’s reading, walking, or doing crafts. When Sally A. Glavich isn’t busy making noodles to sell at various SWUA fundraisers, she’s whipping up strudels. Glavich’s been a Branch 3 member for 44 years and practices Slovenian traditions in her home. She’s a eucharistic minister and on the hospitality and visitation committee at St. Mary Help of Christian Church. Glavich was married to Raymond Glavich for 33 years. Now widowed, she has five children and grandchildren, and a great grandchild. Glavich’s been the recording secretary for KSKJ Immaculate Conception Lodge 104 for more than 35 years. “From children to grandchildren, and noodles to strudels, her helping hand is always extended with love outpouring from her heart,” say branch members. Branch 35 named Anna L. Hodnik, a faithful member of SWUA for more than 50 years, its member of the year. Hodnik’s held many offices at Branch 35 and was head of the national branch’s youth program. As youth director she was creative in trying to sustain the Slovenian language, music, food and other traditions. Hodnik directed a choir for many years that sang traditional music and participated with them in the local annual Grape Festival. “Anna’s worked diligently on whatever projects she’s undertaken,” say branch members. “She’s someone who lives her heritage honorably.” Anna L. Hodnik Branch 35 Sally A. Glavich Branch 3 Branch 13 selected Lois Jensen, a 39-year member of SWUA, as its member of the year. Jensen, who will be married 53 years this year, is the mother of two, including her daughter, Karen, also a member. Jensen is the grandmother of three. Lois Jensen Branch 13 When she’s not baking potica and other taste treats for Branch 102 ’s bake sales, 30-year SWUA member Frieda Klancher busies herself making patchwork quilts. For her hard work and dedication, Branch 102 named her its member of the year. Klancher was bom in Anna, Kan., to parents from Zagorje-ob-Savi and Hrastnik, Slovenia. Her family moved in 1920 to the Slovenian community of Willard, Wis. Klancher earned a bachelor’s degree in education and married Paul Klancher in 1940. She raised two children, Paul, Jr., and Kay, and taught school for 31 years. Now an accountant for a Minneapolis-based firm, Klancher has been a reporter for Zarja for five years. In her free time she sings with the Holy Family Choir and the Slovenian Singers. Frieda Klancher Branch 102 Branch 50 selected Mary Maxin as its member of the year. Maxin practices her Slovenian heritage through food and sharing stories with family. Bom in 1924, Maxin was married to George Maxin (now deceased) for 50 years, and they had five children together. She’s now the grandmother of six and says the best thing about being a mother is watching your children grow and make good choices. When she’s not cooking or working on puzzles, Maxin enjoys playing cards and socializing. Mary Maxin Branch 50 For her enthusiastic participation in numerous branch activities, Branch 103 named Ana Rojina Menapace its member of the year. Branch members say, Menapace, a member since 1966, always has a generous spirit and a “ready and willing” smile. Ana Rojina Menapace Branch 103 Describing her as a “wonderful ambassador for the Slovenian Women’s Union,” Branch 5 named Mary Frances Mohr its member of the year. A mother of six and grandmother of nine, Mohr makes time not only for her family, but also for her branch, acting as secretary/treasurer. A long-time SWUA member, fellow Branch 5 members describe Mohr as a dedicated, hard worker. “Her smiling face is always a welcome sight,” say members. Mohr’s ancestors have been members of SWUA and she’s continuing that tradition by enrolling her daughters and granddaughters. Describing Rose Ann Prey as a “role model” for its members, Branch 89 named Prey its member of the year. Prey served 17 years as Branch 89 president, recently retiring from that position. Bom in Hibbing, Minn, to parents from Austria and Črnomelj, Slovenia, Prey married William Prey in 1948 in Mendota, 111. She and her husband, now deceased, operated the Prey Funeral Home for 54 years. Prey has three children and five grandchildren. Branch members say due to Prey’s “lifelong acts of kindness, loyalty, leadership, and faithful service, Branch 89 has flourished” in its community. Rose Ann Prey Branch 89 Mary Frances Mohr Branch 5 For her enthusiasm and tireless work on many branch events, Branch 39 named 51-year member Milka Skorjanec its member of the year. Bom Milka Kozina in Dvorska Vas, Velike Lasce, Slovenia, in 1919, she married in 1944 and immigrated to America in 1949. Now a widow, Skorjanec is known for the flancete she makes for state conventions. When she’s not working on the St. Joseph Church’s funeral dinner crew, she busies herself reading, crocheting, and knitting. “She’s just a beautiful lady,” say Branch 39 members. Milka Skorjanec Branch 39 Gloria Smuk, past president of Branch 23, is being honored as member of the year for her continual volunteer work. Smuk gives her time to her church, civic organizations, and SWUA. She’s a widow, and mother of five children (one deceased), three grandchildren, and one great grandson. When she’s not volunteering, she enjoys reading, polka dancing, and making apple potica for family and friends. Gloria Smuk Branch 23 When Sylvia Spretnjak isn’t busy serving coffee and pastries to members, she’s hard at work as treasurer of her branch. For her loyalty and dedication, Branch 16 named Spretnjak its member of the year. A member of SWUA since 1945, Spretnjak was the branch auditor for many years and attends all regional conventions. Spretnjak joined other SWUA members in 2001 to make the 75th Anniversary SWUA Heritage tour to Slovenia. Branch 16 members describe her as a very “capable” treasurer and craftswoman. Sylvia Spretnjak Branch 16 lUDCKY# Branch 2 - Six members These six members are always there for us without hesitation, says Branch 2 President Fran Morison. Terry Morison is an all around, all-purpose assistant who lends a hand wherever necessary. Ray Nusko is the master decorator for Branch 2’s monthly meeting themes, especially at Christmas. Paul Nusko is a tremendous help to his dad, Ray, and to the branch. Louis Pasderetz is best known as Branch 2’s Christmas Elf and offers his services whenever needed. Richard Rakovic is described by Branch 2 members as a “fabulous Santa Claus and kitchen helper.” Joseph Worth beautifies each Branch 2 meeting with seasonal blooms from his floral design business. On the photo, (L.-R.) Paul, Ray, Rich, Joe & Louie Branch 34 - Marianne Kay Dean Marianne Kay Dean sung her way into the hearts of Branch 34 members by creating the first funeral choir for St. Martin’s Church. Bom in Virginia, Minn., to Kathryn and Asbjom Buvarp, Dean attended Virginia Junior College majoring in music. After moving to Lake Vermillion, Tower, a priest at St. Martin’s recognized Dean had a fine singing voice and asked her to start a choir. She did and through her voice, expertise, and dedication, the choir became quite accomplished. After a hiatus due to illness, Dean started the funeral choir. Married to Donald Dean since 1959, she has four children Douglas, David, Daniel, and Dawn Marie, and three grandchildren, Abigail, Avery and Ariana. “Kay delights in coming to our meetings and adds much to our branch,” says Branch 34 reporter Adeline Mustonen. Branch 12 - All members Branch 12 will be honoring all members who so diligently attend all of its meetings and try to participate. Branch 56 - All members Branch 56 honors all its members who attend the Mother’s Day luncheon. Message from the Special Projects Director: SLOVENIAN WOMEN’S UNION SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM My February trip to the Home Office and Museum at Joliet was a 7-day marathon! There were meetings with volunteers; there was life in the basement, poking around, moving boxes, and then attempting to make some sense of the accummulation of everything Slovenian. There was the late night sessions with Bonnie Prokup tabulating the survey. Every day was at least a 14-hour day. 1 traveled to Joliet with a mission: to gather up enough volunteers so that this building we call a museum and library could realize organization. I accomplished that mission. Be it known there are dedicated people out there that have made considerable progress. Bill and Theresa Burns, Veda Hodgman, Dotsi Rossi, Gladys Buck, Vida Kumse, Helen Battista, Marjorie Mitchell, Patt Meglich-Sespico, Pat Koski, Nancy Henkel, Mary Urban and Debbie Pohar. Every person but one had been a complete stranger to me. They came to volunteer. I find this amazing! I have been asked many times how I can manage a project living so far away. My answers: #1) determination #2) I have set up 6 categories: Library, Zarja, Magazines, Upkeep and Maintenance, Window Display and Koledars. Each category has a folder that contains the following: a written achievable goal, along with a step by step procedure to accomplish this goal. Also included is a “signing sheet” to be filled by those who have contributed hours. I need to know of everyone that contributes! 1 am also always accessible to the volunteers, either by phone or e-mail, on the days of their visits to the heritage center. As of this date there have been volunteers for every category except Upkeep and Maintenance. I also met with the Board, addressing my vision for the future of the SWU as I see it. So that every member of the SWU can know of this vision, a letter is being sent to each branch president, written in the first person, to be read as if I were the guest speaker at your branch meeting. The letter also has an addendum: a wish list. As 1 am a rather energetic person, 1 would hope this letter will be read with passion. This letter is also posted on the SWU website, as a link on the New Neighborhood. If you are not able to be at a meeting, or do not have access to a computer and would like to have a copy of this letter 1 will be more than happy to send it out to you. Either call me or write. (See my address and phone number at the end of this message.) I leave you with my premise: If we are to call our building a library and museum, we must follow the standards and code of ethics that is called for in this category of archival collection and storage. This building is a public display and living memory of our Slovenian heritage. We must never forget this! 1 am merely giving leadership for the cause. It is for our members to put forth pride, talents, time, and resources for this historic cause. You are needed!! Hope to see you in Duluth. Mary Lou Deyak Voelk 389 Clubhouse Dr. A-2 Gulf Shores, AL 36542 (251) 968-4364 Mrs. Rose Marie Princ and Mr. Tony Colnar have generously gifted our 2003-2004 applicants, along with many other generous donors this past year. Our Scholarship Program is celebrating its 53rd year of serving students with financial assistance, due to the interest and support of our members. These gifts are sincerely appreciated. SCHOLARSHIP DONATIONS FEBRUARY AND MARCH 2003 $10.00 donations: Branch 47, Garfield Hts., OH (tMary Culkar); Kay Yuratovac (+Ann Tercek); Branch 1, Sheboygan, WI (tLudmilla Acker) $20.00 donation: Hermine Dicke - Scholarship Program $50.00 donation: Arlene Sunkel - Scholarship Program $100.00 donation: Mary Vercek (deceased) - gift to Scholarship Program $1,000.00 donation: Tony Colnar in memory of his Mother, Frances Barman $4,000.00 donation: Rose Marie Princ in memory of her husband, Josef Princ For further information or to send a donation, write to: Mary H. Turvey, Director Slovenian Women’s Union Scholarship Program 52 Oakridge Drive Marquette, Michigan 49855 or MTurvey@aol.com Books Wanted In re the History of Slovenia, Slovenian fiction and nonfiction In 2001, an ad was placed in ZARJA by Reza Lockwood advertising the Slovenian Women’s Library and requesting books, periodicals and artifacts. Since that time, artifacts from Branches have arrived. Irene Odorizzi of Reston, VA brought in boxes of old periodicals this spring. Prior to this time, Irene had sent a very old map of Slovenia. This