$ 3.99 U.S./S 4.99 International Official Publication Slovenian Women’s Union of America Uradno Glasilo Slovenske Ženske Zveze V Ameriki The Dawn It’s Carnival Time Front Cover: Picture citrtsev of the Slovenim) Tourist Board Zarja - The Dawn EDITOR: Debbie Pohar DIRECTOR OF DESIGN: Bonnie Pohar Prokup CONSULTING EDITOR: Corinne Leskovar EDITORIAL OFFICE: 1696 Illinois St., LaSalle, IL 61 TELEPHONE: 815.223.9596 FAX: 815.224.1074 WEB SITE: www.swua.org Ptuj Castle Museum The northeastern Slovenian town of Ptu j is not only the oldest Slovenian town, but also home to the largest carnival in the country, the “Kurentovanje”. The 11 -day pre-Lenten event, staged in the run-up to Ash Wednesday, got its name from the region's most typical costume, the infamous Kurent. The pictures on this page were taken at the Castle Museum in Ptuj where the Shrovetide Carnival maskers, the Kurenti, are on display along with many other very interesting Slovenian heritage and historic displays. A must see for anyone traveling to Slovenia. Debbie Polictr. Editor PUBLISHER: Slovenian Women’s Union of America TELEPHONE: 815.727.1926 Vol. 80, No 1, January/February 2008 Published bimonthly Periodicals Postage paid at Joliet, IL and additional mailing offices. (ISSN 0044-1848) Postmaster: Send all changes of address to: SLOVENIAN WOMEN’S UNION OF AMERICA 431 N. Chicago St., Joliet, IL 60432 Communications for the next issue of publication: Do you have something SWUA-rclated you would like to share with readers, like an event you want to let people know about or an idea for an article? We would love to hear from you! Please e-mail the editor at pohar4@aol.com. We reserve the right to edit any article submitted. It is preferable that you submit your idea for discussion prior to writing an article. Articles must be related to S WUA events or members. The deadline for articles is the 15 day of the month, 2 months preceding the issue. For example, articles for the March/April issue must be received by January 15lh. Thank you. CONTENTS IT’S IN EVERY SLOVENIAN 1 From the Editor 2 National President’s Message 4 Membership Campaign 6 SWUA Scholarship Program 9 Men in a SWUA World 10 Let’s Explore... **NEW** HERITAGE NEWS 12 TheMuSe 14 Genealogy by George 14 Family Connected 16 The Path Taken - Dopoljena pot SPECIAL REPORTS 21 Mardi Gras - in Slovenia it is “Pust” by Corinne Leskovar 22 SWUATrip to Slovenia by Carol Ryba 24 Illinois/Indiana SWUA Regional Convention 25 Ohio SWUA State Convention 26 Dedication of Marija Pomagaj by Anita Volk 27 Branch Reports 35 SWUA New National Auditors CULINARY 36 Entertaining... With a Touch of Slovenia -KCSlT From the Editor I can not wait for Fat Tuesday. It is one of my favorite times of the year to celebrate, knowing that spring will soon be upon us. Every year on this day my sister Cathy and I make krofi and give them to family members, Slovenian friends and even our non-Slovenian friends now look forward to them. We make plain ones rolled in sugar and also fill some with either apricot, raspberry and even prune filling. Please check out Jenka’s article for a great pre-Lenten meal, including a great krofi recipe. We have an exciting new writer with us for 2008, named JoJo. Although geared for children, I think those of all ages will enjoy this article. This will become a regular article filled with fun things to do and learn. Wishing everyone a prosperous and happy new year! - Debbie Pohar, Editor The SWUA members in Branch 43, Milwaukee, WI look forward to each Zarja - The Dawn issue. At a recent meeting I asked our members to help me with an idea I had and they enthusiastically agreed. My idea is to recycle every single issue that is no longer needed and to never throw one away! Our members agreed (after deleting their name and address) to instead leave them at their hair dressers, barber shops, Doctor’s offices, bus stops, etc. - or to pass them on to Slovenian non-members. The potential locations are endless. I’m certain that the additional readership may help us in our quest for increased membership and at the very least will spread the word about Slovenian heritage. I’m asking our entire membership to join us in Recycling our Zarja’s! -Denise P. Bartlett Branch 43, Treasurer and SWUA Nat’I Treasurer Letter to the Editor I want to ‘give thanks’ to Mary Lou Voelk for her creative idea of the Path Taken. I had no idea how to get started on my father’s history. He came over to America when he was 16. He rarely talked about the life he had in Slovenia (Yugoslavia at that time). Mary Lou inspired me to ‘get started’ and to use all of the photos, documents and letters that I had stored away after the death of my father. Everything was written in Slovenian, and I did not know the language at all or know where to begin. Mary Lou made me realize how important all of the paperwork and photos were that I had, and how important it was to preserve them. No matter what kind of life my father had, he preserved all of these documents, letters and photos because they meant something to him, and Mary Lou made me realize that it was up to me to preserve them for my family. Mary Lou went that ‘extra mile’ over and over again contacting the many people she knew and researching the Internet for information that would help me. She made my Slovenian family ‘come alive’ for me even though I had never met them. What a treasure Mary Lou has given my family and me. What a treasure Mary Lou is! - Dolly -55- Editors Note: Dolly’s Tafeaixwill be featured in a future issue of Zarja. ljubljak* ^ National President’s Message A NEW DAY FOR ENVISIONING OUR FUTURE A special welcome to the year 2008 goes out to our readers throughout the world! May this New Year be a wonderful and prosperous year for each of you and your family. For our Zveza we have high hopes of another exciting year. I’ve been on the National Board since 1999 and I truly feel that each year we continue building a bigger and better program. Just recently your Board of Directors met in Joliet, Illinois to discuss our goals of the future. We had a successful Strategic Planning session and have targeted the areas that need attention. We are now putting the plans in place. In future issues you will hear more about it. But for now let’s focus on EIGHT great happenings to look forward to in 2008. EIGHT GREAT HAPPENINGS • 80 Year Celebrations: Branches celebrating 80 years: Branch 20 of Joliet, IL, Branch 22 of Bradley, IL, Branch 23 of Ely, MN, Branch 24 of LaSalle, IL, and Branch 25 of Cleveland, OH • Forget-Me-Not Tour: Writers of two new books will travel throughout the U.S. promoting their books with a special program. If you are interested in making your city a stop just let us know. • Mini Camp Heritage: The camp was such a hit at the recent National Convention we are working on another camp for this summer with the Slovenian World Congress. • Headquarters: Renovations at the Headquarters in Joliet. Repairs, redesign and reorganization. Be sure Culinary Society: The Culinary Society will release another pin featuring Strudel. We are looking for a picture of the perfect strudel. Garden Contest: Yes, the Garden Contest is back by popular demand. It’s not too early to starting thinking about entering your garden in this year’s contest. BeeHive Panel Contest - A new contest for all ages! It’s your turn to design a beehive panel. We will have winners in all categories. Yes, it’s going to be an exciting year for Zveza! Just sit back and watch or better yet, why not join the fun? We are always looking for help in various ways. It does not matter what age you are or where you live, if you would like to help just let me know. Enjoy! Bonnie Pohar Prokup National President, Zveza Welcome to Our New Members! Juanita Gray, 30 Frank H. Konchar, 30 Frank M. Konchar, 30 Carol Meixner, 30 Michael Ryba, 30 Danielle Schiltz, 33 Samantha Schiltz, 33 Frances Kovatovich, 39 Robert Ribich, 39 Carole Howard, 43 Joseph Legat, 43 Joann Reinhardt, 50 Hannah Huber, 89 Heidi Huber, 89 Kathy Tepesh, 93 Victoria Herold, 99 Sharon Kallas, 99 Barbara Krampač, 99 Monsignor Matthew Malnar, 102 Diana Kiffineyer, 109 Donald E. Palkovich, 109 Margaret Pryately, 109 Jean Rolstad, 109 Mary Rom, 109 James J. Smrekar, 109 to stay in tune to The Muse in each issue of Zarja for updates. Bonnie Pohar Prokup , , r, , . , National President Let s Explore: A new column in Zarja that is sure to go down in history as one of the greatest. You can catch the first column in this issue. Zarja The Dawn Donations “Keeping the Spirit Alive” $30.00 Donation Mosquin, Sonja, 93 $25.00 Donation Eijavec,Ronald, 20 Memory of Kathy Stonich $15.00 Donation Unik,Emily, 50 Honor of Jennie Cermeki $10.00 Donation Dries,Anna, 43 $5.00 Donation Bryant, Natasha, 2 Memory of Grandfather Dan Bell Bryant, Tana, 2 Memory of Grandfather Dan Bell Cross, Liliana Rose, 2 Novince, Anne, 14 Webber, Carol J, 20 Memory Kathryn Stonich Wilhelm, Marjorie, 1 Thank you for all of the wonderful donations in 2007. You are the reason we keep getting better! HISTORIC FIND ČASTNA KNJIGA S.Ž.Z. {The Honor Book) by SWUA Founder, Marie Prisland From the Desks of: Corinne Leskovar and Mary Lou Voelk Častna Knjiga S.Ž.Z., (The Book of Honor) was begun by founder Marie Prisland in 1926. Personally compiled by our Founder, the book documents the history of the SWUA until 1971. The book is now 80 years old and in very poor condition, the paper is fragile and the binding has all but failed. The historical material, hand-written and hand-typed by Marie Prisland, shows her deep interest in the progress of Zveza through the years and her intentions to preserve the living history of this organization. The book is worthy of preservation and translation so that you, our present members, can internalize its relevancy to our modem times. The first part of the book gives the history of how and why Zveza was formed and the events and growth of Zveza through the years. This section includes clippings and photos printed in Zarja, lists of membership enrolled in early campaigns, convention activities and financial reports. The second part of the book is a historical listing of each branch of Zveza, the year it was formed, the place and those in attendance, the first meeting and the names of the first officers. The last Branch listed was Branch 105 in 1965. The last item entered was a listing of the new officers from the 1971 convention. We are asking you, the membership, for donations to cover the cost of professional scanning and rebinding, for translation, and for the purchase of a safe repository. It is only fitting this irreplaceable book be called precious. What a fitting gift to this organization in its 80th year. Please be generous. Send your donations to: Theresa Burns 1109 Plaza Dr. Joliet, IL 60435 For questions: Call Mary Lou Deyak Voelk 251.968.4364 2008 NEW MEMBER CAMPAIGN It’s a New Year of new possibilities - Invite at least one prospective member to join SWUA and your branch for an upcoming meeting/event. The top three branches to get the most new members by April 1 will receive a gift bag from the Slovenian Heritage Museum Gift Shop. Get started right away and surpass your expectations. Remember, never give up after the first try; BE PERSISTENT! Attention Grandparents/Parents/Godparents/Aunts/Uncles ENROLL A YOUTH Member Campaign Pass on the love of your Slovenian heritage this new year, just in time for Valentine’s Day by enrolling a new youth member, 17 years or younger for FREE, no payment due until an invoice is sent in January, 2009. Free Slovenia t-shirts to the first 50 new applicants. All other new youth members also to receive a special Slovenian themed gift from the Slovenian Heritage Museum. Grandparents, parents, godparents, aunts, uncles or any other member signing up a new youth member may designate who the gift be sent to. To download an application, go to www.swua.org, or call the home office at 815-727-1926. “Recruit, Retain and Reinstate” by Lynn Zalokar As part of my membership presentation at the SWUA convention “Recruit, Retain and Reinstate”, a copy of the presentation and several handouts were included in the convention binder. Delegates, if you have not done so, please share the information and articles with your branch officers. Copies were also sent to three branch presidents (branches who were unable to send a delegate). Anyone else, who would like copies, please contact me. If you attend any conference or convention and walk away with a few new ideas, then it has all been worthwhile. So I am curious if the presentation or articles inspired any of our branches to try something new? The articles or topics included: *”Branch Resources” (a list of organizations and web sites that can be of help) *”The Dirty Dozen” (12 things that frustrate younger members about volunteer involvement) *”Getting to Know You” (a fun ice-breaker activity for a branch meeting or state convention) *”How Will We Do It?” (An SWUA article from the 1930’s that shows membership recruitment and retention were already a challenge) * a template for a branch survey. The SWUA has welcomed a significant number of new members in the past five years. But when do most members drop their membership (in any organization)? After the first year! The first year of membership is often on a trial- basis “Is the organization a good fit for my interests or expectations?” So it’s very important to welcome new members, get them involved, find out their interests/ expectations* (and do your best to meet them). The VP of Home Office lists new members in every issue of Zarja so no need to list new members in branch reports. But there are plenty of ways to welcome new members: a welcome letter, card or e-mail; a new member breakfast or an afternoon coffee/tea reception; recognition of new members at a meeting or event (make “new member” badges so longer-time members know who is new or have new members stand up for a welcome and round of applause). I’m sure you all have ways to welcome new members so please share your ideas. Good luck to all in the 2008-meeting year. Please call or write if you have any comments or questions. The next article will review the branch resources sheet. Lynn Zalokar, Branch 93-NYC 201/947-6336, lzalokar@yahoo.com Lynn Zalokar is Membership Manager for the Advertising Women of New York, a not-for-profit professional association. * Actually, it’s important to survey all your members regularly to meet their interests and expectations! Slovenian Women’s Union of America Slovenska Zenska Zveza v Ameriki Membership Application Yes! I want to join the S WUA. I want to preserve and promote the legacy of our Slovenian-American heritage. As a member I will receive the publication Zarja - The Dawn; I can affiliate with branches and events across the country and best of all, I will come in contact with fellow Slovenes. Please type or print legibly. Choose type of membership: Junior (Birth to 18) Annual Dues $5.00 Adult, Annual Dues $20.00 Name and Middle Initial_______________________________________Maiden Name_____________________________ Street Address____________________________________City/State/Zip_______________________________________ Phone/Fax_________________________________________E-mail_______________________________________________ Date of Birth______________________________________ Do you speak Slovenian?