Zarja Official Publication Slovenian Union of America Uradno Glasilo Slovenske Zveze v Ameriki $10.99 U.S./$15.99 International Volume 88 Issue 1 January/February 2016 The Dawn Holy Trinity Column at the Ursuline Church of the Holy Trinity in Ljubljana, Slovenia Slovenian Union of America 431 N. Chicago St., Joliet, IL 60432-1703 TELEPHONE: 815.727.1926 WEB SITE: slovenianunion.org Table of Contents President’s Message 1 From the Desk of VP of Culture & Heritage 4 SUA to Initiate New Programs to Aid Students and Encourage Cultural Preservation and Sharing 5 Slovenian Union of America (SUA) Cultural Preservation and Sharing Program 6 Slovenian Union of America (SUA) Educational Grant Program 7 VP of Marketing and Fund-Raising 7 Cultural Preservation and Sharing Form 8 SWU Scholarship Foundation 9 VP of Outreach 9 A White Box of Love from Joliet to Slovenija by Father Michael Monshau, O.P. 10 Displaced Persons Arriving in America Following World War II by Richard A. Terselic 12 “April’s Showers of Dollars” Drawing 15 Member Support/Zarja Subscription and Renewal Form 16 With a Little Help from My Friends… by David G. Sodac 17 Branch Reports 20 News From Our Friend We would love to hear from you! 28 ZarjaFest 2016 Road Trip Through the Homeland 29 2015-2019 National Board of Directors PRESIDENT: Mary Lou Deyak Voelk (Branch 23) ottolou@gulftel.com VP OF OUTREACH: Diane Hohenwater (Branch 20) dhohenwater@comcast.com VP OF HOME OFFICE: Jan King (Branch 50) neighbor2slovenia@yahoo.com VP OF CULTURE AND HERITAGE: Nancy Henkel (Branch 89) henkelnancy@aol.com VP MARKETING AND FUND-RAISING: Norm Setnicker (Branch 109) normas188@msn.com CORRESPONDING/RECORDING SECRETARY: Catherine “Cookie” Maxin (Branch 50) cookie.maxin@gmail.com TREASURER: Robert Kuhel (Branch 16) rjkuhel@sbcglobal.net (ISSN 0044-1848) Postmaster: Send all changes of address to: SLOVENIAN UNION OF AMERICA 431 N. Chicago St., Joliet, IL 60432-1703 Zarja - The Dawn EDITOR: Bonnie Pohar Prokup DIRECTOR OF DESIGN: Debbie Pohar EDITORIAL OFFICE: 3119 Carrie St., Peru, IL 61354 PUBLISHER: Slovenian Union of America Vol. 88, No. 1, January/February 2016 Published bimonthly Periodicals Postage paid at Joliet, IL, and additional mailing offices. Communications for the next issue of publication Do you have something you would like to share with readers? We would love to hear from you! Please e-mail the editor at wprokup@aol.com. We reserve the right to edit any article submitted. Articles must be related to Slovenia, SUA events, or members. The deadline for articles is the 10th day of the month, two (2) months preceding the issue. For example, articles for the March/April issue must be received by January 10. Thank you. Submission Guidelines E-mail your photos attached as jpeg files. If you have an old photo that is irreplaceable, please make a good-quality copy to share with us. (Scanned copies must be a resolution of 300 or higher.) By submitting material for publication, you grant the Slovenian Union of America the use of the material, including your name, hometown, and state. We may modify, reproduce, and distribute it in any SUA authorized medium and in any manner or appropriate place. President’s Message... A Happy New Year to Everyone! from SUA President Mary Lou Deyak Voelk The busy and festive holiday season of November and December 2015 are in the recent past. At the stroke of midnight it became 2016! In the Voelk household the Christmas tree has been put in storage for another year, but the creche (jaslice) continues to hold a place in the living room. This tradition began after attending a Mass of the Feast of Three Kings at the Church of St. Simona and Juda Tadej in Čmuče, Slovenia. The creche was a massive scene, an entire village and beyond. The Mass ended, the priest walked down the aisle, the three tall altar boys (teens) scurried into the sacristy and the people sat down! Within minutes, the three altar boys appeared as the Three Kings, each carrying a basket filled with miniature sheep. In a flash, children were up at the altar to receive their ration of candy and a sheep to place in their home setting. 20 + G +M +B +16 Walking down the street in Čmuče, above the main doorways, another tradition was being carried on. Traditionally, the father uses chalk to write the initials of the Three Kings, Gaspar, Melchior, and Balthazar, and the date above the door. May the door pictured here bring blessings to you and your family throughout 2016. The moral of these stories, it is never too late to begin a family tradition. Historic Moment: When I took the presidency of SUA, I was committed to forming a closer relationship with the Branches throughout this huge country, and having Branches form a closer relationship with each other. I had no plan of action. It happened in Ohio. Joe Valencic had extended an invitation to the September Sausage Festival in September 2015. With the possibility of meeting with the Ohio Branches, I suggested a get-together. It was a historic time when I stood before two Ohio Branches, 50 - Euclid and 47 - Garfield Heights, sitting in the audi- January/February 2016 ence. Not able to visit each Branch, I have begun calling the president of each Branch. I have had conversations with eight presidents! Your Branch will be next! DUES: Member Support/Zarja Subscription: In the past, the term ‘dues’ has been used when sending out yearly invoices. Today, this term does not clearly quantify the use of the money received. More clearly, Member Support/Zarja Subscription is most accurate and appropriate for the five to six issues of our Zarja The Dawn, received each year. SUA stands proud of this publication, never missing an issue since 1929. Please notice on the front cover, the cost of requesting an extra issue is now $10.99. Membership Card: A pleasant surprise when you open your Member Support/Zarja Subscription Invoice this year, a SUA Grant Writing to Slovenia Each year Slovenia distributes grant money to organizations and people living abroad. The due date was December 1, 2015. In November 2015, the SUA submitted a request to the Republic of Slovenia for $650 in funds, to be used in purchasing acid-free, lignin-free, pH-neutral boxes, and tissues, for assurance our artifacts and archives are stored properly. To fulfill the grant budget, matching funds from sponsors are needed. The SUA National Board is asking for donations to fulfill this obligation. If able, PLEASE be generous and send in your donations for this worthy cause. Mark your checks for the category “Grant Project.” Your donaton is tax deductible! Send checks to: Slovenian Union of America 431 N. Chicago St., Joliet, IL 60432 ATTN: Diane Hohenwater Please e-mail me if you have any questions Mary Lou Voelk - ottolou@gulftel.com 1 membership card! Place it in your wallet, and become a card carrier! This is the work of Norm Setnicker, VP of Marketing and Fund-Raising. SUA Artifacts and Archives: Archives and artifacts belonging to SUA are being given an appraised value, to be covered by Hartford Insurance up to $100,000. The extensive spreadsheet also documents the donor, be it a gift or on loan. To All Branches: Please check the www.slovenianunion.org site for Branch information. Help us ensure that all information is up-to-date. Send all corrections to: Jan King, VP of Home Office, neighbor2slovenia@yahoo.com. Please send any issues for discussion to: SUA 431 N. Chicago St., Joliet, IL 60432 ATTN: Diane Hohenwater, VP of Outreach Financial - IRS Form 990: Robert J. Kuhel, SUA Treasurer, sends an alert to all active Branch Treasurers regarding the annual IRS Form 990 for the year 2014. Please place among your financial files. In the very near future, active Branches will begin receiving SUA financial reports on a quarterly basis. Monthly financial reports and our SUA budget are used as managing tools in assessing our financial situation and in making timely decisions. To fully understand its meaning: Education and Culture Grants: Internal Revenue Service (IRS) Form 990 is an Education grants were mentioned in the Nov/Dec 2015 exhaustive, complicated tax filing that goes well beyond Zarja. In this issue is an introduction to a new SUA simply reporting annual financial results. Further, the project pertaining to higher education and culture. 2014 Form 990 report is available for public inspection Working on this project are: Richard Terselic, of Branch at the home office in Joliet and on the SUA website 103 - Washington, D.C., Chuck Debevec, of Branch for others interested in the report. This means nonprofit 109 - Twin Cities, MN, and Bernadette Fitzsimmons, leaders should make time to become familiar with this of Branch 108 - Olney, MD. Grants will be made avail- report and understand the information it communicates able to students in higher education for costs other than to these many audiences. tuition, such as textbooks, lab fees, technology fees, software, etc. Grants will also be available to SUA The ultimate goal of filing the IRS Form 990 is to satisfy Branches for projects documenting any portion of Slo- regulatory requirements and preserve an organization’s venian culture and traditions. tax-exempt status. Organizations designated as charities have an additional objective to demonstrate each year, Let’s begin building the funds. Check the Educational via the public support test, that they continue to qualify and Cultural Grant Fund on the Annual Membership as a publicly-supported organization. Renewal form. REMEMBER, these donations are tax deductible. Essential to this required tax filing is to ensure that the IRS Form 990 is complete and accurate. The starting Member Representative and point is preparing monthly financial reports so that at National Board Meeting: year end all information is complete and the Form 990 Mark your calendars. The National Board Meeting is prepared and filed on or before the due date of May has been scheduled for April 14-15, 2016. A Member 15. A similar report is filed with the State of Illinois Representative teleconference meeting will be held on that is due on or before June 30. Saturday, April 16. An item on the staggered election of officers will be discussed. VP of Home Office, Jan King, Form 990 for 2014 can be viewed on the organization’s and Tanya Vajk, President of Branch 93 - New York City, website: www.slovenianunion.org. are now researching this concept. Also on the agenda will be the concern of Branch 20 - Joliet regarding the From Slovenia, the monthly magazine, Sinfo: number of Member Representatives for their Branch; Not to miss this beautiful magazine! Log on the site their proposed amendment to the bylaws missed the www.ukom.gov.si. View the September/October issue, deadline for discussion in 2015. (See inside back cover.) Music as light, bread and life. 2 Zarja - The Dawn Each new month brings another issue. Past issues back to 2004 are available for your reading. given out to members of the Iron Range communities for their dedication to our Slovenian heritage. A tour of the decorated home of Johnny and Samantha Snidarich followed. The event occurred after the due date for Zarja articles. Look for this in the March/April 2016 issue. Culture and Heritage: Nancy Supan Henkel, VP of Culture and Heritage, has taken on muscle.The SUA is in a movement of transferring items to off-site storage. Zarja - The Dawn issues dated 1929-2015 are already in off-site storage. Read about the people who have made this happen on page 4. Slovenia Today: EU member states have been hit by the migration crisis. The tiny country of Slovenia with just over two million people has been confronted with the worst crisis since World War II. Hundreds of thousands of refugees fleeing wars and economic conditions have pressed on. SUA on Facebook: This site belongs to you! Post your favorite photos and experiences. Don’t know how to get there? Google search: Slovenian Union of America Facebook Branch 23 - Ely, MN: On November 1, 2015, St. Anthony de Padua Church in Ely, MN, celebrated 125 years. Congratulations to the officers of Branch 23, Pat Koski, President, and VP Albina Medved, who led members in a strudel-making and potica-making frenzy, and to all members for the many hours of their time and talents in preparation for this celebration. Your leadership made this a memorable day. Let us give hope the tiny country of our ancestry and the neighboring states are able to find a solution. As we move into the New Year, may we continue to take pride in our Slovenian heritage and our organization; with heritage comes tradition and with tradition comes roots. From this we come to know who we are! May this early January 2016 find you in the comfort of a warm and cozy home. A peek into a Slovenian home; even the cat is aware of the best place in the house. Branch 35 - Aurora, MN: On December 6, 2015, St. Nicholas Honor Day was celebrated at St. Joseph Church in Gilbert with a Mass with traditional Slovenian music. Following a luncheon, the St. Nicholas Award was Every family has a journey... Every heritage has a journey... Every country has a journey... These three comprise the human need for our roots... and we can only find them by LIVING OUR LEGACY January/February 2016 3 From the Desk of VP of Culture & Heritage This past October a deep cleaning took place at our SUA building in Joliet, IL, with much help from volunteers. It had long been discussed on how to best preserve our valuable papers and artifacts that are stored in the basement. While it is an old building (over 100 years), fortunately, the basement has remained dry and odorless. However, the walls are crumbling and built up dust and dirt are difficult to manage. Dawn. Thanks to Denise and Bob Bartlett, of Branch 43 - Milwaukee, WI, for sorting and packing issues of every Zarja dating back to the 1930s, and labeling 20 storage boxes by date. Do you realize there have been over 900 issues of Zarja published? How fortunate for the SUA, the National and University Library (NUK) in Ljubljana recognized the historical value of our Zarjas. Throughout the