past week 3 boxes of books arrived from Helen Skrinar Dickson of Tacoma, WA, all donated in memory of her grandparents, Stefan and Marija Skrinar. Reza’s ad had been clipped from the ZARJA and enclosed by Helen. We make this request again for books! A staff of volunteers continues to catalog books as they arrive. Our collection of books is now stored on shelves on the main level. Please check your attics, garages, basements or bookcases. Every book, periodical or archive that is donated makes our non-circulating library and museum even more valuable. And by all means, stop in and browse. The SWU library has many interesting and valuable books. If you have any questions, please call or e-mail the Home Office. M.L. Voelk (SWUHOME(aMSN.COM) Ask Tončka! \o gv Dear Slovenian Genealogists: Voila! Here is a new source for those of us looking for American Slovene ancestors - Our old WOMEN'S GLORY cookbooks offer much more than recipes. (See below.) Tončka Dear Tončka: I inherited my mother’s "WOMEN’S GLORY - THE KITCHEN” issued by the Slovenian Women’s Union of America on it’s Silver Anniversary 1926-1952. It is a signed copy by Zora YURKAS who contributed a recipe on page 21. Zora was the Supreme Youth Board officer at the time and her address was 9610 Avenue L., South Chicago, 111. I believe Zora was the sister of my grandmother, Agnes ZOSCSAK, maiden name DORAY. Do you have any one within your organization who can share with me information on Zora YURKUS, or give me a clue as to where to look? Sincerely, Deborah McKeel - mckeeI2@earthlink.net NATURALIZATION RECORDS have proven to be a wealth of information of those immigrants who came to the United States after 1906. Before that year, numerous, varied courts throughout the country were processing these records without uniform regulations. In 1906 creation of the Bureau of Immigration and Naturalization provided a uniform rule for the naturalization of aliens throughout the country. There are a number of reasons why your ancestor may not have been naturalized. First, naturalization is not required, however, non-citizens are unable to vote and in some cases own land. Second, some immigrants did not intend to stay in the United States - a story we have often heard. Many of our family came to earn money and then planned to return to Slovenia, Third, some immigrants did not live long enough to apply. Five years of residence is required before becoming naturalized. Fourth, married women and/or immigrant minor children were automatically naturalized when their husband and/or father receive his citizenship. APPLYING FOR NATURALIZATION AFTER 1906: “Declaration of Intention” to become an American citizen was usually filled out soon after immigration, but not always. This document provides a wealth of information including age, physical description, date and place of birth, current residence, port of departure and name of vessel, last foreign residence, country of allegiance, date and port of arrival. After 1929 the following information was added: spouses name, spouse’s birth and birth place, names of children with birth dates and place of birth, current address. “Petition for Naturalization” for presentation to the court was filed after five years of residence in the United States and within seven years of filing the Declaration. This document does not have as much data, but after December 1910 information on the marriage and children are added, so it serves as an update on the Declaration. Two witnesses to the applicant are also listed. “Certificate of Naturalization” was awarded to the new citizen through the court and a duplicate was sent to Washington, D.C. This document has the least information, giving a physical description and the subject’s name, address, former country, and date of naturalization. Be aware that sometimes, as in Ellis Island records, obituaries, family records, etc. that there can be an error in information. The applicant may list a large city instead of his small home village as his place of birth, or may not have remembered his date of arrival. HOW DO WE FIND IMMIGRATION RECORDS? Census records are the best starting place. The 1900 census asks if the individual has filed papers, “AL” means alien, not filed, “PA” for papers means that the individual has filed a Declaration of Intent, and “NA” means the person has been naturalized. Do not confuse the year, which is listed on the 1900 census after the naturalization status. That is the year of immigration, not the year of naturalization. In the 1910 and 1920 census the same abbreviations are used but in the 1920 census also recorded is the year of naturalization. Naturalization Records can be found in courts where the immigrant lived the majority of his adult life. Begin with local courts and if not successful turn to state archives for federal court records filed in the National Field Offices. However, the best place to search is at your local Family History Center where all immigration documents have been filmed. Look through the catalog for localities of interest under the heading “Naturalization and Citizenship.” The Immigration and Naturalization Service has an index to all naturalization in the country since 1906. You can contact them at 425 I Street NW, Washington, D.C. 20536 to order a search form. For more information: “American Naturalization Records, 1790-1990: What They Are and How to Use Them,” John J. Newman. “Guide to Naturalization Records of the United States.” Christina K. Schaefer. A huge THANK YOU to Gladys Buck and branch 16 for sending in their Branch’s nicely detailed Branch Genealogy Project. A Surname List booklet of SWU Genealogists will be on display at the Convention Hospitality Center, along with a questionnaire and suggestion box for future genealogy columns. I look forward to meeting you and learning of your research experiences. Happy Hunting! Tončka 904 Margaret Street Iron Mountain, Michigan 49801 Book Reviews Out of This Furnace A Novel by Thomas Bell Reviewed by Lynn Zalokar This book was recommended to me by a young woman from the Convention & Visitors Bureau of Greater Cleveland who is 1/4 Slovenian. While living and working in a steel mill town seems foreign to me, I do recall that Anka Radicevich’s father worked in the steel mills (Anka was a childhood friend from South Chicago where my family lived ‘til I was almost ten). Of course “Out of This Furnace” is set in an entirely different time period. The author’s family name is Belejcak. So we know that Thomas Bell “Americanized” his name as was common during those times. It is the story of three generations of an immigrant Slovak family. _T‘ The novel begins with Djuro Kracha who leaves his homeland in the 1880’s for Braddock, Pennsylvania and a job in the railyards. The next generation (Kracha’s daughter) marries a good and hardworking man, but they have bad luck with backbreaking work in the mills and terrible industrial accidents. The third generation story involves the successful unionization of the steel industry along with the realization that they were now becoming a part of mainstream America. Women play a notable role in the novel. “Against heavy odds, they struggle to hold their families together, to create a sense of ‘home'. The central female characters of the early generations... threatened or confronted by widowhood, separated from their husbands in the best of times by the long mill workday, they also have the burden of devising extra income for the family budget.” "Out of This Furnace is a document of our ethnic heritage and of a violent and cruel period in our history, but it is also a superb story. The writing is strong and forthright, and the novel builds constantly to its triumphantly human conclusion.” This novel was first published in 1941 and has been used in more than 250 colleges and university courses nationwide. Why did the author write this book? “My conscience dictated me to write the novel. I saw a people brought here by steel magnates from the old country and then exploited, ridiculed and oppressed. None of my books contains such a hunk of my life as this book about my people. The life of a Slovak boy in Braddock 30-40 years ago was a bitter one. As a small boy I could not understand why I should be ashamed of the fact that I was Slovak. While Irish and German kids could boast of the history of their ancestors, I, as a Slovak boy, did not know anything about the history of my people. I made up my mind to write a history of the Braddock Slovaks in order to tell the world that the Slovaks The New Neighborhood Online Comments by Lynn Zalokar If you are on the internet and have an e-mail address please sign up for the SWUA online newsletter “The New Neighborhood.” The newsletter is our new Slovenian neighborhood and is delivered monthly to you “in box.” This is a forum to post information, ask questions or help out with anything related to our Slovenian heritage and culture, it’s becoming the way to link up with fellow members (over 500 subscribers). This is the place to announce a meeting, event or that a branch has reorganized! Is there a restaurant, bakery, event you’d like others to know about? Are you seeking out any of these places? Are you new in town or in the workforce, and interested in meeting a fellow member for coffee or dinner (and know that you already have something in common)? Are you planning a trip to Slovenia and looking for tips? Check out past issues of the newsletter on the www.swua.org website. To subscribe, just send an e-mail to lzalokar@yahoo.com Sample postings: Do you know anyone who would sell me a Slovenian honey bread to hang on my wall? I have all kinds of breads from all over Europe and a honey bread would look great next to the others. Please let me know. * * * I am trying to buy the special potica loaf pans, both the long/high ones and also the round crock-type ones. I haven’t found a place in California where that would be possible. Any ideas on who would have a catalogue or a website? I’ve found lots of recipes but no pans. Can you help? * * * Branch 99 - Elmhurst, IL is being reorganized as the Lemont, IL branch (suburban Chicago) with meetings at the Slovenian Cultural Center. New members are being signed up and everyone is very welcome. Please write for more information. with their blood and lives helped to build America, that the steel they produced changed the United States into the most industrialized nation in the world. My book “Out of This Furnace” is an answer to all those unthinking people who look down on the Slovaks. It was also my aim to strengthen in the Slovaks their pride in their own origin. Finally, I wanted to make sure that the hardships my grandfather, my father, mother and my brothers, sisters, and other relatives lived through would never be forgotten. (Translated by John Berko in his ‘Thomas Bell (1903-1961), Slovak-American Novelist’, Slovak Studies, vol. 15).” I believe all of this parallels with the Slovenian immigrant experience. Even I knew at a young age that my name was not “easy” to say, spell or to place in the right country! Most people had never heard of Slovenians! I recommend this book to learn of the hardships new immigrants faced, to learn something of life in a steel mill town and to see how the sacrifices of the earlier generations benefited their descendants. From the Youth Director Angela Stare: Spring is here, school’s will soon be coming to an end and we are all planning for the summer months. I hope that this has been a great year. Please let us know how this past year has been for you. Have your branches been inviting you to their meetings? Share your stories with us in the ZARJA. I hope that many of you will attend the convention in Duluth. MN. A first this year will be a “Camp Heritage” for our junior members. A great opportunity to explore, learn and make many new friends who share the same passion and love of their Slovenian heritage. There are other opportunities for summer fun, adventure and camps for everyone. If anyone is interested in an International Summer Youth Camp in Slovenia, you may contact Ms. Jana