S 3.99 U.S.'S 4.99 International
Volume 79 Issue 6 November/December, 2007
Official Publication Slovenian Women’s Union of America Uradno Glasilo Slovenske Ženske Zveze V Ameriki |
The Dawn
Great Christmas Gifts Available at the SWUA Heritage Museum
Men’s Polo Shirt, White/Grey/Putty, $16 + $3 S&H Women’s Polo Shirt, White/Yellow/Pink, $16 + $3 S&H Sizes: S. M. L. XL. XXL - VERY LIMITED STOCK! Men’s Tee Shirt, Ash-Grey/Sand, $12 + $3 S&H Women’s Tee Shirt, Grey/Natural/Blue, $12 + $3 S&H Sizes: S. M. L. XL. XXL Youth Size below M(10-12^ S(6-81 Youth Tee Shirts, Grey/Royai Blue, $12 + $3 S&H Apron (It’s in every Slov.) $28 + $3 S&H
White w/red-towel or Blue w/white towel or Red w/white-towel White w/red-towel (small), $22 + $3 S&H Apron (Solid Blue), Regular, $22 + $3 S&H Apron (Princess), Child, $12 + $3 S&H Tote Bag (It’s in every Slov.), Canvas, $12 + $3 S&H Tote Bag (Potica), Canvas, $12 + $3 S&H Tote Bag, White, $12 + $3 S&H Cloth Briefcase, Black, $15 + $3 S&H Baseball Cap, Slovenia Logo/Blue/Black, $10 + $3 S&H Pairs of Red Socks w/Hearts, Womens, $5 + $3 S&H Slovenian Dolls, various hair colors, $130 + $10 S&H Lace Pieces, $6 + $3 S&H 80111 Convention Pens, $1 + $2 S&H Slovenian Mugs, $5 + $3 S&H Flat glass wine bottle cheese board, $18 + $3 S&H Salt & Pepper Shaker, silver heart top, $5 + $3 S&H Mary of Brezja Candles with Stand, $5 + $3 S&H Rosaries from Slovenia, $8 + $3 S&H
Angels from Slovenia, Small hand painted, $4 + $3 S&H Lotion from Slovenia, Body Creme, $15 + $3 S&H Slovenian Leather Book Marks, $2 + $2 S&H Slovenia key chains, Three types, $1 + $2 S&H Heavy Silver Key Chain, $12 + $3 S&H Culinary Society Pins and Charms
Potica/Krofi/Sausage, $10 + $3 S&H (Sorry no Potica Charms at this time -buy all three pins for $27 + $3 S&H)
I	Love Slovenia SWU pins, $1 + $2 S&H Large Outdoor Slovenian Flag, $50 + $3 S&H American/Slovenian Flag, w/Stand, $10 + $3 S&H Post Cards of Jota/Žlikrovi/Potica, $1 + $1 S&H Carnation Cards, 10 cards in a set, $2+3 S&H Woman’s Glory, SWUA Cookbook, $15 + $4 S&H More Pots and Pans, SWUA Cookbook, $10 + $4 S&H Gingerbread Land: English-Slovenian, $26 + $4 S&H Rabbit Emil: English-Slovenian, $26 + $4 S&H The Giant Hen: English-Slovenian, $26 + $4 S&H Blaženi Skof Slomšek: Slovenian, $5 + $3 S&H Maria Pomagaj na Brezjah: English $5 + $3 S&H Atlas of Slovenia: English, $110 + $5 S&H Berlitz Dictionary/Phrase, Book, $15 + $4 S&H Slov. Lang. Manual, Gobetz/Loncar, $18 + $4 S&H Learn Slovenian, CD, $25 + $3 S&H Let’s Sing, Slovenian songs -softcover, $1 + $3 S&H Splasher Cloth, Embroidery patterns, $5 + $3 S&H From Slovenia to America, Marie Prisland Hard cover, $7 + $4 S&H Soft cover, $5 + $3 S&H Mary Help at Brezje, $5 + $3 S&H Rože z Mojih Vrtov, poems: Slovenian, $8 + $4 S&H My Life in 3 Countries, Ana Skopec, $20 + $4 S&H Dancing a Polka-Heaven, Fr. Perkovich, $20 + $4 S&H
MUSICAL TAPE $10 + $3 S&H CD’S $15 + $3 S&H
Mozarts-Sound of the River
Frank Yankovic & Friends
Lifescapes-kids singalong
1 Northshore, The Fairport Ensemble
Kate & Jim Gorton
Fr. Perkovich- More Songs
Too Loud Polka Band
Naši pesmi - Uspeh Slovenian Chorus
Heavenly Strains of Singing Slovenes
Slowenitsch Sterne
Original Oberkrainer Quintet Slow
Best Things n Life r Free - Doncar
Los Chanares-Mendoza Argentine
Polka Mass-sters
Barich Bros-Here’s to You
Let’s Go Dancing - Morouse
Slowenitsch Sterne
Joe Wendcl Orchestra
United Slov. Soc. Band In Concert
Spanish Skyline Ely St. Chorus in Concert Frankie Yankovic-Greatest Hits Two Trad. Slovenian Folk Customs It’s Happy Time - Koncar Kate & Jim Gordon - Marie Musical Memories - Bob Doszak Slovenski Mendoski Oktet Greatest Slov. Polka Hits - Tadej Happy Polka Time - Koncar Fasten Your Seatbelt Polka - Doszak KSKJ Slovenian Singers Yankovic Live in Nashville Greatest Slov. Polka Hits - Tadej Polka Mass-ters
Can this be Heaven - KSKJ Singer Best of DTO - Dick Tadej Ethnic Strains of Singing Slovenes Bill Koncar Band