years, they had collected Zarja issues. When they agreed to scan the magazines, Carol Novak packed the issues missing from their collection and shipped them off to Slovenia. Branch 109 - Twin Cities, MN, member, Mary Ann Palmer, contributed the $500 shipping charges to Slovenia! The NUK has now completed the scanning of these magazines. Today they are on the NUK website for the world to read. Stored in the basement are all SUA’s Application for Membership forms from 1926 through the present day. After 80+ years, the file drawers were stuffed; not the proper way to preserve paper documents. Over several years’ time, Branch 20 - Joliet volunteers Carol Novak and Carole Terlep, under the guidance of then SUA’s VP of Culture and Heritage, now President Mary Lou Deyak Voelk, of Branch 23 - Ely, MN, began by carrying documents from the basement to the main floor, scanning and Wedding dresses, linens, cadet uniforms and their banrefiling them in the main floor file room. So far the years ners, a drum and a cadet’s hat, with most in acid-free con1929-1963 have been tainers, have found a These papers are a genealogical gem! scanned. Throughout secure home in the offthis endeavor, then SUA They are our heritage and our unique history. site, climate controlled Treasurer Carol Ryba, To witness the delight of a person finding their storage. However, also of Branch 20, tendthere is more in the grandmother’s application and seeing her ed to the computers and basement. Over many signature is something to see. scanners being used for years Branch officers this project. gave notice that their closets were being overtaken by Branch archives. It was These papers are a genealogical gem! They are our her- requested that the archives be sent to SUA’s main office; itage and our unique history. To witness the delight of a they were not to be thrown away. Each of the boxes were person finding their grandmother’s application and see- thoroughly examined by Mary Lou Voelk. Patricia Figing her signature is something to see. urowski of Branch 20 and Mary Lou spent one day going through Branch 20 archives. Several years ago the outgoing National Board investigated off-site storage facilities in the Joliet area. Because of It is fortunate I live within driving distance of the main funding, it was delayed. There can be no more delaying. office. Today I can say many of our beloved items are Diane Hohenwater, of Branch 20, newly elected VP of now, or will be, in a climate-controlled site. To every Outreach, located a facility at a reasonable price. Shelv- one of our volunteers, a big hvala lepa! To Jim Lilek, for ing from the basement was disassembled and moved to those many climbs up and down those basement stairs, the rented storage unit by Jim Lilek, also of Branch 20. the SUA is forever grateful! There they were reassembled by Jim - a tremendous job Nancy Supan Henkel well done! The first of SUA’s historical items to be moved VP of Culture and Heritage to the off-site storage unit were the issues of Zarja - The Branch 89 - Oglesby, IL 4 Zarja - The Dawn SUA to Initiate New Programs to Aid Students and Encourage Cultural Preservation and Sharing The newly elected SUA Board of Directors has authorized two new programs with exciting, potential benefits. SUA’s new nonprofit status authorizes it to engage in activities intended to assist its members as well as to encourage the preservation and sharing of Slovenian culture. The SUA bylaws also authorize the corporation to apply for and receive grants and tax-deductible donations to fund such activities. interesting materials for presentation at SUA Branch events, as well as in programs directed to larger audiences. Other examples of Slovenian traditions to be recorded and shared might include food preparation, sausage-making, bobbin lace-making, collections of historical materials such as wedding photos, and materials on Slovenian churches in the USA. Hopefully, the program will be initiated in 2016. The first program - Educational Grants - seeks to be a source of financial assistance to college and vocational school students for meeting expenses not covered by scholarships and other forms of financial assistance, such as the cost of textbooks, lab fees, software, and non-tuition costs that may be difficult for students and their families to cover. The intent is to assist persons of all ages, whose membership in SUA suggests an interest in their ethnic heritage, to pursue knowledge and training, and to pursue future leadership positions in their local communities, as well as within SUA. In the past there were disincentives for SUA Branches to organize and record such events since all the costs of preparation of sharable quality videos or other computer formats would have to be paid by the Branches. SUA would like to be able to provide funding to assist such activities. The first awards are planned for the 2016-17 academic year. The amounts and number of grants to be made will depend upon the donations and other funds received. The second program to be initiated - Cultural Grants - seeks to encourage and facilitate cultural preservation and sharing. A recent example of an activity that exemplifies the SUA goals was a program presented in northern Minnesota on the influence of Slovenian music in the USA. Organized by Jim Lah and Mary Lou Voelk, both of Branch 23 - Ely, MN, the program included presentations by experts. Other well-planned and organized public events involving Slovenian culture take place each year throughout the U.S. If recorded and made available in a format suitable for sharing, this would both provide January/February 2016 Program guidelines and application forms for submissions to both programs will appear in future issues of Zarja - The Dawn. Funds needed to provide the financial awards will come from: tax-deductible donations by SUA members, bequests, and grant funds sought by SUA leadership. The SUA annual dues statements for 2016 will include a check off block for members’ donations to both programs. Members making donations will receive an acknowledgement that can be used for tax purposes. The program will be administered by a committee to be established by the SUA National Board. It is expected that all funds received will be distributed. The SUA will claim no administrative fees. The two new programs described are products of the creative thinking of the new SUA National Board, and their appreciation of the opportunities provided by the new 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizational form. Comments on these programs are invited and can be shared with: Mary Lou Voelk marylouv174@gmail. com and Richard Terselic rat1@verizon.net. 5 Slovenian Union of America (SUA) Cultural Preservation and Sharing Program Objectives and Submission Guidelines The SUA Board of Directors believes that the preservation of the Slovenian culture in America is an important goal for the SUA. The success of doing so can have an important positive benefit to present and future members. It can also play a role in sharing the Slovenian culture outside of SUA. Guidelines for submission of proposals for technical and financial assistance follow: While it is hoped that the program will be flexible in terms of willingness to receive proposals throughout the year, initially there will be an annual invitation and assessment by a committee operating out of the SUA headquarters. Each year at Branch level, as well as through the aegis of other organizations and individuals, programs and activities are developed and presented that focus on aspects of Slovenian culture. While this is a credit to persons who plan and conduct them, if the presentations are not recorded and made available for sharing, an opportunity for exposure to a larger audience is lost. 1. Deadline for application submissions is July 2016. 2. Refer to criteria below for eligibility requirements and application submission requirements. 3. You can download an online copy of the application form available at www.slovenianunion.org. 4. Applicants will be notified by U.S. or e-mail regarding the outcome of the consideration of their application. 5. If you have any questions about the application process, contact the SUA President Mary Lou Voelk. Her contact information is ottolou@gulftel.com. The newly established SUA Cultural Preservation and Sharing Program will seek to facilitate the recording of programs that can be shared with other SUA Branches for reuse - thus expanding their impact. This new program will seek to provide technical assistance and funding for recording programs. The objective is that (possibly copyrightable) DVDs, recordings, and PowerPoint presentations can be developed for sharing. By way of example, a program was recently planned and conducted in northern Minnesota on the history and impact of Slovenian music in America. Experts on the subject were brought in for a day-long program. While the program was recorded, it was done by a private individual without assurance that SUA could have free reuse of the recording. It is believed that SUA can provide technical assistance and funds for recording such events to produce a collection of materials that can be made available to all SUA Branches, as well as to other groups. Other topics that would be suitable features for recording and sharing include: • Preparation of Slovenian foods. • Construction of Slovenian cultural materials, such as bobbin lace. • Sound recordings of performances of Slovenian songs and melodies. • Recordings of interviews. • Discussions of research projects involving genealogy or history of Slovenian-American churches. • Subjects which have not taken place in public settings, but involve things done by individuals under convenient circumstances. • Also possible would be written materials, copies of which could be shared with Branches as a basis for presentations. 6 Purpose: To facilitate the recording and sharing of materials dealing with Slovenian culture, emphasis will be placed on that culture in America. Award Criteria and Conditions: 1. Applicants must be current SUA members in good standing, and proposals for receipt of financial support must involve topics related to some aspect of Slovenian culture. 2. In the initial operation of the program, applications will only be considered from SUA members, individuals, or Branches. No rights to materials benefitted by SUA assistance will be permitted to be acquired solely by applicants. Rights to distribution and use will normally be held by SUA, or shared with the originator. 3. Applicants must submit a description of the program they wish to conduct and have recorded. Related information includes: sponsors name and Branch; key individuals involved in planning and conducting the event; location at which the event is to be conducted; and expected duration of the event to be recorded. Also to be included is the means by which the event would be recorded, the media/medium to be used and the persons proposed to do the recording. SUA may provide assistance in terms of identifying the event on the recording, sponsors and key parties involved, as well as formatting. 4. Applicants must include the amount of funds requested to assist the recording, and for what purpose they would be used must be stated. Zarja - The Dawn 5. The length of materials recorded for sharing should not be less than 15 minutes nor more than 60 minutes in the edited, recorded format. 6. Only one SUA grant per year may be awarded to an applicant. 7. The number and amount of grants will be determined by the amount of tax deductible donations made by SUA members, as well as other gifts and grants received and earmarked for the program. 8. Grants are intended to fully or partially cover costs only, not to include personal compensation. 9. SUA may also acquire materials for archiving to which others hold rights. 10. Materials acquired through this program may also be shared with other organizations to reach larger audiences, such as public TV and local cable channels. Application Process: Applicant must submit the following items: 1. Completed application form (if handwritten, please print legibly). If the form does not provide adequate space, additional sheets can be appended, noting the title of the proposal on each additional sheet. 