Cop at the Slovenian World Congress. A brief explanation of this year’s camp is provided for your review. Also, if anyone is interested in camps that are sponsored by the Catholic Church in Ljubljana, you may e-mail them for more information at the following address: www.družina.si and they will be more than happy to provide all the information you may need. If you or your family plan to travel to Europe, Slovenia, this may be a great opportunity to really experience your “Slovenian" roots. If any members ever wish to visit the Washington, D.C. area, please let us know if we can help coordinate and assist you. Let us hear from you. Write to ZARJA. Share your stories. Ask your grandparents, mothers, aunts, sisters, those who receive the ZARJA to share the articles that may be of interest to you. I wish you all the very best for a safe, fun, exciting summer filled with many happy memories. International Summer Youth Camp in Slovenia July 27-August 3, 2003, Velika Polana, Prekmurje, Slovenia Slovenian World Congress, headquartered in Ljubljana, Slovenia, is organizing a youth summer camp in Prekmurje, which is an area in northeastern Slovenia near the Hungarian border. Approximately 70 young people, ages 12-17, are expected to take part. The purpose of the camp is to strengthen the ties of young people of Slovenian ancestry with the country of their forefathers. They will study the Slovenian language, participate in various workshops (pottery, survival skills, local customs and culture) and take trips to places of interest in Prekmurje. For further information contact Ms. Jana Cop at Slovenian World Congress, e-mail ssk.up@eunet.si. Fax: (386) 242-8558. ANGELA STARE, 7601 Elmore Ln„ Bethesda, MD 20817, Fax (301) 229-8149, email bartstarefa wans.net Tel. (301) 229-7587 FAMILY HERITAGE PHOTO GALLERY “OPENING THE DOOR TO THE PAST!” I am Nancy Henkel, and I have volunteered to be in charge of window displays at the heritage center in Joliet. Our beautiful Slovenian culture is deep into family and tradition. Thus two titles have been chosen for the displays. Holiday Traditions and Customs, and Family Photo Gallery. Easter tradition has been the first heritage display with a complete table setting entitled Žegen. The first family to be shown in the Heritage Photo Gallery is my family. These photos have been cut, cropped and printed out in black and white, matted and hung on a lattice frame. Both windows have been popular. Passers by are stopping and looking at these windows. Help is now needed to continue this Heritage Photo Gallery. I need families to begin digging into their albums and boxes and finding photos of their Slovenian ancestry, preferably of grandparents, great grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins for display in the heritage center. Follow these simple instructions. I will do the rest! • I do not want originals; copy your photos on a good copy machine. • Make them all 8 x 10 and print them out in black and white: any size photo or snapshot can be enlarged. • Use photocopy paper only, not regular paper. • I prefer 5 or more photos, but NO to 20! • Along with each photo, write a brief caption telling names, dates, occupations, city, state and perhaps when and from where they immigrated. • Anything of interest: wedding photos, early years, family reunions, life on the farm, naturalization papers, ship manifests, family portraits are needed. • Your photos will be displayed and labeled, and will be respectfully guarded. For those people not able to view these displays in Joliet, take heart. All family photos will be moved to the floor of the museum, and the window will be replaced with the “new" family collage. In turn, each family collage will be photographed and placed on our SWU website under Family History and Genealogy. Please do not be shy or say you don't have anything. Start digging, researching and asking relatives. You will be surprised what you can find, and it can be fun. Waiting to hear from you. Please call or write: Nancy Henkel, 2543 E. 150th Rd„ Peru, IL 61354 - (815) 223-2453 Activities of our Brsnchcs ^ePorts due f>rst °f month preceding publication. Welcome “NEW” Members Feb 5-ADril 1. 2003 NO. 2, CHICAGO, IL Meeting: 3rd Sunday Name Branch Haslup, Jack 42 St. Stephen’s lower hall Tanita. Alexis G 100 Haslup, Sienna 42 TanitaCynthia 100 Ebnoski, Mary Jo 43 Kveder, Tillie 43 Majcher, Theresa 43 Wainio, Jackie 43 Kerzic,Judy 50 Jenko, Marissa 93 Jenko, Tina 93 Klanjšček, Manca 93 Gorsic, Fanika 99 Kocinec, Wanda 99 Pecharich, Martha A 99 Sovan, Slavica 99 Please mark your calendars for the Vidergar, Anna Vidergar, Gretchen 100 100 following meeting dates - Thanks to Jean Hrastar for getting the info. Bauer, HedwigA 102 Sunday, May 18, 2003, Member of Plauts, Michael Pecaric, Ronda 102 103 the Year Celebration. Sunday, June 29, 2003, meeting. Sunday, July 20, 2003 Pumphrey. Jennie Klevisher 103 - Zveza Day Picnic - Lemont, 111. Au- Martin, Zackary, Joseph 14 gust - No meeting. Sundays, Sep- Corgiat, Anthony 2 tember 21, 2003 and October 19, 2003, McNally, Taylor 2 meetings. Sunday, November 16, Mladic, Janet Skikora Swart, Jenny Pliuksis 2 2 2003, Penny Social. Sunday, December 6, 2003, Children’s Christmas Swart, Kenneth J 111 Ballak, MaryAnn 2 20 Valent, Jennie 99 Simrayh, Michaela 99 party. Sunday, December 14, 2003, Adult Christmas Dinner. Bums, WilliamLJr. Dragovan, Richard J 20 20 Leskovar, Matthew 99 Hutar, Lisa 13 On February 16 we celebrated Valentine Day. Fran read a cute Valentine Gaspich-Barry, Nancy 20 Poem and also a touching prayer which Gudac, Cynthia 20 Rose Litwin sent from Florida because Hodgman, Kathy 20 n .1 <7.. she was thinking of us, titled, “It’s All Korst, Richard 20 *1 SWU Trivia Right To Say I Love You.” Lots of Magnuson.Tudy 20 wearing of the red! There were 31 Marsh, Anna 20 Did you know that when the Slove- members present. We were happy to Marsh, William 20 nian Women's Union of America was welcome our new member, Leslie Schager, Patricia 20 founded in 1926 it was called SLOVE- Cummings, especially since she comes Shawmeker, Valerie 20 NIAN LADIES’ UNION? Earliest ap- from a distance. Warsaw, Ryan 20 plication forms and certificates car- Ann Hozian passed out valentines Warsaw, Shelley 20 ried that name. Do you know what which we had to keep until the end of Yirsa.KathyA 20 year we became the WOMEN’S the meeting as a surprise was connected Good, James V 23 UNION? to each. A blue valentine received a Nemanich, Thomas Stephen 23 This organization was instituted for box of chocolate hearts; an orchid heart Voelk. Connor 23 Slovenian-speaking women in the received jelly beans and 4 purple hearts Voelk, Mathew 23 USA and was strictly referred to and received a box of chocolates. Jean Cer- Voelk, Nick 23 written about as Slovenska Ženska jak was absent so Jean Hrastar read the Voelk, Sean 23 Zveza v Ameriki. Even in the earliest minutes. Fran installed our new Temple, Marilyn 24 English language references, it still member, Leslie; we are so glad to have Bartholomew, Annie E 25 carried the Slovenian name. her as a member! Bartholomew, Nancy E 25 But, at the Board of Directors' an- We will honor our men as "Members Feairheller, Dorothy 30 nual meeting on January 10, 1934, of the Year” at our meeting May 18, Barrett, Macy 34 we find in the report of the Supreme namely, Ray and Paul Nusko, Lou Pas- Dolinar, Bette 34 Secretary (Supreme was another ad- dertz, Rick Rakovec, Joe Worth and Lilya, Margaret 34 jective used for our Nationals), Terry Morison. Try to attend, it will Majerle, Robin E 34 Josephine Račič stated that the name be a fun meeting. Micklich, Donald E 34 change was recommended at the 1933 Three of our Junior members are Pahuk, Frederick L 34 National Convention in order to com- eligible for scholarships this year. They Pakiz, Rudolph Rev. 34 ply with incorporation procedures are: Joshua Cox, William Jerry and Pecha, Darlene 34 from the State of Illinois Dept, of In- Krystal Mladic. Good luck to you all. Stefanich, George 34 surance. It all hinged on the transla- Congratulations to Dolores Puhek Wright, Cathy A 34 tion of the word ŽENSKA. Thus, the who won 1st place in the last Member- Zavodnik, Marie 34 name was changed on all legal forms. ship Drive obtaining 17 new members. Zupancich. Mary Lou 34 So, the answer is...1934. Since January, '03 she reported we have 11 new members. Let’s go get more!!! Feb. 16, our members were invited by the Zefran family to attend the renaming of part of Cermak Rd. between Damen & Wolcott, as Louis Ronald Zefran Way, honoring Ronnie for all the good things he did for the people in the old neighborhood of St. Stephen. Speeches were made by his wife Jane, daughter Debbie, sons Frankie and John, Alderman Danny Solis and Senator Tony Munoz. We were invited by the family for a luncheon but we had to decline because it was our meeting day. We were very proud that one of our Slovenians was so honored. An honorary plaque was installed right on the light pole for all to see. Good News for Zveza! An old branch number will be re-activated, the old #99 of Elmhurst, IL will be located in Lemont and suburbs and meetings will be at the Slovene Cultural Center. Let's wish them all good luck as they start up! Mary Lou Voelk who is our new Heritage Director invited us to a meeting Feb. 26th to introduce herself and see if some of the members could help her with her plans for the Museum. Gen Buol and I will volunteer to sort old copies of ZARJA in order. We really enjoyed meeting her. Branch #2 has decided to donate the copier for the museum. Paul Nusko reported on the progress of the new Jesuit school building. They should be in the new building by July 1, 2003. Happy birthday to all our members - especially Mrs. Frances Jasbec who will be 98 this year! On March 16, we were blessed with a beautiful day, with sunshine and warmth for our St. Joseph Celebration. There were 36 members and 11 guests dressed in red and some in green for St. Patrick. Each person brought a dish, enough to take care of 8 people, so our St. Joseph Table was completely loaded with so much delicious food. Thanks to our kitchen committee. Marija Rigler, Rick Rakovec and their helpers, Mayme Fabian, Connie Taylor, Theresa Lopez and Marisele Oquirre. We really enjoyed the luncheon and the sweet table, thanks to everyone. (No diet that day - just feast). Fran read the prayer to St. Joseph and then she read a cute poem titled “Dust if you must”; each member was given a copy to enjoy later. The National Convention is in Duluth, MN. There are only 6 members from here attending. There are so many nice activities planned. The committee is asking for items for the “Silent Auction” especially things that would be common to each area. Br. 2 took a full page in the convention booklet, $100. Angie Benedict fell and broke her shoulder - she would appreciate hearing from some of our members; she is at home now. Our condolences to the following families: To Tina and Glenn Scherwin on the loss of brother, George. To the Banich/Ovnik families on their loss of Mary Ann Ovnik - wife of Johnny Ovnik, and to her brothers, Dr. Francis Banich, Dr. Terry Banich and their families and her children, also to sisters-in-law, Marie, Lorraine, Judy Ovnik, Elsie Pizcor and Delores Nehiemer, and Amy Taylor. Mary Ann grew up in the old neighborhood, attended St. Stephen’s School and after college she was a science teacher in the La Grange area. She will be missed also by the students who loved her dearly. Sympathy also to all the relatives and friends of Ann Horvat Sam especially to her good friends, Art and Ann Benker who took special care of her at home and all the years she was in the nursing home. To the Luzar family on the death of Johnny Luzar: his wife, Violet, his sisters, Mary Piscitiello, Ann Crush, Helen Mladic and niece, Lorraine Mladic, his late brother Tony, and their families. Please remember them all in your prayers, that they will rest in peace. 