Slovenian Heritage Museum	
431 N. Chicago St.	
Joliet, IL 60432	
Call: 815.727.1926	
YOUR PURCHASE HELPS US TO	
CONSERVE OUR HERITAGE	
	
Zarja - The Dawn
(ISSN 0044-1848)
EDITOR: Debbie Pohar DIRECTOR OF DESIGN: Bonnie Pohar Prokup CONSULTING EDITOR: Corinne Leskovar
I DITORIAI OFEICI 1696 Illinois St., LaSalle, II. 61301 TELEPHONE: 815.223.9596 FAX: 815.224.1074
WEB SITE: www.swua.org
PUBLISHER: Slovenian Women's Union of America TELEPHONE: 815.727.1926
Vol. 79. No 6, November December 2007 Published bimonthly Periodicals Postage paid at Joliet. IL and additional mailing offices.
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-relatcd 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 nohar4'» 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 SWUA events or members. The deadline for articles is the 15 day of the month, 2 months preceding the issue. I or example, articles for the January/ February issue must be received by November 15"’. Thank you.
CONTENTS
From the Editor
IT’S IN EVERY SLOVENIAN
1	From the Editor
2	National President’s Message
4	Meet Our New Leaders
Complete biographies of the 2007 -2011 SWUA National Board
8	SWUA Scholarship Program
9	Membership Retention by Lynn Zalokar
10	Men in a SWUA World
11	Kid Talk
HERITAGE NEWS
13	The MuSe
14	Discovering your Slovenian Roots
16	Family Connected
17	The Path Taken - Dopoljena pot
22	Archival Records Scanned
SPECIAL REPORTS
24	SWUA Potica Contest Winner
Helen Cukale by Corinne Leskovar 26	Preserving the Tradition of Potica
by Melissa Netzer, SWUA Correspondent
28	Minnesota SWUA State Convention
29	Wisconsin SWUA State Convention
30	Branch Reports
CULINARY
39	Entertaining... With a Touch of Slovenia
One of my fondest memories as a child was watching my grandmother bake. I was so excited when I was finally able to help her. She always amazed me because she never
One of Debbie and her sister Cathy's poticas
used a recipe, measuring cups or even a bowl. She would make a circle with the flour and add the ingredients to the middle and kept mixing in the flour as she went. I could never figure out how each and every time it would taste the same. How did she know how much she was adding of each ingredient? When I would ask her for a recipe she would just say, watch me. I always tried to write down every step, but it seemed 1 must have missed something because when I would try it on my own, it never quite tasted the same.
My sister, Cathy, being a better cook than I, picked up on our grandmother’s recipes faster. With her being in charge of all of the ingredients and mixing we bake over 80 poticas at Christmas and over 20 at Easter. I perform all of the manual jobs of rolling the dough and spreading the filling before we both participate in the actual rolling of the potica to ensure a tight roll.
I hope you enjoy all of the potica recipes in this issue and please give one a try. It is not Christmas without potica.
I am very excited about next year for Zarja. We have some great themes and new writers joining us. Have a safe and joyous holiday season. - Debbie Pohar, Editor
Letter to the Editor
Dear Members of SWUA Branch 43,
Attending and participating in the SWUA 25th National Convention as your delegate and alternate was a spectacular and interesting experience. Emotions ranged from serious and tense during the debate over proposed bylaw amendment changes to happy and light hearted during the social events. In between scheduled meetings we explored EXPO displays, contests and informational presentations, all of which joyfully highlighted Slovenian culture and tradition. We enjoyed meeting and engaging in conversation with other representatives and guests who attended the convention from across the continental USA.
Entrusting your delegate with voting power helped to pass needed changes in the bylaws so as to enable future SWUA board members to perform at higher, more efficient levels. Our new board members appear energetic and enthusiastic and are well equipped to take on the next four years with gusto.