2. Applications are to be sent to the Cultural Preservation and Sharing Selection Committee, c/o SUA Headquarters, 431 North Chicago Street, Joliet, IL 60432-1703, or e-mailed to ottolou@gulftel.com. Awards of Cultural Preservation and Sharing Grants will be featured in Zarja - The Dawn. Introduction to the Slovenian Union of America (SUA) Educational Grant Program 2016-2017 The National Board of Directors of SUA believes that the preservation of the Slovenian culture in America, as well as the future leadership of the organization, depends upon having persons who have pursued growth in their academic and vocational educations. Further, the Board believes that financial limitations may have an important influence on the ability of students to pursue their goals. While other sources of financial aid, such as scholarships and tuition aid may be sought, the SUA Educational Grant Program is directed to other expenses, such as book costs, lab fees, and fees beyond tuition, which pose a limitation on persons pursuing their educations. There are no age limits on eligibility for an award of SUA’s Educational Grants. Look for the SUA Educational Grant Program Guidelines and Application Form to be published in the March/April 2016 issue of Zarja - The Dawn. For questions call: Richard Terselic hubcapman@verizon.net or Mary Lou Deyak Voelk ottolou@gulftel.com VP of Marketing and Fund-Raising To all our Zarja readers and “wine lovers,” please welcome the Blue Danube Wine Company from Los Altos, CA, as one of our new advertisers. In “living the legacy of our Slovenian heritage and keeping the Slovenian spirit alive” consider ordering some Slovenian wine for the holidays and for your Branch celebrations. Each year Branch 109 -Twin Cities, MN, orders at least one case of Slovenian wine, which we use to: * Have a drawing for one or two bottles of * Celebrate Martinovanje in November. Slovenian wine (depending on number of * Remunerate speakers that are invited to Branch meetings. * Award our Member of the Year and other significant contributions. people attending regular meetings). Members buy chances - $1 a ticket. This is * Add to our Slovenian family ethnicity by celebrating special how we pay for the wine plus shipping family activities. costs. It has worked out immensely well for If you would like any suggestions for Slovenian wine that we have Branch 109. purchased from Blue Danube, please e-mail normas188@msn.com. For additional ideas for Slovenian wine see the Branch 109 report in this issue. January/February 2016 Norm Setnicker, “Born in America with Slovenian Parts” VP of Marketing and Fund-Raising Branch 109 - Twin Cities, MN 7 Cultural Preservation and Sharing Program Please type or print legibly. If more space is required, attach additional sheets including title of proposed initiative. Last Name of Initiative Proposer First Name Middle Initial Street Address City & State Zip Code Home Telephone No. Cell Phone No. E-mail Address Title of Proposed Initiative SUA Branch and Location Category of Initiative □ Culture-Related Meeting □ Food Preparation □ Craft Demonstration □ Musical Demonstration or Performance □ Other (Specify) Length (in Minutes) of Proposed Sharable Result Date and Location at Which Initiative Would Take Place Medium of Sharable Program □ DVD □ Sound Recording □ PowerPoint Presentation □ Other (Specify) Nature of Assistance Requested from SUA (Check all that apply) □ Financial □ Technical □ Other (Specify) If Financial, the Amount For What Would the Assistance Be Used? By What Date Would Assistance Be Required? Who Would Be the Recipient and Is the Recipient a SUA Member? Details of Initiative and Other Comments Signature of Initiator’s Branch President Date Branch President’s Recommendation □ Approval □ Disapproval * * If Disapproval, Explain 8 Zarja - The Dawn SWU Scholarship Foundation CELEBRATING 67 YEARS OF FINANCIALLY ASSISTING STUDENTS Mission: To generate funding to financially assist students with hope that they will promote and preserve Slovenian culture. STUDENTS ALERT! SCHOLARSHIP APPLICATION DEADLINE MARCH 1, 2016 The Slovenian Women’s Union (SWU) Scholarship Foundation is offering a number of scholarships for the 2016-2017 academic year. SWU Scholarships of $1,000 and $2,000 will be available for those attending an accredited college or graduate school full-time. SWU Scholarships of $500 will be offered to adult parttime students taking accredited classes online or attending technical school classes part-time. Qualifications are that the applicant be of Slovene ancestry and purchase a membership of the Slovenian Union of America (SUA) for the year 2016. Membership will include receiving the Zarja - The Dawn magazine and invitation to all SUA Branch activities in the United States. For more information visit www.swusf.org or contact the SWU Scholarship Foundation, 4 Lawrence Drive, Marquette, Michigan 49855, or call 906.249.4288 or 330.467.0696. CONTRIBUTIONS THAT HAVE BEEN GRATEFULLY RECEIVED $1,000 Donation Josephine Janezic & Family, +her husband, Stanley Janezic $100 Donation Rosemary R. Ansley, in honor of Olga Dorchak’s October 13 birthday Lindsey Stratton (SWU Scholarship recipient), +grandmother, Phyllis Kukar $10 Donation Branch 1 - Sheboygan, WI, +Carol Mae Presutti Branch 1 - Sheboygan, WI, +Frances Sass CONTRIBUTIONS MOST NEEDED AND WELCOMED! The Slovenian Women’s Union Scholarship Foundation apologizes to the family of Ms. Valentina (Yapel) Ronning, the 2015 Frances Colnar Barman Memorial Scholarship recipient. Family names/surnames were not reported correctly in the November/December 2015 Zarja issue. Ms.Ronning’s great-grandmothers are Angela Zobitz Pavlich and Barbara Nemanich Yapel. Her great-aunt is Adeline Pavlich Mustonen. V P of O u t r e a c h I was so enthusiastic about SUA’s The Slovenian-American Table cookbook when I first saw a copy that I volunteered to help fill the mail orders. That is my home phone number in the ads for the cookbook. I have enjoyed answering questions and filling envelopes and boxes with the books. It has been fun to speak with so many lovely people, and I have liked hearing about the occasions for which you are buying the books. So far, I have mailed more than 400 cookbooks around the country. Needless to say, I have gotten to know the ladies who work at my local post office. I want to clarify that I am the contact person for not only cookbook questions, but as Database Manager January/February 2016 I handle membership questions, address changes, changes in Branch officers, and notification of member deaths. If any Branch officers need a current list of members, I will be happy to provide one for you. I can be reached at 815.467.7619 or you can e-mail me at dhohenwater@ comcast.net. I am excited to help make 2016 a wonderful year for SUA!! Diane Hohenwater VP of Outreach Database Manager Branch 20 - Joliet, IL 9 A White Box of Love from Joliet to Slovenija by Father Michael Monshau, O.P. Native of Joliet, Illinois (SUA Branch 20) Professor, Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas (The “Angelicum”), Rome, Italy The above photo shows the kitchen of the house located at 1306 Cora Street in Joliet, Illinois, the long-time home of Mary and Jerry Mutz, my maternal grandparents. Our family sold this house more than a quarter of a century ago when my widowed grandmother was struggling with declining health and could no longer live alone. The house is up for sale again, and in my family we are enjoying several pictures of the house that have been posted online by the real estate agent who is handling its sale. To be sure, the real estate agent’s photos are stirring up nostalgic memories, however, this photo represents far more than a sentimental recollection of the halcyon days of my childhood. It reflects, at a far deeper level, one aspect of what life was like for many Slavic-Americans during the Post World War II - Cold War Era. container for goods we were gathering for our relatives in what we called “The Old Country.” Anything we could spare, clothing, kitchen utensils, tools, fabric, toys, all went into that box, and when it would get full it would be shipped to Europe. This was the Post World War II Cold War Era and our cousins were quite poor. Life under the hated Communists was hard. My grandmother, Mary Mutz, whom I remember as the patron saint of generosity, would frequently buy two of whatever household or clothing item she purchased, especially when she found a good bargain, with the duplicate item always designated for the white box. From time to time, one of our elders would coach us youngsters into surrendering some favorite toy for the benefit of One will recall that the Slavic countries were all under the domination of the Soviet Communists in the middle of the 20th Century, meaning that many Slovenians and countless other Slavs throughout America had cousins, other relatives, and family friends living not only in the throes of poverty, but also under political oppression and religious intolerance. It is a bitter history indeed. You may notice in the picture of the kitchen at 1306 Cora Street that I’ve placed an X near the bottom of the frame, between the first and second doorways. I remember that when I was a small boy in the early 1950s, a chair was placed where I’ve inserted that X, and frequently there would be a box sitting on that chair. The box, wrapped in sturdy, white cloth, served as a collection and shipment 10 After years of packing boxes filled with needed supplies for her relatives in Slovenija, the ever-generous Mrs. Mary Mutz (center) is shown here at Chicago Midway Airport in 1988, with her daughter, Frances Mutz Cepiel (left) and her grand-daughter, Mary Colleen Monshau Juricic (right). Zarja - The Dawn an unknown cousin in the Old Country. One time, my sister, Judy, contributed a favorite doll; I remember that it was a real sacrifice for her. This was just part of life for a Catholic, Eastern European family in the Midwest at that time i n h i s t o r y, and I think it was one of the ways my grandmother passed her virSlovenian-born Jerry (Jernej Anton) Mutz in his home in Joliet, Illinois, at Christmas- tue of generosity on to the time, ca. 1960. rest of us. It was good for us. From time to time, when playing with a friend at his house - especially those who lived with their grandparents – I’d see that their home, too, featured some sort of receptacle for items destined for the Old Country. I never thought very much about it over the years. so economically strained and goods were so unavailable at that time that every item sent was put to good use. That’s even why grandma used that special, sturdy, white cloth to wrap those boxes; fabric was scarce and after laundering, it was immediately put to good use. At one moment in the conversation, our cousin, Branka Muc, who is exactly my sister’s age, told us about a doll that had been included in one of those shipments, and that she fondly remembered how much joy that doll had given her in her childhood. A doll? My sister’s doll? We all remembered it clearly at that moment. Although I’m sure there must have been countless thank-you notes from Slovenija over the years, this was the first time I ever heard anything about how any of those items ended up and we were all touched to know that my sister’s sacrifice had sent much joy to a cousin we wouldn’t meet for another half a century. There couldn’t have been a more perfect fulfillment to my memory of that “white box for the Old Country” that always stood in my grandparents’ kitchen many years ago. May it serve as a constant reminder that our grandparents’ patrimony to us was not simply a memory of having shared over half a century ago, but instruction on a way of life, a life based on generosity with others. The X certainly marks a sacred spot in this photograph for the descendants of Mary and Jerry Mutz of Cora Street in Joliet, just as it undoubtedly does for countless other Slovenian-Americans as well. I am a Catholic priest of the Dominican Order, presently serving as a Theology Professor at the Pontifical Angelicum University in Rome. Not too long ago, my brother-inlaw, John Vowels, brought my mother, his mother, and two of my aunts to visit me in Rome. At that time we decided to include a visit to our Slovenian cousins in our itinerary, since we had never met them and the distance was manageable; Slovenija and Italy share a common border. We had a wonderful visit to my grandfather’s village and enjoyed meeting several of our cousins. Stories from both sides of the Atlantic flowed freely over thick slices of potica, mugs of strong coffee, and other Slovenian delicacies. At one point, that white box that always sat in my grandparents’ kitchen emerged in the conversation. The cousins immediately remembered those boxes and shared some memories with us; the arrival of a white box from America usually made an ordinary day seem special and exciting for them. Needed supplies and goodness knew what surprises one of them might contain! We learned that conditions were January/February 2016 1956 – Jerry Mutz, Sr., in his backyard in Joliet, Illinois, with the first four of what would become twenty grandchildren. Left to right: Albert Pagnusat, Judy Monshau Smith, and the future Father Michael Monshau. Grandpa is holding Sally Pagnusat Rudy. 11 Displaced Persons Arriving in America Following World War II by Richard A. Terselic, Branch 103 - Washington, D.C. During the early 50s, while in high school, some of my classmates had recently arrived from Europe. Initially, I didn’t understand the meaning of their being “displaced persons” or its abbreviation, “DP.” The abbreviation was sometimes used in a negative, condescending manner, such as the “n” word in our current society. I will use terms such as refugees, newcomers, and new arrivals in referring to these people. My father had a grocery/meat market on the east side of Cleveland, Ohio and there I met other displaced persons. Among them were persons of Slovenian and Croatian heritage, and to a lesser extent, Serbian and German. Dad, who spoke his Slovenian language, could also speak passable Croatian and German, and welcomed the newcomers. Displaced Persons Act of 1948 World War II dramatically perturbed life in Europe, and when the war ended there were hundreds of thousands of people whose homes had been destroyed and/or whose lives were at risk should they seek to return to their homes and home countries. For several years these people lived in camps scattered around Europe, while the western powers provided assistance and sought means for accomplishing their resettlement. The United States and others enacted legislation and other resolutions authorizing large-scale permanent resettlements. In the early post-WWII period the key U.S. legislation was the Displaced Persons Act of 1948 - hence the origin for the abbreviation “DP.” The Act applied primarily to persons with refugee status living in Germany, Austria, and Italy. Provision for inclusion of additional national groups followed. Under the authority of the Act, thousands of persons of Slovenian heritage settled in America and other countries, including Canada, Australia, and a few countries in South America. A person who shared my Terselic surname, to whom I traced relatedness, was settled in Columbia, South America. Over the years, Zarja - The Dawn has printed numerous personal stories describing the plight of these persons and of their adaptation to new lives. throughout the history of America in accepting waves of emigration from other parts of the world. Beyond not speaking the English language, looking and dressing differently, and practicing a different religion, the reasons for negative reactions were both social/cultural and economic. America needed workers, and once here, early immigrants took positions in the economic