2nd Sunday, June 8, Father Blase Chemazar will be celebrating his 50th year as a Franciscan priest. A dinner is planned for this occasion at the Slovenian Cultural Center. If you plan to attend you must make reservations in advance. Keep prayers going for our Troops, that our Lord will keep them safe and they will return to their loved ones in the land they love. GOD BLESS AMERICA! Love, DAISY NO. 5, INDIANAPOLIS, IN Meeting: 1st Thurs. SND, from May to Dec. Greetings members of Branch 5!! By now, everyone is as tired of winter as I am, and we are all hoping for a nice, early spring. I am ready for tulips!!! All members should have received their raffle tickets in the mail for our May 8 meeting and raffle. We have lots of prizes and lots of fun things planned for our 75th anniversary, so please plan on joining us for our pitch-in luncheon at 11 a.m., on Thursday, May 8. If anyone would like to donate a prize for the raffle, please contact Karen Zarich at 852-3212. Also, if you have any old SWU pictures, or just old Holy Trinity pictures please bring with you to share, especially if you have any questions about them. Someone may be able to help you identify those “mystery” people. Congratulations to Brooke Mohr on her graduation from Ursuline Academy in Dallas. TX on May 25th. Brooke, who has carried a very heavy academic load, has been active in many community service projects, including mentoring 5th through 7th graders in an enrichment program. She has also been involved in the National Charity League - a mother/daughter community service organization - since 8th grade. A cheerleader for four years, Brooke’s family have been long time SWU supporters. She has several aunts who are members. She is the granddaughter of Mary Frances Mohr, and her great grandmother, Mary Konovsek, and great great grandmother, Ivana Bozic, were also members of Branch #5. We wish her well in future college plans! Congratulations also to Sara Fon on her engagement to wed Scott Cline, a medical student at IU Med Center in Indianapolis. A June 2004 wedding is being planned. Just last week at St. Malachy School, the 4th grade participated in International Week, and chose SLOVENIA as their country to research. As President of Branch #5, Treasurer of Slovenian Cultural Society, and Secretary of In-dianapolis/Piran Sister City Commit-teee.. well, let’s just say I have a few things around my house that we were able to take and set up in the classroom, like a grape arbor and a kozolec (hayrack)... you know, things like you have lying around!! We also were able to connect them with a school in Mozirje and they now have pen-pals in Slovenia!! Ask your children or grandchildren if they do a country study at school, and volunteer to bring items and talk about Slovenia. The teacher will love you for the help!! As always, please remember our sick and those in nursing homes in your prayers. Pray also for our deceased members and their families. Remember those in the military who are working to keep our country safe. Try to think of someone you can enroll in SWU Br. 5, perhaps someone who used to be a member. Share your ZARJA with someone, and ask them to join. Have a wonderful Spring. PHYLLIS FON, President NO. 10, CLEVELAND, OH Meeting: 4th Wed. 1 p.m. SND Holmes Ave. Hi, Ladies! It’s been quite a while since I wrote and since then many of our members are ailing: Joyce LeNassi, Mary Pierce, Justine Girod are in the Slovenian Home for the Aged. Please send them get well wishes. Our Lady of the Year for 2003 is Theresa Dagg. As our secretary, Theresa does a good job of helping us when we need things to be done. The members will meet to celebrate this occasion on May 28th at Fanny’s Restaurant on E. 156th St. Time is 1 p.m. Please try to attend. Happy birthday to all members, Stephanie Dagg in March, my brother, Frank Koncilija in April, and to Ann Stefančič and sister-in-law'Caroline Stefančič, both will be 89 years young. And very lovely ladies - to see them you would never believe how young they look. Hope you have many more. Br. 10 will host the Michigan-Ohio Convention in Cleveland on Oct. 12, 2003. We will need help. St. Mary’s church in Collinwood will be the place. Mass is at 12 p.m. and then will follow a dinner at St. Mary’s Cafeteria in the school building. We will be mailing notices to all branches and hope you will attend. Our delegates for the convention in June will be Theresa Dagg and Stephanie Segulin. Alternates are Stephanie Dagg and Mary Gombach. Wishes to everyone for a Happy Mother’s Day and also, Happy Father’s Day. If you have any questions please call me at (216) 451-1876. God Bless America! STEPHANIE SEGULIN NO. 12, MILWAUKEE, W1 Meeting: 3rd Thurs. St. Peter’s Church Hall except July & Aug. At our February meeting we missed seeing some of our members due to sickness, the flu bug and also the cold weather. A mass for deceased member, Julia Schnick was held March 25th at St. John’s. Virginia Strukel was elected as delegate for the SWU National Convention and Fran Remshak is the alternate. Both are active in our branch. Lillian Hartman brought in two new members, Joan Ostrander and Elaine Ooertel. Rose Luedke’s daughter, Linda and two year old granddaughter came in from Seattle, WA to celebrate grandpa Ray’s birthday. Lydia Kotze donated the lunch for her birthday in March. Delores Kodrich had bad luck recently. Her house caught on fire, the first floor was damaged, and not only that, but she broke her shoulder a few weeks later. Molly Macht had a slight stroke and was a St. Joseph’s hospital; now is home recuperating. She is not longer our sunshine lady. Ann Jelinek is also in the hospital. At the meeting we enjoyed a St. Patrick’s celebration. Fanny Smole and Ludy Babich celebrated their birthdays in March. We discussed where to go for our Christmas Party and two places were selected, Kegal’s Restaurant and South Woods. Happy Mother’s Day! STAVIA DOBERSEK NO. 13, SAN FRANCISCO, CA Meeting: 1st Thurs. Slovenian Hall on Mariposa St. Spring has definitely arrived and we have blossoms and flowers everywhere. But, we really had some considerable April Showers! I have just returned from our April meeting. We brought bag lunches and had a beautifully decorated Easter table, with flavors, thanks to Moreen Spencer and Doreen Sustarich. I wish more of our members could make these happy gatherings but you are remembered. On May 18th, 2003 we are honoring Lois Stafel Jensen as our Mother of the Year. This delightful lady has a smile known to everyone on Potrero Hill. Love and congratulations from all of us, Lois. Sunday, Feb. 9th was the occasion for a double celebration at the Church of the Nativity in S.F. One was the feast of Sveti Vlaho, the other the baptism of Jeremiah Lehane, son of Mary Pecavar Lehane and grandson of Katie Pecaver. Officiating was Fr. Peter Lah, SJ, visiting from Chicago. Godparents are Alexandra Zagar Prieta and uncle Joseph Pecavar. We sincerely congratulate the Pecavar and Lehane families. Louise Petrusich has a great grandson, Jonathan Thomas Creager, bom Jan. 31st, 2003. Congratulations. Our sincere sympathy to Sophie Troya and Ann Nanut on the death of their brother, Edward Klepec. He was uncle to Carole Georgen. We send our best wishes and loving thoughts to Anna Fabian and Dorothy Zaharin. These ladies have been good friends all their adult lives and now reside in Winston Home Manor, 30 Elkwood Dr., South San Francisco, CA 94080. Drop them a card and say hello! Wishes to everyone for a beautiful Mother’s Day and a glorious spring. Remember: Hardening of the heart ages people more quickly than hardening of the arteries. Always be a little kinder than necessary ! BEVERLY JACKSON NO. 14, EUCLID, OH Meeting: 1st Tues., 6 p.m. Slov. Society Home This year Br. 14 will once again honor all of our ladies as Mothers and Women of the Year. So join us in our celebration on Tuesday, May 6 at 6:00 at Slovenian Society Home on Recher Ave. Call in your reservations to Pres- ident Jennie Fitzthum at (216) 261-1196. We always have such an enjoyable evening with all of our friends and members. Hope to have another large crowd! Greetings to member, Ann Cekada at Gateway Assisted Living and to Angela Bamowski and Mary Krnel now residing at Gateway Apartments. On our sick list are Margaret Bates and Ann Kozlevčar who had been in the hospital. Wishing our ailing ladies a speedy recovery and hope to see their smiling faces very soon. President, Jennie Fitzthum and her daughter, Diane Varney, who is Treasurer, will be attending the national convention in Duluth, Minn. Wishing them a successful and fruitful journey. Sometime this summer, when weather will allow, we hope to hold a few special meetings at Gateway Retirement Community at 3 Gateway Drive. Members will be contacted ahead of time to let them know when these meetings will take place. Hope you get to enjoy a beautiful spring season of colorful tulips, daffodils and hyacinths after this frightfully cold, snowy winter. May you celebrate a joyous Mothers’ Day with your loving family close around you. ALICE KUHAR NO. 16, SO. CHICAGO, IL Meeting: 2nd Saturday, 1 p.m. monthly except Jan.-July-Aug. St. George’s Hall Greetings in the happy months of May and June. Our big celebration will be on Thursday, May 15th at the Jovial Club on Commercial Ave. Our honoree of the day is Sylvia Spretnjak, a well-de-served one. She wears a few different hats: coffee maker, auditor, treasurer, etc. Gladys has a write-up about Sylvia in another section of our ZARJA. Please make your reservations with Therese, Mary Jane or Gladys. We are looking for a good attendance. We had five happy workers at the SWU Heritage Museum: Helen Battista, Gladys Buck, Marjorie Mitchell, Vida Kumse and Dotsi Rossi. Our president, Therese is donning her dancing shoes. Her grandson, Jason Panczuk is taking Courtney Cheatum as his bride on May 10th at St. Thomas Church in Decatur, IL. There are also two graduations in the family (on other days). Missy graduates from elementary school and Kara gets her diploma from Saturnus high school. Congratulations to all! What a way to celebrate a Sweet Sixteenth birthday! Kelly Ireland did just that! Aunt Gladys, along with Josephine Mika, (Gladys’ co-worker), Barb and Kelly sailed on the fantastically gorgeous Celebrity ship, the Millennium, and reached a number of ports including St. Thomas and the Bahamas. Have a great year, Kelly! Gen Marco spend six delightful weeks with her son, Pat and his lovely wife, Karen. They have three daughters and a son and make their home in Fountain Hills, AZ. Gen enjoys the scenery and her family. Her grandson is hiking in So. America thru the rain forests -his hopes are that some day he reaches Bishop David Zywiec at his mission in Nicaragua. God be with him. Ruth Cubra, a member for 65 years, passed away on March 31 in Mesa, AZ. She is survived by her son, Mickey (Theresa) Krause and daughter, Diane, sister, Helen Milanovich and two grandchildren, Kris and Keri Krause. Rose was a great contributor to our branch. May she rest in the peace of the Lord. Have a great day today, tomorrow and always. Love, MARGE NO. 20, JOLIET, IL Meeting: 3rd Tues. except June to Sept. St. Joe’s Park Hall We enjoyed our St. Joseph Table at St. Joseph’s Park hall on March 18, 2003. Those who missed it might want to come next year. Our meeting followed the dinner. All those with the name of Joseph or Josephine were acknowledged. Char Kobe won the 50/ 50 prize. Dorothy Mahan’s name was drawn for the attendance award. Since she wasn’t present, the award continues to accumulate for the next meeting. The prize for the next time will be $70. The National Convention will be held on June 12-16 in Duluth, Minnesota. It’s not too late, if you still wish to go with the Branch 20 group. See you in the Land of Ten Thousand Lakes! The final meeting for this spring will be on Tuesday, May 20, at St. Joseph Park hall. We will have a banquet honoring Heidi Domark as our “Woman of the Year.” Also, a special tribute to Our Lady of Brezje is planned. Entertainment follows. We still need more new members to meet our quota for our 75th Anniversary celebration, which will be held on Sunday, October 5, 2003. How about each of you getting at least one new