We want to take this opportunity to thank those of you who donated monies to offset the expense of our trip to Starved Rock, Illinois. Your thoughtfulness and generosity is greatly appreciated. - Terri Majcher, Delegate and Jackie Smith, Alternate
f* *x
!Q7	|"§	LJUBLJANA	sijj	j
Dober Dan,
I bet everyone’s mouth is watering for a piece of potica. Lucky for me I’ve had it several times in the past month. I was in Slovenia for three weeks where I tried tarragon potica for the first time and absolutely loved it and 1 tried Jenka’s apple potica (see page 40).
Yes, I realize I was a little luckier than most as it’s not even Christmas and I’ve had more than my share; but hey, there was work involved too! While in Slovenia my job was to crack open the walnuts. This was the same job I had as a child. I remember hiking in the woods behind our home to a walnut tree. There we would gather bushels full and bring them home. We would then dry them out and use them at a later date. When that day came we had to peel the first layer off which would leave a stain on your hands and then crack the nuts open. It seemed so hard but never did I realize until I became an adult that managing the walnuts was the easiest part of making a potica.
My mother and aunts would make it every year for Christmas and Easter. Today my two sisters, Debbie and
Cathy have taken over that role.
They even make poticas for hire,
it’s a very big production. I am
trying to convince my sisters to Bonnie Pohar PmkuP ,	^	,	.	National President
make me the tarragon potica.
I hope this issue makes everyone want a piece of potica during the holidays! And speaking of the holidays why don’t you consider giving the gift of a membership to SWUA? It’s only $20.00 for adults and $5.00 for children. Are they already members? Then think about purchasing an item from the gift shop. Remember the gift shop helps support the museum so every purchase is just like a donation. In this issue of Zarja is more information and a complete list of the items for sale or call Jonita Ruth at the Home Office at 815-727-1926.
The National Board will be meeting in Joliet from November 1 - 4. We are looking forward to a successful meeting. We recently finished the audit with the Department of Insurance. Overall it went very well. We did find out that of the seven National Board members, three have to live in Illinois. Fortunate for us we have three residing in Illinois so we are in compliance.
I hope you enjoy this issue and a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all!	,
'4s .'i
Bonnie Pohar Prokup, wprokup@aol.com	>T >r
National President (Zveza)	"
National President’s Message
P-O-T-I-C-A..It’s	the	word	of	the	day!
V V
Vesele božične praznike
Welcome to Our New Members!
1, Haneman, Sylvia S.
1,	Remington, Delores 20, Baker, Cheryl F.
20, Briese, Dale 20, DeGrush, MaryBeth 20, Marose, Maryann 20, Oviyach, Raymond H. 20, Skul, Amanda
23, Quillo, Merianne
24, Casstevens, Stephanie 30, Reamer, MaryAnn
33, Twomey, Lillian 42, Day, Mary L.
42, Jisa, Rose Marie 89, Beer, Barbara 89, Bennett, Patricia 89, Bryant, Annabelle 89, Cole, JoAnne 89, Corbitt, MaryAlice 89, Ebner, Anna 89, Ebner, Olivia 89, Fox, Elizabeth A.
89, Wess, JoAnn 93, Barolli, Sierra 93, Nesfield, Crystal 93, Zajec, Miha 100, Rose, Mary 102, Kezele, Kay
102, Zwieg, Ruth
103, Shotwell, J. Molly 103, Shotwell, Marilou C 103, Zadnik,Donna
108, Monshau, Michael Father
Zarja The Dawn Donations
“Keeping the Spirit Alive”
$50.00 Donation
Jisa, Rose Marie - Branch 42, Memory of Mary Macek Remington, Delores - Branch 1
$30.00 Donation
Anonymous - Branch 93 Cameron, Mary Ruth - Branch 38,
Memory Pat (Samsa) Baron
$25.00 Donation
Staniszewski, Janice - Branch 20, Memory of her mother
$20.00 Donation
Baker, Cheryl - Branch 20, Memory of Katherine Bahor Brady, Sharon Pohar - Branch 24 Ganster, Diana - Branch 20
Malenšek, Anton - Branch 93, Memory of Ana Malenšek Petrich, Julia - Branch 2, Memory Brencic and Petrich Princ, Rose Marie - Branch 2,
Memory of mother, Rose Moline
$10.00 Donation
Debevc, Ada - Branch 2,
Memory of Frank and Mary Debevc Konechnik, Dolores - Branch 5,
Memory Josephine Tomasetig Voros, Mary - Branch 6,
Honor of mother, Katherine Ujcic White, Frances - Branch 66
Potica is Big and Getting Bigger!
The classic potica recipe our Potica Contest Winner, Helen Cukale uses (see page 25), is a happy combination of good ingredients, expert technique and lots of delicate handling. This sweet bread is becoming more and more popular among our 2nd and 3rd generation Slovenians in the USA. When people talk about their backgrounds as they search their heritage and family connections, trying to find what family traditions they remember, most references go directly back to our Slovenian polka music and home-baked potica. I think everyone knows these things because they are so heart-felt and easy to remember. Hear a polka once or eat potica once and you are hooked!