and social/ cultural system and often judged subsequent arrivals as threats, much like the case in America today in dealing with large-scale emigration from Mexico and Central America. The new arrivals were targeted, because they were feared for a willingness to work for less than prevailing wages, for disrupting the filling of entry level jobs, as well as threatening the positions achieved by earlier arrivals. Prejudice was common against new arriving groups, such as German, Irish, Italian, and Greek. Among the criteria influencing eligibility for resettlement in America was having ‘sponsors’ who accepted full responsibility for assisting the newcomers in transitioning to independent living. Individuals (including relatives of refugees), churches, and civic organizations served as sponsors. Settlement of Slovenian Refugees The post-WWII Slovenian refugees who arrived in America settled in locations across the country, however the majority located in the East and Midwest. New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Illinois, Wisconsin, and Minnesota received large numbers. Destinations were influenced to a great extent by the locations of sponsors, communities of earlier arriving Slovenians, job opportunities, and chance reasons. America was retooling from a war time to a peace time economy and work opportunities existed in abundance. I can best speak from firsthand observations related to the situation of the persons who settled in the Cleveland area, and to a lesser extent the Washington, D.C. area. The reasons why the term “DP” developed negative connotations were much the same as had occurred The newcomers represented a broad cross section of educational and occupational backgrounds, as well 12 Zarja - The Dawn as personal traumatic histories. Among them were former farmers with elementary educations, as well as well-educated professionals and college students. Adaptation to new employment opportunities proved hard for well-educated refugees with limited English language skills, whose capabilities were not recognized or could not be immediately utilized. Thus, a professor or medical doctor might be offered work as a sweeper in a factory or other low-skill level position. On the other hand, a former farmer or miner might readily find work for which they were fully qualified. Persons without a grasp of spoken English might find themselves the butt of cruel jokes and pranks by their fellow workers. The same might be experienced by refugees’ children placed in public or parochial schools. Social/Cultural Integration Difficulties Social/cultural integration of the new arrivals into the Cleveland community had both positive and negative aspects, just as had occurred with earlier waves of Slovenian arrivals. My father and his siblings faced similar difficulties when they arrived in southern Wisconsin during the early 1900s. On the positive side, it was easier for the new arrivals to integrate into the Cleveland community since they shared language and customs with existing fully integrated persons of Slovenian heritage. On the other hand there were also problems for the newcomers. *The newcomers had not emigrated from Europe because they chose to do so, but rather as a matter of dire need. Their experiences with pre-war life in Slovenia were often positive. Had there not been the war-related disruption they would not have chosen to emigrate. Further, were it not for the Communist government in control of Yugoslavia, they might have been pleased to return there. On the other hand, many earlier immigrants during the 1800s and early 1900s came to America for economic reasons, had bitter memories of their past lives, and had no intent of returning to Slovenia. Some refugees made the mistake of criticizing what they observed in America and in the Slovenian communities in which they settled, pointing to how things had been better in Europe. The contrast in reasons for emigrating sometimes contributed to friction with integrated Slovenians who interpreted any suggestion of criticism as evidence of ingratitude on the part of the newcomers. *Cleveland was a working class city and a high January/February 2016 school education was often sufficient to permit earlier generations of Slovenian-heritage residents to earn comfortable livings, to have bought homes, and see their children doing likewise. Their social/cultural activities might include bowling, visiting taverns, and listening to polka music, sometimes referred to as the “3Ps”- polkas, pivo, and potica. The newcomers included persons with higher cultural appreciations, who may have looked down on what they observed to be “common” interests. Words might be exchanged with co-workers about the differences in social/cultural interests, leading to bad feelings. Interestingly, the newcomers quickly contributed to the growth and sophistication of cultural life in the Cleveland community. *Wartime news coverage in America tended to define “good” and “bad” in simple political terms. Communism was “bad” and American democracy was “good.” Many Americans were not well informed of the details of political life in Europe and individual affiliations. It proved difficult for some long-term resident Slovenians to appreciate the lack of acceptance of Communist ideology by the refugees. In the minds of some of the people with whom the refugees dealt, since the refugees had came from a Communist country, they must be Communists. While this was anything but the case, it proved to be a thorn in relationships. Interestingly, while the vast majority of refugees were strongly anti-Communist and anti-Tito, there had been considerable support among long-term Cleveland area Yugoslavia-heritage people for Tito and the Partisans during WWII. *Language could also be a basis for negative reactions within the Cleveland Slovenian community. The language spoken by many long-term residents had, to greater or lesser extents, “mutated” through incorporation of English terms, as well as language influences of other Yugoslav-origin peoples, such as Croatians. Cleveland society included many European ethnic groups and language interchanges took place. The Slovenian language spoken by the newcomers was current and contemporary and the differences they noted may have been commented upon, contributing to friction. By way of example, my father was born in Slovenia. Having lived in America for more than 50 years and having been in business in multi-ethnic communities, he was exposed to a number of different languages. When he came to live in the Washington, D.C. area, some in the post13 World War II Slovenian refugee group with whom he interacted asked if he was not actually Croatian because of the version of Slovenian he spoke. *Negative experiences with being referred to as “DPs” had differing affects on newcomers. A Slovenian friend, who had emigrated during the 1950s, confronted negative use of the DP designation by his fellow high school students. As a positive response, he formed a group composed of fellow refugees, committed to excelling in scholastic activities and proving themselves to be undeserving of lesser status. While there were such areas of integration problems, to the greatest extent the vast majority of newcomers worked hard and made extraordinary efforts and successfully integrated. Sadly, there were some newcomers for whom integration demands were simply too difficult and life in America proved disappointing. On the other hand, children of newcomers quickly learned the English language and many excelled academically. Their generation went on to noteworthy career accomplishments. Their parents also worked hard to succeed. As noted earlier, adults found opportunities to add their cultural skills and interests to existing groups or to form new groups. My family arrived in the Washington, D.C. area in the mid-1960s and connected with the local Slovenian community, which included several persons who had emigrated to America in the late 1940s and early 1950s. Several had advanced degrees, acquired in either Europe or America. Some told stories of the difficulties they had faced in securing employment in professional jobs for which they were trained. 14 14 Connecting with other Slovenian-heritage persons from other parts of America, who had settled in the Washington area over the years, the newcomers participated in, or formed, fraternal and cultural groups, some of which remain active today. The Washington Slovenian community shared some of the things found in Cleveland, but differed positively in other ways. Concluding Remarks Was the integration and adaptation of the new arrivals fully successful? Unfortunately, for decades following the late 1940s and early 1950s, evidence remained of bad feelings and negative connotations toward the refugees. However, the situation changed for the better as time went on. Viewed in total, the newcomers made great strides and contributed to the vitality of the communities in which they settled. To me personally, association with the newcomers in both Cleveland and Washington was clearly positive and beneficial. In one case, a Danube Swabian** refugee that my father befriended in the early 1950s, later reciprocated by helping place me in a summer engineering job with the firm with which he worked. In addition, my family and I made long-lasting friendships in the Washington area with Slovenians who had come as refugees. The content of this article extends beyond what I discussed in an article that appeared in the Slovenian-American Times in January 2010. **Danube Swabians are persons of German heritage who settled in the Danube area, retained their German language and traditions, but integrated into the ethnic communities in which they lived. Zarja - The Dawn “April’s Showers of Dollars” Drawing SUA’s April 2016 Fund-Raiser LARGER CASH PRIZES TOTALING $2,955 How the fund-raiser works: Each day in the month of April, 2016, one (1) winner will be chosen to win the listed cash prize for that day - $65 or $200. There will be 27 Daily Drawings at $65 and the winners chosen on April 1 – “April No Fool’s Day,” April 15 – “Help With Tax Day,” and April 30 – “Here Come May Flowers” will win $200 each. In addition, the top sellers (1st, 2nd, and 3rd place) will win $150, $100, and $50 respectively. A minimum of 300 entries must be sold. It’s a WIN opportunity for everyone! ****$10 per Entry - Good Luck!**** 2019 SUA National Convention. SUA holds its National Convention every four years in host cities around the country. These gatherings are important not only to conduct SUA business but to have a forum for Branch Member Representatives to come together to represent their Branch, share their ideas, discuss concerns, and further cement their mutual love and respect for all things related to their Slovenian heritage. Our next SUA National Convention will be held in Cleveland, Ohio, in 2019. C T Plans are underway to make this another memorable event. The successful completion of this “April’s Showers of Dollars” Fund-Raiser will provide monies to help defray the costs of conducting SUA’s National Convention. The Convention Committee strives to offer an affordable convention package to enable Member Representatives and members from every SUA Branch to attend. The entries make excellent gifts for the holiday season, birthdays, and to say “Thank You.” H Your “April’s Showers of Dollars” drawing entry will be eligible for all daily drawings in the month of April, 2016. Sellers of the winning entries will receive $10 as an award for their selling efforts. The daily drawing amount and the seller’s $10 prize will be mailed to the winners on the next business day. Winners will be notified by e-mail, if provided, and their names posted on the SUA website: www.slovenianunion.org. Thank you for your support! U E R E The following entry form should accompany your $10 entry fee. Detach at perforation Entry Form (Please Print Clearly) Copies Accepted Entrant’s Information: Name:_____________________________________ Address:___________________________________ City:______________________________________ State:_______________ZipCode:_______________ Phone:_____________________________________ E-mail:____________________________________ Seller’s Information: Name:_____________________________________ Address:___________________________________ City:______________________________________ State:______________ Zip Code:_______________ Phone:_____________________________________ E-mail:____________________________________ Branch Number and Location:__________________________________________________________________ Please mail completed form and $10 check payable to SUA to: Denise P. Bartlett, SUA Director of Special Projects 7902 West Howard Avenue Milwaukee, WI 53220-1612 Questions? 