member? Don’t forget to place your ad and patrons for our 75th anniversary in October. Send to Josephine Lustik, 317 Russell Ave., Joliet, IL 60435. Congratulations to our high school and grade school graduates; our First Communicants; Carlene Kambic, who recently became “Great Gramma” for the seventh time! (I apologize for misspelling your name in the March-April issue). We request prayers for Emily Dobczyk, who is in Intensive Care at Lutheran General Hospital in Chicago. Emily is the granddaughter of our vice president, Agnes Dobczyk. We offer our sympathy to the families of Anna Petrie, 101 years old, who was also our oldest Branch 20 member; Ann Dragovan, who was our “Woman of the Year” in 2001; Josephine Ercegovich whose family members belong to Branch 20. May they rest in peace. The Heritage Museum needs your help in keeping the museum presentable. Volunteers are requested to clean, dust, etc. The Museum is open Monday through Thursday, 9:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m. Come on in, roll up your sleeves, and let’s get to it! “Give your troubles to God. He will be up all night anyway." Author unknown Submitted by SR. MARLENE AMBROSE, OSF (815) 727-3686 Your last chance to get a ticket for the Convention Raffle — see page 9 N 75th ANNIVERSARY OF BR. 20, JOLIET, ILLINOIS Sunday, October 5, 2003 A cordial invitation to all members and branches, especially in Illinois and Indiana, to attend our 75th anniversary celebration. It will take place on the same day as the Illinois-Indiana State Convention. The day will begin with a morning reception 8:30-9:030 a.m. at Ferdinand Hall, near St. Joseph’s Church. The State Convention meeting will follow at 9:30 and a beautiful Slovenian language Holy Mass in church at 11:00 a.m. 75th Anniversary Banquet and Program will take place at 1 p.m. at St. George Social Hall on Striker Ave. Banquet cost is $35.00 Make it a weekend trip! Call for more information and reservations if you want to come to Joliet on Saturday and enjoy a visit to the SWU Home Office and Heritage Museum, try your luck at our two fabulous nearby Casinos, attend a threatre show and eat at one of Joliet’s great restaurants. Overnight stay on Saturday can be arranged if you call as soon as possible: Jonita Ruth, (815) 726-6990._________________________ NO. 23, ELY, MN Meeting: 1st Monday St. Anthony’s Church Hall Sept. thru May Ely, Minnesota Branch #23 had our March 3rd meeting at St. Anthony’s Hall. Vice President, Judy Swenson opened the meeting with a prayer. President, Gerry Petrich and Secretary, Pat Lammi were not able to attend so there were no minutes to be read. The Treasurer’s report was read and approved and filed for audit. The Treasurer also reported that the annual dues for our members over the age of 90 have been sent in. A letter from Minnesota State President, Charlotte Laurich was read: there were several of our members attending the President’s Luncheon in March in Eveleth. The final plans for the National Convention in Duluth, June 12-16th were discussed. A letter from Mary Lou Voelk was read and discussed. Our members wish they were closer to the location so that we could help physically, but we decided that we could help in a monetary way. Information on reservations for the National Convention plus the schedule of events was reviewed. We also approved an ad in the Convention booklet. The committee was appointed for our May meeting, which will be the WOMAN OF THE YEAR meeting. Chris Cadari won the door prize, and a film of a Fraternal Convention from the I930’s at Sandy Point Beach (here in Ely) was shown and there were some people who were recognized as our members. It was wonderful to review how the people dressed and how many were in attendance. It seems like a custom that should be revitalized? The lunch committee fo Gert Mos-nik, Janet Grahek, and Molly Grahek served a wonderful strawberry shortcake with coffee and tea. Respectfully, JANE YADLOSKY, Reporter NO. 24, LA SALLE, IL Meeting: 3rd Thurs. Eureka Savings Bank Mar.-Apr.-May-June Sept.-Oct.-Nov. This will be a rather short report from our Branch as I was ill the entire month of March and with a very sick husband in the hospital with pneumonia at the same time. —Thank God for our children. Our daughter, Marianne Schweickert, also a member, drove down from Aurora every day to see how we were and informed her two brothers who live a distance from LaSalle and made sure they would help on weekends. It takes a woman’s touch and we certainly had hands on care! I missed the March meeting and I felt bad to learn that our Financial Secretary, Michelle Pangrcic, has put in her resignation. She has done such fine work for us but she is a school teacher and is busy with her home, husband and extra curricular activity at school. I previously announced that our delegate to the National Convention in Duluth would be Recording Secretary, Adele Gensler, but a family activity will not allow her to go so our new delegate is Mary Ann Brunner and I’m sure she will be an excellent Br. 24 representative. Loretta Story and husband, Joseph will be spending time in Slovenia this month along with relatives from Minnesota. We have two brithday celebrants in May, Josephine Foley and Rita Mae Pyszka, but a few more in June, as follows, Paula Illman, William Pro-kup, Abby Schweickert, Patricia L. Weihman, Jr. Member Bekki Jo Pro-kup and Rose Mary McLaughlin. Wishes for a Happy Birthday to all! I have no information on plans for the Branch May dinner, but we’ve always had a nice dinner honoring all members, and I'm sure plans are in the making for this year. More on this in the church bulletin and local newspaper. It will be great to see everyone again. We wish a very happy Mother’s Day to all Mothers and we do appreciate them even if we only honor them on this day. ANNE WANGLER, Reporter “IN GOD WE TRUST” You may have heard in the news that a couple of Post Offices in TX have been forced to take down small posters that say “IN GOD WE TRUST.” They say the law being violated is something silly about electioneering posters. (Is God running for office?) Anyway, I heard a radio station show proposing we all write “IN GOD WE TRUST” on the back of our mail. After all, that is our national motto, and is on the money we use to buy those stamps. I think it is a wonderful idea. If you like the idea, please pass it on, and please DO IT. Mary Anne Yemec, Madison Hgts., Michigan NO. 25, CLEVELAND, OH 2nd Sunday, 1:30 p.m. St. Vitus Social Room Hello to all our shut-ins, also those in nursing homes and get well wishes to the sick or confined to a hospital. We had a nice attendance in March. Albina Pozelnik favored each of us with St. Patrick’s favors. Thanks Al. I wish to thank all who sent me birthday cards, (Feb. 11). Bless you all. It was a great day. Belated birthday wishes to our President, Fran Gazvoda. I know it was a happy day!!! Get-well wishes to Jo Perpar who is on the sick list. She is a resident temporarily at St. Joseph of St. Mark on Chardon Road... send her a card. Her address is: 21800 Chardon Rd., Euclid, Ohio 44117, Ph: 481-8545. Our March meeting was held in the social room of St. Vitus School. Congratulations to the new officers of #50. Special prayers were said for all our deceased members especially Mary Javornik. We discussed the National Convention to be held in Duluth, Minn. June 12 to 16. We were all in accord and voted not to send a delegate this time. We will have a 1/4 page advertisement in the convention booklet. Please contact Albina Pozelnik (sunshine chairperson) or Fran Gazvoda about any sick and shut-in members. Members 80 years or older to be sent birthday cards. Woman of the Year! We will all be celebrating as “Women” of the year. Congrats to all of us. Živijo! The celebration will take place May 18, 2003 at Sterle’s Country House on St. Clair and East 55th St. 1:30 p.m. is the time and I’m in hopes that it will be a gigantic gathering. Be there!!! We decided to have 1 or 2 people in groups to call members to remind them of our meeting day. We discussed our Fund-raiser raffle. Happy Mother’s and Father’s Days. Let me leave you with this thought: A love that's shared thru joy and sorrow Grows ever deeper with each tomorrow. The above was given to me by a friend... 1 thank you very much. It is so beautiful. Luv ya... EMILEE NO. 32, EUCLID, OH Meeting: 3rd Wed., 6:30 p.m. Euclid Public Library, Erie Room I am writing and thinking that soon the sun will be out and spring will be here! To our sick members, best wishes, and deepest sympathy to the families of our departed members. May they rest in peace. Their world is so much better than ours! Our world is in turmoil and from one day to the next we wonder what will happen. Our April meeting was important with the National Convention in Duluth as the subject of discussion. Branch 32 members and officers extend best wishes for a fruitful convention. Package cost is $155 for all the convention days there. Sounds like fun and, of course, interesting business to decide on the future of our organization. God bless you all! DOROTHY LAMM NO. 34, SOUDAN, MN Meeting: 3rd Wed., 1 p.m. St. Martin’s Church Hall Jan. to May; Sept., Oct. & Nov. Dober dan, prijatelji! Members of Br. 34 met at St. Martin’s Catholic Church meeting room on Feb. 13th. Hostesses were Ag Mattson and Emma Betoume. A delicious strawberry dessert was served in a valentine motif. President, Adrienne Miklich reported that she has enrolled 24 new members so far in this campaign. A big thank-you and welcome to all of our new members. We are honored to have you in our branch! Thanks, too, for doing your part to keep our heritage alive. It was shamrocks and shillelaghs at the March 19th meeting. Discussion was on the coming national convention. With spring in the air, everyone wore a happy face. Just glad to see the snow gone and sun shining. Our Mother of the Year Dinner was brought up and we will go to Fortune Bay on May 15th at 1 p.m. Kay Dean will be honored. President, Adrienne Miklich was hostess and prepared a tasty St. Patrick’s lunch with the accent on “green”. Emma Betourne won the door prize A Happy, Happy Birthday Celebration! Our member, Ag Tekautz of Tower was recently honored at an open house party, three times, celebrating her 90th young birthday which was on February 11,2003. Bog te živi, Ag! She is still a happy-go-lucky person with a warm smile for all. A devout Catholic, she has been a member of Br. 34 from the early 1930’s. She has her daughter, Margaret Yernatich, granddaughter, Mary Ravnikar and great granddaughter, Jacqueline Ravnikar in our SWU. Best wishes, Ag! provided by the president. The members missed seeing the name of our town, Soudan on the cover map printed on ZARJA last month. (Sorry. The map is an old one and came from the Minn. Tourist Bureau. CL) Glad to hear that Lucille Savatoes and Ag Tekautz are well. Welcome home Helen Adkisson after complications following surgery. Also, Mary Ann Berg’s son is back in great shape after liver transplant surgery and we wish him good health. Outside work is waiting for all of us now that it’s spring - never a dull moment. Keep the faith, members, and keep our troops in your prayers. God bless America. Happy Mother’s Day to all our members! ADRIENNE MIKLICH NO. 35, AURORA, MN Meeting: 6 per year Community Sr. Center We opened our meeting on Feb. 9th with prayers for our members who are ill and in the nursing homes. We reviewed and discussed the proposed changes in the SWU Bylaws and Regulations as proposed for the National Convention. We welcomed Roza Kasteliz as our guest - come back again, Roza. Frank and Anita Vovk are spending the winter in Padre Island, TX. We missed you at the meeting, Anita, but reading your letter made us feel you were present. Note Anita’s article below. Congratulations to Jenna Urick who made her First Holy Communion in April. God bless you, Jenna. Zachary Walbum is a new altar server at our Holy Rosary Church. Dorothy (Dottie) Jamnick will be retiring in June after a 35 year career as a teacher. Enjoy your retirement, Dottie. Jennifer