We can thank our grandmothers and mothers for some of that. They brought the knowledge of Potica-making with them from their homeland, Slovenia and brought the recipes with them, albeit in their heads! It was more than the recipe they brought. It was their form of art! These days, we are glad to see and hear that more and more young homemakers
are into making them and proudly telling everyone, “I made a Slovenian Potica”.
Oh, but how can one decide on the perfect potica? In the
recent SWUA Convention Potica Contest there were all kinds of poticas on the table, some round, some high, some low, some loaf-style, some fatter and some thinner. There were the poticas with raisins, some with different tasting fillings that might be chocolate, and some that had lots of dough showing. Some had heavy fillings and others were light and airy. Our judges went back and forth, tasting, touching and sniffing all those good ingredients. (I don’t think it was an easy job!) Ultimately, though, they unanimously selected a delicious potica that was made by a loving grandmother, a wonderful mom and long-time baker! Can’t do better than that!
And, as for the rest of us, long may we enjoy Slovenian Potica! - Corime Leskovar
$5.00 Donation
Eggen, Lillian - Branch 30, Memory of George Eggen Skul, Mary - Branch 47, Honor deceased members
Berkopec, Jane - Branch 50 Chumovic, Sylvia - Branch 20
Thank you to all of our donors throughout the year! Srečno novo leto!
- The Zarja Staff
Meet our New Leaders...
The 2007 - 2011 SWUA National Board
Bonnie Pohar Prokup, National President
We all know Bonnie from her exceptional work the past 12 years as an officer of Slovenian Women’s Union of America. It began this way... As a young 20-something, she attended the State Convention of the Illinois-Indiana Branches in 1993. All she did was accompany one of her sisters and a friend as guests to the convention in Chicago, and there she was encouraged to accept the office of vice-president. When friend Gerrilynn, newly elected as state president, left a few months later to take a job in England, Bonnie stepped up and became president and this gave her the first taste of being in a Slovenian organization.
Bonnie was always happy being Slovenian. She remembers how she learned to dance the polka at an early age - still loves to hear the beat - and even to read Zarja and get to say some Slovenian words. She vowed to bring Slovenian traditions into her home when she would have children, and this she and her husband, Bill, have done. After a marriage of 18 years, Bill Prokup has been a part of Bonnie’s Slovenian life and, as we all know, he was also an intrinsic part of her life as the National Secretary of SWUA, as our very capable Financial Advisor for the past 8 years. Their daughters are Bekki and Barbi, 15 and 12 years old and the Prokups live in Peru, Illinois near the senior Pohars and other members of their large, very close-knit family that enjoys sharing Slovenian food and fun!
At the National Convention in 1999 Bonnie’s reputation as a hard-working officer was already well-known and she was elected as National Secretary, assuming the responsibility and hard work of modernizing all the recordkeeping of SWUA. She has developed a comprehensive
Debbie Pohar Vice President of Outreach (Zveza)
Debbie has worked behind the scenes of SWUA since moving back to LaSalle, Illinois in 1999. She has been the editor of Zarja the Dawn since December 2005. She was bom and raised in LaSalle, Illinois and received a Bachelor of Science degree from Western Illinois University. Soon after graduating, Debbie moved to Phoenix, Arizona where she started as a Medical Technologist and soon moved up the management ladder in the Maricopa County Health System. She has designed and built many computer programs still in use for the County in-addition to various other companies including American Airlines.
During her first term from 1999-2003, the membership grew remarkably, mainly due to her organizational and promotional abilities (remember all the various themes for membership campaigns?); and in her second term, from 2003-2007, Bonnie kept her energy flowing and found many new ways to support and advance our primary SWUA mission, to preserve our heritage. It is to be expected that now, as National President, Bonnie will call upon all the knowledge she has gained as Secretary, knowing the ins and outs of this organization, and will invigorate all of us to get many more new members! And a completely new Board of Directors will work with Bonnie and follow her leadership as they strive for progress and a greater membership in the next term.
Answering the call for youth in our ranks, delegates at the recent National Convention elected a National Board comprised of many young officers with new ideas and new goals. They also elected a new president, Bonnie Prokup, and she’s reading the future with originality and energy -exactly what SWUA wants and needs! Good luck, Bonnie and Srečno.' - Corinne Leskovar
Debbie works in the office of the family excavating business. She is a member of the LaSalle Park Board, the LaSalle Girls Softball Little League and a softball coach.
electronic system that is totally up-to-date with computer software specifically for our organization. As of this date, she has tied up all the loose ends of record keeping and brought our membership and financial records into easily accessible availability. Our newly elected officers will have the luxury of stepping into a completely organized and immediately workable system.