414.327.4990 or denisepbartlett@wi.rr.com January/February 2016 15 With a Little Help From My Friends… Zarja Staff Writer David G. Sodac, Branch 89 - Oglesby, IL, e-mail: bdsodac@gmail.com This article is the second in a series from an orchestrated search for Slovenian National Homes. The first of the series was printed in the August/ September/October 2015 Zarja issue. it was always known to be the 2nd largest population of Slovenians beside Ljubljana. Virginia Pinkava of Mayfield Heights, OH, suggested I contact Phil Hrvatin as he has some great photos of the Cleveland homes. Sharon Tomco Pusz, now of Chaska, As Slovenian immigrant MN, said she grew up with families were trying to adapt the Cleveland “Nash” right to their new country they down the street from her St. struggled with having to Lawrence Church. (The desleave behind their beloved ignation of “Nash” is a nickhomeland and all that was faIllustration showing the location of Slovenian Homes name comprised of the NA miliar and comfortable. But, and Slovenian organizations across the United States. from National, the S from Sloas the phrase goes… “Home is where the heart is.” The construction of a Slovenian Na- venian, and the H from Home. This seems to be a common tional Home (SNH) presented the opportunity to become a nickname for the Slovenian Homes across many states as home away from home, so the heart could have its solace. well as the use of “Dom.”) In 1919, the “Nash” was erected These Slovenian National Homes (Slovenski domi) were in Cleveland’s industrial Newburgh neighborhood in an built with the skilled hands of the immigrant Slovenes area now called The Slavic Village. Over the years fraterto provide gathering spaces and centers for learning and nal lodges met social activities. They seem to have sprung up wherever there and singthere was a concentration of Slovene immigrants living and ing and drama laboring in the nearby coal, zinc, silver, and gold mines, g r o u p s p e r formed on its and manufacturing industries across the United States. To help in this quest, a post was placed on the Facebook beautiful stage. (FB) page called “Slovenian Genealogy 2000,” with the The building purpose of seeing what information people were aware of expanded in out there in cyberspace. This genealogy forum is designed 1949 and addfor people to meet, ask pertinent genealogy questions, and ed 18 bowlhelp each other learn about their ancestry and heritage. It’s ing lanes and Cleveland’s “Nash” in the an amazing site; try it. When I did, within a few hours I a large ballNewburgh neighborhood. received 20 responses, and by the next day there were 45 room. Sharon’s grandmother was a cook who worked for numerous wedresponses! Many informative leads on the whereabouts of SNHs dings there. Lorraine Nilsen joined in with her comments came from Wayne Golob of Sandusky, OH, who performed to Sharon; she remembered all the weddings there having with his accordion at many of them across the country. lots of sausages, fried chicken, and of course potica, open Wayne shared that The United Slovenian Society in Cleve- bars, and polka bands. But believe it or not, the location winner back in the land had published a Slovenian Directory back around 1990, which listed most of the then-current Slovenian or- day apparently was the city of Johnstown, PA, that boasted ganizations in the USA: churches, national homes, fraternal 10 SNHs located in Moxham, Cambria City, Black Road, lodges, recreational grounds, social and athletic clubs, as Tire Hill, Bon Air, Conemaugh, South Fork, St. Michael, well as benefit societies. Many have since closed. Wayne Lloydell, and Krayn. I don’t know if any of these are still felt that he had a copy of the Directory around somewhere open as I haven’t heard from anyone who knows for sure, and would get back to me. He could proudly rattle off that nor have I found them on any online searches. PennsylCleveland had nine SNHs - St. Clair, Collinwood, Recher vania also had Pleasant Hills, Willock, and Presto. Kathy Ave., Waterloo, Maple Hts. (closed), Prince Ave. (closed), Paulenick shared that there was a Home in Sharon, PA, Dennison Ave. (closed), Newburgh, and West Park. An- that is still active, while Jeri Swagger, now of Winchester, other response came from Kelly Kelly (that’s correct), VA, responded to Kathy’s post that the Home’s address is who recalled that there were halls not only in Cleveland, technically in Farrell, PA. Jeri’s uncle ran the establishbut also in Euclid and an SNPJ Home in Lake Geauga ment for years and her cousins are still very active in its County, OH. Jenien Jevniker Beach, now of St. Cloud, management. Marilyn Ciesielski of Somonauk, IL, remembered that MN, justified why Cleveland offered so many SNHs, as 16 Zarja - The Dawn there was one in LaSalle, IL, and maybe one in Spring Val- Doms. My brother, Michael Kochevar, who still lives in ley, IL, but was uncertain if they were still there. (Unsure Chisholm, MN, took this photo of the current Slovenian if there was ever a SNH in Spring Valley, IL, but the La Dom. When I grew up, the Dom, was known as the SloSalle Dom was addressed in an earlier article.) Others from venian Hall. Chisholm was one of many communities on Illinois joined in with posts like Jane Juricic of Cresthill, the Iron Range in Northern Minnesota. There were many IL, and Vera Ancel Muir of Palatine, IL, both agreeing Slovenians who came at the turn of the 20th century to that there was once a home in the west side of Joliet. It work in the underground mines. My paternal grandparhas since closed, but the building was purchased and now ents were Slovenian and my maternal grandparents were managed as a Croatian Club. She later posted back with Croatian. I always thought I knew diversity, as we had a phone number for me to contact them. Lorraine Nilsen, Slovenians, Croatians, Poles, Serbians, Italians, and Finns. now of Union Grove, WI, remembers there once was a Who would have known otherwise? The Dom was where SNH in Waukegan, IL, on 10th Street, near the southside wedding celebrations took place. This was also where we Slovenian immigrant community. The cornerstone was laid went for a large Slovenian lunch following a funeral. And on November 3, 1917, and finished a year later. It also was yes, there was drink and music.” Josef Laposa, now of Waldorf, MD, introduced me to affectionately called the “Dom.” The SNH was built to be easily accessible from the nearby American and Steel Wire Bethlehem, Pennsylvania’s Windish Hall, established by factories, where so many Slovenian men were working. the Prekmurje Slovene settlers there. Every week you were The men who built and frequented this particular SNH able to find the Hall hosting functions and events for the were known as “freethinkers” as compared to the conser- benefit of others. Demolition of the Hall began this past vative churchgoers that attended the Slovenian National September, 2015. Lehigh University had purchased the Parish just east of the “Dom.” The Dom celebrated its building to become the new University Police Department. 70th anniversary in 1988, but then was only occasionally The city of Bethlehem became a mecca for large groups of Eastern European immigrants. Emused from that point on. Ironically, a ployment opportunities brimmed at non-denominational group converted the Bethlehem Steel Company and at the building into a church facility in the abundant cigar and dress factories. 1991. Although most Slovenes were of the Indiana has its share of former and Roman Catholic faith, many Prekactive Slovenian National Homes as murje Windish practiced Evangelical well. The one that was mentioned the Lutheranism. St. John’s of Bethlehem, most, was affectionately referred to as founded in 1910, is the only Windish the “Nash” in Indianapolis. Jeannie Evangelical Lutheran Church in the Spelich of Mooresville, IN, conUnited States. The Catholic Slovetributed that the Indianapolis’ Nash stays extremely active. Cynthia Bayt The “Nash” in the historic Haughville nian immigrants formed St. Joseph’s neighborhood of Indianapolis, IN. Slovenian Roman Catholic Church in Bradford now of Chaska, MN, also lovingly recalled the Indianapolis Nash. She said that the 1914. Both churches are a part of the town’s “Steeples and Slovenian National Home, the Nash, is located on West Steel” annual tour that provides a historic interpretation of 10th street in Indianapolis where she grew up, near the work at the Bethlehem Steel Mill, the south side Bethlehem historic area called Haughville. The original home was churches, and the connection between steelworkers, their established on May 26, 1918, and was located at 729 N. churches, and the South Side’s immigrant ethnic commuHolmes. As the Haughville neighborhood began to dis- nities during the late 1800s and early 1900s. Then I heard again from the industrious Wayne Golob. integrate, a new building was erected at 10th Street and Warman Avenue and the Nash moved in on October 19, Obviously, now with the Directory book in hand to boost 1940. Tina Parks, from the same Indianapolis area, posted a his confidence, Wayne shared that in northeast Ohio there fascinating 28-minute video entitled “Hoosier History-The were indeed more SNHs… Barberton, Fairport Harbor, Slovenians of Haughville,” featuring the original Slovenian Lorain (closed), and Girard (closed). At one time, in Lorain, there was also a Slovenian Rifle Club. Western PA National Home that was built in 1918. had homes in Acmetonia, Sygan, Imperial, Moon Run, Michelle Markovich Carlson Library, Herminie, and Yukon. Detroit, MI, had one on of Bimidji, MN, shared that John R St. and in Melvindale. In Gowanda, NY, there was there was the Jugoslav Nationa SNH. Wayne said that he’d been to most of those SNH al Home in Ely, MN, but that locations he mentioned, playing his accordion at numerous it’s been closed for years now. events over the years! Nancy Kochevar, of Oak View, Some of the responders on the FB page had personal CA, wrote recently to comment histories associated with their local Slovenian National on the first in the series of the Home. Bebe Iagnemma of Mt. Lebanon, PA, shared that SNH articles. She wrote, “I abher grandfather helped build their community’s original solutely loved your article and Slovenian home in Sygan Hill, PA. She was born the same the research you did to get the The original Slovenski year her grandfather died, but because she was one of the information on the Slovenski dom in Chisholm, MN. January/February 2016 17 Slovenes worked there, especially the children of those youngest of a first settlers. The hall continued a great period of hosting very large, expolka bands like Frankie Yankovich, and local bands as tended family, well. It was also the place where large dinners and bazaars she was inunwere held to benefit the Slovene Rest Home, which was dated with all located down the street. The hall is still in frequent use kinds of famiand is currently going through some renovation. There are ly history and dances and/or other events at least twice a month, as well neighborhood as meetings of the lodge, button box practices, and social gossip, and for gatherings. It is located at 8425 Cypress Avenue, Fontana, some reason CA. Blair Kilpatrick of Berkeley, CA, was aware of a she rememSlovenian Hall in San Francisco, CA, that originally was a bers a lot of it! The first members of the American“Slovenian Progressive Home.” The building, purchased in Bebe wrote, Slovene Club in Sygan Hill, PA. 1927, was situated in the close-knit, Slovenian immigrant “It is amazing how the Club in my little hometown of Sygan Hill, PA, is community of Potrero Hill, in the San Francisco Bay area. nearly the same as it was, only remodeled. The Club is still This Slovene community founded a branch of the Slovethere, only much, much larger.” This American-Slovene nian National Benefit Society, “to support its members in Club has a slogan used in its advertising, “The Hall that sickness and misfortune” and to celebrate their culture at has it All!” She sent a photo of some of the first members the Hall. The Hall is extremely active yet today. Gary Louis Gorska, formerly of Cleveland but now of SNPJ Lodge #6 that was taken on the club property. According to their website page, the local SNPJ members of the Seattle area, reported that there was an interesting became chartered in April, 1904. In 1911, construction small Slovewas started on their National Home. In 1939, they decided nian unincorto install four bowling alleys; the alleys were a success porated comand in 1956 they added four more alleys. They are still munity in south going strong today! Clare Arch Gillis contacted me about King County, another Pennsylvania location called the 57th Street Home WA, just north in Lawrenceville, PA, outside of Pittsburgh. Clare said of Enumclaw, that it was the Slovenski Dom where her parents went to called Krain. socialize. The building still stands and the original name Immigrant Mat Malneric is is still visible on the building. From the West arrived posts from Diane Portena Gil, considered the who shared that there was a SNH in Rock Springs, WY, first Slovene Slovenian Hall in Potrero Hill, although now it’s being used as an artisan’s studio. Rock s e t t l e r w h o a historic Slovene neighborhood Springs was a mining community that was home to a began farming of San Francisco Bay, CA. large Slovenian settlement. The residents built a hall in there in 1888. 1913 called the “Slovenski Dom” for use by all the local Soon after, other Slovenian families from his home parish arrived. They named the little town after the duchy of Krain Slovenian fraternal organizations. Jean Koci, the Zarja Branch reporter for Branch 100 of from their home country. The community would gather at Southern California, shared a note from Mary Lou Jensen a bar that served the settlement of Slovenians. That bar is responding to my search for Slovenian National Homes or now a restaurant and is called Krain’s Korner. There is a Slovenian Halls in Southern California. Jean doesn’t live in KSKJ Lodge #32 of Jesus the Good Shepherd in nearby Fontana, but has participated in many dances, dinners, and Enumclaw. This has been an amazing, fascinating journey for me to parties there through the years. Mary Lou wrote that the early Slovenian settlers who lived there in the 1920s and gain all this awareness of the existence of Slovenian National Homes. Thank you to our Zarja readers, 1930s built the Slovene Hall Zarja Branch reporters, fellow SUA members, in Fontana, California. The and the American Slovene descendants who men who had those talents have written me, responded by e-mail, or called mostly constructed the hall to share their knowledge of the whereabouts through donated work. The of a SNH in their community. You are a prime early residents of the town reason for my being led to one of the most inwere mostly farmers who teresting parts of our forefathers’ history... the had citrus groves, someestablishment of Slovenian National Homes times grapes, and raised and the role they played in quenching needs to chickens and pigs. Later, be with each other socially, emotionally, and the town became the home spiritually. In the early years of their existence, of a large Kaiser Steel Plant, especially in the 1950s and Early Slovene settlers built this Hall in the SNH helped the immigrant’s aching heart l960s, and many of the Fontana, CA, that is still very active today. find a place to call “Dom” in an adopted country. 