____________________________ Please describe your Slovenian ancestry________________________________________________________________ How did you hear about us? SWUA member newspaper website other______________________________________________________________________ Applicant signature:_________________________________________________________ Date:______________________ Branch Affiliation No. (if known)_____________________ Location:_________________________________________ Please make checks payable to the Slovenian Women’s Union of America and mail to: SLOVENIAN WOMEN’S UNION OF AMERICA, 431 North Chicago Street, Joliet, IL 60432 (815)727-1926 E-mail: swuhome@sbcglobal.net website: www.swua.org Please allow four to six weeks for membership processing. In addition to my dues, I wish to contribute to the General Fund: $__________________ In honor of_______________________________________________________ In memory of______________________________________________________ Send acknowledgement to___________________________________________ I would like to volunteer for the SWUA. My area of interest or expertise is Tell a Friend! If you wish us to send information to a friend or relative just fill in name and address here: My friend’s name_________________________________________________________________________________________ Address: City___________________________________________________State_________________________Zip________ For Office Use Date Received^ Membership No Branch Affiliate SWUA Scholarship Program SWUA Scholarship Mission: To generate funding to financially assist young students, with hope that they will promote and preserve Slovenian culture. HAPPY NEW YEAR! This is a critical but fun time of year, when we reevaluate our life styles, work, health, relationships and with a feeling of confidence, and as a new adventure during a New Year, resolve to make some changes and improvements. Our 2007-2008 SWUA Scholarship recipients are also involved with a big adventure in their young lives this year. 2007-2008 SWUA Scholarship Winners Share Impressions of Slovenian Culture Amanda Blowers - Branch 20 “Although I have grown up in an American household, we have kept many Slovenian traditions. I may not know the language or all of the traditions, but there are some that my great-grandparents that came from Slovenia in the early 1900’s would be proud that we have kept. The holidays are the times that are especially full of Slovenian traditions at the Blowers’ household. Around Christmas, my Aunt Sue makes two delicious delicacies that have been passed down throughout many generations in the family: Apple strudel and potica. My mother is not the baker in the family, so my aunt usually makes them for our family and we definitely enjoy these sweet and delicious treats. Although this is more of a Croatian tradition, many Slovenians, including myself, follow the tradition of making the Easter sausage, also know as Nadlava. This sausage is filled with bread, egg, ham, onion and quite a few more things that are blessed the day before Easter in remembrance of our Lord, Jesus Christ. On the morning of the Easter vigil, before we go to mass, there is a service to get our food blessed for the coming Easter holiday. Being the oldest daughter in a Slovenian family, I am the one chosen to go with my mother to get the food blessed. 1 have always loved going with her and plan to do so until 1 raise a family of my own. The church I attend is a historically Slovenian church, St. Joseph Parish in Joliet, IL, and I have been a member of it my entire life. The last Sunday of every month, our church holds a Slovenian mass. Luckily, you do not need to be fluent in Slovenian to enjoy this beautiful mass. The Catholic Mass is universal and is enjoyed in many different languages everyday. I am proud to know how to sing Sveta noč, thanks to my grade school that is affiliated with my parish. It is absolutely astounding to know that my heritage is able to live on in this lovely county that we call America. To me, other languages are beautiful. I have loved to listen to them since I have been a little girl. Although I do not know what people are saying, I have always loved to listen. This is especially true with Slovenian, the language of my ancestors. To be able to listen to people speak the language, is like finding a gem covered in mud. Some people would not have a second thought after they first looked at it, but once a person actually does stop to take a look, they find the true beauty beneath the surface. That is how I feel about my culture. There are people that do not like things because they are different, I however would like to learn even more about the home country of my great-grandparents. In the future, I would like to be able to visit Slovenia. I believe someday I will be able to see Ljubljana, the Bled Castle and even the Julian Alps. My heritage is an important part of what makes up the “me” that is here today. To be able to say that I am a Slovenian makes me proud.” Danielle Dovnik - Branch 43 “Over the years, I have grown to love and embrace my Slovenian heritage. I was brought up with my grandparents and other relatives speaking the language. When I was seven years old, I began singing in the Slovenian Youth Choir. There, I learned what some of the words and phrases meant in English. I would also work in the Slovenian booth at Folk Fairs every year with my family. Being involved in those activities and going to Triglav Park for picnics has made me want to know more about my culture. I got my wish last August when I took a trip to Slovenia with my dad and grandfather to visit our relatives. I thought it was the most beautiful place I have ever been to. Everyone I met was very friendly and welcomed me. I will always be proud to be Slovenian and I hope to continue our cultural traditions within my family.” Francis (Frank) Koncar - Branch 20 “As I approach some of the most important years of my life, I realize the growing importance of my Slovenian Heritage in my formation as a person. It has provided a moral and spiritual foundation on which I can build a productive future. I have been active in Slovenian organizations since I was bom, being a life long member of the KSKJ, St. Joseph Parish and School, and a long time member of the Slovenian Women’s Union of America. I always enjoy spending time celebrating my rich culture. I was enrolled in Slovenian School as a child, where I learned about the language and culture of my ancestors. I participate in cultural activates with my family at the Slovenian Cultural Center, Lemont, and St. Joe’s Parish events in Joliet. I love to polka, and enjoy playing the music with my dad and brothers. I recently traveled to Slovenia with my family, where I was fortunate enough to experience more of the culture first hand. We visited many sights, including the shrine of Marija Pomagaj in Brezje, Mt. Triglav, the capital city of Ljubljana, Lake Bled and Kokrica, the birthplace of my Stari ata. We experienced the culture first hand as we visited with family and spent time with them at Kranj Fest. I am proud of my heritage, and will continue to celebrate it. It exists as one of the most influential forces in my life today.” Amanda Oschendorf - Branch 35 “Sausage: my favorite part of being Slovenian. Having a grandpa who immigrated to America from Slovenia, Slovene culture has always been a part of my life. I can’t remember a time at my grandparents’ house when they didn’t have any of their amazing sausage. We always received a bit of sausage each year from them. The homemade, authentic sausage will always remain a staple in my family. My mom’s generation and I are keeping the tradition alive by continuing to make a big batch of sausage very year. Another Slovene food that holds a special place in my family is potica. With a recipe that has been passed down the generations, it is a masterpiece that cannot be matched, and I hope to someday make it as well as my mom does. My family and I also participate in žegen, the Slovenian tradition of blessing food at Easter. I grew up in a house that was often times filled with polka music, despite the fact that it is usually in a different language, I would find myself catching on to the upbeat tune. Our family does not have a wedding without a polka! 1 am proud to be Slovenian. A dream of mine is to someday visit the country of my ancestors. I would love to finally meet my family and experience the beautiful country I’ve only seen in pictures.” Maria Perko - Branch 3 “While a Slovenian heritage brings delicious foods and wonderful traditions into my life, it also gives me something more: an immense sense of pride. Years ago, my great-grandparents on my mother’s side and my grandparents on my mother’s side immigrated to this county to build a new life. They came here with very little but, by means of a strong work ethic, were able to create safe and secure lives for their families and loved ones. Knowledge of the difficulties they endured in order to better their lives is what inspires me to work hard in every aspect of my life. To my family, religion, education and labor are not only important, but a privilege as well. I know that this mindset is spread throughout our entire Slovene culture. This mindset of dedication and hard work influences my life every day and makes me proud to be a Slovenian.” Debra Baas - Branch 30 “The Golobic family immigrated to he United States from Slovenia and settled in Cleveland, Ohio. While assimilation into the United States culture was paramount, Slovenian culture and heritage was passed down to the next generations. Some of the ways culture and heritage were passed down to me include the following: There was a strong emphasis on learning the English language correctly and speaking the language fluently. Speaking multiple languages was also important; my father made sure a second language was taught beginning at the elementary levels in schools that his children attended. This emphasis on literacy is emphasized with Slovenians as their country’s literacy rate is 99.6%. On Sundays, my family attended mass followed by attendance at SNPJ, AMLA or Slovenian National Home in Euclid, Ohio. I always looked forward to attending these fraternal organizations. There was usually a live band playing polkas and waltzes (with button-box accordions), adults dancing; and if children watched, they too were whisked off onto the dance floor. We still play and dance to Slovenian polkas at weddings, along with the infamous “Yee I, Yee I, Yee I, Yo”. We listened to this music at home as well, especially Johnny Pecon, Lou Trebar and Frankie Yankovic. In addition to music and dance, we had Slovenian foods as well: klobase, potica, strudel, blood sausage, sauerkraut, krofi and apricot horns. My mother, daughter, and I now carry on the tradition of making potica for Christmas and Easter, while we have Slovenian sausage flown in from Cleveland (we live in Cincinnati, Ohio). Religion and holiday celebrations were very important. Religion began with the St. Vitus Catholic Church, the largest Slovenian Church in the United States. It was here where my father and his family attended church and school. Later one of my sisters had her traditional Slovenian wedding ceremony performed there. Prior to the wedding, the bridal party celebrated at Sterle’s Slovenian County house with, of course, plenty of Slovenian wine. Easter, Christmas and Three Kings were all important religious holidays, each including church and traditional Slovenian cuisine and wine. In summary, my Slovenian culture and heritage have influenced me in many ways, beginning always with the importance of education. Celebrating Slovenian food, music, dance and religion has helped form my identity while still maintaining what is American. I hope that my children and grandchildren will have the same opportunities.” PLEASE! Contributions are desperately needed so that more Slovene students can be financially assisted. SWUA Scholarship Foundation is a tax exempt 501(c) 3 which can give donors or estate planners federal tax relief. A gift of any amount $1 plus will be appreciated and acknowledged. For more information on the SWUA Scholarship Foundation, and to find scholarship application forms, please visit our website: http://www.swua.org. Contributions can be mailed to: Mary H. Turvey, Director SWUA Scholarship Foundation 4 Lawrence Drive, Marquette, Michigan 49855 Marge Church, VP and Treasurer 1028 Skyland Drive, Macedonia, Ohio 44056 Yemic 1 @windstream.net One of the Slovenian Women’s Union Scholarship Program’s biggest promoters ever was Bill Slogar of Ely, Minnesota. During the years of his monthly contributions to the SWUA Scholarship Program, it was evident that he attended the funeral of almost every Slovenian and non Slovenian in his community. Bill spent much of his free time in promotion and education of the rich culture he inherited and cherished, through participation in community organizations such as KSKJ and the Knights of Columbus. Bill Slogar will always be missed and remembered by many, certainly the committee members of the Slovenian Women’s Union Scholarship Foundation. - Mary Turvey Scholarship Donations $25 Donation Branch 55, Girard, OH in memory of Last Founding Member of Branch 55, Sophie Kren. Sophie was bom in 1912 at Mima, Slovenia, was one of the founding members of Branch 55 when it organized in 1933, was honored as “Mother of the Year”, and attended meetings almost until the time of her death 25 October 2007. Daughter in law Paulette Kren and Granddaughter Tricia are members of Branch 55. $5 Donation Steve and Marlys Rabb in honor of Helen Theno Branch 23, Ely, MN (+Marcy Zupec) Tezak’s 1908 - 2008 Home to Celebrate Life ® 1211 PLAINFIELD RD., JOLIET, IL 60435 www.tezakfuneraIhome.com 815.741.2563 Fax 877.587.8460 815.722.0524 Celebrating our 100“' Year! Become an SWUA State Ambassador You Can Make a Difference People of Slovenian descent live in every state throughout our entire nation, but many are not aware of the Slovenian Women’s Union of America and what it has to offer. To help market our organization, I’m seeking to designate at least one SWUAAmbassador in each state, particularly in areas with significant Slovenian populations in Pennsylvania, Michigan, Colorado, Florida, Texas, Kansas and Wyoming to assist in identifying Slovenian communities and in recruiting prospective SWUA members/volunteers and beginning new branches. Contact your Slovenian friends/relatives in various states and spread the word about SWUA. To become an SWUA State Ambassador and to learn more about this nationwide initiative, e-mail Bettekfitz@comcast.net. Thank you! - Bernadette Kovacic Fitzsimmons, SWUA National Vice President of Marketing & Fundraising First Midwest Bank Joliet, IL (815) 727-5222 Each depositor insured to $100,000 Men in a SWUA World It’s Party Time in Slovenia Traditionally, cities in Slovenia are hosts to some of the biggest pre-Lenten carnivals in the world. Kurentovnje is similar to Mardi Gras in the United States in many ways, with its atmosphere, masked characters, great food and plenty of beverages to consume. In Slovenia, the Kurenti are young unmarried men hiding under masks and they are the most popular carnival figures. According to legend, they chase away the winter with their bells and woo spring; they are also famous for chasing the young unmarried girls. Now, I can understand the chasing of young women and even the use of bells to chase away winter, but what the heck is woo spring? It sounds like something that happens when your couch breaks! The Kurents then go from home to home warding off evil spirits with their bells and wooden clubs that are topped with quills taken from a hedgehog. Meanwhile, the young ladies attach handkerchiefs to their belts. Now this is where it gets good, the young men compete to get as many of the handkerchiefs as they can by the end of the day, sounds pretty fun to me. Now, the central figure of the whole festival is some guy called Pust who personifies winter and is guilty for all the bad deeds in town during the last year and in the end is sentenced to death. Kind of harsh for the old Pust man, but if he gets the blame “Old Don” won’t so I’m on board with this one. We then move on to “Fat Tuesday” where there is a special ritual where a wooden log is given to those who are not The festivities end on Ash Wednesday, which is the beginning of the 40-day Lenten fast leading up to Easter. During the carnival days people used to eat (and still do) a lot of meat, candies and other fatty foods, the most famous carnival food being Carnival “doughnuts” krofi (see Jenka’s article for a great recipe). The rules of the carnival say that on carnival day there must be a pork head on the table. If you don’t like pork head, you can eat other meat, as long as it’s fatty. The saying also says that whoever doesn’t eat until they are full will starve the whole year, never a problem with old Don. Now, after all these goodies, comes the fast, which offers both a body and spiritual cleansing. Not to mention that after eating all that fatty food one may need to fast as well as take a few antacids! Well, enjoy your pork head and as always, may good luck be yours. - Don Bald in married and they have to donate money, but it’s ok because the money is used to have a party that night with friends. This is an old tradition that is still practiced today, I understand the paying for the party part but I have no idea why they give you a wood log. Accidental Death and Dismemberment Polic UNION AMERICAN SLOVENIAN CATHOLIC BECOME A MEMBER WITH A NEW INSURANCE PLAN FROM KSKJ! ACCIDENTAL DEATH & DISMEMBERMENT PLAN Available from ages 20 to 65 (coverage expires at age 70) Minimum Amount Available $25,000 - Maximum Available $100,000 $30 minimum per mode premium - $1.00 per thousand in PA $1.20 per thousand in CA, CO, CT, IL, IN, KS, Ml, MN, MT, OH, DC, Wl Call your local sales agent or the Home Office at 1-800-843-5755 www.kskjlife.com So c'mon. Let's Explore Hi Kids, I'm Jo Jo. The Editor of Zarja has asked me to create a few articles about Slovenia, where my grandparents were born. In the past, in this section it has been written about our youth members, what they have been doing, games, stories and other interesting things. Let's do something else. Now, we will mostly look at and learn things about this tiny, but