Menart is a member of the Ice Delights skating team. They won 2 First Place competitions in East Grand Forks and Duluth and went on to competition at Grand Forks, ND, taking 6th place out of 15 teams. Jennifer also took 1st place in her division compulsories. Job well done, Jennifer! By the time you read this report Fran-cine Stellmach will be recovered from her knee surgery - Barbara Urick from her ski accident, Dorothy Jamnick may be home after her 3 month recovery stay in the nursing home. Stay well, ladies. Our prayers and sympathy are with our rec. sec’y. Gabriella Goritchan and her husband, John who lost his mother, Elizabeth in March. May she rest in peace. We will miss Ann Tercek at the National Convention coming up. She was a very special lady - our sympathy and prayers to her family. Thank you, Heidi Furry for your generous donations to the SWU General Fund in memory of your parents, Joseph and Marie Bradach. The Dime Social was a success again, thanks to everyone for your gifts and congratulations to the winners. Door prizes were won by Gabriella Goritchan and Mary Noson and again thank you to Anita for the door prizes. Our hostesses, Betty Rokser, Helen Simonich and Mary Noson served a lovely Valentine theme luncheon - it was delicious. We enjoyed a pleasant social afternoon. Our prayers are with all our people in the services and their families. See you at the National Convention! ANNE M. ORAZEM NO. 39, BIWABIK, MN 1st Sunday monthly St. John’s Church Several of our “Old Faithful” members were absent at our March meeting, but we did manage to get a great deal accomplished. With so much information coming from the National Officers, and our upcoming Minnesota National Convention almost upon us, there were many important items to be discussed. Also, we made plans for our wonderful “Mother of the Year” celebration. We will be honoring Milka Skorjanec this year. She is a 51-year member, having ANITA VOVK, Pres. Branch 35: The As we look to increase membership, especially among the young, it is important to keep the Slovenian culture tangible and alive. One way to do this is to experience Slovenia in person to gain a deeper understanding of our ancestry and an appreciation of its culture. At the National Convention in June, we will be discussing the possibility of instituting a scholarship or award to send a young adult to Slovenia for just such an experience. We found two programs that provide structured language and/or cultural experiences. The first program is the Summer School of Language through the University of Ljubljana and is open to those age 17 and older. This four week course combines classroom language study with workshops on Slovenian culture; including music, dancing, traditional crafts, and sports. For an additional cost, guided excursions to Experience tourist sites and a mountain trip is available. The base cost for tuition, room, and board is $1,215 (not including airfare). The second program is the Slovenian Summer Young Adult Program and is open to those ages 18-26. This two week program provides guided tours to all of the tourist attractions, informal language classes, and a white water rafting trip down the Soča River. This program is partially funded by the Slovenian government. The cost for airfare (from Chicago, New York, or Toronto), lodging, and meals is $500 per person. The cost of transportation from your home city to one of the three airports is additional. If you have any questions about these programs prior to the National Convention, please contact Anita Vovk at amv@cpinternet.com or by mail to 719 Knuti Drive, Aurora, MN 55705. joined in Gilbert shortly after coming to America in 1949. We are all looking forward to Sunday, May 5th, that is always one of our best-attended events. Hostesses, Jean Korsman. her daughter, Kathy Riordan and cousin, Marie Vaida served a rich “Brownie Cheesecake” Pie dessert. Jenny Ahlin, our charter member, was the winner of a $5 cash attendance prize. Officers and members of Branch 39 send our love and best wishes to all for Happy Mother’s Day. Reporter, JEAN KORSMAN NO. 42, MAPLE HTS., OH Meetings: Quarterly, 2nd month of the quarter, 2nd Saturday Maple Hts., Library Greetings of spring, everyone! How often we did just that when Kraljički and/or Planina held their respective Spring Concerts. We frequently sang, “Spomlad prav luštno je” (Spring is most beautiful). For those of you who were not around then you missed a very special time in our Maple Hts., Slovenian neighborhood. When you consider how many residents there were and the pride they took in maintaining their properties it is hard to believe it is all gone. My thoughts at this time of year always go back to memories of Ivan Zorman. He made us so aware of the beauty of the season, the music dedicated to it and the Slovenian's love for it. He described to us at one rehearsal how the same two robins came back to his yard year after year to nest in a large tree outside his window. It inspired him to write and publish a poem about them. His favorite composer was Johann Strauss, so we could always get him to play the piano after practice by requesting a Strauss Waltz. Just this past week I watched the 1938 movie, The Great Waltz, on TV and enjoyed all that glorious music. You couldn’t help by getting a lump in your throat and a tear in your eye when the heroine sailed away from a distraught Johann singing, “You told me you loved me one day when we were young...’’ They don’t make movies like that any more. On a brighter note, we want to welcome a group of new members, via Teresa Vercek Gorup. Her daughter, Aggie Haslup has joined our ranks along with her children, Sienna, Jack, Evana and Hawaii resident, Teresa. Mary Lou McHenry, whose name is a composite of her parents’ names, Mary and Louis Fink, is now also a Br. 42 member. Hopefully this will inspire some of our other members to enroll their family members. This is an easy way to keep SWU going. Kimberly Balach, a 9th grade Trinity High School honor student has been chosen a youth music ambassador. As such she joins music students from all of Ohio who will have been selected by band directors based on music scholarship. By the time you read this she will have appeared with the Trinity Band at Disney World’s Epcot Center in Orlando. Kimberly’s father, Mike Balach, husband of our member, Diane, was re-elected treasurer of the Cuyahoga County Amateur Radio Society, a group of ham radio operators involved in technology, testing and disaster training. Happy May birthdays to John Gravier, Dorothy Mehosky, Shawn and Samantha Thompson, Mici Champa and Melinda Prhne. Happy June birthdays to Tatjana Černigoj, Jackie Albers, Ann Trattar, Dolores Lipnos, Bob Kastelic, Betty Ann Kastelic, Sally Prhne and Katherine Gruden. Kadar se mati Moja nasmeje, Sreča v srce mi Zlata zaveje. p R<>. When my mother smiles at me My happy heart is wrapped in gold! Maksim Gaspari Srčno voščilo (My heart sends greetings!) Our annual mass for all living and deceased members of Br. 42 is Sunday, May 18th at St. Wenceslaus Church at 11 a. m. Please make an effort to attend. As always, get well wishes to any ailing members, especially my sister, Frances Tomsic who spent a number of days at Marymount Hosp. She is back the Little Sisters Home and in spite of her 93 years has cheated fate once again - what a survivor! Happy Mother’s Day to all you Mamas and Happy Father’s Day to all you Atas. Special prayers for the wellbeing and safety of all our military and above all, may God bless America! Zbogom! LIL SADOWSKI NO. 43, MILWAUKEE, WI Meeting: 4th Wed. St. John Evangelist Rectory Both of our February and March meetings were well attended. We have five new members, Terry Majcher, Mary Jo Egnoski, Jackie Wainio, Tillie Kveder, and Shirl Gricar. We are very happy to have these ladies as our members. I want to thank Yvonne Khaldy for taking care of the minutes and articles in the ZARJA for me while I was re-couperating. She did a beautiful job. We wish to congratulate our member Vickie Sporis on her 101st birthday. I remember Vickie when we had our meetings in her living room. On a sad note, we lost one of our active members, Jo Zahn who passed away. Let’s keep her in our prayers. Our delegate for the National Convention in Duluth will be Betty Ann Kolesari, and the alternate delegate will be Mici Bregant. Our Luncheon for the Member of the Year will be at Carl’s Catering and Banquet Facility at 51(X) South Loomis Road at 12 noon. Josephine, our President, had visitors from Slovenia who are relatives. They were interested in doing some sightseeing in Florida. Josephine said they had a very good time. Some time in April we arc planning a trip to “Our Lady of Sorrows.” Meeting was closed with a prayer. Let us keep our sick and deceased members in our prayers. ANNE E. KONCZAL NO. 47, GARFIELD HTS., OH Maple Hts. Public Library March, May, Sep. and Dec. 65th Anniversary of Branch 89, Oglesby, IL SWU Branch #89, Oglesby, Illinois will proudly celebrate 65 years of existence in May, 2003. Mary Meglich (Yazbec) founded Branch #89 on May 9, 1938. She and other Oglesby ladies were members of LaSalle Branch #24 and saw a need for Oglesby to have their own branch. The first officers were: President, Frances Nemeth; Vice President, Mary Ambrose; Financial Secretary, Mary Meglich; Treasurer, Louise Kernz (dues were $0.25 per month) and Recording Secretary, Mary Priyatel. We are blessed to have one dear Charter Member, Eunice Komater. Today we are a small but mighty group of various ages and we look forward to our monthly gatherings. We cherish our Slovenian heritage and most of our ladies are young and young at heart and still make potica, strudel and other traditional foods, especially for the holidays. We have regular meetings, an annual picnic, Christmas and May dinners at a local restaurant. In June, a Mass is offered for our deceased members, followed by a breakfast. Once a summer, we have a Sunday road trip to Lemont, Illinois, usually in August. We have the distinction of having had members such as Josephine Livek, SWU National President (1952-1961), and Angela Kuhar Nico, Illinois-Indiana State SWU President (1979-1988). Many of our parents and grandparents immigrated to central Illinois to work in the coal mines and cement mills. From these grand ladies. Branch #89 grew. From their dreams, their dedication, their joys and sorrows, they left great impressions on us all. We strive to continue their beliefs and pass the history of our beloved ancestors on to our families today with great pride and love! We have enjoyed these 65 years! Thank You, Grandma Kernz! Nancy Henkel Hope everyone is getting ready for the summer months ahead. We are pleased to announce our Mother of the Year is Dorothy Cabot. She will be given this honor on May 3rd, 2003 at Quinn’s in Solon at 1:00 p.m. Let Olga Dorchak know if you will be attending. Her Phone #(330) 468-7989. Cost is $17.50 per person. Our Mass for Living and Deceased Members will be June 8th, at 10:00 a.m., St. Lawrence Church. Birthday wishes go out to all our May and June Members. May Members: Robert Hall, Sky Hall, Beth Kociancic and Katherine Wallace, June Members: Elsie Lawrencic, Jane Spellacy and Terri Turner. Please don’t forget the conference in June. KATHERINE WALLACE NO. 50, EUCLID, OH Meeting: 3rd Wed. Euclid Public Library except Jan.-Feb.-Mar.