18 Zarja - The Dawn Member Support/Zarja Subscription Form and Renewal Slovenian Union of America slovenianunion.org sua@slovenianunion.org 815.727.1926 For RENEWALS use form at BOTTOM of this page Adult $25.00 Adult (International Address) $35.00 Junior (Birth to 18) $5.00 If this is a gift and you agree to continue paying for this support next year, please advise us of billing address: _________________________________________________________________________________________________ Member Support/Zarja Subscription payments are for January through December If you pay after August 31 you will not be billed in January of the next calendar year Renewal Notifications are sent annually in January Please print the requested information below and send this form with a check payable to: Slovenian Union of America, 431 North Chicago Street, Joliet, IL 60432-1703 Last Name________________________________ First Name______________________ M___ F____ Street Address_____________________________ City/State/Zip________________________________ Phone____________________________________ E-Mail______________________________________ Date of Birth_______________ Branch Affiliation Number (if known)/Location_______/______________ Maiden Name______________________________ Do you speak Slovenian? _____________________ Please describe your Slovenian ancestry and provide SLOVENIAN SURNAMES ___________________________________________________________________________________ How did you hear about us?______________________________________________________________ I would like to volunteer for the SUA. My area of interest or expertise is___________________________ Were you recommended by someone? Y/N Their name________________________________________ Applicant’s Signature__________________________________________ Date______________________ Would you also like to make a donation to support: SUA Operations and Special Projects Education Grants Cultural Preservation and Sharing Add any support donation amounts to your check. Thank you. Amount_______ Amount_______ Amount_______ MEMBER SUPPORT/ZARJA SUBSCRIPTION RENEWAL Name ___________________________________________________ Member ID No.__________________ (located on back cover) Address ______________________________________________________________________________________________________ Phone _________________ E-mail______________________________ Renewal Amount______________ Donation______________ Mail to: SUA/SWUA, 431 N. Chicago Street, Joliet, IL 60432-1703 January/February 2016 19 Slovenian Union of America Branch Reports BRANCH 1 - Sheboygan, Wisconsin Contact Information: Mary Ann Schellinger 920.457.7946/rhmas@yahoo.com While many “Sheboyganites” spent time preparing treats for the Halloween Goblins, a few “Slovenianites” also spent time preparing treats for their meeting on November 1. Mary Ann Schellinger and Marilyn Hendricks got together to make flancati, with the help of M a r y A n n ’s husband, Bob, who did the frying of the goodies. A sprinkling of cinnamon over the powdered sugar topping added a new flavor to the treat. Also served at the Marilyn and Mary Ann making flancati. meeting was walnut potica and tarragon potica (not a crumb was left on the serving trays). A nice treat for our members was a visit from Jackie Smith, our Wisconsin Regional President. Jackie brought a few Christmas ornaments and Slovenian Lasko beer to be used as door prizes. Big smiles could be seen on the faces of the members who were the lucky recipients of Slovenian treats at the November 1 meeting. 20 Newly elected officers - Marilyn, Betty, and Denise. the beer (pivo). Elections were also held at the meeting and the newly elected officers for the next term are: President - Marilyn Hendricks; Vice President - Denise Schueffner; and Treasurer - Betty Repenshek. Cheryl Lopour will continue as Secretary until next year. Our members are very thankful for those who have volunteered to serve as officers and we are all very excited and looking forward to celebrating the 90th anniversary of Branch 1 in 2016. MARY ANN SCHELLINGER BRANCH 2 - Chicago, Illinois Contact Information: Judy Stoll 708.479.2864/judithstoll@att.net We’re in winter’s cold grip now, but I hope your holidays were filled with joy and warmth. Ten members attended our September 17 meeting at Peaches and Pears Restaurant. We enjoyed a nice luncheon and discussed a few items. We were all pleased that our annual picnic was successful and talked about how we would distribute our charitable donations this year. We will repeat the recipients from past years, but will also consider other prospects. Meta Hanzlik related her conversation with a relative in Slovenia wherein Zarja - The Dawn Meta was told that some Slovenians are experiencing difficult conditions. Meta will inquire further and it may be possible that we could help with a donation to a qualified Slovenian charity. Years ago, Branch 2 presented a statue of the Blessed Virgin that was placed in the front entrance of St. Mary Mission Church in Lemont. Our members would now like to attach a plaque at the base of that statue to recognize our donation. Gen Buol will check on this and report back to us. We were evenly divided about holding the 2016 Zveza Day Picnic, so that decision was put on hold. Our next meeting will be very special since we will be honoring our Members of the Year, Lorraine and Judy Ovnik. These longtime, active members have volunteered without complaint for many tasks, including picnic duties and representing Branch 2 at the National Convention this past June. Thanks to both of you for all your help! Welcome to our new member, Peter Gaber. Remember to keep our ailing members and everyone serving in the defense of America in your prayers. JUDY STOLL BRANCH 3 - Pueblo, Colorado Contact Information: Annette Charron 719.569.7125/amtcharron@yahoo.com Branch 3 began regular monthly meetings after the summer break. Andrea DeGarbo hosted the October 6 meeting and served cookies, ice cream, coffee, and tea. Chaplain Marie Mutz led a memorial for Branch 3 member, Marilyn Kristan, who passed away in August 2015. Eileen Kaplan won the door prize. Peggy Martin reported on the SUA National Convention, which she attended in June. Bernice Krasovec said that copies of the new SUA cookbook will be available for purchase at the Gornick Slovenian Library and Museum, as will a new edition of the previously printed St. Mary’s Church Cookbook. Vice President Eileen Kaplan reported on the success of the Cripple Creek casino bus trip sponsored in June. The bus was full with 52 travelers. Norma Becco organized the trip and donated snacks and water for those on the bus. Madeleine Khosla hosted the November 3 meeting and served cheese and delicious cakes. Vice President Eileen Kaplan read correspondence from the SUA national office regarding the scanning of historical documents. Members attending the meeting voted unanimously for Barbara Karlinger to be Branch 3’s ‘Member of the Year’ in 2016. Agnes Glavich won the mystery door prize donated by Mildred Stofac. Member Kaylene Khosla was crowned Homecoming Queen at Pueblo South High School’s homecoming festivities on November 6. Kaylene is a senior and plans to focus her college studies on becoming an attorney for nonprofit organizations. The Branch 3 annual Christmas Party was held on Tues- January/February 2016 day, December 1, at Park East restaurant. Christmas party attendees, who were able, contributed $10 to the SWU Scholarship Fund. Branch 3 members extend wishes to all for a Merry Christmas and a Blessed New Year! ANNETTE SABO CHARRON & BARBARA KARLINGER BRANCH 10 - Cleveland, Ohio Hello Ladies and Gents. We had a lovely Christmas Party in November. We celebrated my 93rd birthday with a nut potica. Everyone received a gift and had a great time. Congratulations to Ann Setemantic who will be 101 years old in May. God Bless her. We will have a ‘Member of the Year’ event in May. More in the coming issue of Zarja. Officers elected for 2016 are: President, Stephanie Segulin; Vice President, Carrie Vojpkofsky; and Secretary/ Treasurer, Theresa Dagg. From all the members of Branch 10 - we wish the new National Board of Directors much success. Also wishing a Happy New Year for all. In closing, Get Well wishes to all our ailing members. STEPHANIE SEGULIN BRANCH 13 - San Francisco, California Contact Information: Moreen Spencer spencermj1@aol.com Wishing everyone a happy and healthy New Year! Branch 13 held its election of officers for 2016 and they are: President - Doreen Sustarich; Vice President - Beverly Jackson; Secretary - Moreen Spencer; Treasurer - Michele Twers; and Auditors - Virginia Sustarich and Ann Sustarich. Meetings are held at the Slovenian Hall, 2101 Mariposa Street, San Francisco, CA, on the first Wednesday of each month, at 11:30 a.m., with the exception of July and August, our vacation months. Our big event for 2016, is the ‘Member of the Year’ Luncheon, which will be held in May. We want to wish a special lady, Louise Petrusich, a very Happy 94th birthday on February 11. Louise’s family keeps her very busy with her two daughters, Janet and Denise, sons-in-law, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. Louise has been an officer of several Slovenian Lodges, including past president of SUA. Happy Birthday to Louise and all our January and February birthday members. We have an honorary member, little Sabrina, who comes to our meetings with our Vice President, Beverly Jackson. Sabrina sits quietly and listens to all that is said. We all look forward to seeing her each month. Sabrina MOREEN SPENCER 21 BRANCH 16 - Chicago, Illinois Contact Information: Marjorie Mitchell 773.646.4392/Dolores60617@yahoo.com It has been brought to my attention that due to our President Terri Rossi’s job constraints, the monthly Branch meetings will be suspended for the winter months. We wish Terri well in her new endeavor, and hopefully we will resume meeting in March/April. Hope everyone experienced a joyful and blessed Christmas Season. Please keep warm and healthy. Think good thoughts that we will meet again after the snow melts for our meetings on the second Saturday of the month at 1:00 p.m. in the St. George church basement. DOLORES KRAL FRANKO BRANCH 20 - Joliet, Illinois Contact Information: Diane Hohenwater dhohenwater@comcast.net Hopefully everyone is managing to stay warm this winter and enjoying a healthy and happy 2016. Thank you to those who attended our Christmas Party on December 20. It was a perfect way to celebrate Christmas with our Branch friends before the family festivities of the holiday season. We would like to remind you that our Installation of Officers will be held on Sunday, January 17, at 1 p.m. at St. Joseph Park. The officers provide a luncheon buffet, so please take the opportunity to come out and enjoy an afternoon of fellowship and food. In February, our monthly meeting is on Tuesday, February 16. Our member John Kambic will be sharing a slide show and short video from his travels to Slovenia. DIANE HOHENWATER BRANCH 24 - LaSalle, Illinois Contact Information: Diane Data diane3121@comcast.net On this cold and windy November day, I am reflecting on what our Branch has been up to in my absence. While I was “out of the office” for a few months, Branch Vice President, Linda Struna, presided over the September and October meetings. Linda has been our VP for quite a few years and can always be counted on for good advice and good ideas. During my two-year term as President, she has been my invaluable right arm. Barb Bruch from Branch 89, Oglesby, IL, presented a program on genealogy at our October meeting. While in Slovenia on the 2014 Živijo, Zarja! tour, she met with relatives, one of which was David Smukovic, author of a book on the families in St. Marco Parish which was featured in the July/August 2014 Zarja. Along with this book she carried back from Slovenia, she brought phone books from different areas of Slovenia. Our members thoroughly enjoyed her talk and looking through the books she brought to share. Thank you Barb for sharing your Slovenian her22 itage with Branch 24. Our Branch hosted our annual ‘Cemetery Walk through St. Vincent’s Cemetery’ honoring our relatives who have passed. Prayers, flowers, and flickering candles were the theme of the evening for this beautiful Slovenian tradition we are trying to keep alive. Thank you to Debbie Pohar and family for all their efforts toward making this a successful event. The next weekend we met at St. Hyacinth’s Catholic Church for a Mass honoring our living and deceased members, where I was anxiously waiting to hear the organist play Cescena Si Marija. Beautiful music!! As I write this, I know the committee (Mary Mecum, Liv Karun, Linda Struna, and Martha Lushina), who are planning our annual Christmas Party on December 3, have been working hard on favors, decorations, and desserts. Thank you ladies for sharing your special talents with us. Pray that we have good weather for our last Branch 24 event of 2015. This is a time to be thankful for what we have and as my tenure as President comes to an end, I am thankful for all the help and cooperation I have received from my fellow members. It was an honor to serve in this office. May God bless all of you and your loved ones this holiday season. Merry Christmas and a Happy and Healthy 2016! DIANE DATA BRANCH 33 - Duluth, Minnesota A new year has begun and may God continue his graces of love upon us all. We had our Minnesota Regional Convention at the end of September at Blackwoods Restaurant. There were red carnations on the tables and at each place setting was a holy card of a Saint with the history of their life. We discussed how we could make our Branches more active. Many good ideas were mentioned. At the closing of the meeting we had a drawing with the lucky winners taking home a bottle