very beautiful European country of Slovenia, land of our ancestors, (and we will do some fun things, too.) It is a very modern country which has been enjoying it's independence since 1991. Next to Italy and below Austria, it even has its own mountain range, called the Julian Alps and a National Park named for its highest mountain, Triglav, where people do a lot of hiking and also winter skiing. Slovenia is sometimes called the "The green piece of Europe", since it is so beautiful with mountains, castles, forests and historic towns. It is divided into eight regions, much like our states and each is so different. The Adriatic Sea touches its west shore for a short distance. It mostly is hilly and mountainous with thick forests, lovely gardens, vineyards, orchards, small fields with different crops and many wonderful towns. Some towns are built on the very foundations of old Roman settlements from long ago, but towns today are very modern. Ljubljana, the capital, is in the very center of the country. About two million people live in Slovenia. Ptuj, in the eastern Štajerska Region, is a very old city that enjoys a fun carnival time each year the week before Lent begins. “Kurent" is a magical character that comes to chase away winter and bring spring with a wonderful parade which the whole city attends in a party atmosphere. Kurent is said to be the "god of pleasure", half man and half animal dressed in shaggy lambs wool, with cowbells tied to his waist and he wears a huge mask decorated with many ribbons, sometimes feathers and twigs. He also has 2 horns, a long red nose and an enormous tongue that hangs to his waist. There are many kinds of Kurents which dance around in merriment while leading people in fun and joy. He is loved by all. Wouldn't it be great to attend this event sometime? Well, until next time! - See ya...JOJO A Slovenian word to learn Prosim (pro-sim) means Please! or You are Welcome! Prosim - try it and use it sometimes. FUNNY CORNER What is often plowed but never planted? Why does the ocean roar? ipaq unoK ui suajsqo/ pm\ no<(ft ‘001 ‘p/noM no^ £ mou^'I :sj3Msuy Try making a Kurent Mask It's a kids version, of course. The kids who attended SWUA National Convention last summer made one at Camp Heritage. Give it a try. It is fun. What you will need: Wooden handle, like a paint stick Card stock heavy paper, 1 sheet Red paper, 1 sheet Yellow tissue paper, 2 sheets Scissors Glue Red Marker Twigs Bells Colored ribbon 1. Hold sheet of card stock paper vertical and round off the two bottom corners to look like a face. 2. Cut two openings for eyes, trace around eyes with red marker. 3. Make a slit for a mouth, make large red lips. 4. Make a long beak type nose out of red paper, glue to the face. 5. Make a 12 inch long tongue from red paper, put one end into the slit, glue to the back. 6. Use 2 sheets of yellow tissue paper folded together to fit across top of head, glue to back, then cut like fringe, trim to about eye level, to see. 7. Add 2 twigs as horns and tie tiny bells to them with several colored ribbons. 8. Glue and staple face to a wooden handle, to the back to hold onto when you dance around as Kurent Try this for fun with an adult! Popcorn Candy Cake Ingredients: 16 oz. miniature marshmallows I cup oil i cup butter 5 quarts popped popcorn 24 oz. candy gumdrops 1 cup salted peanuts 1. In a saucepan, melt marshmallows, oil and butter; stir until smooth. 2. In a bowl, combine popcorn, gumdrops and peanuts. 3. Stir in the melted marshmallow mixture; toss to coat it all. 4. Press into a greased 10 inch Bunt Pan. Cover and ref rigerate 5 hours. 5. Dip pan into hot water for 10 seconds to un-mold. 6. Slice with electric knife. Mighty fine! Use this mask and recipe during Pre Lenten week at your house to get everyone in a festive mood by enjoying the special treat you made and while you tell them about Kurent and his carnival. Now chase away winter and bring us spring! In my previous column I talked about the dismal working conditions and disrepair and run down feeling of the Museum. Mary Lou Voelk in her report to the delegates of the convention stated, in part ‘7 mention this history, because this building also comes under PRESERVATION!” So my journey began to ascertain whether this organization could continue to operate in this environment. I began thinking that the way to go about changing our problem was to focus on the conservation of the building itself. So I emailed Barbara Newberg, AICP, of the Joliet Historic Preservation Commission on Planning and Economic Development about obtaining landmark status for our building. Barbara showed up at an Open House held by the SWUA Board on the night before our Special Meeting in November. Before we journey on from that meeting I would like to reintroduce to you 431 North Chicago Street or Stonich House, the address and house name of the newly named Slovenian Heritage Center. George Stonich was bom about 1870 in Semič Parish, the half-brother of John Vraničar and Nicholas Vraničar. The parishes of Metlika, Semič and Črnomelj are close to each other and inhabitants of the villages within the parishes often married other residents within this three-parish area. Nicholas Vranciar was born June 4, 1876 in the village of Curile of Metlika Parish, married and moved to Joliet. Frank Vraničar states that George was his stric (uncle), we can assume that their mother remarried. Frank and his family lived with his Uncle on North Chicago Street. Not much is known about George, John and Nicholas’s paternal lines. In 1979, Irene Odorizzi, wrote in her IMMIGRANT column, the story of Frank From Metlika. It is this series along with other documentation that we can tell this story. George immigrated to Joliet in 1890 and by 1892 George Stonich is listed as boarding at 502 Union Street in Joliet, and in 1894 he is listed as boarding at 803 North Chicago Street working for T. Golobitsch. George married Mary sometime around 1898 in Joliet. Mary’s surname is unknown, however she was bom about 1878. George died in 1947. I can find no record of Mary’s death. By the 1900’s the area north of the town of Joliet on the west side of the Des Plaines river was known as Slovenski Hrib, bordered by Jackson Street, Santa Fe railroad lines and the steel mill yards. George went to church at St. John’s across the river, a church attended mostly by Germans, but who had Markuš Krakar as a member, a settler in 1861, who is said to be the first Slovenian settler to the Joliet area. The Krakar’s were also from the Bela Krajina region in Slovenia. Most of the new Slovenian residents of Joliet were from this same region. As George and his family grew they built a house opposite the new church, St. Joseph’s, tall so the family standing atop the building could overlook the entire community and witness the entire going’s on at the church across the street. Originally the family lived at 813/814 North Chicago where the family worked at selling groceries and meat on the ground floor; the new house was located at 829/831 North Chicago Street. George and Mary operated a grocery and meat market there and eventually turned it into a men’s wear store. George and Mary had four known children: George Aloyisius Stonich (1898-1985), Lemont, IL; Mary Stonich Culik (1900- 1985); William Stonich (1907-Unknown); Edward Stonich (1912-1989) CA. George A. married Angela Chudy about 1921 and they had at least one daughter, Angela Stonich, bom about 1922. The family was living in Berwyn, IL at that time. At some time the building, now at 429/431 North Chicago Street (number changed about 1938), was sold to Lawrence Zena, who operated the store as a pharmacy. And then the building was sold to the Sochan Family. They operated a Music store. On December 20, 1976, a warranty of deed was executed selling the building to the Slovenian Women’s Union of America. In 2010 this building will be 100 years old. The Board voted and decided to retain this building as home office and heritage center. You will be receiving more information about how you (as a member) can support the restoration of this building to serve as not only a memorial to our Slovenian past but an important aspect of our Zveza (SWUA) heritage. If you know of any living descendants of the Stonich, Vraničar or Culik families, email me at doblice@gmail.com or call me at 813-651-2075. The work of establishing this building as a landmark has begun. Do you have an old photograph of the building we can use in documenting our case for landmark status? Photos sent to me will be returned. George Plautz, 1307 Dragon Head Drive, Valrico, FL 33594 NOTE: Information for this article came from three columns by Irene Odorizzi titled FRANK FROM METLIKA in the 1979 issues of Zarja, Ancestry.com, and the history of St. Joseph s Church in Joliet. Copies of articles in the Zarja can be copied and sent to requestors for a small fee. Genealogy by George! The Genealogical Quest: What’s in a name? What’s in a name? As William Shakespeare says “A rose by any other name would still smell as sweet." A common fact is that people like to be called by their name. If you are tracing your family ancestry, then you may wonder why your ancestors go by so many different names. In my own family research I have discovered some interesting facts. Those of us who search from records in Slovenia usually encounter at least three or four different naming traditions. Initially, records that are available start in the early 1700’s. Those records will use Latin in providing names of individuals. Andreas, Antonius, Jacobus, Joannes, Josephus, Georgius, Franciscus, Marcus, Mathias, Paulus, Petrus, Margareth are some of the variations. Do you think our ancestors called each other by that name? The common Slovenian language used started around 900 AD; the Freising Manuscript is an early example. The elite used Latin and German to communicate and the Slovenian language today contains Germanic influences in certain words. Priests recorded the names in their parish record books and used the prevalent language of the day or the language they were proficient in. I noted that middle names were not given to any of these descendants with the following exceptions: Joannes Baptista (John the Baptist) and Joannes Evangelista (John the Evangelist). I sometimes see Ana Margaretha used as a Christian name. Other variations of a Christian name are Joannis/Jensche, Mihael, and Margaritha. Christian names were also recorded in German, a prevalent language used throughout Slovenia (or sometimes Italian or Hungarian-depending on which side of Slovenia you lived.) The Latin names became Anton, Johann or Johan, Georg, Franz, Josef or Jožef, Michael, Jakob. I am not familiar with the Christian names of women changing from Latin to German, most of the records I saw listed Maria, Anna or Margaretha throughout the records. Catharina, Katharina, Katherine, Catherine, Catharine, Katharine are used interchangeably throughout the eras. It is only after World War I, that Slavic names are used for naming purposes. Names like Jože, Jurij, Marija, Janez, Miha, Matija, Tone, Kata and Neža become more prevalent. Now we have Alenka, Božena, Danica, Maja, Mirko, Minka, Anka, Katica, Tajiana, Slavko, Stanislav and many other variations through the adoption of Tito-approved Serbo-Croatian rooted naming customs after World War II. In America during the time of immigration until after World War II naming traditions stayed the same, John, Joseph, George, Michael, Stephen, Mary, Anna, Katharine, Margaret, Peter, Paul, were commonly used for the children of the immigrant and the first and second generation of Slovenian Americans. That tradition still remains in some families; however we now have Madison, Tyler, Skye and a flurry of different Christian names that we give to our children and grandchildren. These names are influenced by our American heritage. Variations in surnames are also prevalent in tracing family history. In my own research on my surname Plautz I have encountered numerous variations. For instance my ancestors were named at one time or another: Plavez, Plavetz, Plavecz, Plaveč, Plavc, Plavz, Plauc, Plauz, Plaviz, Plawetz, even Plautz. This extends even to this country where my surname was spelt Blotz in the 1920 US Census. However, the problem for researchers is to eventually consolidate these names for use in their family trees. Many of the variations were used at the same time to describe different family siblings or parents. Eventually you have to start eliminating the variety to enable the researcher to consolidate duplication of individuals in their data. In my own database I have 14 Johan Plavec, four George Plavec, and 18 Josef Plaveč, I also have some Plauz, Plavez and 13 Michael Plautzes. I will have to include all the variations in a preface to the root of the tree and apply the same surname to all of the descendants. Apparently sometime in America before World War I, all of the Plavec family decided to use the Plautz spelling in America. You will very rarely find a Plavec or other derivation in America; the Plavec surname has become the uniform surname of those people still living in Slovenia. Plautzes from Michigan appear to be related to me or come from the same region in Slovenia. Plautzes in Wisconsin, the largest locus of Plautzes found in the world, appear to be from German roots. Plavec families can be found near Škofja Loka and Maribor and in Bela Krajina, where my family originated. Even having the same surname in Slovenia does not imply that the others are related. The eventual realization that Christian names and surnames should be uniform appeared sometime in the last century. Probably brought on by American schools and Social Security. Knowing the history of naming traditions helps to locate family members in your research. In my next columns I will cover scaling the brick wall of genealogical research and genetealogy, another discussion of genetic genealogy using DNA analysis. - Adijo! George To contact me about your genealogy research questions you can call me at 813-651-2075 or email me at doblice@gmail.com Family Connected „ By Betty Kutzler Poferl (Branch 109) with George Plautz My father, Gustav Kucler was bom in Polhov Gradec, Slovenia July 19,1889, the 4th youngest in his family of 19 children. He arrived on Ellis Island May 1,1907, and joined his two brothers in Waukegan, Illinois, later going to the Iron Range and finally settling in the Village of Oliver, Wisconsin (between Duluth and Superior via the Oliver Bridge). The Kucler name was changed to Kutzler upon my father’s arrival in America. He did not marry till he was near 40 years old and had eight children after that. He corresponded with his sister Angela back in Slovenia. Angela’s niece, Marija Turensek, who is my cousin, looked thru the letters of Angela which came to her, after Angela’s daughter died. My father’s address was found on a letter to Angela and Marija and her daughter Darja sent a Christmas card to the Kutzler family at that address (Dec. ’96). My brother and his family were living there. My sister and I wrote letters to Marija and Darja. I continued the postal correspondence until 1999 when we began e-mailing. We each extended an invitation to the other to visit. I was so happy to get an e-mail with their plans to visit in September 2000. Marija was going to be 70 years old and as a birthday gift to her, Darja and her brother Marko gave her what she wanted, a trip to America. Darja accompanied her mother. We easily recognized each other at the airport. Marija and Darja presented me with a painting of the village of Polhov Gradec, my father’s birthplace, which was also Marija’s birthplace. They gave us potica, slivovitz, chocolates and other gifts. Marija did not speak any Left to right:(front) Angela, Ursula, Grandmother (Marjana), Fran, (back) Leopold (Marinas Father), Gust (My Father), Grandfather(Johan Kucler), Teresa English. Darja spoke English, frequently looking in her translation book, which we came to refer to as her biblija. Darja translated everything quickly for her mother and taught her several phrases in English such as “Good morning and Good night”. One evening, Marija arose from her chair and said “Good morning” which was humorous to all. We shared much laughter over the coming days. They enjoyed our walks and were very attentive when I played the organ for them. We spent a whole day at the Minnesota State Fair and took an afternoon ride on a steamboat on the Mississippi, walked the Sculpture Gardens, toured the Walker Art Center and the Basilica. We visited relatives in Duluth-Superior and took in sights there. Looking back at the hills in Duluth, they said it looked like Slovenia. Could it be that it reminded my Dad of his home-land and why he settled there? We went to see more relatives in Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin. Becky LaBonte invited