-July & Aug. We are trying hard to pick up activities for members of Br. 50 where our beloved late president, Ann Tercek left off. Meetings are held every third Wednesday of the months of April, May, June, Sept. Oct., Nov. and Dec. at the Euclid Public Library, at 1 p.m. We are always hoping to see new members join us. Please pray for the following members who are ill: Dorothy Winters, Ann Winters, Anne Parker. As we attempt to make everything run smoothly, and for the pleasure of our members, we ask your prayers for the new officers, too. Br. 50 hopes to keep you all interested in attending meetings. The first event will be this month, the Mother of the Year lunch on Wednesday, May 21st at Sterle’s, at 1 p.m. Let’s hope it will be a very special day for our Mother of the Year, Mary Maxin. It will be if you are all there. COOKIE MAXIN NO. 55, GIRARD, OH Meetings: 3rd Wed. Feb. thru May, Sept., Nov., Dec. Greetings from Branch 55! I hope everyone is enjoying the warm weather and the new life that springtime brings. This is a rather bittersweet time for me as I am preparing to finish my senior year at Ursuline High School. It has been a truly wonderful experience, full of memories and friendships I will hold close to me always. I am especially proud of my academic achievements as I will be graduating on June 7 as one of three Valedictorians of the Class of 2003! I could not have done this without the support of my family - so to all of you, thank you for your love and patience. This June marks the 70th Anniversary of the first meeting of Branch 55. On June 8, 1933, twelve women founded the SWU branch in Girard, Ohio. They include Katherine Anzicek, Mary Cekuta, Sophie Cekuta, Matilda Cigolle, Mary Gabrovšek, Clara Ganter, Frances Juvančič, Mary Cekuta Kristin, Theresa Lozier, Amalia Robsel, Mary Rostan, and Victoria Yelence. All of these women have now passed away, but we would still like to take this opportunity to thank them for starting Branch 55 of the Slovenian Women’s Union. Seventy years later, we still celebrate our Slovenian heritage and the many wonderful facets of being women. I have some sad news to report from Branch 55. On March 2, 2003 the last surviving charter member of our branch, Mary Kristin, passed away. She had been a member of SWU since 1933. May she rest in peace! On a brighter note, however, we welcome two new members to Branch 55 here in Girard, Paulette and Tricia Kren. We are all so delighted that both of you have joined us! Specifics about our annual May dinner have not been decided as of right now. However, all members will be notified as to the exact time and place for this celebration. As always, everyone is encouraged to attend. It is New Yorkers enjoyed the winter at “hot” spots! January found the members of Br. 93 at Noi Cafe, a popular Italian Bistro in the city. (Left photo): Andrea Selak, Lynn Zalokar, Tea Rozman Clark, Mirjam Hladnik Milharčič, Cynthia Shaw Simonoff, Suzana Zupančič Brathwaite; (Right): Marta Stemberger and Lynn Zalokar at the Washington Square Hotel Cafe in February. Marta spoke about Slovenia’s National “Kulturni Dan” (Cultural Day) celebrated there every year. a great opportunity for all of us to come together and share news about our families. On a final note, I would like to wish all women, young and old a Happy Mother’s Day. Veseli Materinski Dan! To our foundresses of 1933, thank you. To the many other members present and deceased, thank you for being a part of our branch. To my own grandmother, Milka, my aunts Anka, Martha, and Dori, and especially my mother Maria and my sister Andrea, thank you for being such strong and remarkable individuals. I hope that I too will grow to embrace the joys of being a woman! Diane Mariechild once said, “A woman is the full circle. Within her is the power to create, nurture, and transform. A woman knows that nothing can come to fruition without light. Let us call upon woman’s voice and woman’s heart to guide us in this age of planetary transformation.” Let us all remember these words as we move forward in the 21 st century! Best wishes for a successful SWU National Convention! MONICA SELAK Reporter NO. 89, OGLESBY, IL Meetings: 2nd Mondays except Jan., Feb., May, June, July and August Hello to all from Oglesby! As our devoted officers, Rose Ann Prey, Ann Batty, and Eunice Komater so graciously stepped down from their office, our new officers were sworn in at our March meeting. Let me introduce them to you: Nancy Henkel, President (newly elected). Darlene Wasielewski, Vice President (newly elected). Mitzi Banich, Treasurer. Marilyn Argub-right, Chaplin/Sunshine Chairman. Angie Nico, Liaison Officer. Josephine Argubright, Eunice Supan, and Josephine Schmidt, Auditors (newly elected). Alice Ebner, Recording Secretary (newly elected). We are all looking so forward to our times together keeping our Slovenian heritage alive. Peace to all!!! Submitted by: ALICE EBNER, Recording Secretary NO. 93, NEW YORK, NY Contact: Andrea M. Selak Tel. (917) 796-1012 Email: andreaselak@hotmail.com Živijo from Br. 93, New York, NY! We have been busy on a number of initiatives and events over the past few months. On Saturday, April 12th, we had an Easter celebration at the Slovenian Cultural Center on St. Mark’s Place, where members and guests participated in a tour of the Slovenian church, a potluck dinner, and a raffle. Tea Rozman-Clark led the group in egg dyeing with plants and onion skins. Through discussions on the yahoo group, numerous members have been exchanging ideas for finding the lowest rates to phone Slovenia. New member Manca Klanjšček has been in correspondence with Mary Lou Voelk about extending the library’s literature and music collection. During her trip to Slovenia in the summer she will have an opportunity to meet with publishers in Slovenia to discuss possible books for the library. Manca has also been busy with performances with her band, Triphazard. (See http:// www.triphazard.us/ for more details). Suzi Zupancic-Brathwaite plans to visit Slovenia for almost 2 months beginning in May. She is heading up a new website committee for SWU and will be working with those who volunteered via a recent survey. She is also working on a project to bring Slovenian books for children/teenagers in U.S. Through this project, she hopes to build a collection of well-known stories in both English and Slovenian. While in Slovenia, Suzi plans to market the SWU A cookbook. Many thanks to everyone in Branch 93 for their participation and support! We have some members who are not on e-mail; please call me for details about our upcoming meetings. In June, we plan to attend a Slovenian picnic (date and location TBD). We plan to take the summer off, and then our meetings will begin again in September. To our fellow SWU members - if you are in NYC for business or leisure, please look us up! ANDREA M.SELAK andreaselak. hot mail. com General Fund Donations From Our Members We are $1,886.00 away from our goal of $9,000. This was a goal set to pay for the December issue of ZARJA. Each day we get closer. Anyone wishing to contribute please send any donation amount to Bonnie Prokup, 3119 Carrie Street, Peru, IL 61354. We regret the error in reporting that Rose Larek of Branch 12 donated $2.00 for the General Fund. Mrs. Larek in fact donated $10.00. We apologize for this mistake and once again thank her for the kind donation. This Invoice Donations report is for Mar/April, 2003. Donor Gen'l. Fund Hodgman, Vicki (20) 10 Pustovar, Monica (34) 3 Holderbaum, Lisa (25) 15 Radosevich, Margaret L (33) 15 Allen, Veronica (7) $10 Holderbaum, Michele MD (25) 10 Riordan, Kathleen M (39) 10 Androjna, Francka (14) 8 Holmes, Beatrice (20) 15 Rosek, Frances A (105) 4 Anonymous 8 Hrovat, Dolores M (47) 5 Rossi, Dorothy (16) 10 Anonymous 20 Jagodnik, Irene (50) 5 Russell Family (2) 2 Anonymous (20) honoring Bonnie Pohar Prokup, Janes, Peter R (10) 35 Savol, Mary Jo (20) 20 National Secretary 25 Jelinek, Albert J (12) 10 Savol, Rosanne (20) 10 Anthony Corgiat 'mem ot Amelia Smith (2) 15 Jelinek, Anna (12) 5 Schoonover, Barbara Perpich (39) 8 Azman, Alice (14) 10 Kaisher, Margaret (20) 20 Seday, Olga Mary (10) 10 Backus, Edith (102) 5 Kaporc, Eleanor (14) 5 Sedmak, Elsie (14) 2 Bartl, Mary (33) 10 Kastelec, Justine (20) 5 Sekermestrovich, Alma (5) 20 Bartol, Sabina & Kennedy, Loretta ’mem of Kastelic, Betty Ann (42) 10 Selak, Maria (55) 5 Frieda Michelitch 103 past president 20 Kastelic, Dianne Zebrowski (30) 10 Serazin, Agnes (40) 25 Belom, Lorraine (20) 10 Keca, Margaret Mary (20) 10 Sherek, Jerry (39) 10 Berg, Margaret (39) 2 Kiehna, Sonya (20) 5 Simenz, Susan Marie (1) 10 Blatnik, Bernadette (30) 15 Kimmel, Sylvia (25) 10 Skopec, Marlene (103) 'hon or Freda Michelic 10 Bogatich, Frances (30) 5 Kish, Nancy (42) 15 Slaper, Katherine J (50) 10 Brady, Josie (24) 10 Klemenc, Pauline (50) 5 Somrak, Theresa (50) 25 Brady, Sharon (24) 10 Kobe, Charlene (20) 13 Sostakowski, Barbara (47) 10 Branch 54 'mem of Angela Petrich Kaferle 10 Kobe, William (20) 10 Spagnolo, Marcia (81) 10 Brann, Marceline (14) 20 Koci, Jean (100) 10 Spech, Frances (25) 20 Bronder, Joyce (2) 5 Koi, Lisa (14) 15 Spellacy, Elsie M (47) 10 Bukovec, Gertrude (102) 22 Kolesari, Betty Ann (43) 75 Springer, Martha (103) 'mem of Jane Barle Svete & Burkhardt, Elizabeth (20) 10 Kovacic, Jennie (2) 15 Frances Hart Pekol 5 Černigoj, Tatjana (42) 10 Krašovec, Renee (3) 10 Steensland, Janet (20) 8 Cigale, Antonija (103) 'mem of Freda Michelitch 30 Kuca Family (2) 10 Steffen, Billie Jo McCue (1) Coftelt, Mary (43) 10 Lah, Frances (2) 5 'mem ot MaryAnne Boyance McCue 10 Collins, lleene (14) 25 Lambright, Linda K (6) 1 Stemberger, Marta (93) 20 Cook, Agnes (32) 10 Lanari, Vida (39) 10 Sterk, Amalia (1) 15 Curtis, Joann Fabian (13) 20 Launch, Charlotte M (38) 10 Stiglin, Johanna (40) 10 Danicic, Mary (42) 5 Lockard, Jenny (42) 5 Stmisa-Simmons, Josephine A (103) 10 DiBartolomeo, Lillian (20) 5 Lockard, Karen (42) 10 Stropnik, Milena (1) 10 Dicke, Hermine (1) 10 Lokar, Rose (14) 5 Surman, Dorothy (20) 10 Dirker, Sophia (20) 10 Lostoski, Marjorie M (42) 25 Svigel, Josephine (10) 10 Doles, Mary (10) 10 Loughner, Mary A (30) 5 Tarizzo, Marilyn (20) 15 Dus, Ann (14) s Luebbke, Rose (12) 10 Templin, Larraine R (30) 10 Dvornik, Donald (20) 35 Lunder, Margaret (54) 4 Tesovnik, Germaine A (1) 10 Dvornik, Susan (20) 35 Majerle-Klug, Rita (43) 25 Theoharis, Christine (105) 20 Egly, Joan (20) 10 Malenšek, Marian (30) 10 Todd-Fellows, Mary Alyce (2) 5 Ehnat, Mary Therese (16) 10 Manion, Beth Ann (2) 10 Tomaszewski, Patricia A (43) 5 Erjavec, Olga (20) 10 McClain, Mary (5) 8 Trautner, Frances (20) 10 Erjavec, Ronald (20) 15 Mezgec, Anthony (47) 5 Tucker, Rae Ann (3) 10 Farrell, Sandra (13) 15 Mezgec, Julia F (47) 5 Ulle, Jacqulme (14) 10 Ferguson, Michalene (20) 5 Milavec, Margaret (32) 8 Vecchione, JoAnn (50) 10 Ferlic, Mary (40) 10 Minello, Josephine (50) 5 Verch, Christine (32) 5 Frtzthum, Matthew (14) 3 Minnick, Helen (20) 5 Vidmar. Marilyn Frances (32) 10 Flisek, Jennie (91) 5 Mitchell, Jeanette (79) 20 Violet, Helen (14) 5 Ford, Linda (47) 5 Mocnik, Sylvia (32) 25 Wadycki, Carrie L (2) 10 Gaber, Agnes (2) 30 Modic, Agnes (32) 20 Walsh, Marie (20) 5 Gale, Carolyn (13) 15 Mohr, Mary Frances (5) 8 Warren, Joann (26) 20 Ganster, Diana (20) 25 Mollica, Margaret (57) 10 Wesley, Peggy (14) 3 Gerencher, Theresa (20) 5 Morris, Carole L (6) 10 Wheeler, Kathleen (35) 20 Godnavec, Theresa (30) 10 Norris, Jennifer Mohr (5) 3 Yapel, Agnes (34) 5 Golobic, Wanda F (50) 10 Novince, Anne (14) 10 Verman, Helen (47) 5 Gombach, Marie (10) 8 Okleson, Mary (14) 5 Zaletel, Elsie (10) 12 Gordon, Elizabeth (43) 5 Pakiz, Susan (102) 10 Žnidaršič, Mary (32) 2 Gorensek, Julianna (50) Palmer, Roberta (2) 25 Znidarsich, Emma (22) 12 ‘mem of Anne Hočevar Terček 10 Papesh, Antoinette Ann (14) 5 Zupančič, Frances (16) 15 Gornick, Ann (25) 25 Pate, Jennie (25) 12 Gornick, Rosemary (100) 50 Paulson, Kathleen Nemanich (34) 25 SZiiUl Gottardi, Paula M (39) 25 Peterlin, Victoria (25) 15 Grafeowski, Josephine (24) 10 Petrich, Verna (6) 7 Gravier, Margaret (42) 10 Petrovič, Josephine M (50) 7 Grisham, Linda and Lisa (20) 25 Pieman, Justine (50) 10 Gudac, Bemadine (20) 20 Plese, Eileen (20) 8 Hanks, Jacqueline J (32) 10 Ponikvar, Joanne (54) THERE IS NO “1 1! Harr, Betty Ann (42) 10 'mem ot Angela Petnch Kaferle 10 Hartmann, Lillian M (12) 10 Pozelnik, Albina (25) 10 Hennelly, Dolores (95) 10 Prhne, Justine (14) 'mem of Cecelia M Wolf 10 Thanks for your INVOICE DONATIONS! These specific donations came with dues payments. We thank the members for their generosity. Heri- Schol-tage arship ($) ($) 25 50 Donor Zarja ($) Bemasek,Mary(2) 5 Brooks, Cheryl Kay (3) Desnica, Angela (2) 15 Francel, Margaret (30) George Plautz(103) 15 Goritchan, Gabriella (35) 10 Jemence, Murielann (85) 'mem of husband