of wine. All had a great time and we will hold the next Regional Convention in two years. We lost a longtime member, Betty Mrak, back in September. The honorary lodge pallbearers said a rosary before Mass. To show our sorrow and love, a white carnation was placed on the casket, which was presented to Betty’s daughter at the end of Mass. We will miss Betty and her Christmas cards. Our deeply felt sympathy to the family. Some of our members went to visit our Vice President, Shirley Hoppenyan, who has been homebound for a while; it was a delightful visit. Together we prayed that God will help us as we age and for our families in great need of prayer. A happy and blessed New Year to all members and their families! ANN MENART Zarja - The Dawn BRANCH 43 - Milwaukee, Wisconsin Contact Information: Jan Gehm 414.321.1413/twogames@wi.rr.com By the time you read this article, many of our holiday events will be over. You will have to read about our Christmas Party and New Year’s Eve Party in the next edition of the Zarja. At the time of Ambassador Dr. Božo Cerar’s visit in September, we were fortunate to have some social time with him. During the breakfast hosted by Helen Frohna, he presented to our Branch a children’s book that he wrote, entitled GORSKA RIBICA GRE NA MORJE, LITTLE MOUNTAIN-FISH GOES TO SEA. We, in turn, presented Dr. Cerar’s book to Asst. Director Lisa VandenBoom of the West Allis Public Library. The colorful book is written in Slovenian and English and I am sure will be enjoyed by all who read it. Have you purchased the new cookbook, The Slovenian-American Table? If you are interested, please call Helen Frohna at 262.821.5295. Shirley and Stan Vidmar’s 65th wedding anniversary celebrated at 9/23/15 Branch 43 luncheon meeting – exact date of their anniversary. It’s a bit late, but I hope all had a wonderful Holiday Season with family and friends. It’s not too late to wish everyone a New Year full of good health, happiness, and love! MICI BREGANT Branch 43 President Jan Gehm presenting Dr. Cerar’s book to Lisa VandenBoom, Asst. Director of West Allis Public Library, site of all our Branch 43 luncheon meetings. At our September 23 luncheon meeting we were able to congratulate and celebrate with Stan and Shirley Vidmar on their 65th wedding anniversary on that exact date. Election of officers was held at our October meeting and they are as follows, President, Jan Gehm; Vice President, BettyAnn Kolesari; Recording Secretary, Mici Bregant; Treasurer, Helen Frohna; Corresponding Secretary, Tillie Skusek; and sharing the duties of Sgt. at Arms are Linda Abstetar and Karen Janezic. Jan Gehm appointed Jack Kolesari and Joan Winklewski as auditors. Best wishes to all for a successful 2016! In 2016, we will recognize all Branch women over the age of 80 as our Members of the Year, for their decades of support for our Branch. The plans for this celebration on Wednesday, May 25, have not been finalized as yet, so watch this publication for more information. January/February 2016 BRANCH 50 - Cleveland, Ohio Contact Information: Rick Tomsick 440.655.6735/ricktomsick@gmail.com Joyous greetings of the New Year from the “5-0” on America’s North Coast, Cleveland, Ohio! Branch 50 hosted the Ohio Regional Convention on October 4 at St. Vitus Village after a Slovenian Mass. The 30 or so people in attendance (including many of the ladies in the photo) enjoyed an excellent brunch prepared by Sophie Mazi, and unique candies and pastries brought along Ken Tomsick, Sr. 23 by several of the women. Afterwards, following a very short business meeting, I gave a brief talk on Tertullian, an early Church father writing in the Roman Empire about Best wishes to all from my daughter, Johanna, who is studying in the Galapagos Islands (in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Ecuador). We can’t wait to see Jo for Christmas. As of this writing, she is busy diving with sharks, sea turtles, and assorted unique marine life, as well as climbing volcanoes, and learning to speak Spanish. I was able to visit with her in October while seeing this legendary archipelago in person. Let’s all remember to keep one another and all members of Branch 50 and all of the SUA in our prayers, especially remembering the dead and the poor souls in purgatory, and those they have left behind, to bring comfort and joy to all who mourn. Many of our members who attended a recent monthly Branch 50 meeting at the Euclid I always like to hear from memPublic Library. From left to right: (1st row) Josie Arko, Eleanor Pavsek, Cirila Ker- bers near and far. Please write to mavner, Rose Mary Toth, Theresa Wargo; (2nd row) Ivanka Matic, Mary Lou Deyak me at ricktomsick@gmail.com Voelk, Kathleen Ferrante, Pat Budzilek, Josephine Markato, Dorothy Lamm, Lillian with any family news and I will Homar, Fran Kajfez; and (3rd row) Debbie Duris and Mary Lunder. add you to our list of updates for martyrs in the early Church. The best part of the morning Branch 50 (you don’t need to be a member of Branch 50). Many thanks to everyone for all you do in SUA! was not my talk, but having the pleasant company of a RICK TOMSICK friendly audience, including my dad, Ken Tomsick, and my brothers, Ken, Larry, and John (that’s all the Tomsick BRANCH 89 - Oglesby, Illinois boys except for Joey, the polka guy who had a performance Contact Information: Barbara Bruch elsewhere that day). 815.339.2714/barbarabruch@yahoo.com It was great to see Marie Pivik who has such an interesting story to tell. Marie was born in Gore above Idrija. This beau- Hello to all! Our Branch was graciously invited to Branch tiful region of Slovenia is certainly a place I hope to visit 24 - LaSalle’s ‘Cemetery Walk’ to celebrate All Souls someday, perhaps to climb. Rudy was born in Pennsylvania Day. Several of our members were able to attend. As we and traveled to placed candles at our loved ones gravesites, Brother Luke Slovenia when led us in a short prayer for each of our deceased family he was a young members. Following this spiritual gathering we were all man, after sail- invited to a local restaurant for food and fellowship. Thank ing all around you Branch 24, for inviting us to be part of this traditional the world. He Slovenian event! Our one and only fund-raiser, our “Bakeless Bake Sale,” met Marie at a cousin’s wed- is well underway and our members’ generosity continues ding where she to be - how should I say this? - remarkable and overand two sisters whelming! This generosity has once again allowed us to were singing. make our donations to Zarja, SWU Scholarship Fund, Rudy decided SUA Heritage Museum, Food Pantry, Friendship Village, then and there Oglesby Library, and Dickinson House. t h a t h e m e t Mitzi Banich was able to attend a Mass commemorating a the girl of his refurbished statue of St. Roch, which has now been placed dreams, and af- at St. Hyacinth’s Church. St. Roch’s is now closed as a Marie and Rudy Pivik ter a talk with church but has been privately renovated into an elegant Marie’s dad, well, the rest as they say, is history. The couple home, and has been made available for tours by our local was able to visit the church (St. Marija Magdalena) with Slovenian Branches. Nancy Henkel reported that she was personally involved with reorganization of the basement their family for their 60th anniversary! 24 Zarja - The Dawn of the SUA Heritage Museum, with many items now being moved to a proper climate-controlled storage facility. Our nominating committee was busy selecting officers for the coming year. These officers were announced and installed in December. Branch 89 celebrated St. Martin’s Day with a winetasting after our November meeting. Jim Ebner shared information of his winemaking process, as well as bottles of Strawberry-Kiwi and Red and White grape wines. Barbara Bruch also provided a bottle of wine from Slovenia by Don Erzetic. Anica Lukach shared Napolitanke cookies from Slovenia. Committee persons, Barbara Bruch, Nancy Henkel, and Mitzi Banich, provided an array of cheeses, crackers, grapes, apples, and table decorations to compliment the wine-tasting event. We are looking ahead to our annual “Heritage Event” at Claudette’s in Oglesby on Saturday, March 19, 2016, from 4:00 p.m.-7:00 p.m. All are welcome to attend and enjoy the traditions and foods of your Slovenian heritage. By the time you read this, we will have gathered for our annual Christmas Party, which will be held at Angelo’s in Spring Valley. A “White Elephant” gift exchange will also be part of our day. To our members near and far, we send our wishes for good health and prosperity in the New Year! BARBARA BRUCH BRANCH 93 - New York, New York Contact Information: Elizabeth Gross 718.335.8459/Lizg669@gmail.com Once again the Slovenian Cultural Hour was enlivened by the enthusiastic voices of youngsters as we celebrated our second Otroški dan in September with an intense balloon volleyball game, decorating (and eating!) moon cookies, and creating artistic masterpieces. The youngest attendee (at two weeks!) was dojenčica Josephine Marie (in Slovene - Jožica Marija) Price, Camille Okoren Price’s first child. Young-at-heart adults were challenged with a Slovenian trivia quiz - even some of the visiting natives didn’t know what were on the euro coins from Slovenia. In October we had an evening of wonderful music when Vlado Kreslin sang at the River Place Lounge. He encouraged folks to join in and sing along on many of the songs. Additional treats were hearing him read his poetry, as well as the apple strudel, gibanica, and potica to nibble on! Special thanks to Tina Šmon for organizing the concert. Branch members who missed Tjaša Ferme’s, “Wild Child in the City,” in the spring were able to catch the repeat performance brought back by popular demand in late October. We look forward to seeing this Slovenian actress and playwright in her next play. Poetry aficionados had many opportunities to indulge their passion in November - a Tomaž Šalamun Memorial Tribute with readings and remembrances by many poets, an evening entitled ‘Slovenian Interlude’ with visiting poets, January/February 2016 Aleš Šteger and Tone Škrjanec, with Tess Lewis reading Maja Haderlap’s poetry, and one more event with Tone Škrjanec and Fanny Howe. As a gustatory warm-up to Thanksgiving, Martinovanje was celebrated with roasted goose, red cabbage, and homemade mlinci with gravy at the Church of St. Cyril. Music by Bethlehem, PA, accordionist, Alex Gergar, added to everyone’s enjoyment and inspired a few brave souls to trip the light fantastic - polkas and potica - a match made in heaven! Chefs and pastry chefs, Mia Branc, Ria Whitmire, and Maja Kumelj-Butler, prepared the homecooked meal and desserts, and Camille Okoren, Anastasia Kitic, and Anton Branc coordinated the buffet tables, while Emily and Bob Harley handled the registration. The wine supplied by Emil Gaspari flowed freely and made this meal truly festive. Special guests, Ljubljana Faculty of Law Assistant Professor of International Law, Vasilke Sancin, and third-year law students, Domen Turšič, Matic Burkeljc, Jan Marčič Maruško, Maks David Osojnik, Brina Žitnik, Veronika Cukrov, and Gal Šumak Pečenko, joined us at Martinovanje. They were greeted by 70 guests with rousing applause and a warm meal after winning the World International Model United Nations (WIMUN) competition earlier that Sunday morning. Up against 500 delegates from over 50 countries, the Slovenian team won the most individual awards and hence 1st place as the best delegation overall. In simulated debates, the delegates each represented a country to help resolve an urgent national problem with global implications. In this competition, the Slovenian delegates represented Burundi as petitioner, and China as a permanent member of the Security Council. At Martinovanje, we held elections for Branch 93 officers 25 BRANCH 100 - Southern California Contact Information: Jean Koci 949.495.0097/ajkoci@cox.net As I write this it is Veteran’s Day and I am certain that all of us have someone who has served our country, either in his or her family or as a friend. Perhaps they are still serving. We thank them for their service and can never thank them enough for all they have done. With Thanksgiving coming up soon and a recently celebrated Vinska Trgatev here in Southern California, this time of year is truly a special time to think of our blessings large and small. Soon we will be delving into the Christmas Season and more family gatherings, parties, and religious observances. One event that I think will be remembered by several SUA families from different parts of the country will be the football weekend that took place at Notre Dame in October when USC was the visiting team in Indiana for this exciting weekend. Bonnie Prokup and her family, as well as Ken, Teresa, James, and Ellie Koci, along with the Tim Koci family from Reno, were all in attendance. Many of these members were able to gather together for that BRANCH 99 - Lemont, Illinois special occasion. Bonnie’s daughter, Barbi, and our Ellie Contact Information: Jana Hlade both attend St. Mary’s and James is at Notre Dame. Several jmhlade@hotmail.com Happy New Year! Hope you had a wonderful holiday of the Tim Koci family are USC grads along with another niece who attends Notre Dame. But, despite the factions, season and that the year 2016 holds many blessings. We would like to introduce to you our new officers for I think everyone had a great time and it was wonderful Branch 99 that were elected in November: President - to have them find each other over the weekend for some Bill Zerial; Vice President - Sonja DePratt; Secretary and good cheer! And, to say the least, it was an exciting game Zarja Reporter - Jana Hlade; Treasurer - Monica Mavec; to watch even from the West Coast! I’m sorry to have to report the recent death of active and Auditors Julie LaJoie and Vicki Hodgman. Thank you to all who attended the meeting and supported our Branch 100 member, Martha Nagy. She was a ‘Member of Branch. And thank you to Sonja DePratt who called in to the Year’ a