us to her home and her two sisters joined us there. We all got along very well and there was much exchanging of information on family history and looking at photos. Our days were full. We went shopping three different times. One full shopping day was at the Mall of America. They were impressed by the amusement park inside this mall. They found gifts to take back with them and I discovered Marija loves angels as I do. Our exchange of angels has come to be our gift to each other. It was sad on the afternoon when they had to leave. They came as strangers but we quickly developed an attachment to each other. In our final goodbye, I promised that I would visit them in Slovenia the following September. I kept my promise and made the travel arrangements for 9/15/01 only to have the plans cancelled by the 9-11 tragedy. It was another year before I got to keep my promise. September 4, 2002 Pat Rolland and her sister Becky LaBonte met me at the airport for our flight to Pittsburg, Paris then Slovenia. (Pat and Becky’s grandfather John Kutzler was a brother to my father.) After we arrived at the Bmik Airport, feeling the loss of sleep and having the frustration of lost luggage, we were met by Marija and Darja and rode in a new Toyota van, what Darja called “big car”. It was a 20 minute ride of lovely scenery to Marija’s. We befriended Darja’s Slovenian Shepherd before going into Marija’s house which was Left to right: Jernija Bogovič (Specko s daughter), Specko Bogovič, Becky LaBonte, Pat Rolland, Marija Turensek, Marko (Marija’s son), Darja Turensek built on three levels. Her son Marko lived on the first floor, Marija on the second and the third floor flat with three bedrooms was Darja’s, before she moved out. We were given Darja’s flat for our entire stay. The kitchen was modern with all the appliances and a fully stocked refrigerator. Our bathroom had a skylight and circular shower with a heated towel rack. Marko was a very entertaining person. The first night he explained that he didn’t know much English but after three beers he knew English. He always referred to us three visitors as the “Three Mooseketeers”. Next door to Marija’s house was the home of her deceased sister Marjeta. Marjeta’s husband still lived there along with his son Specko. Specko had an 11 year-old son, Matevz and a 15 year-old daughter, Jernija. Jernija was very proficient in English and became our translator on our many sightseeing trips, which we did much walking and climbing hills. A shopping center that we walked to many times was only three-four blocks from our flat. One store was like our Wal-Mart that had everything, including alcoholic beverages. 15 year-old, daughter, who spoke English very well. Alenka took us on a tour of the President’s Summer home where Bush and Putin had talks. She was the president’s security secretary at this time. We went to Croatia another day to meet Marija’s sister Slavka and her husband who were celebrating their 40th wedding anniversary. They postponed their celebration until we had come from America. I kept a journal of each days’ events. The highlight of our trip was visiting Polhov Gradec. The painting over my fireplace which became real in my imagination was now a reality. Marija’s brother Polde owned the property, which had been my grandparents homestead. He built a huge house on this land for his family and made use of all the other buildings. This hilly land was so well kept and so peaceful. Truly it was next to heaven. In the area of Divaca we went to visit Ada, my cousin and her husband Ivan. Ada, whose father was Franc the youngest brother to my father, set a very welcoming table for us. (All the people we visit are so hospitable, so eager to please.) We toured the nearby cave, the Škocjanske Caves, with Ivan. In those 15 days we lived as Slovenians and saw much of Ljubljana. We also visited Bohinj and the alpine village, Bled, Otočec castle, Portorož, the Postojna Caves, Slivna, the geographical center, a 1526 church in the process of being restored and several other churches, a thermal springs spa and the Bistra Technical Museum near Vrhnika. We enjoyed the traditional Slovenian cooking of Marija and Darja. Marina, another of Marija’s sisters lived on the other side of Specko. Their sister Pavla lived in Ljubljana, a short distance away. One evening we all went to Stanka and Viktor Krek’s, Pavla’s daughter’s home. We were met at the door with Viktor playing the accordion (harmonika). On another day we met Alenka, Gift from Marija & Darja Turensek on their visit Specko s sister and her beautiful to Betty Poferl in Minnesota in September 2000. The beauty of this small country is so varied. Its people take great pride in their history and independence. It makes me proud to be Slovenian-American and to honor our rich Slovenian heritage. ■ The Path Taken.. . Dopoljena pot by Mary Lou Voelk © Katarina Rogina Jurjevich Bahor Most of the Jurjevich and/or Bahor family were deceased before granddaughters, Beverly Bahor France and Diane Bahor Carter were bom. Their grandmother, Katarina, (“Nonnie”, as she was endearingly known) passed away when they were young teens, which is hardly an age when children are interested in “way back when”. Making it more difficult, Katarina did not speak English very well. However, the family did recall several stories and bits of information. During the past several years, Beverly Bahor France, Diane Bahor Carter, Cheryl France Baker and Michelle France Landoll have been conducting a family search back into time. This is the story of their search, the story of Katarina. Mary Lou Deyak Voelk Family Relationship to Katarina Rogina Jurjevich Bahor Son William Bahor DOB 07/16/1917 DOD 02/22/1972 Granddaughter Beverly Bahor France, Burke, VA Great Granddaughter Cheryl France Baker, Centerville, VA Great Granddaughter Michelle France Landoll, Austin, TX Granddaughter Diane Bahor Carter, Joliet, IL Great Grandson Matthew Carter, Joliet, IL Katarina Rogina was bom on August 25,1880 to Georg and Elizabeta Pubek Rogina in Golek, Dragutuš Parish*, Slovenia. On her baptismal record her father’s profession {poklic) was documented as {posestnik) small land owner. (Http://www.ellisislandrecords.org) The ship manifest documented that Katarina and her sister Anna sailed together and arrived at Ellis Island in May of 1903. Joliet, IL was listed as their final destination and Alois Weiss was the contact person. *Golek, Sipeh, Sipek and Butoraj are a few of the villages named in this family story. They are located just a short distance from Črnomelj in Bela Kranja. Katarina Rogina In America On October 28, 1903, Katarina was married to Antoine Jurjevich (DOB: 1871) in St. Joseph Church in Joliet, IL. Antoine was employed in the steel industry and later on was a laborer, livery. Upon requesting marriage information on Katarina and Antoine, the family was shocked to find that Katarina and her sister Anna were married on the same day. Each was a witness for the other. On this wedding day, Anna was married to Alois Weiss, the contact person listed on the ship manifest. Anna had been sponsored by her future husband. The picture then became clearer. Katarina had told this story many times. In Slovenia, Katarina had a boyfriend who was quite jealous. Seeing another man just glancing at her was not something he could tolerate. A clerk who was waiting on Katarina made eye contact with her. The boyfriend came back and nearly beat the clerk to death. The boyfriend was sent to prison but promised that when released he would find her and kill her. It was assumed then, that for Katarina’s own personal safety she left for America with her sister. Then what happened to Anna? While walking through the cemetery, Katarina would point out Anna’s burial plot in St. Joseph Cemetery. A search began of public records. Anna’s name did not appear in the 1910 Census, so a death certificate was requested from Will County. Sadly, it was found that Anna Vise died of tuberculosis on October 29, 1905, almost two years to the day after she was married. Today, the family has been unable to locate the exact location of Anna Rogina Vise’s cemetery plot. Perhaps it never had a stone or perhaps vandalism has destroyed any evidence. The Family of Antoine and Katarina Rogina Jurjevich It was only last year, 2006, when all the children bom to Antoine and Katarina were accounted for when their records were obtained from St. Joseph Church. Until this time no one was sure of how many children there had been. There was no one to ask, as most family members had passed away years ago. Five children were bom of this union. One clue was a carbon rubbing of a tombstone. The name inscribed was “Catherine Jurjevich” with the date of birth, date of death and “aged 9 months”. It was only through a death certificate from Will County (IL) that the family realized that this was Katarina’s first child. Church records later confirmed her birth date, and that she was the firstborn. Family members also had no recall of Matthew. Church records documented his birth and baptism. However, Matthew did not appear on the 1920 Census. Matthew continues to be a mystery. Antoine Jurjevich died on June 3,1913 in Joliet, IL. He left a wife and surviving children. Catherine: DOB: 05/1904 DOD: 02/21/1905 (age 9 months) Anton: DOB: 02/09/1906 DOD: 01/25/1931 Louis: DOB: 11/03/1907 DOD: Prior to 1920 census Frank: DOB: 10/03/1909 DOD: 10/17/1974 Matthew: DOB: 01/16/1912 Baptized 02/04/1912 Katarina Rogina (Jurjevich) Bahor and Joseph Bahor On January 12, 1914 Katarina was married to Joseph Bahor. He was employed as a “boiler washer” at the Illinois Steel Company in Joliet, IL. The family knew little about Katarina’s second husband. When Joseph’s name did not appear on the Ellis Island website or the 1910 Census, it was necessary to do a block-by-block search at the Joliet Library. Luckily there was a hunch as to the area he would have lived in. Joseph was found living with a cousin; his occupation listed was “boiler washer” at the steel company. His immigration date was noted as 1903. From the National archives in Joliet, a copy of Joseph Bahor’s “Declaration of Intention” was obtained. This form documented the following information: Joseph Bahor: DOB 03/ 22/1879 Place of B irth: Sipeh, Camiola, Austria. It was noted that he arrived in America on the “Pennsylvania” in March 1903. With this information the family utilized the website http:// www.stevenmorse.org/ in locating the Ellis Island manifest. It was found that Joseph arrived at the age of 24 with $12, and that he was going to his brother-in-law’s in Joliet. Joseph’s DOB and occupation were also found on his WWI draft registration card. Family of Katarina Rogina Bahor and Joseph Bahor When Katarina married Joseph Bahor she had children from her first marriage. Three more children were bom to Katarina and Joseph. Joseph (Jr.)* DOB: 05/21/1914 DOD: 12/31/31 William* DOB: 07/16/1917 DOD: 02/22/1972 (Father to Beverly and Diane Bahor) Elizabeth DOB: 04/22/1919 DOD: 10/17/1988 DECLARATION OF INTENTION F* fr »»lid for all pwp*w« tma rw* *ft«r th* dute her«*- V - r J6_______yem. - . iWOd W twtfi tut tty petwnal 0~1M & tnttm. »•Wu Jpf-- !>: - - cnfcr -A cotcrd cyei J"-: ■ rrr v&bfc (IfctJtikiirc tub . I ww tern fe > ih* »«• !*»> 7. pvuafaftr \ d trTL/,« 1»« ■** « iutfxi: /fntved v por. of /1&V . . . . in fee Sol* i*-------------------------------------U— .-«* a oI C/ ...mat Dcxir.i 1 *xt kt amrdiisc. lennot m -if 4 ki ihe of pdyfniy: lUm n> bswr»' » rMiiwn nl llm Unltrai SIhum •* * SC. HELP JC C30U mti a*g MB ly I« iw ki 1891 jOtli —~~ln iveit at 1/ ZLATI JUBILEJ ^i. .ijnsqilj’s Church Solid, ^Illinois O—~ St. Joseph pmv for us! Sv. Jo/.cf proti /a nas! 1941 * IH l j li Katarina s Prayer Book and homemade bread. Little attention was given to presents. Easter was also a religious occasion. The food was similar to Christmas, only there were hard-boiled eggs, and perhaps apple strudel. Nonnie was a housewife through and through. She cleaned and cooked and when she needed to get off her feet, she liked listening to the radio. During the day there was “Stella Dallas” and in the evening, mysteries like “Boston Blackie”. Her favorite musician was Frankie Yankovic. She loved any kind of polka. As Beverly danced and twirled around her living room, Nonnie would laugh and clap, thoroughly enjoying her antics. Nonnie spoke very little English. A favorite pastime was reading the K.SK.J newspaper. Pork chops were served once a week but most special was when Nonnie made štruklj. She would roll out the dough and then drop the puffs into the boiling water. This was one of their favorite meals. She often cut off and fried the fat from meat. That was our appetizer! We would then dip our bread into that fat and then eat the crispy crunchy fat. (We do hope our doctor doesn’t see this story) Even when Beverly and Diane were little they were served coffee. We would have a roll and coffee with milk for breakfast. Nonnie had no recipe for potica, but Beverly was always around to watch her mix up the dough. She learned the art of measurement without using a cup and the art of “pulling the dough”. Today, Beverly can replicate the taste and the look of Nonnie’s potica. On washday Nonnie took out a big metal washtub and her washboard. She washed all their clothes by hand, scrubbing stains and soil against that washboard. Beverly and Diane watched her, and so they became very careful in keeping their clothes clean. Beverly also carried the buckets of water for her to wash and rinse with, so that was another reason to keep their clothes clean. When Beverly was about 5 years old, they visited St. Joseph Park for the annual summer picnic. They had stayed most of the day visiting with friends and dancing the polka. But at the very end, Beverly slipped and fell in the mud. Her underwear was all black and of course Beverly was so embarrassed to ride the bus home. She was sure everyone knew she had on dirty underwear! When things were going bad, and especially when Beverly or Diane were “naughty” Nonnie would raise her head and her outstretched arms toward heaven and say, “Jesus, Marija Pomagaj”. When Beverly was about 4-5, she swore out loud. This five-foot grandmother came barreling toward her with a serious look on her face. Then all of a sudden she began giggling, then serious. Beverly was asked why she had used those words. Beverly answered, “Nonnie, I overheard you saying those words.” Nonnie couldn’t help herself, she began laughing. BUT, she finished by saying, “don’t ever say that again Beverly, age 3'/2 and Nonnie or you will be in big trouble”. Those words were heeded! When Nonnie used the word “vrock” the girls took it to mean that they were “devilish”. Since Nonnie had a lot of spirit, it was suspected that she herself might have been “devilish” in her day. Nonnie was frugal, but thankful for everything. She worked diligently to use only what was necessary. She had lost two husbands, raised a family by herself and lived through the Great Depression. We once saw a photo of her taken around the time of the Depression. She was wearing a sackcloth skirt tied to her waist by a rope. You could read the writing on the skirt. Katarina Rogina Jurjevich Bahor passed away on August 28, 1959. Her funeral was held from St. Joseph Church, burial was in St. Joseph Cemetery, Joliet, Illinois. My Memories of Nonnie by Beverly Bahor France to my daughters a cherished part of my life. Cheryl received Nonnie’s yellow Depression glass dishes and Michelle received the special burgundy and cut glass dish that held her special pins and hair comb. Left to treasure in my home are a pitcher, dishes, special serving pieces, some prints, an oil painting on velvet and some furniture that is used in my home daily. I continue to use Nonnie’s rolling pan and some bowls, one of which is worth about $350 today. It is THE bowl that was used almost daily for the lettuce salad tossed with vinegar and oil. My sister Diane has Nonnie’s silverware and father William’s shoeshine box with his nickname “Willy” clearly written on it. This will be given to her son, Matthew. Cheryl has in her possession the family legal documents: birth, communion, school and marriage. If Nonnie were here today, how incredibly proud she would be of her family. Her legacy is having grandchildren and great grandchildren who continue to enjoy their Slovenian Heritage. The family plans to continue their research and is looking forward to finding out more family details. Ideally, they would love to find out about any relatives that are still living in Slovenia. From the time I was very young I had spent much time with my beloved grandmother. From 1949 until she passed away in 1959, Nonnie made her home with us. In 1988 my husband and I visited Slovenia. The current pastor of Nonnie’s church in Črnomelj showed us the unused old church that Nonnie had once