Debbie has always been very proud of her Slovenian heritage and is proud to be serving as a National Officer on the 2007 - 2011 Board.
Debbie can be reached at pohar4@.aol.com.
Carol Ryba
Vice President of Home Office (Zveza)
Carol is honored to be the new Vice President of the Home Office, and welcomes the challenge. She feels it will be an exciting time to serve on the National Board, and will do her best to continue the excellent work accomplished by the previous Board.
In 1997 she started researching her heritage and tracing her Slovenian roots. When she attended a meeting of the Washington, D.C. Chapter of the Slovenian Genealogy Society in 1998, she met SWUA’s Heritage Director Irene Odorizzi, who was a guest speaker. She promptly gave Carol an application for a membership in the Slovenian Women’s Union of America, and for the next two years she attended Branch 103 meetings until she moved to Florida in 2000. Unfortunately there is not a branch in Florida so she became a member at large in Branch 30. When she joined in 1998, she had no idea that her maternal grandmother, Marija Bajc Bucar was also a member from 1932 to 1941. Through her membership she has learned a lot about her wonderful Slovenian heritage, and more importantly she can finally make a decent potica! For years she tried to duplicate her mother’s potica, but it wasn’t until she found some good hints in the Pots and Pans cookbook, was she able to succeed.
Last year when Mary Lou Voelk asked for volunteers to scan our valuable membership documents, Carol answered the call for help. Since she was originally from Chicago, she periodically visits the area so she thought, why not work on this worthwhile endeavor. Of course, one of the first things she did when she visited the museum was to find her grandmother’s records. It was quite a thrill to view her handwritten application.
Carol is retired from the Federal Government after 31 years, and for 15 of those years she was a Budget and Finance Officer. In her last position prior to retiring she was involved in the automation of an Accounts Payable department, and she believes this experience will help her do a good job. As a National Board member, she will work hard to keep our Slovenian heritage alive, and she hopes that she will exhibit that wonderful Slovenian trait, which was taught to her by her mother, work hard and do the job right!
Carol can be reached at ryba4homeoffice@vahoo.com.
George Plautz
Vice President of Culture and Heritage (Zveza)
George currently lives in Valrico,
Florida, near Tampa. In 2005, he retired after working 32 years for the federal government in Washington, DC. During those years he served as the Editor of The Linden Tree, the newsletter of the
Slovenian Genealogy Society, International, and webmaster/designer of their web site. He became a life member of the Gottscheer Heritage and Genealogy Assocation and a member of KSKJ, Branch 136 in Willard, Wisconsin. He is currently a member of Branch 102, SWUA, in Willard, Wisconsin, but was a member of Branch 103 in Washington, DC up to 2005, where he joined in 1997. He is the web historian for three townships in Clark County, where Slovenian immigrants and their families made their homes and work with a great bunch of people called the Clark County Buffs. He has made presentations to the Slovensko Rodoslovno Društva (Genealogy Society) in Ljubljana in 2000 and 2001, regarding genealogy in Bela Krajina and the SGSI. He has helped many people who are working on family history and genealogies through his memberships and associations. Genealogy is his thing, preservation of heritage is his passion.
George can be reached at gplautz@verizon.net.
Bernadette Kovacic-Fitzsimmons
Vice President of Marketing and Fund Raising
(Zveza)
Bernadette Kovacic Fitzsimmons arrived at the National Convention as a delegate with her family and mother and felt warmly welcomed by many friendly Midwesterners of Slovenian descent. The road trip was long, longer than the cornfields that seemed to go on for an eternity for her children’s first trip to the Midwest. The guests from Slovenia, the east and the west coast were in smaller numbers, but equally as interesting. It was refreshing for this native Washingtonian who has lived in Maryland nearly her entire life to experience meeting so many enthusiastic people of our shared heritage in one long weekend. Serving on the
National Board is not new to her, Bernadette served as the youngest member on the SWUA National Board as Director of Youth Activities from 1987 - 1995. She has written numerous articles in ZARJA for over 25 years and regularly supports and promotes Slovenian community cultural events.