few years ago and rarely missed our luncheons. the meeting from home since she couldn’t attend in person. She just loved getting together with everyone and was a The new board will meet in January and plan the calendar very hard worker at both the Slovene Hall and the Sons for the year. Several new ideas for events and activities of Italy in Fontana for many years. She also supported the were already discussed at the last meeting. So watch your Fontana Button Box Club when they had so many years of Memorial Day Button Box Jamborees. We miss Martha mailboxes for upcoming events! Thank you to all who baked and supported our annual very much! Anne Kapel is needing a lot of care these days Cookie Sale in December. We could not do this event from her diligent daughters, also. Virginia Zajc Johnson without the help of our members. Thanks so much again. was active for a long time, but because her vision has diminished she can no longer read the Zarja. Thankfully Wishing you a prosperous and healthy new year! JANA HLADE her mind is still very sharp and she has been able to attend some of the Slovenian events when someone can pick her up. Dorothy Jerneycic has been very helpful in that regard, but now Virginia has moved to another facility, so it will not be as easy for her. We wish all of our homebound members good wishes and would love to hear from you, so that we can, in turn, greet you from time to time with a note or card. May the New Year be a blessing to all! JEAN KOCI Left to right: Monica Mavec, Vicki Hodgman, starting January 1, 2016: Tanya Vajk, President; Camille Okoren Price, Vice President; Erika Bruno, Treasurer; Emily Harley, Secretary; and Marija Polajner Whitmire, Member Representative. Lynn Zalokar was thanked for her long-term commitment to the Slovenian Union of America and Elizabeth Gross for her long-standing contributions as a Branch volunteer and Zarja reporter, the voice of New York! SAVE THE DATE: On Sunday, October 16, 2016, the Church of Saint Cyril will celebrate its 100th anniversary, with a Mass and a gala. The fall is peak tourist season in New York City - if you and your family would like to attend please make your travel arrangements early. You can contact Darja Gacnik, Slovenia Travel Inc., at 212.358.9024 or info@sloveniatravel.com. We hope you will want to join us for this important celebration - 100 years ago, 3,000 Slovenians lived on the city block where the church was built at 62 Saint Mark’s Place. ELIZABETH GROSS Bill Zerial, Jana Hlade, and Julie LaJoie. 26 Zarja - The Dawn BRANCH 108 - Olney, Maryland Contact Information: Bernadette Fitzsimmons bettekfitz@verizon.net On November 8, a small group of members met at the Kennedy Center Concert Hall for a special concert tribute by the United States Army Band, “Pershings Own” Salute to Veterans. The concert program offered a variety of patriotic and other musical works, featuring the U.S. Army Chorus, the U.S. Army Concert Band, and the U.S. Army Herald Trumpets. Branch 108 misses many of our members who have moved out of the Maryland area, or live more than an hour away from our Olney, MD, meeting site. Still others no longer drive, and/or have family and work commitments during the weekends. Secretary Anne Stratton has moved to Annapolis, MD, to enjoy her new home near the water, and to live within walking distance of shopping and activities. Longtime member, Marie Robinson, who often donated her paintings, has moved to Springfield, VA, to be closer to her daughter, but stays in touch by e-mail and wishes everyone all the best in the new year. Another longtime member, Helen Sisto, stays in touch, however she stays close to home and active at her independent living facility. Branch 108 also has several members in Pennsylvania with whom we would like to foster connections. Beginning this year, Branch 108 will offer free conference calls for any member interested in participating in Branch meetings and cannot be there in person. Our Branch has been assigned a unique dial-in number, access code, and host pin. Any member with a phone will be able to connect, voice their opinions, and participate from afar, simply by dialing a series of numbers on a designated day and time that will be sent by e-mail prior to meetings. This process could also enable us to meet more often from the comfort of our own homes, and assist in reaching out to a wider range of members who are interested in participating, and learning more about SUA. Stay tuned for more information! Many positive remarks from our membership have been made about The Slovenian-American Table cookbook. Most recently, Branch 108 member Fran Hrastar of Silver Spring, MD, wrote, “I just got my copy of the SUA cookbook, and opened it up and there you were! I especially like having cultural and holiday customs included. I also like the mix of recipes - dishes that I make, dishes that I remember from childhood, and some new things to try. Thanks for all your work on this project - well done, as are all your endeavors.” Srečno novo leto 2016 to all our members and friends! BRANCH 109 - Twin Cities (TC) of Minnesota Contact Information: Norm Setnicker 651.777.6106/normas188@msn.com “Kako hitro se lahko cas leteti!” “Kako utripajo leti skupaj.” How quickly time can fly! How flash the years along… January/February 2016 Over 60 members of the TC Slovenians celebrated its 10th anniversary with a formal dinner and a power point presentation by former TC president, Norm Setnicker. Norm wrote an illustrated ‘Ten Year History’ of the TCS. President Zakelj read a congratulatory letter from U.S. Senator, Amy Klobuchar, and Honorary Consul, President John Zakelj reading letter from Miro Medved, U.S. Senator Klobuchar. read a similar letter from Slovenian Ambassador Dr. Božo Cerar. Karen Medved and Shelby Setnikar provided accordion music. In celebration of Martinovanje, Liz Miller started her presentation (led by Mary Ann Palmer) with an old Slovenian song titled, “En Hribcek Bom Kupil,” “En hribcek bom kupil/ bom trte sadil/ Prijat’ le bom vabil/ se sam ga bom pil” (I will buy a little hill/upon which I will plant vines/invite friends and drink it too.) Here are some of the facts connected to Liz’s Slovenian wine presentation: 28,000 wineries - 22,300 hectares of vineyards - 80 million liters produced annually - 75% is white wine - 70% fulfill the criteria for quality and premium wines. Under the direction of President John Zakelj, our TC Slovenian language class commenced again in October under the “tutelage” of Frank Medved. It has been five years since the start of the Slovenian language class, which at the beginning numbered 10 and is now up to 30 attendees. Come January 2016, Frank Medved, the patriarch of the Medved family, will give a power point presentation on the ‘History of the Medved Family.’ This family has served as the backbone of the TC Slovenians and to have them involved in our Branch has been a Godsend. When our Branch started in 2005, our first speaker was Miro Medved, who reminisced about growing up in the refugee camp (Spittal, Austria) following WWII. Time passes quickly - “Cas hitro bezi” Srecno Novo Leto! NORM SETNICKER “Born in the U.S. with Slovenian Parts” 27 We would love to hear from you! Send us your comments and a picture of a recipe, craft, or tradition that you followed from the new SUA cookbook – The Slovenian-American Table. Send to wprokup@aol.com. “This is a heartwarming, beautiful book. It is far more than a cookbook. The photography is exquisite and evocative of our beautiful little nation. The recipes bring up memories of both my late mother, who belonged to the SUA Branch in Detroit, Michigan, and my grandmother, and the tasty meals that came out of their kitchens. I am looking forward to treating my family and friends with dishes from this book that everyone of Slovenian heritage should have.” - Barbara Perhay Nash, Branch 103 – Washington, D.C. Rocco Simat, 11 months old, and big brother Gino Simat, five years old, waiting for Grandma to help them make stuffed peppers. Gino, a born kmet, planted the peppers and harvested them from his garden plot at Grandma’s house. During a recent shopping trip, Gino, who loves trucks, chose to get his own set of cooking utensils rather than a toy fire truck! Rocco, apparently, is the taste tester. Gino was the Parkelj accompanying St. Nicholas at the December 6 St. Nicholas Honor Day in Gilbert, Minnesota. On August 29, Paul Heinan, Morgan Hill, CA, “popped the question” to Clara Barbara Gudel from San Jose. Their love of gardening is just one of the many hobbies this couple shares. Clara made the simple, but delicious, kisa in olja salad dressing to showcase her homegrown vegetables for her future husband. The bride-to-be, who is proud of her heritage, has been to Stari Kraj twice and enjoys introducing Paul to ethnic specialty dishes. After all, “the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach.” IT’S A SMALL WORLD! The Koci family (Branch 100 - Southern California) and Prokup family (Branch 24 - LaSalle, IL) recently met at a Notre Dame game. Their children became friends on the Notre Dame campus. James Koci, at Notre Dame, and Barbi Prokup, St. Mary’s (girls school across the street) are both in their junior year, and James’ sister, Ellie, is a freshman at St. Mary’s. The meeting was officially celebrated with some Medeni Liker that was waiting for a special occasion. Pictured - Bekki Prokup-Root, Barbi Prokup, James Koci, Bonnie Pohar Prokup, Ellie Koci, Ken Koci, & Theresa Koci 28 Do you have a “IT’S A SMALL WORLD” story and photo to share? Please send to wprokup@aol.com. Zarja - The Dawn Slo ven Joi i n th a S n An ept U op emb nion e 2016 po rtu er 15 of Am Road Trip Through the Homeland! nit – 2 y o 6, 2 erica f a 016 Let us take you to the back roads of Slovenia. life Let’s explore together this beautiful country we call home. tim e! ZarjaFest Come experience firsthand the people and culture from the land of our ancestors. Let us pamper you like a VIP, with surprises and unique, local opportunities each day as we take a road trip through the unspoiled back roads of Slovenia. This tour offers much more than sightseeing; we invite you to come see why! Let us take you to this magnificent country and introduce you to locals where you will hear and taste the Slovenian language, music, and food. Let us show you the beautiful cities of Slovenia, such as Bled, Portorož, Piran, Ljubljana, and Kamnik. Let us explore the little villages as we stroll their narrow streets; partake in the various culinary chores, as we sing, dance, and eat together! Cost: $2,549 per person based on two (2) in a room. (Land Only) Call Judy at Kollander Travel: 800.800.5981 /216.692.1000 ex. 7007 for further information or to book this tour. Proposed Amendment to SUA’s Corporate Bylaws Branch 20 - Joliet, IL, had a long history of having three (3) delegates (votes) at SUA/SWUA National Conventions due to their high adult membership number. Their Branch is still the largest Branch with a little over 400 adult members. At the National Convention in June 2011 the delegates voted and approved an amendment to limit the number of voting delegates to two (2) maximum for all Branches. The 2007 2011 National Board thought that the proposed amendment should be considered because several members/Branches requested the change. The amendment passed - dropping from three (3) to a maximum of two (2) delegates per Branch. This amendment only affected Branch 20. Currently, there is still only one (1) Branch with over 200 adult members Branch 20 - Joliet, IL. Today, we are a 501(c)(3) organization with Member Representatives rather than Delegates doing the voting. All Branches with less than 200 adult members have one (1) Member Representative and Branches with more than 200 adult memberships have two (2) Member Representatives. Branch 20 has asked that the number of their Member Representatives/Delegates should return to three (3) once again. This proposed amendment as printed (barring any typos) will be voted upon at the next Member Representative meet- ing in April 2016. If members/Branches would like to provide their opinion on this topic please share that information with your Branch’s Member Representative. The proposed amendment is: ARTICLE II - MEMBERS, SECTION 2.3 - Member Representatives ........, and Branches with 201 up to 400 adult Members shall be entitled to two (2) Member Representatives, and Branches with 401 or more adult Members shall be entitled to three (3) Member Representatives. In no event shall a Branch be entitled to more than (3) Member Representatives. This would also necessitate the changing of SECTION 2.5 - Voting of Membership Interests ......., and Branches with 401 or more adult Members shall have three (3) Member Representatives and shall have three (3) votes. SUA Bylaws Chairperson Denise P. Bartlett Mail your check to: Slovenian Union of America - Attn: Cookbook 431 North Chicago St., Joliet, IL 60432-1703 *Please include a phone number in case we have a question regarding your order. - OR - Call: 815.467.7619 - OR - E-mail: sua@slovenianunion.org PERIODICALS NON-PROFIT PERIODICALS POSTAGE POSTAGE PAID PAID IL LASALLE, LASALLE, IL Cost: $25.00 (includes tax) Plus Shipping/Handling: 1 Book - $4.50 2-3 Books - $6.00 4-5 Books - $8.00 10 Books - $14.00 22 Books - $16.00 The Slovenian-American Table Chapter 5 The Easter Season Featuring: Lenten Friday - Postni petek Palm Sunday - Cvetna nedelja Easter Blessing of Food on Holy Saturday - Velikonočni žegen Easter - Velika noč A cookbook that presents many of the favorite dishes that Slovenian immigrants brought with them to America, but with a modern flair. This book is more than a cookbook; it is a guide for today’s American families to bring Slovenian heritage into their festivities, all with a modern American twist. This book takes you through a calendar year and offers primarily recipes, but also includes crafts, entertaining and decorating tips, a little background information of the holidays, and all with full-color pictures.