attended. We walked the main street that Nonnie had probably walked so many years ago. As we passed by the inns, we observed families dining and singing together, exhibiting a closeness that makes “for family.” This same closeness is the legacy I carry today. Nonnie in her hat. Photo taken at a St. Agnes of Fidelity meeting at St. Joseph Church, circa 1949. It was last Christmas that I presented my daughters with items that belonged to Nonnie. It was time that I pass on The Slovenian Culinary Society Is Calling All Strudel Makers Yes, STRUDEL will be the next charm/pin for June 2008. Here is a chance to have your winning photograph become THE STRUDEL! Only digital photography will be accepted. Winner will be announced in Zarja, June/July 2008 Pins/Charms will be available June 1,2008 E-mail your photograph (JPG format) to the following address by March 1,2008, ottolou@gulftel.com Include your name, address, and telephone number. Questions: Call Mary Lou, 251.968.4364 Food is tricky to photograph. Here are some tips that may be of some help. Plan your props ahead of time. Know what color plates, tablecloths etc. compliment the STRUDEL. Have plenty of garnishes at hand. You want the best compliment. A white background is usually very complimentary. Do make sure the strudel is ultra-fresh. Food loses its appeal quickly. Arrange the STRUDEL in a manner that showcases the strength of the STRUDEL. Take the time to set up your shot. Look for distracting elements that might be in the background. Remember to capture the entire setting. MARDI GRAS In Slovenian it’s “PUST”! What a funny word! PUST! I guess it means anything kinda ugly, plain-as-plain-can-be, without taste ... or, just the opposite of beautiful, good, yummy, delicious! In Slovenia, for up to 11 days before Ash Wednesday is the time when villagers and city-folk, too, like to gather and celebrate the time they call Pust and we call Shovetide or Pre-Lent - or Mardi Gras! Carnivals, parades, parties and masquerades abound! Everyone has a good time! They go wild, in fact! Pustna nedelja, the Sunday before Ash Wednesday is the This “Kurent” has captured someone! time it reaches its peak! There’s no limit to what people come up with! At most major towns, especially the old towns of Cerknica, Ribnica and Ptuj they wear special costumes and masks that are outrageous! People wearing these masks run around, clanging bells, and making noise to “chase away winter”, they say! These figures are reminders of past characters in stories of the middle ages. It’s all very mythological. “Kurentovanje” stick to hit any creature that comes near! Some of the young ladies he “spanks” tease him by fluttering their hankies in his face - and soon they are all chasing one another! The kurent who has collected the most handkerchiefs is the hero of that town! If you ever visit Slovenia during this time of year, you’ll see how they chase winter away while having fun! -Corinne Leskovar Perhaps the best known figure is the “Kurent”, who comes dressed in a great coat made of sheep skins, tied with a leather belt and huge cowbells. According to tradition there must be only five bells to give them the right clanging melody. He wears a mask that is as grotesque as can be -with a long nose, very long red tongue, and mounted on top are cow horns from which feathers flow. The more he dances around, the more fun he creates! He carries a long ZIMMER FUNERAL HOMES Mark Zimmer, Funeral Director mark@zimmerfuneralhome.com 805 North 6th Street, Sheboygan, WI 53081 (920) 457-7012 - Fax: (920) 457-7013 W2132 Ganton Rd., Sheboygan, WI 53083 (920) 565-2331 www.Zimmerfuneralhome.com Fantastic SWUATrip to Slovenia T A his year’s trip to Slovenia was extra special for many of us, not only did we enjoy the beautiful sounds and sights of Slovenia, many of us met our Slovenian relatives for the first time while others renewed acquaintances with their relatives. I know that my cousin, Dona and I will have lasting wonderful memories, but of course our one regret is that we could not share this experience with our mothers. Oh how they would have enjoyed meeting relatives and seeing the beautiful homeland of their parents. In one of the future issues of Zarja, 1 will be writing about my successful genealogy research to find my relatives. What a joy it was to meet them. Not only did we eat, drink lots of wine and laugh our way through Slovenia, we thoroughly enjoyed all of our congenial travel companions. Thank you fellow travelers, SWUA, Kollander Travel, Mojca at Kompas Tours and all the wonderful, gracious Slovenians we met KOMPA Carol with local ladies-learning secrets of cookie baking. On the “plenta”, a small boat that plies Lake Bled with tourists on board. Top photo: The newly restored 99 stone steps going up from Lake Bled to the island’s church. Middle: The castle of Bled. Lower: Our jolly group. Opposite Page: Mt. Triglav from a distance. along the way. A big thank you also goes to our excellent tour guide, Manja and Luka, our bus driver. They did a fantastic job, and their sense of humor brought smiles to our faces every day. This trip also brought SWUA an added bonus - we recruited six new members! SWUA welcomes Frank H. Konchar and son Frank M., Carol Koplenik, JoAnn Reinhardt, Carol Meixner and daughter Monica MacMillan. Message to all members - start planning for the next SWUA trip to Slovenia! If you have never visited the country of our ancestors, you are in for a real treat! Carol Ryba, Vice President of Home Office Illinois/Indiana Regional Convention Report Indianapolis, Indiana - October 13,2007 By Genevieve A. Buol, Regional President NEWS FLASH.... Members who were not in attendance at the IL/IN Regional Convention in Indianapolis, IN on October 13, 2007 missed witnessing a first for our Organization! It may have taken 81 years to occur but history was made with the unanimous election of Mr. Joe Skala of Branch 2 Chicago, the first man ever to be appointed as a S WUA Regional President. Congratulations, Joe! In accordance with the Bylaws, his term will officially begin on January 1,2008. Let us all give him our support as he ventures in new waters. Behind every successful man is a woman and Joe is fortunate to have Ms. Barbara Bruch of Branch 89 who graciously accepted the position as the Regional Vice President. Upon arrival in Indy the members and officers of Branch 5, Phyllis Fon, President, Karen Zarich, Vice-President and Mary Dragan, Secretary graciously welcomed us. After refreshments, Phyllis gave an overview of how the various organizations all work together on events and projects in Indianapolis. Even though they don’t live in the immediate area of Holy Trinity Church they continue to provide labor intensive and ongoing financial support in tribute to the immigrant families who established this Slovenian parish 100 year ago. The contributions of many made possible the beautiful restoration/redecorating of Holy Trinity Church for its 100th Jubilee. President Genevieve Buol convened the meeting with an opening prayer by Phyllis Fon. Five of the 9 IL/IN Branch Presidents were in attendance. Reports from the 5 Branches as presented by the respective delegates were informative and offered many suggestions. The delegates will be sharing new ideas for Branch meetings with their membership, i.e. learn a Slovenian word or phrase; Who’s Who project - where you show an old picture of someone’s family, tell about them and members have to guess who it is; ask Junior members to contribute to Branch Scrapbook; for St. Nicholas Day send a card with $2 to your Junior Members; write letters to members who don’t attend meetings to update them on Branch activities. Other suggestions included name change for SWUA so as to include men (members were queried by President Buol and a majority of those present were supportive of name change and hopeful it will be addressed in the next National Convention); members were also of the opinion that a member of the National Board of Directors should attend the Regional Convention in their area and concurred with recommendation for a Slovenian page in the Zarja suggesting Corinne Leskovar and/or Branch 99 members who are fluent in the Slovenian language be contacted for assistance in this regard. All agreed the Zaija is the “glue” that holds us all together. Cover of the recent Zarja issue received very favorable comments; those girls (all from Branch 89) are the future of SWUA. Correspondence from Mary Lou Deyak Voelk who formerly held a Board office and now continues to volunteer heading the preservation projects of all paper documents for the SWUA was read by Phyllis Fon. Highlights included: the scanning of deceased member documents has been named the IVANA PROJECT in memory of Ivana Bozic of Branch 5 who started it all as the first deceased member whose documents would be the 1st scanned. In addition, a master listing of deceased members’ names has been created, to date 1400 names have been published and the master list is now appropriately titled the MATI (Mother) REGISTER. A wealth of information is contained on the member documents (approximately 7 pieces per person) which can be utilized for genealogical research. Mary Lou encouraged the purchase of the Children’s book In the Land of Gingerbread from the Forget-me-not-Series to generate income for the Museum and urged members to PLEASE SUPPORT YOUR MUSEUM. A future topic to be addressed at another time will be the Zaija Project. Correspondence from National President, Bonnie Prokup was read by Genevieve Buol. It focused on Lynn Zalokar’s membership presentation at the SWUA National Convention: “Recruit, Retain and Reinstate”. Two main issues being: Have the delegates followed up with their Branches about conducting a Branch Membership Survey (per all the raised hands at the National Convention)? How many have viewed the SWUA website? If you have not already done a Survey of your membership please do one now. To see a sample survey or if you have any questions contact Lynn at lzalokar@yahoo.com Branch 20 Joliet volunteered to Host the 2008 IL/IN Regional Convention in conjunction with their 80th Anniversary celebration. Please commit now to participate. The meeting closed with the members offering a prayer for the Cause of Bishop Frederick Baraga’s Beatification. The Luncheon Banquet that followed was prepared by the “Fon Family Chefs”, Katie Poole, Elizabeth Walker, Anna and Stephen Fon assisted by Phyllis Fon(her juha was delicious!) and other culinary contributions by Karen Zarich and Mary Dragan added to the bountiful Buffet Table. Hvala Lepa for a delicious and nutritious “kar po domače” Banquet. The day ended with participation in the celebration of the Eucharist. At the conclusion of the Recessional hymn, the Conventioners broke into song honoring the Blessed Mother by singing Lepa si Lepa si, in good voice and with a whole lot of heart!! This is my final Convention as your Regional President. It has been an honor and privilege to serve in this capacity for the past 8 years and I wish to publicly apologize if I have ever offended anyone. Thanks for the wonderful memories! - Genevieve Puhek Buol P. S. Two years ago when our Regional Convention was hosted by Branches 16 and 95 in South Chicago, Vida Kumse (Branch 16) gave me cuttings of Roženkraut (the greens used with a Red carnation to make authentic Slovenian corsages) Vida never missed a Convention and though she relocated to Slovenia this past July, Vida was with us in Indy via the tote full of Roženkraut cuttings which I brought to share with others. Barbara Bruch of Branch 89 identified Roženkraut as “Rose Scented Geranium”. HAVING A PROBLEM RECEIVING YOUR MAGAZINE? Zarja is shipped from the printers between the 25th and the 27th of the month. From that point on it is in the hands of the US Post Office. Here are a few tips to try if your magazine is not there by the 10lh of the month. Contact SWUA at 815-727-1926 or swuhome@sbcglobal.net to verify your address is correct and your subscription has not expired. If the issue is recurring and you have already contacted SWUA, please call 1-800-ASK-USPS (1-800-275-8777) to have Customer Service research the problem. Ohio Regional Convention Collinwood, Ohio October 14,2007 By Olga A. Dorchak, Regional President The Ohio Regional Convention was truly blessed with a perfectly warm and sunny day. Our 10:00 am mass at St. Mary’s Church in Collinwood was celebrated by Rev. John Kumse. The entire mass, including responses and songs sung by the choir, was completely in Slovenian. This made for a special occasion for those not having an opportunity to attend a Slovenian mass on a regular basis. When the Mass concluded we adjourned to the Slovenian Room in the new addition to St. Mary’s Hall for our meeting and lunch. Members were greeted by hosts from Branch 10 and Branch 32 with coffee ready to sustain us before lunch was served. Father Kumse managed to join us briefly between masses to offer a prayer for our continued desire to uphold our Slovenian Heritage and a prayer for food about to be received. It was a fine lunch of a roast beef sandwich, side dishes of a four-bean salad and hot potatoes. Dessert was a chocolate cake. An added treat was a bottle of wine for each table. The meeting of the convention followed. There were 42 members in attendance representing six branches from Ohio. As a change from each Branch delegate sharing their branch activities, delegates to the National Convention in June gave a first hand report. Hopefully, more members will attend future National Conventions. This being the end of my two four-year terms the position of President and Vice President for the next four years had to be filled. Rose Mary Toth, President of Branch 50 was designated to chair the election portion of the meeting for a new President and Vice President. Congratulations to the 2007-2011 President Catherine “Cookie” Maxin and Vice President Rose Mary Toth. Both members are from Branch 50, Euclid. To complete business of this convention, it was decided that members from Branch 50 will host the 2008 Ohio Regional Convention. The various prizes from a Chinese Auction were distributed to the winners. - Respectfully submitted, Olga A. Dorchak The Celebration and Dedication of Marija Pomagaj, Our Slovenian Patroness It all began when I asked Mary Lou Voelk for help in finding a picture of Marija Pomagaj for our parish in Aurora, Minnesota. Mary Lou directed me to an artist, Helen Lukančič-Valerugo, of Joliet, IL. I wrote to inquire about the cost of a picture of Marija Pomagaj. Instead of sending me the information I requested, she sent me an oil painting of Marija Pomagaj as a gift to our parish. The picture was so beautiful; we hurried to proceed in contacting a framer and picking out a frame. Then we made plans for a dedication of the picture at a special mass on May 23, 2007, which is Her feast day. John Goritchan, the husband of a member, prepared the church wall for the picture. The morning of Wednesday, May 23,2007, was a beautiful sunny and warm day. Some of the ladies wore their Narodna Nošas, the costume of the Gorenjska region, which added so much color to this special event. The picture sat at the altar with a beautiful bouquet of red carnations at her side. Ann Orazem carried another bouquet of red carnations to our Blessed Mother, Queen of the Holy Rosary as the .congregation sang, “Lepa si, Lepa si.” For the entrance hymn we sang, “Marija Mati Ljubljena”, for Offertory our choice was, “Vse Kar Smo in Kar Imamo”, and for Communion we chose “Usmiljenji Jezus”. As soon as Communion was distributed, Erika Hodnik gave a history of the Shrine and Works of Marija Pomagaj. Erika’s grandparents, Mr. And Mrs. Bajda, were married at the shrine. This made the celebration even more special for Erika. Father David Forsman then blessed the picture and gave the last blessing. John Goritchan carried the picture to hang in her special place within the church proper. As John processed with the picture, we sang,” Marija Pomagaj Nam Sleherni Čas”. The congregation was invited to join us in the church hall for coffee, which included Slovenian pastries: strudels, potica, flancati and even slovenski čaj (tea). I wish to thank Helen Lukancic-Valerugo, Artist, for her special gift. My thanks to Father Forsman for his cooperation and celebrating the mass. A special thank you to Dorothy Jamnick and Gabriela for their donation towards the frame, and Branch 35 for purchasing the flowers. I thank my dear friend, Simona Stmad from Trnovo, Slovenija, for her gifts from the shrine in Brezje, candles, holy cards, and the special incense for the blessing. A big thank you to each and everyone who participated in any way to make this event possible, my members who helped in the kitchen, decorating and the greeter. Hvala lepa to Rosemary Ribich and John Goritchan for doing the photography. Last