As a child of immigrant parents from Slovenia, her first language was Slovenian, spoken at home and with Slovenian immigrants in the Washington, DC community. Visitors from Slovenia are usually surprised by her fluency in Slovenian, as she only visited Slovenia a half dozen times in her life. During her childhood, her parents Nika and Eric Kovacic were instrumental in initiating the Washington, DC area chapters of SWUA and KSKJ. Bernadette was signed up by her parents during her childhood and is a charter member of both Br. 103, and KSKJ, Lodge 257 in Washington, DC. Throughout her childhood and adult years she served as an active participant and coordinator of Slovenian events sponsored by these organizations as well as holding positions of office. Envisioning the need for expanding local SWUA programs, activities and membership in suburban Maryland, Bernadette founded the first Maryland branch of the SWUA, and currently serves as its President. Since the inception of Br. 108, Olney, MD in November 2003, membership has nearly quadrupled comprised of women and men new to the SWUA. Bernadette most recently organized and arranged venues for the three day Washington, DC area writers’ tour of the Forget-me-nots series of bilingual books. Bernadette graduated with a B.A. from Trinity College, Washington, DC and an M.S. from the University of Maryland in College Park, MD. Her professional experience includes working for the U.S. Government, health associations and consulting firms in research analysis, administration and management. For over
25	years, she has also been teaching piano lessons from her home studio. She is currently completing a three year appointment as member of the Montgomery County Committee on Ethnic Affairs, a valuable experience of respecting and helping people of different ethnicities and beliefs with varying needs and viewpoints. She also dedicates a considerable amount of time to volunteering in her children’s schools and coordinating extracurricular activities for her children.
Bernadette’s hobbies include writing, music, photography, playing chess and word games. She lives in Laytonsville, MD with her husband Tim, and three school age children, Matthew (Matjaž), Thomas (Tomaž) and Juliana, who are all immersed in Slovenian language, culture and traditions. Bernadette can be reached at Bettekfitz@comcast.net.
Karen Taylor (Willis)
National Corresponding/Recording Secretary (Zveza)
Karen was bom in Mendota, IL to Charles R. and Valeria Novak Taylor. Both of her maternal grandparents were bom in Slovenia and came to America through Ellis Island in their early 20’s. Karen’s grandmother was Frances Bukovic Novak Assmussen. Her maiden name was Konda and she is from Črnomelj. She was from a large family and but only a few of her siblings came into the United States. Her grandfather, Frank Novak came from Radeče with his good friend, John Pohar Sr., Bonnie Pohar Prokup and Debbie Pohar’s grandfather. She still has and cherishes the steamer trunk in which he brought over his belongings. Her grandparents met and married in the United States. They were proud, hardworking people who never forgot their love of family and their Slovenian heritage.
Karen and her mother are members of Branch 89 where her aunt, Rose Ann Bukovic Prey, was a long time president. Her grandmother was also a member of the SWUA and so, like so many, Karen is a 3rd generation member. It is a piece of her family history that she is so proud to carry on.
Karen always had a love for her Slovenian heritage and was extremely close to her grandmother. Her grandmother spent much of her time nurturing this love with stories of her life and homeland and teaching Karen to cook and bake the traditional foods. Karen jokingly told her fellow board members that among her qualifications for her new position should be the fact that she can make a potica, can stretch a strudel dough thin enough to read a newspaper through and that she can dance a polka. Heck, she even had to take accordion lessons at the age of 12 when all her friends were learning to play the piano or the guitar!
If you are wondering what brought Karen here, this is it. In 2004, along with her mother, she attended her first SWUA state convention in LaSalle/Peru. It was there that they began to really believe in the possibility of making a pilgrimage to Slovenia to trace their family roots. It was always something that they dreamed about but that convention was the true catalyst for making it a reality. Her mother, who is first generation American, had never seen the country of her parents’ birth and always longed to do so. She decided that since her mother’s health was declining now was the time. So for her 70th birthday in June of 2005 they took the SWUA trip to Slovenia with
&
Kathy Dorchak Ferrrante and her wonderful family. It was truly the trip of a lifetime and it turned out to be as much of a gift to Karen as it was to her mother. There, they found not only a beautiful country and people, but they found a piece of themselves as well. It was an amazing experience made more special by the family that they found there and by those they made through that shared experience. In some ways she would have to say that the SWUA helped her fulfill this dream.
Karen is married to a wonderful man, Tym Willis, who is a computer wizard and awesome husband. He often says that while he doesn’t know how to polka that he does know that he has to take her back to Slovenia. They live in Champaign, IL where he runs his own computer business and she works for the State of Illinois. She is a licensed clinical social worker for the Department of Children and Family Services and specializes in child welfare adoptions. She has both her undergrad and Master’s degrees from the University of Illinois, where her father was a long time professor and Director of the Police Training Institute.
Karen is extremely proud to have been elected to the National Board and wants to represent her position with honor and integrity. She will do everything within her power to assist the National Board in preserving our legacy and moving us toward a new future. Hvala for this unbelievable opportunity.
Karen can be reached at kare@williscomputing.com.