Klanjšček, Manca (93) Končar, Dorothy (20) 5 Korst, Richard M (20) Lawrence, Rose Mane (71) 5 Litwin, Rosemary (2) 20 Maslyk, Virginia Bendick (59) 10 McHenry, Mary Lou (42) Miller, Mary E (50) 10 Nemanicti. Darlene & Thomas (23)'mem of mother Margaret Preshiren Pechanch, Martha A (99) 25 Pelander, LchsM(33) 10 Pumphrey, Jennie Klevisher(103) Tusek. Dorothy(50)'memof Ann Dekleva Stanonik Tusek, Dorothy (50)'mem of AnnTercek Vertacic,MaryRenee(1) 'mem of Mary Margaret Vertacic Vovk, Anita (35) 5 Železnikar, Jean (Daisy) (2) 10 Zupančič, Margareti (42) 10 155 10 5 15 5 5 10 10 20 10 10 10 IN THE WORD TEAM! OUR MEMBERS IN THE NEWS ssss Lifetime Achievement Award to Veda Ponikvar Minnesota’s prominent lady has always been an advocate for women, community and Slovenian Women’s Union Veda Ponikvar is the deserving recipient of the Hibbing Area Chamber of Commerce’s Lifetime Achievement Award, as presented at the Annual chamber dinner in February, 2003. “Veda Ponikvar’s life of service is reflectea in the beautiful saying ‘those who dream most, do most'said Jim Kochevar. “When Veda has a vision for service, that service becomes reality." Veda was the first female and youngest newspaper publisher when she started the Chisholm Free Press over 50 years ago. She attended college at Drake University to study journalism and she served in the military, long before it was fashionable and long before the women's liberation movement. She served on national boards and dined with military officers and government leaders in Washington, D.C. She served on nearly ever}’ notable board in Chisholm and northeastern Minnesota. She continues to write, serve on commissions and promote our area. “Veda is a treasure and it was most appropriate that the chamber board recognized her commitment and many years of service, to not only Chisholm, but Hibbing and the entire Iron Range, and recognized her with their most prestigious award. ” Veda has been a member of Br. 38, Chisholm since girlhood. “I thank my blessed mother for that," she says. “Mom loved the Slovenian Women's Union very much!” Chisholm has hosted numerous state conventions and of four National Conventions in Minnesota. At the 19th National Convention in 1983, Veda was the Convention Chairman and arranged for a visit by Mrs. Walter Mondale, the wife of the then U.S. Vice President. In addition to the convention, Veda coordinated the events of the dedication of the Slovenian Miners and Laborers Memorial at the Minnesota Interpretative Center in Chisholm, at which time we heard the inspiring words of the chairman of the fund-drive, the late Rev. David Stalzer, and met the artist-sculptor herself, Ms. Lillian Brule. Twenty years later, during the 24th National Convention in Duluth we are again planning on a visit to Minnesota’s Iron Range and will make a special visit to Chisholm. And, to Veda, thank you for the vision, foresight, and dedication you have shown so consistently to our Slovenian Women’s Union. C. John Hutar, the son of our member, Angela and the late Matt Hutar of Cleveland-Euclid, OH, has just been named as Honorary Consul of the Republic of Slovenia for the Northern California area. John is a Cleveland native and with his wife, Lisa and three children, resides in San Francisco. He is the general manager of the "posh” Hotel Nikko and has been the president of the Hotel Council of San Francisco and Convention Committee Chairman. This bodes well for the tourist industry and even for Slovenia, as John is an excellent communicator with a likeable personality. Clevelanders, especially those who are natives of the Bela Krajina area of Slovenia know John well as many years ago, his parents founded the very active Belokranjski Club there. He and his family lived for a time in a suburb of Chicago and we remember when he visited Chicago’s St. Stephen’s chruch and community. So, we know John and extend best wishes for a long, happy, and extended career doing what he loves best - bringing people together! Congratulations! Editor Lisa Hutar is a new member of Br. 13, San Francisco. Welcome! X TEEN BEAUTY A Junior member of the Slovenian Women’s union, Br. 3, of Pueblo, CO, Brittany Ann Davies of Littleton, Colorado received the title 1st runner-up in the Nationals' 2003 Miss Teen Denver pageant held March 30 at the Teikyo Loretto Heights University Theatre. She competed in the 16—19 year age group and was chosen 1st runner up among 110 contestants. A 2001 graduate of Columbine High School, she will represent Denver and the surrounding communities at the Cities of America National Competition in Orlando, FL in December. Brittany is a sophomore at Metro State College studying aviation San Francisco Area Gets New Slovenian Honorary Consul PRIZE “PICKER”! Will County Commissioner Nancy Voots was mistakenly identified as Jan Quillman in last month’s Museum Magic Month Calendar award report. The real Jan Quillman (right), photographed as she picked one of the lucky winners! Director of the Home Office team that conducted the awarding ceremonies was Pat Figurowski, an active member of Br. 20, Joliet and former national officer. It was quite a project as there were 31 winners total! By now we hope everyone has claimed their cash prize. technology and has just been named to the President’s Honor Roll. She is the daughter of Ron and Mary Jane Davies, and granddaughter of Bernice Krašovec and great granddaughter of Mary Hiza. Congratulations, Brittany! Pauline Pauchick The Future is Now! Membership Campaign is easy to join! Use the new member application on the back inside cover of this ZARJA Fill it out and send with remittance to Membership Chairman Bonnie Prokup, Nat’l. Sec’y-, 3119 Carrie St., Peru, IL 61354 “In the Land of Ludwig” Our plane will land in Munich and in the next few days we will motor south along one of the most beautiful drives in the world, to the fairytale land of King Ludwig II, who built castles among forests and lakes. Probably the most famous sight is of the stark white turrets of Schloss Neus-chwanstein, the “new swan rock," a fantasy creation of this Bavarian king. The castle’s interior alone took more than 17 years and never was completed; every inch of ceiling space is covered with gilt or mosaics and paintings show the legends that even inspired the composer, Richard Wagner. After we leave the breathtakingly beautiful alpine scenery, we will head for Salzburg, Mozart’s city, tasting Austria pastries and walking along his streets. Then onto Slovenia, our ultimate destination. In Slovenia, too, we will follow the mountain trails down along the beautiful Soca River and visit places in our native homeland, including, Ljubljana, spa Catez, Lakes Bled and Bohinj and valleys along the majestic Mt. Triglav. We think you will be experiencing one of the most enjoyable tours we have ever planned. For further information call Kathleen Dorchak at (330) 686-1336 or get in touch with our agent: KOLLANDER WORLD TRAVEL 971 East 185th St., Cleveland, OH 44119 Tel. (800) 800-5981 - (216) 692-1000 w w w. kol lander-travel .com (Photo: NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC Traveler) See Zarja. The Dawn. March-April, 2003 for complete itinerary Veda Tmikvar: ^ r Trem Our ‘Heritage ‘Kitchens Charlotte (Rupar) Laurich is the SWU State President for Minnesota. She resides in Chisholm and is serving her eighth year as President of Br. 38. A graduate of Chisholm High School, she was married in 1949 to Tony Laurich. They have three children and three grandsons. Charlotte’s favorite recipes follow: Hearty Vegetable Barley Soup 1 pound beef stew meat cut in l/2 inch cubes 1 tablespoon vegetable oil l,2 cup chopped onion 1 clove garlic, minced 1 16-ounce can tomatoes l'i cup pearled barley 'i cup slice celery l;2 cup sliced carrots 4 beef bouillon cubes f/2 teaspoon basil leaves, crushed 1 bay leaf 1 9-ounce package frozen, or 16-ounce can cut green beans undrained 7 cups water Brown meat in oil. Add onion and garlic, continue cooking until onion is tender. Stir in remaining ingredients, except green beans. Cover, bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 50 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add green beans and cook for about 10 minutes or until meat and barley are tender. Additional water may be added if soup is too thick. Can use other vegetables if desired. I occasionally add diced potatoes and corn. It’s a meal in itself when served with fresh crusty French, Italian or home made bread. Wish to contact our Food Editor with comments or suggestions? Write to: Veda Ponikvar 600 13th St., NW Chisholm, MN 55719 Teriyaki Chicken One 2!/2 or 3 lb. chicken, cup up 1 clove of garlic, minced 1 bay leaf 1 teaspoon oregano teaspoon celery seed teaspoon basil 5 ounces teriyaki sauce cup white wine Pepper to taste Mix above ingredients together and pour over cut up chicken. Cook covered for about 1 l/i to 2 hours, or until chicken is tender. I do not add salt as the Teriyaki sauce is salty. Very good served with Italian pasta! * * Roast Beef Sandwich 2 to 3 pound beef roast 1 can beer 1 package dry Lawry au jus mix Place ingredients in crock pot and cook until tender. (Low 8-10 hours; High 4—5 hours.) Serve on crusty rolls with onions, salsa, cheese, or your favorite condiments. Dip in juice. Anita Vovk, Pres. Br. 35: GRISSINI (Italian Bread Sticks) Serves 10 (Preparation time: 25 min., plus rising time 2.2 lbs. flour About 3/4 oz. brewers yeast About 2!/j oz. extra-virgin olive oil 4 teaspoon salt 2 teaspoons sugar 2/j cup water (72 degrees F.) C* .. Cherry Dream Cake 1 package (8 l-1^ ounces) white cake mix 1 package (3 ounces) cherry gelatin I1'* cups boiling water 1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened 2 cups whipped topping (Cool Whip, etc) 1 can (21 ounces) cherry pie filling Prepare cake mix according to package directions, using a greased 13x9x2 inch baking pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 to 35 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Dissolve gelatin in the boiling water. Cool cake on a wire rack for 3 to 5 minutes. Poke holes in cake with a meat fork; gradually pour gelatin over the cake. Cool for 15 minutes. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes. Beat cream cheese until light. Fold in whipped topping. Carefully spread over the cooled cake. Top with the cherry pie filling. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours before serving. This is a good party dessert. On a working counter, make a well with the (lour and work in the water, yeast, olive oil, sugar, and salt. Knead the dough until it is smooth and elastic and shape into a 12” loaf, brush the surface with olive oil. Cover with plastic wrap and set aside to rise for 30 minutes. Preheat the oven to 465 degrees, cut the dough into 4” rope and roll between your hands until the ropes have doubled in length. Place the grissini on an oiled baking sheet. Transfer them to the oven, and bake for 15 minutes. SPICE UP YOUR COOKING: BASIL Z£-TClL £^-foni£., -J2td. 1941 West Cermak Road, Chicago, IL 60608 FP* First Midwest Bank Joliet • (815) 727-5222 SHELIGA DRUG INC. JhuTl/aSut. 6025 St. Clair Aw?., Cleveland, OH 44103 (216) 431-1035 Serving our neighborhoods' daily needs TEZAK FUNERAL HOME “First in Service Since 1908” Licensed Producer: Richard K. Tezak (815) 722-0524 American Slovenian Catholic Union (KSKJ) 1211 Plainfield Road Joliet, IL 60435 ZELE FUNERAL HOME, INC. 452 East 152nd St., Cleveland, Ohio (216) 481-3118 ■\ Marie T. Stelow, MS, LCPC Individual, Couple, Family Therapy 370 Houbolt Road Suit 201 Phone: (815) 773-2303 Joliet, IL 60431 Fax: (815) 744-1623 v / SLOVENIJA MAGAZINE Quarterly issue/$30 USD per year. Personal checks accepted. Send your subscription to: Slovenija Magazine, Cankarjeva 1, P.O. Box 169,1001 Ljubljana, SLOVENIA, Europe It’s truly beautiful magazine! limmr FUNERAL HOMES Mark Zimmer, Funeral Director murk(c*'zimmcrt uncrulhomc.com 805 North 6th Street. Sheboygan, VVI 53081 (920) 457-7012 - Fax: (920) 457-7013 117 North Wisconsin Drive. Howards Grove, WI 53083 (920) 565—2331 www. /.iinmerfuncralhome. com