but not least, I am grateful to all who took the time to attend this celebration. - Anita Vovk, President, Branch 35, Aurora, MN. The woman who is looking for the Jewel Tea Dinnerware issue could try Replacements LTD at 1-800-270-3708. - Rae in Wisconsin * This was featured in the Path Taken Zarja - The Dawn May/June 2007 World Branch Reports Poročila Podružnic BRANCH 1 - Sheboygan, Wisconsin As Yvonne Khaldy Johnstone gave her acceptance speech as the newly elected State President of SWUA, we were assured of her commitment to continue our goals of the future. Congratulations to Yvonne and also to Rita Majerle Klug, the new State Vice-President. A sincere thank you to all who helped to make our Bazaar, Craft and Bake Sale a success. Our two-day sale featured many hand-made items and we also had a good-as-new section. I hope that all of the baked goods were as delicious as they looked! The Slovenian items including cookbooks and the new T-shirts were well received. Special thanks to all the members, volunteers and to the visitors who responded to our sale. Mark your calendars for our Branch 1 Bingo to be held on February 24, 2008 in Fr. Cheme Hall at SS. Cyril and Methodius church. More details will be announced at future meetings and the church bulletin. Angie Fritz BRANCH 2 - Chicago, Illinois Happy New Year everyone! It is unbelievable as you read the reports we are now in 2008. Branch 2 had a busy fall: Members went to Sault Ste. Marie, MI for the Baraga Days; we enjoyed the annual bunco games from Branch 99 and we attended the Grape Festival in Joliet of Branch 20. Fourteen members attended the IL/IN Convention, Indianapolis, IN and Branch 5’s 80th Anniversary. Joe Skala, Branch 2 was elected president and Barbara Bruch of Branch 89 for VP of the IL/IN Region. A special thank you to Gen Buol for her successful terms as president which ended in December 2007. Irene Smid was our delegate. We all bought poticas from Branch 5 for the holidays (which are always delicious). (Read more about the convention in this issue) November was our Penny Social; On Veteran’s Day we honored our dead service personnel by placing flowers on their graves. December our junior members had fun at their Penguin Christmas Party, our adults enjoyed their gala Christmas Dinner. New Year’s found some members celebrating at the Slovene Cultural Center. Our condolences to the families who lost love ones; Mary Mladic Maloy and Millie Persa. Please remember them in your prayers. Congratulations to our members who graduated from universities. JoAnne Kochniarczyk with a BA from Lewis University was on the dean’s list, also to sisters: Jennifer and Kelly Kochniarczyk from nursing as CNA’s. The “Bunco Party” is coming to Branch 2 on February 17,2008. Reservations must be made by January 30,2008. Call Lenore Urbanski - 708.442.5499. Total cost $5.00, which includes Bunco, prizes and a light lunch. You don’t need to know how to play, we will teach you. Take care everyone. Remember to vote! Love, Daisy BRANCH 3 - Pueblo, Colorado Greetings from colorful Colorado. The Aspen leaves have created a golden carpet for the white snow being enjoyed throughout the State. Meetings resumed in October. Our Delegates to the National Convention, Mitzi Drobnick and Mildred Stofac gave their reports and told of some of the activities with such wonderful people. Branch 3 discussed the possibility of a national name change since membership in SWUA is no longer one gender. The consensus of those attending the meeting was that SWUA move forward and consider the name change in the future. Leaflets depicting future meeting dates and themes were distributed in November. New member, Marie Mutz was welcomed to her first business meeting by President, Margaret Cullen. Pueblo, Colorado is a Sister City to Maribor, Slovenia. In November, former United States Representative Ray Kogovšek of Pueblo, was host to the Slovenian Ambassador to the United States, Samuel Zbogar. The Ambassador traveled to Pueblo and Denver and Chicago and Cleveland to visit the Slovenian Communities. He was honored at a dinner in Pueblo with local Slovenians and the Sister City Commission. He visited the Slovenian Library, Museum and Genealogy Center in Pueblo and the Slovenian section of Roselawn Cemetery. Monetary gifts to the National SWUA Scholarship Fund, in lieu of a gift exchange, were part of our annual Christmas Luncheon. St. Mary Help of Christian Church provided observance of St. Nicholas. At the conclusion of the Saturday afternoon Mass, the published story, “The Legend of St. Nicholas” written by member, Bernice Krašovec was read. (Since the story of St. Nicholas knows no season copies are still available for $5.95 at stmarysgen9@aol.com.) May a Happy and Successful 2008 be part of the future for SLOVENSKA ŽENSKA ZVEZA V AMERIKI. Eileen Kaplan and Bemice Krašovec bkrasovec9@aol.com Ambassador Zbogar in Colorado BRANCH 10 - Cleveland, Ohio Hi Ladies! I hope you all had a nice Christmas! Wishing everyone a Happy Healthy New Year! We are having our Christmas party January 29, 2008. Please give a call 216.451.1876. Happy Valentine’s Day everyone! Please pray for our servicemen to come home safely. Stephanie Segulin BRANCH 13 - San Francisco, California The officers of Branch 13 would like to invite all members to come to our monthly meetings. We meet on the first Thursday of the month at 12:00 noon at the Slovenian Hall at Vermont and Mariposa Streets. We welcome all members! We have a lovely luncheon before the meeting. We are always finished by 2:00 p.m. If you can make it, please call Secretary Moreen Spencer at 415.468.4389, so we will know how many places to set for lunch. We always discuss our Mother’s Day Luncheon before hand, so come and express your ideas! Try it! You’ll love it! Happy Birthday to everyone who has a birthday in January and February. If you have any news you would like to share in the Zarja, call Barbara Chiodo at 650.593.9576 so she can report it in the next Zarja. On a sad note Sophie M. Troya passed peacefully at the age of 92. She was a devoted wife of the late Rudolph Troya. Beloved mother of Carol Goergen, Rudy Troya and Nancy Benedict. Adored grandmother and greatgrandmother. She was a member Branch 13 for over 50 years and was honored as Mother of the Year in 1989. Her daughter Carol is also a 50-year member of Branch 13. To honor their mother and grandmother, daughter Nancy and granddaughter Lindsay Goergen have joined our branch. Sophie was a fantastic cook known for her specialties of potica and apple strudel. Sophie, you will be missed Sophie M. Troya ^y a|| mernbers of Branch 13. Barbara Chiodo BRANCH 16 - South Chicago, Illinois A very Happy New Year to all! We had our meeting on Saturday Nov. 10th and Marjorie Mitchell, our newly elected President opened our meeting with a prayer. There was much to discuss, mostly if we were going to have Officers or not. Gladys Buck (Secretary), Mary Jane Strus (Vice Pres.) Julia Pastor (Treasurer) Frances Novak (Trustee) and Dorothy Rossi (Reporter) agreed to keep their positions, now all we need is a Recording Secretary, which we will hopefully acquire at our March 8th meeting at 1:00 p.m. Marjorie did an excellent job with her first meeting. Veda Kumse had a little setback in Slovenia recently, but she is feeling better now. We all would like to wish her well and also that the New Year will be great for her. Our next meeting will be March 8th in the St. George Church Hall at 1:00 p.m. By then I’m sure everyone will be waiting to play our usual Bunco games. We hope to see some of our members that have not been to our meetings for a while and we invite anyone who wishes to come and play Bunco with us. Dorothy Rossi BRANCH 20 - Joliet, Illinois KEEPING THE SPIRIT ALIVE FOR 80 YEARS! Hope all had a Blessed and Happy Holiday Season. Plans are in the making for our 80th Anniversary Celebration to be held October 19, 2008 at the beautiful Patrick Haley Mansion. Committees will be selected in January. On Sunday, January 20, our Spiritual Adviser Father Tom Paul will install officers for 2008. They are President, Char Kobe, Vice President, Agnes Dobczyk, Recording Secretary Jeanne Warsaw, Financial Secretary Jean Herbst, Trustees Mary Kay Demick, Josephine Lustik and Bernice Nemanich, Zarja Reporter Pat Figurowski and Sgts. at Arms Thelma Minarich and Nancy Horwath. The winner of the Slovenian Doll will be drawn at this time. Four of our members attended the IL/IN Convention in October. A brief report was given. Congratulations are extended to Amy Tezak on her marriage to Jeff Rodrigue, Jack and Judy Tezak on their recent marriage and to Darrel and Lydia Marquardt on the marriage of their daughter Nicole to Adam Domain. Deepest sympathy goes to the families of our deceased members Mary Ann Pernot and Kathryn Stonich. Sympathy is also extended to members Carol Webber on the loss of her husband, Mary Sova the loss of her husband, Judy Merzlock the loss of her father, Lillian Brule and Lucille Dragavon the loss of their sister, Johanna Vela, the loss of her son and to the family of John J. Plut. Nominations are being requested for our Member of the Year. If you know of anyone worthy of this honor, please send same to Char Kobe. Our Financial Secretary Jean Herbst, along with her son Father Robert Herbst, made a most memorable trip to Slovenia, going to the birthplace of her grandparents. Others on the trip were our neighbors from the LaSalle Branch. It’s been said the many visits to the wineries sure helped make it even more enjoyable. Keep in mind our gift shop at the Heritage Museum. There are many items to be purchased that fit any occasion. *Note to family of deceased members. Upon the death of a member that has burial insurance, please send death certificate along with death benefit policy to the home office as soon as possible. Send to SWUA Office, 431 N. Chicago St., Joliet, IL 60432 Pat Figurowski BRANCH 23 - Ely, Minnesota KEEPING THE SPIRIT ALIVE FOR 80 YEARS'. Greetings from Branch 23 in beautiful, wintry Ely, Minnesota! Our President Gerri Petrie reported on the National Convention in June. She had a good experience and especially enjoyed the social events, re-kindling friendships and meeting new friends. The music was especially delightful, too. We began the fall season with attendance at Minnesota Days in Biwabik on September 9. Several of our members went and had a good meeting. Our newest members are Barbara and Theresa Klun. Our December Christmas party was a potluck at the Grahek Apartments on December 10. Many of our members live in the Grahek building and we have moved our meeting place to here. We meet the second Monday of the month at 1:30 p.m. except January, June and July -the “J” months. To increase our treasury, we had a no-bake sale in December. Angela Godec is recovering from a broken ankle and is able to get about. Jean Korsman was in a car accident and at home recuperating. Long time member Marcella “Marci” Zupec, passed away on September 29,2007 after a brief illness. She was an active member of our Branch, serving as President and Secretary and other offices. We will miss her very much. She always had a sweet smile for everyone. Best wishes to all and hope to see you at our next meeting. Judy Swenson BRANCH 24 - LaSalle, Illinois KEEPING THE SPIRIT ALIVE FOR 80 YEARS Dober Dan! Another year has “flown” by and it seems the older we get the faster time flies. Our most fond and exciting memory of2007 will be the National Convention at Starved Rock, followed by the wonderful “Hidden Highlights of Slovenia” tour that many of our branch members were fortunate enough to be a part of. Lois Hollerich gave a very interesting and well-detailed report of the tour at our November meeting, which was hosted by Barb Pohar and her daughters, Debbie and Bonnie. Congratulations were extended to Emily Marchiori and her husband, Charles on the celebration of their 60th wedding anniversary. Another member, Antoinette Hoefferle will be celebrating her 100lh birthday on December 20,h at St. Joseph Nursing Home in Lacon, Illinois, where she has resided for several years. The response to our bake less bake sale and the Slovenian doll raffle was outstanding! We sincerely appreciate the outpouring of support from all of our members! Our Christmas party was held at Mario’s Maples in Peru on Sunday, December 9. Mary Ann Pieczynski, Rosemary McLaughlin and Melissa McLaughlin were in charge of the festivities. Our branch will not have any meetings during the months of January or February, but will resume again in March, right before Easter. Lent will soon be upon us (earlier than usual this year); make it a meaningful one. By the time you read this, Christmas will be over, but my wish for you, in the coming year and for always, is for good health, happiness and peace. Until next time, may your hearts be filled with peace and love. Loretta Story 91ives@insightbb.com BRANCH 35 - Aurora, Minnesota Surprise!! We finally were able to entertain our Member of the Year, Ann Mismash, and her lovely family. Thirty people attended the event and most of Ann’s family and some of her friends were there to honor her. Ann was given a beautiful Fall bouquet in a basket and of course the lovely book, “From Slovenia to America”, by Marie Prisland. Her family introduced themselves and reminisced about their life with Mom. The only one who did not have to much to say about Ann, was her first great grandson, 2 months old, who just could not get the words out of his mouth to brag about her. We members, will always be thankful for all the work Ann has done to keep our organization and heritage alive. The Community of Aurora, MN also commends her for her part in community affairs and last but not least, she used her talents to help her Parish, Holy Rosary Catholic Church by taking part in the choir and all the hand work she donated for the fundraisers. We enjoyed a delicious meal of Swiss Steak with all the trimmings catered by The Ladies Auxiliary of the American Legion. You always know the meal will be great. Let us remember to pray for a healing for Rosemary Ribich who under went hip replacement surgery last week. She is doing well, I am told. Veseli zahvalni dan vam vse skupaj in Bog z Vami! Anita Vovk gospanita@yahoo.com 218.229.3202 BRANCH 39 - Biwabik, Minnesota I am sure everyone had wonderful Christmas season celebrations. Branch 39 is on a break! We decided since we worked so diligently on hosting the September 2007 Minnesota Regional Convention, (Zveza Day) we needed some time off to recoup and put our thoughts together to begin our 2008 year with some fresh ideas about membership and making our branch meetings interesting gatherings. We tied up our yearly loose ends at our October meeting and unanimously decided to have the same officers hold their current positions for two more years. We made a donation to Marshall Legacy Institution fundraiser promoted by Slovenian Ambassador Samuel Zbogar concerning children injured by land mines and sent to Slovenian hospitals to heal. Also being considered is having a speaker podium made and donated to St. John’s Church to be used for various organization functions. We begin 2008 with our Epiphany dinner at Michaels on the Course in Virginia, MN on January 6 at noon. Everyone will bring two or three inexpensive gifts for our dice game and the calling committee will contact members about menu choices. It is always a happy gathering of members who enjoy socializing by spending the afternoon together. We received word that our long time member and 2007 member of the year, Rose Veronick, is now residing in the Virginia Convalescent Center. May 2008 bring all of our SWUA members and our families much health and happiness with God’s many blessings and unite us in LIVING OUR LEGACY. SREČNO NOVO LETO. Rosemary (Sertich) Ribich rribich@lcp2.net BRANCH 42 - Maple Heights, Ohio Our annual May mass for living and deceased members was well attended. We welcomed the Kastelic brothers, Bob and Dr. Joe and Kathy and Lou and Betty Ann from Maryland and dined at Sterle’s Country House. Our regular Zarja reporting these past months was limited because of the National Convention and the considerable amount of information going out to members. Jackie Albers, our delegate, myself as alternate, our president, Marge Church and Dorothy Mehosky spent 3 '/2 eventful days at the convention site of Starved Rock Lodge in Utica, Illinois. I was finally able to put a face to the many names I’ve read about in Zarja. The schedule of events and meetings were well planned and covered a wealth of material. The amendments to the bylaws took up the most time, but of prime importance to our many members was the proposal to (l)change the name of SWUA and (2)remove the word Christian from an existing bylaw. Both proposals were defeated. From the beginning of our registration on the first day