*It was at the National Convention that Bonnie, Debbie and Karen first met. It was Karen s mother Valeria who approached me letting her know that my grandfather came over to America with Karen s grandfather. I immediately introduced them to my Aunt Jean, father John and his other sisters who knew each other as children. In July we met at the Home Office for a mini meeting and later in the evening we had a toast to our grandfathers Frank Novak and John Pohar who immigrated from Radače, Slovenia together as young men. We then chuckled and agreed that our grandfathers were probably having a toast to their three granddaughters who came together at the 2007 National Convention and became the future leaders of the Slovenian Women s Union of America. Yes, they know we are "Keeping the Spirit Alive!” Zivijo to Grandpa Frank and Grandpa John! - Bonnie Pohar Prokup
Denise Paula Bartlett National Treasurer (Zveza)
Denise Paula Bartlett, our newly elected National Treasurer, is a proud member of Branch 43 in Milwaukee,
WI. Denise’s paternal grandmother,
Gertrude Globočnik Delopst, served as Branch 43’s first President. Since Denise joined SWUA in July 2000 she has become an active participant at the Branch and National levels. She served on the 2003-2007 National Board as 2nd Auditor, was Bylaws Committee chairperson for the 25lh Convention, and has been Treasurer of Branch 43 for two years.
Denise is married to Bob and has two sons, four stepdaughters, and 15 grandchildren living in three countries. Denise and Bob are both retired and enjoy traveling all over the world sightseeing and visiting their family members. They have been to Slovenia three times and consider it the most beautiful country they’ve traveled to.
A life-long resident of Milwaukee, Denise graduated from Milwaukee Area Technical College and the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (UWM) with degrees in Police Science and Criminal Justice. Since retiring from the Milwaukee Police department, where she was a Police Matron/Officer for over 28 years, Denise has found many ways to fill her time. She thrives on keeping busy and often complains that there aren’t enough hours in a day. Determined to be a “young 60 year old”, Denise fills her days with travel, babysitting grandchildren, reading, gardening, and playing her favorite card game of blackjack at casinos.
Denise has served on numerous boards over the past 40 years and is currently a member of the UWM’s Slovenian Arts Council, where she also worked on their bylaws and serves as Treasurer. She is particularly happy to be serving again on the SWUA National Board. She enjoys making new Slovenian friends and feels that the National SWUA work must be on-going to stay connected to today’s Slovenian men and women. Denise’s husband, also a SWUA member, lends his support; aunts, an uncle, cousins, and nieces are all SWUA members - it’s a real family affair. The whole family is committed to helping at the next SWUA National Convention - 2011, in Milwaukee!
Denise can be reached at denisepbartlett@,wi.rr.com.
SWUA Scholarship Program
News from Three Past SWUA Scholarship Recipients from Branch 3 Pueblo, Colorado
ALYSSA SPINUZZI
Greetings from Pueblo, Colorado! I have completed my first year of college at Colorado State University - Pueblo. I am one step closer to fulfilling my dream of becoming an elementary education teacher with plans to further my education by obtaining a Master’s Degree in Special Education.
I have been enjoying every minute of my life. I continue to work at the YMCA and was recently promoted to the Site Director of the Before School and After School Day Care Program. Between attending classes, homework and my job, I remain very busy with little time to spare
Enclosed with this update, you will find a newsletter from the Rocky Mountain Lions Eye Bank. The RMLEB featured an article about me that I thought you might be interested in reading, “The Circle of Light”. For several years I have been treated for an eye disease known as Keratoconus. The disease has affected my left and right eyes and caused the cornea of both eyes to become distorted or cone shaped. In April 2005, I received my first donor cornea transplant (left eye) and again in January 2006, I received my second donor cornea transplant (right eye). To date my vision continues to improve and I thank the Lord each day for the precious gift of sight. - Sincerely, A lyssa Spinuzzi
From “Rocky Mountain Lions Eye Bank publication “SECOND SIGHT”, Spring 2006: Alyssa’s article on her cornea transplant experience in which she describes her tremendous bond with the donor’s families. Since her transplants, she has written to them and the family of one of her donors wrote back letting her know a little bit of information about their daughter, who donated the cornea that she received in January 2006.
“My heart raced as I opened the letter, I was so happy that my donor family had decided to write back to me. Yet, a part of me grieved along with them. As I read those written words I cried and I smiled. My donor families are a very special part of my life and always will be. Waking up in the morning and being able to see the beauty of another day is a special gift that brought my donor families and me together. ”
DANIEL J. SPINUZZI
I was a 2001 SWUA Scholarship recipient and went on to receive my Bachelor’s degree in Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology from the University of Colorado at Boulder in 2004.1 am currently a 5,h semester medical student at Ross University School of Medicine in Miami, Florida.
In 2003 and 2004,1 was afforded the opportunity to join the Timmy Foundation on two medical missions that traveled to our neighboring Third World countries of the Dominican Republic and Ecuador. I was a small part of
the group administering medical care to a combined total of 1,000 medically fragile and indigent patients.
In August 2005,1 began a 16-month medical study abroad on the island of Dominica in the Caribbean. Although difficult at times, it was an experience I will treasure for a lifetime.