to the Polka Mass finale Sunday we took in the many scheduled events, the displays and exhibits and enjoyed the exceptional meals and musical entertainment. The Friday night outdoor Veranda Party featured The Singing Slovenes from Duluth, MN. I would be remiss if I did not mention the 3 lovely ladies we became acquainted with from Branch 89 of Oglesby: Paula Snell, Margie Walter and Flossie Argubright. Their sociability and great sense of humor did much to cement Ohio/Illinois SWUA fratemalism. Thank you, ladies, for your genuine hospitality. We enjoyed your company and look forward to seeing you again. The Saturday night gala was outstanding and the highlight of the convention. As a SWUA participant I salute the committee and congratulate you all on a job well done. It doesn’t get much better than that. I brought back with me from this experience a sense of pride in belonging to an organization that reaches out over the entire country to nurture the goals of the founding pioneers in love of God, country and family. Živijo SŽZ! The trip by chartered bus was a pleasant one shared with the local Ohio branches. The Euclid bunch led by Rosemary Toth were good company. Joanne Ponikvar and Louise Vett, two lovely ladies from Warren, Ohio’s Branch 54 drove up to Cleveland to join the charter. Greetings to our many out of towners and get well wishes to any ailing members. Adijo Lil Sadowski 216.398.4367 LRSadow@aol.com BRANCH 43 - Milwaukee, Wisconsin Happy New Year! I can’t believe that it is 2008. Where did 2007 go? I hope that everyone had a great holiday and are now enjoying some well deserved R&R. Our branch Christmas Party will be held on Saturday, January 12,2008, at Klemmers at noon. Reservations are a must and you can make them by calling Josephine Janezic. Please do this as soon as possible. We will not have a regular scheduled meeting in December and we would like to see you at our Holiday Luncheon where you will have an opportunity to visit with other branch members. I guarantee you’ll enjoy yourself. Our October meeting was well attended, but we’d love to see YOU there. Many things were discussed including plans for a very special event to be held on Sunday, February 3,2008. On that day you will be treated to a day of fun Slovenian Style. We call it “Pustna Veselica” and will feature a traditional Slovenian Dinner, music, dancing, and you may even want to wear a costume. So mark your calendars and plan on joining in on the fun. This event is a big undertaking for our branch and we will need a lot of hands. Won’t you volunteer? Officers for 2008, were elected and they are as follows: President, Josephine Janezic, V. President, Jan Gehm, Recording Secretary, Mary (Mici) Bregant, Treasurer, Denise Bartlett, Corresponding Secretary, Jackie Smith, and Auditors, Tom Gehm, and Toni Needham. Karen Goodmann remains our Sgt. of Arms and Mici Bregant was appointed the reporter. As you know the National Convention will be held in Milwaukee in 2011. A preliminary luncheon meeting was held a few weeks ago with members from Sheboygan and Milwaukee attending. Denise Bartlett hosted the luncheon at Potowatomi Casino. Yvonne Khaldy, our State President, presided at the meeting in the absence of Denise who was in Montreal, Canada for the funeral of her mother-in-law. It was a great brain storming session and many good ideas were discussed. A meeting in the near future will be held to select committees and to discuss various events that could be held during the convention days. Special greetings are sent to all of our sick and shut ins. Sincere condolences are extended to Bob and Denise Bartlett in the death of Bob’s mother, Mary Bartlett. May she rest in peace. The members of our branch would like to send best wishes and lots of peace and happiness to Ann Konczal and Mary Martino in their new homes. Srečno Novo Leto. Mici Bregant BRANCH 47 - Garfield Heights, Ohio Hi everyone, I hope your holidays were great. Our next meeting will be on March 9,2008 at 1:00 p.m. at the Maple Heights Library. I hope to see all of you there. Our Branch Officers are as follows. President Olga Dorchak; Vice President Debbie Duris; Rec. Sec./Treas. Elsie Spellacy; Auditors Kathleen Ferrante and Elsie Lawrencic; and Reporter Katherine Wallace. Our Member of the Year Luncheon will be May 3, 2008. The restaurant will be Piper’s 3. Address is 8158 Broadview Rd. Time is 4:00 p.m. instead of 1:00 p.m. Our Honoree is Debbie Duris, our new Vice President. More information to follow. Birthday wishes go out to all of our January and February members, best wishes to all. Hope to see you at our next meeting. Contact person Elsie Spellacy 330.699.0031 or E-mail Katherine Wallace at webblekatt@hotmail.com Katherine Wallace BRANCH 50 - Euclid, Ohio Eight of our members attended the S WUA Ohio regional convention. Be sure to read more about it in this issue. Especially about the convention elections where Branch 50’s own Cookie Maxim is our new regional president, with Rose Mary Toth as her vice-president. The 2008 Ohio state convention will be hosted by Branch 50, led by president Rose Mary Toth. We are saddened to report the passing of Jean Miller, a dedicated and active member since 1975, our heartfelt sympathy to her family. On the mend and recuperating from surgery is Mary Jo Rom. Get well wishes are extended also to Anne Orlikowski, Ivanka Matic and Dorothy Stanonik. Many of our members attended the concert presented by “City Music Cleveland,” a professional 32-piece chamber orchestra under the direction of 28-year old James Gaffigan, on October 10"' held in St. Vitus Church. Over 500 people attended this event. Mr. Gaffigan was associate director of the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra and an assistant director of the Cleveland Orchestra. Stan Kuhar, a member of the SWUA and finance director of Saint Vitus, was instrumental in arranging this premiere event. The concert was the inaugural performance of a series that includes 3 additional concerts to be held at St. Vitus this coming winter. Congratulations to Dorothy Tusek and her husband, Albert of Brecksville, Ohio, who celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary in July of this year at St. Vitus Church. Her cousin, Msgr. Franci Petrie from Slovenia performed the ceremony. Dorothy’s mother, Ann (nee Gerchar) Dekleva/ Stanonik was a Branch 50 member in the 1930’s. Their daughters, Susan Schniegenberg and Nancy Blackford, who was awarded the 1986 Mary Bostian Scholarship, as well as Susan’s daughter Amanda, and Nancy’s daughters Rebecca and Emma Grace are all Branch 50 members. It is exciting to meet so many family members. After this mailing at our “house on the hill,” next to Our Lady of Lourdes Shrine, we will have enjoyed our traditional Thanksgiving family dinner, Christmas shopping, Christmas Eve with Santa, Jesus’ Birthday and a New Year’s toast to 2008 to all of you from all of us! HO HO HO HO! Anne Tomsick 216.531.2745 cjaynow@yahoo.com BRANCH 54 - Warren, Ohio By the time you all read this, the Christmas and New Year season will be over. We had a lovely Christmas luncheon at the Cafe 422. Louise Vett, Fran Sainato, and myself were in charge of the festivities, All enjoyed the afternoon. We used to sing Christmas carols - Slovenian and English - but being that our lunch is in the lounge - we would be disturbing the other diners. 1 do miss that! Anne Tomazin’s husband, Charlie was featured in our local newspaper for Veteran’s Day. He is a World War II veteran. It was a very interesting write-up, Charlie has kept up with all his army reunions. Since this Zarja is featuring Pust, when I was growing up we fasted during Lent, went to daily mass and on Fridays had noodles and bean casserole. I was not fond of that dish! But on Easter, we had potica, ham, fresh horseradish and želodec, all blessed on Holy Saturday at our parish. It was worth fasting prior to Easter, to have such delicious Slovenian food. Blessed Easter to all and pray for World Peace. Joanne Ponikvar BRANCH 55 - Girard, Ohio Greetings and Happy New Year from Branch 55 in Girard, OH! I hope that the holiday season was enjoyable and memorable for all. Like many people, decorating, baking, shopping, and most importantly spending time with family and friends were among the activities that I looked forward to and enjoyed the most this past Christmas. As is our tradition, the annual Branch 55 Christmas party was celebrated as a combined event with the members of AM LA Lodge 42-Slovenska Bistrica. The party took place at Amen Comer Sports Bar and Grill in Girard, Ohio on November 28, 2007. Several members of both organizations were in attendance and a great time was had by all. On a more somber note, two members of Branch 55 passed away in October 2007, Helene M. Zupon and Sophie Kren. Helene was a social member in our branch, and Sophie was our oldest member. I would like to offer my deepest condolences to members of the families of these two women, and especially to our branch members Paulette Kren (daughter-in-law), Tricia Kren (grand-daughter) and Brian and Amy Kren (grand-son and wife). May God be with you and yours during this difficult time. As this is the Pust Celebration issue, I am including a poem that I remember from my childhood and the fond memories of preparing for this time of the year: PUST Zdaj je tisti čas - Skozi našo vas, Masten okrog ust - Gre veseli pust. Brenka na kitaro - Nosi jopo staro, Hlače zolto-rdeče - Psa za sabo vleče. Zdaj se posolzi - Zdaj se posmeji, Pa tako postavi - Da stoji na glavi! Napisal Fran Ros That’s all the news for now. Wishing everyone a happy and healthy New Year 2008 Monica Selak BRANCH 93 - New York City, New York We are in the midst of planning activities for 2008. Ideas include an afternoon tea at the Washington Square Hotel to celebrate Slovenia’s Day of Culture (Kulturni Dan) in February and egg dyeing with plants and onion skin in the spring. We are considering “Book of the Year” where a book related to Slovenian heritage is selected (those that want to participate get the book read within a few months and meet to discuss or discuss via e-mail). Another possibility is a Slovenian Language SIG (Special Interest Group) for those who want to meet and speak in Slovenian. We are hoping to use surveymonkey.com to conduct a branch survey (those not on e-mail will get the form via snail-mail). Final plans will be sent via the yahoo group. The “Sample Slovenian Heritage” weekend is tentatively planned for next fall through the Appalachian Mountain Club/AMC in Blairstown, NJ. Anyone in the branch (or the SWUA) who is interested can sign up - $95.00 for AMC members, $105.00 for non-members. The AMC will list in their magazine, which reaches their membership in chapters from Wash. D.C. to Maine. We hope to unearth more Slovenians in the area. Klemen Novak (from Slovenia) is an actor with the American Academy of Dramatic Arts. Three members saw his performance in the play “American Clock” in September. All three liked the play and noticed the cast was enthusiastic and very supportive of each other. A reminder: We are fortunate to have access to “Slovenian Magazine”. It’s a 25-minute program shown n English on channel 25 (WNYE) the first and third Sunday of each month at 3:30 p.m. “It presents current vents in Slovenia, its cultural and historical heritage, attractive features of the landscape, and the country’s economic and tourist potential. It places great stress on original Slovenian creativity. Slovenian Magazine is mainly intended for foreign countries, as well as for Slovenians living around the world, website: http://www.rtvslo.si/ slovenianmagazine/. If you have an e-mail address, please join the Branch 93 yahoo group, it’s the easiest way for us to communicate in a timely manner. Any questions about Branch 93 please contact Lynn Zalokar, 201.947.6336, lzalokar@yahoo.com Lynn Zalokar BRANCH 99 - Lemont, Illinois During the holiday season, I thought it would be appropriate for Branch 99 to give thanks for all the wonderful blessings that have been given to us! First off, the wonderful sounds of Bunco playing and prizes filled the Cultural Center on October 28lh, making it another fun, successful event. Special thanks goes out to our hard working secretary, Julie Partyka and Laurie Stanczak, for making it happen. We would also like to give thanks to our Illinois- Indiana President, Gen Buol, for her eight years of hard work, and congratulations to Joe Skala of Branch 2 who was elected for the next term. We are also thankful for our members of the year, and especially grateful that we have elected two of them! Mary and Paula Mavec will be presented with this honor in May, and will be featured in the Zarja as well. We are also thankful that we are able to host the following events in the upcoming year. Become reacquainted with our 2008 officers at the January Members of the Br. 99 Bunco Party Committee paused for a moment after the successful event that brought out many members and friends! Standing, from left to right, Kim Stanczak, Olivia Schultz, Corinne Leskovar, Emily Stanczak, Julie Partyka, Paula Mavec, Mary Mavec and Jean Cherway; front, Laurie Stanczak, Alyssa Stanczak, Barbara Block, Fran Schultz and Joan Kazmarek. Julie, Fran and Laurie were in charge and directed all the activities of the day on a Halloween theme. 6th meeting, and a chance to win a 20 dollar cash giveaway at 12:30 at the Slovenian Cultural Center. There will also be a Pre-Lenten Sunday party/dance at the Center’s big hall at 12:30 pm on February 5th! Invitations are extended to all our members and your families, because without you, there would be nothing to be thankful for! Olivia BRANCH 100 - Fontana and all of Southern California On Sunday, November 11, Branch 100 held its special meeting at the Slovene Hall in Fontana. It was wonderful having such a nice turnout, which included several of our newer members, as well as some who have participated for many, many years. All Branch officers were present, and as usual, it was a warm and friendly atmosphere as everyone gathered together. The meeting included the introduction of all members present by President, Mary Lou Jensen. It made everyone feel welcome. Mary Lou was instrumental in recruiting many new members during the recent membership campaign, and I am certain that this will be the start of something very special in Southern California. Those of us who were at Starved Rock during the 80th Anniversary Convention celebration gave our interpretation of that incredible experience. Photos were shared and stories were told. In a vote of confidence, officers were reelected for another term. They are President, Mary Lou Jensen; Vice President, Jan Eckert; Secretary- Treasurer, Rosemary Mlakar; and Recording Secretary, Jean Koci. Mary Lou and Jan just finished their first year as officers and Rosemary and I are returning for one more year. We discussed the possibility of having another cooking/baking class after the holidays. It is something that was enjoyed in years past. Also announced was the fact that the SNPJ Lodge in San Francisco celebrates “Pust” each year and some of us travel up there for the celebration. This year it will be on February 2nd. Several members seemed interested in attending, so we sincerely hope that we will be able to take part in this special treat. We were sorry to report that we lost a member, Nell Phillips, during the past week or so. Nell had been an active member for many years and resided in Fontana. She and her husband were faithful participants in Branch luncheons and other activities through the years. Our sincere sympathy to her family. We send our best to Marge Ostrowski, our 2007 Member of the Year who has not been well, but is slowly gaining her strength. We hope to see her out and about soon! Mary Lou planned a “getting to know you” kind of game for us to play after the meeting adjourned. There were six winners who earned prizes. Congratulations! We finished our day with more socializing and a very tasty lunch of chicken paprikash with noodles and all the trimmings. Thanks to the ladies who brought dessert. Everything was delicious! Happy New Year to all! Jean Koci 949.495.0097 ajkoci@cox.net BRANCH 102 - Willard, Wisconsin Greetings from Willard! Many Branch 102 members were present when the “Slovenska Družba” hosted a Vinska Trgatev at the west side hall in Willard on September 30lh. Along with Slovenian dances and music everyone enjoyed the story of the Mayor, his Wife, the Judge and Jailer. The young people were very happy to steal fruit and candy from the Krona and spend time in “jail” rather than pay their fines. Branch members Pat Sixel and Candy Johnson along with friends, Ruth Zweig and Sarah Trunkel, spent a beautiful October Saturday surrounded by the lush forests of the Willard area, celebrating their Slovenian heritage. Using Aggie Debevec’s strudel recipe and Arlene Debevec’s potica recipe, they spent the day baking, sampling wines and cheese and enjoying a bountiful luncheon. They had much fun rolling dough and figuring out recipes as not one of them makes both delicacies or uses the same the same recipe. The girls (Pat, Candy, Ruth, Sarah and Arlene Debevec) call themselves the Fab5 and grew up together in Willard. Branch 102 members Pat Sixel, Candy Johnson and friend Sarah Trunkel We sadly report the passing of Josephine (Perovsek) Trunkel, 92, a lifelong resident, on September 28, 2007. Josie was active until the last month of her life and was a familiar sight as she drove her green, 1975 pickup to Mass every Sunday. Mary Djubenski is a resident at Clark County Health Care Center in Owen. Birthday greetings go to Gertrude Buckovec, Frank Govek and Ellen Plautz. George Plautz Jr. reports continuing success with his genealogical research on the Movrin and Plautz families. Special thanks to Frank Govek for the donation toward postage for our Branch newsletter. Branch 102 celebrated November with our annual Hunters bake sale. Our Christmas party, potluck and grab bag was celebrated on December 1, 2007. Now that the Holidays are behind us we here in Willard settle in for the winter and wish you all Peace in 2008. Until next time... Karen Hribar-Spires kleespires@comcast.net BRANCH 103 - Washington, D.C. President Mary Lou Terselic enjoyed the Hidden Highlights of Slovenia trip with her friend Laurie and other SWUA members, including her daughter Nancy and Nancy’s husband Jason. Unfortunately, some events occurred that they had not anticipated such as the flooding in Slovenia, the likes of which had not happened in more than a hundred years. This prevented them from seeing Lake Bohinj and Mt. Vogel, but the tour guides were able to add, on other days, all other sights that had been missed. Mary Lou said that they enjoyed the places they visited and the food they ate in spite of the full and hectic pace. She was also part of a small group that attended cooking school in Izola - a fun experience. When on July 28-29 the Slovenian farming community of Willard, WI celebrated the 100th anniversary of its founding, a member of Branch 103 described to participants how it came to be largely through the efforts and salesmanship of his grandfather, Ignac Cesnik. For his presentation, our member and Ignac’s grandson, Jim Cesnik now of Winchester, VA drew on the extensive oral and documentary history he has compiled about the village’s founding and early days. He also outlined the journey that brought Ignac and Jera Zadelj Cesnik to the United States and Wisconsin via Brazil and Joliet, IL in the late 1890s and early 1900s. Treasurer Molly Thomas visited member Mary Bodling; both had an enjoyable time reminiscing about past branch activities. Secretary Mimi Mejac because of an attack of vertigo, spent several days in the hospital undergoing numerous tests to rule out any serious ailments. She did have to undergo carpal tunnel surgery on her left hand and still has her right hand to be operated on in the near future. She has also moved in with her daughter Maria Thomas who set up a lovely and comfortable apartment with all the amenities in her house. A warm welcome to our new member, Donna Zadnik. We hope you enjoy the Zarja and any events we have planned for the year. BRANCH 108 - Olney, Maryland Srečno novo leto! All members and guests are invited to our first luncheon meeting of the year on January 20 at 1 p.m. We will have an installation of new officers and plan activities/events for 2008. It was pleasant to see our youth and adult members enjoying themselves together at our 4th anniversary celebration in November with socializing and tasting the delicious buffet items brought by members. Special thanks to Mrs. Estelle Zorman who shared memories of her recent trip to Slovenia with spectacular photos of her trip and great suggestions on travel to the beautiful country of our ancestors. Hvala lepa to our native Slovenian member Maijeta Cedilnik for introducing a fun and upbeat Slovenian language program designed for youth members and guests during the anniversary program to keep the youth occupied. If there is interest, Marjeta has offered to have an ongoing Slovenian Youth Language Program. Thanks to all who helped make the raffle fun, including certificates for professional services by our members. Congratulations to our new recording secretary, Erika Maxel for offering organizational support, and to both Erika and Marjeta for taking on the creative endeavor of starting up our Branch 108 website. Belated birthday greetings go out to Mr. Charlie Koiner for his 87th this past November. A surprise party was organized for him by his daughter Lynn and the Silver Spring community with photos and a write up in the community newspaper. He is well known as a longtime farmer for farm fresh fruits and vegetables offered at the Silver Spring Farmer’s Market, and as an award winning participant at the Montgomery County Fair. In addition, congratulations are extended to Hedy Glenn on her recent marriage to Wayne. Bernadette Fitzsimmons reported noticing a school bulletin board at her son’s school with a map of the world filled with kids from with various cultural backgrounds, and a photo of a 6lh grader holding a Slovenian flag next to the country of Slovenia. She recognized the boy immediately and has known his mother Elaine casually through church and school activities for the last three years, but had no idea they shared the same heritage. Bernadette got a packet of materials ready for 6th grade Brian to take home to his mom and the rest is history. This past Sunday, Elaine thanked Bernadette for all the information and also introduced her mother Mrs. Marge Kosak Lostoski; she was delighted to meet another fellow SWUA member. She grew up in a Slovenian neighborhood in Cleveland, played with well known SWUA member Marge Church during her childhood and went on to have seven children. Marge was all smiles, mentioning her mother Betty Kosak who immigrated from Slovenia to America and the coincidence that her deceased mother’s birthday was actually on November 11, the day Elaine, Marge and Bernadette talked Veronika Stare in front of the new Slovenian Embassy about their Slovenian ancestry for the first time. Three of Marge’s children live in Maryland, make potica and love the complimentary Nov/Dec Zarja issue and the on-line newsletter Bernadette passed on to them. The best news is that Elaine has already passed on applications to her siblings and is excited about getting involved in SWUA! BRANCH 109 - Twin Cities, Minnesota The Twin Cities Slovenian’s meetings have centered around two major themes: family history and children -“living the legacy of our Slovenian heritage.” At our October meeting, members Jean Rolstad and cousin Betty Poferl shared their research of the Kuetzler (Kucler) family, which centered in Polhov Gradec, Slovenia. This was also the town where my grandfather grew up (Setnikar). Al Šiftar, whose relatives came from eastern Slovenia near the Hungarian border, laid out an extensive display of posters and resources for developing family history. These presentations made for a rewarding morning for the membership. A1 announced the November 7 lecture by Professor Matjaž Klemenčič from the University of Maribor at the University of Minnesota Immigration History Research Center. Mary Medved, our historian and special projects coordinator, led the membership in a discussion about the Land Mines Project which is of special interest to Ambassador Zbogar. The membership felt that this was a project they would like to support. Contributions would be collected through Mary from October through December 6.This humanitarian effort will reinforce our “children” theme for our November holiday meeting. At the November holiday meeting, Mary Percic Bernard, a former third grade teacher, taught a group of 5 to 10 year olds (our grandchildren bom in the USA with Slovenian parts), “Silent Night” in Slovenian along with a holiday skit. While the children were busy, parents and grandparents listened to a discussion of children’s literature, (English and Slovenian), focusing on Jana Bauer’s book “In the Land of Gingerbread.” We also saw video snippets of a “Sveti Miklavž” program that was done in Cleveland. The afternoon ended with a potluck luncheon and gingerbread gifts for the children. SWUA National Auditors Appointed It’s an important, detailed job - At the National Convention in June 2007 the positions of the three (3) National Auditors were changed significantly. Previously, the three (3) National Auditors were voting members of our seven (7) member National Board of Directors; elected at the National Convention for four (4) year terms. The Board restructuring was approved and now the National Auditor positions have the same important responsibilities but no longer are voting members of the Board of Directors; appointed by the National Board of Directors rather than elected by Convention delegates. Now SWUA’s National Board structure more closely resembles those of businesses and organizations, large and small. At the special National Board meeting held in Joliet, IL in November 2007 the following were selected by the 2007-2011 National Board of Directors to serve as SWUA’s and now we know who’ll do it. National Auditors until the next National Convention in 2011; all three (3) reside in Illinois and represent three (3) Illinois SWUA Branches. The First National Auditor, who will preside over and present their findings after annual and periodic examinations (audits) of SWUA’s books, accounts, records and investments is Genevieve Buol, member of Branch 2 - Chicago. Second National Auditor is Mary Banich, member of Branch 89 - Oglesby and Third National Auditor is Rita Bottomley, member of Branch 20 - Joliet. Thank you to these three (3) members for taking on this important task in their service to SWUA! Their first audit is planned to coincide with the annual meeting of the National Board of Directors in Spring 2008. We’ll learn more about them individually and read their findings in the May/June 2008 issue of Zarja - The Dawn. - SWUA 2007 - 2011 National Board Entertaining... With a Touch of Slovenia This time of year always brings back fond memories of my parents who met at a Pust celebration. Both immigrants from Slovenia, naturally they felt an immediate bond. The rest, as they say, is history, but I could always tell that this time of the year was very special for my mother. The days just prior to the beginning of Lent were always busy days in our household. My mother would be busy preparing for our feast and my father would always make sausage. I have recreated a typical Fat Tuesday meal that I used to eat as a little girl. I hope you enjoy. Remember, your tablescape is very important to create the final look. If you were lucky enough to attend the National Convention Gala try using the small Rogaška Crystal vase with a few miniature red carnations. And if you have a Kurent doll don’t be afraid to use it as a centerpiece like I did. He definitely is a conversation piece. I remember when I received it for a gift from my cousin in Slovenia. Now I bring it out every year just when I am tired of the cold weather because I was told it can help scare away the bad weather. -Jenka Pretzel (Presta) with Salt and Caraway Seeds 6 cup flour, approx. 2 tsp. sugar 2 tsp. salt 1 Vi small cake yeast, melted in V\ cup water and 1 tsp. sugar 2 cup milk, scalded then let cool 1/3 cup shortening Put all ingredients into a large bowl, mix and knead well. Cover dough. Let rise in warm place until double in bulk, about 50 minutes. Note: For a quicker version, use frozen bread dough and start from here. Remove dough from bowl. Form into 18" x 4" roll; cut into 16 pieces. Roll each piece into 18" rope leaving it bigger in middle, fold into pretzel shape. And put on baking sheet. Let rise about 25 minutes or until double. Topping 1/8 cup kosher, sea or regular salt 1/8 cup caraway seed Mix salt and caraway seed in a bowl. Bring water to boil in a large pan. Boil 4 pretzels at a time, 30 seconds, turning once. Remove with a slotted spoon, put back on greased baking sheet and sprinkle with salt and caraway seed. Bake at 450 degrees for 13 to 14 minutes or until golden brown. Dough 3 cup flour % cup water 3 large eggs Make dough, cover, set aside for '/2 hour. Filling 6 eggs 1 stick butter 1 lb. cottage cheese Scramble eggs in butter just until it is starting to brown, set aside. Broth 3 quart water 2 sticks butter 1 bunch of parsley, chopped Roll dough out thin. Spread cottage cheese and scrambled eggs filling over dough almost to the ends. Roll like a jellyroll making sure it is tight. Cut in 1" pieces. Drop in boiling water. Bring water back to a boil then cover and simmer for 25 to 30 minutes. Enjoy. Yeast Mixture 1 lg. cake compressed yeast 1 tsp. sugar XA cup lukewarm water In medium sized bowl dissolve yeast in lukewarm water and sugar Stir and let stand to rise about 10 minutes. Krofi Ingredients 5 eggs, beaten 1OV2 cup unsifted flour 3 tsp. salt Sugar, granulated for dusting Directions: To the cooled milk mixture, add yeast and the beaten eggs. Add the flour and salt. With a wooden spoon beat the mixture well. Sprinkle just a little flour over the dough so that the cloth to cover will not stick to the dough. Cover. Let rise partially for 20 minutes. Beat down and repeat 2 more times. The fourth time beat down, sprinkle with flour and let rise for 45 minutes. Over a flour covered cloth rub your hand lightly so the flour is absorbed into the cloth, otherwise the krofi picks up too much flour before they are fried. Pat out 1/3 of the dough at a time to about 1/3 inch thickness (you do not roll the dough as it is too sticky). Cut with cutter (without a hole). Place on floured cloth to rise. Do this with the remainder of the dough. Let rise about 20 minutes, covered. Heat fryer to 375 degrees with 4 pounds lard. At this temperature fry krofi covered the first minute or so. Turn, and finish frying uncovered until golden brown. Drain on absorbent paper. Dust with granulated sugar. If they are to be frozen, do not sugar. Milk Mixture 1 lg. can evaporated milk 1 cup sugar 21/2 cup whole milk 1 '/2 sticks margarine '/4 cup oil Heat the above over medium heat until the margarine melts, stirring occasionally. Cool to lukewarm. Slovenian Women’s Union of America Scholarship Program History Marie Prisland, Founder of the SWUA in 1926, proposed the first American Slovenian Scholarship Program at the 1943 SWUA National Convention in Pittsburgh, PA. Marie wrote “I was delighted when delegates enthusiastically adopted my proposal that a fund be established to financially aid needy, young, qualified students”. It was her DREAM! After several years of gathering funding for the scholarship program and benefit for war-torn people in native Slovenia by sale of greeting cards, contributions from branches, members and formation of a Friendship Circle, the first scholarships were awarded in 1949. Since that time over $200,000 has been dispersed. The SWUA takes pride in aiding the educational development of young men and women as future leaders of our American and Slovenian society. Tax Exempt Status The vision of a long time member and educator, Ms. Anna Rose Smolich brought the scholarship program to a new level by naming the SWUA Scholarship Program as a beneficiary of her estate to $5,000, on condition that the Scholarship Program was tax exempt. In December 1998 the SWUA Scholarship Foundation was formed as a corporation and was federally approved as a 501 (c)(3) in April 1999, obtaining a tax exempt status that benefits donors. After incorporation, the SWUA Foundation gratefully received a large gift from the sale of the now defunct Slovene Rest Home Association, from which only interest is annually awarded, limiting awards. This new entity, the Slovenian Women’s Union Scholarship Foundation, provides tax relief to those making a donation and in estate planning as well as investing in the future. Yearly application numbers continue to increase. Help Make the Dream Come True! SWUA Scholarship Mission To generate funding to Financially assist young students, with Hope that they will promote and Preserve Slovenian culture. IN UNIVERZITETNA KNJIŽNICA 55PUttJCSOSrrE94’T^' T T M 7Q0 M /002008 USA \PpeJ MS iE Vote'S11 liliililiiliiilliiillulliMilllilittilil 920103987,1 Office of Financial A id, University of Colorado, Boulder: "Scholarships such as yours continue to make a wonderful impact on the students of today and our citizens of tomorrow. ” Kristin Mulvey, Joliet Junior College, Joliet, Illinois: "Your generous contribution helps us meet today s challenges by providing the vital scholarships that make a significant difference to our students. "