In August 2007,1 enrolled in the clinical science program for clinical rotations at one of the teaching hospitals located in the State of Colorado. Upon completion of rotations and prerequisite testing too numerous to mention, I will be eligible for residency training. A rigorous academic curriculum lies ahead: however, I thoroughly enjoy what I am doing and am dedicated to pursuing my professional and personal goals. Outside of school, I have little time for leisure acitivites. When the opportunity becomes available and time permits, I travel to Colorado to spend time with my family. - Daniel J. Spinuzzi
TERESA SKALKO
I would just like to extend my thanks a second time for the generous scholarship toward my college education. With your help I will be able to pursue my degree in nursing to a better extent. Your generosity is greatly appreciated. In addition, I would like to add that last Christmas I had the opportunity to experience first hand Slovenian culture as I went there for a few days. It was beautiful. - Teresa Skalko
To all our supporters during the past years, a most grateful THANK YOU! CONTRIBUTIONS are NEEDED and appreciated! We would like to financially assist more of the outstanding applicants who apply for awards.
Please contact Marge Church at vemec@earthlink.net or Mary Turvey at mturvey@aol.com for further information. Our website is http://www.swua.org “scholarship”. Mailing address for donations: SWUA Scholarship Program, 4 Lawrence Drive, Marquette, Michigan 49855
Scholarship Donations
$100 Donation
Branch 2, Chicago, IL (+ in memory of Mary Muller, Past National SWUA President and Past Branch 2 President)
$50 Donation
Karen Hribar-Spires (+Anton Hribar)
$25 Donation
Branch 55, Girard, Oh (+Anna Marie Zagger) J.
Membership Retention
by Lynn Zalokar, Branch 99
I was happy to make a brief membership presentation at the SWUA convention: “Recruit, Retain and Reinstate”. A branch survey was mentioned several times during my presentation. Delegates were asked, “How many are going to go back to their branches and say ‘We need to do a survey?’ Many delegates raised their hands. Delegates, if you have not done so, please follow up with your branches. Branch officers or members - if you would like to see a sample survey, or have questions, please contact me.
A few branches expressed concern about a lack of attendance at their regular meetings. A membership survey will help engage your members and encourage greater involvement. All the delegates were given a sample survey, which included questions like:
• Does our branch meet on a day and at a time convenient to you?
• What kind of programs/events would you like to see our branch offer?
• An important question to add is: * Does our branch report in the Zarja give you the information you need? (As 1 said at the convention - a contact name, phone number and e-mail address is important. Some members are unlikely to just show up. They are going to want to re-confirm with someone on the day, date, time and location when they attend a meeting or event.)
A survey is a win-win. The branch gets direct and honest feedback from their members. They can plan meetings/
events using their member’s advice and input. Members have the opportunity to express what they hope to get out of their branch membership (and they might offer some new ideas/suggestions).
I was surprised by the number of delegates who had not seen the www.swua.org web site. Debbie Pohar and I went through the web site with the whole group (rather quickly). Our web site has been around for over five years now. No excuses! If you have not seen the swua.org web site please get over to your public library or have a friend/family member walk you through the information contained on the SWUA web site. Why? Members are finding us through the web site before having any contact with a member or having seen the Zarja. Their impressions and expectations are formed based on what they see on the SWUA web site. For example, when they read the mission, vision and purpose, they expect to attend a branch meeting or event that is educational and related to Slovenian heritage.
Good luck to all with the 2007-2008 meeting year. Please call or write if you have any comments or questions. Lynn Zalokar, Branch 93-NYC 201/947-6336, lzalokar@.vahoo.com
Lynn Zalokar is Membership Manager for the Advertising Women of New York, a not-for-profit professional association in New York City.
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Men in a SWUA World
St John’s Day (Šentjanževo), December 27th Blessing of the Wine
It is tough for a low budget wine and beer connoisseur like me not to love a country that holds wine in such high regard and as merrily as Slovenia does. One of its national treasures is the world’s oldest (400-year-old) grapevine and the National Anthem is a familiar and often used wine-drinking poem, called “The Toast".
Slovenians are well known for their love of good wine and the period after Christmas is very important for its winemakers. On St John’s Day (Šentjanževo), December 27th, it is customary for families to take their best wine to church, where the priest will bless it. This wine is called Šentjanževec (St. John’s wine) and it is put away for special occasions and is also sprinkled into the barrels in the wine cellar to keep them from going bad.
Wine blessed in this way is thought to possess magical powers, and is used to cure sick people and animals. This commemorates the legend that once St. John was given a cup of poisoned wine to drink. But before drinking it, he blessed the cup and the poison departed the cup in the form of a serpent. Now old Don is a bit skeptical on this one,
since I’ve drunk my fair share of wine and I have never seen it take the shape of a serpent. I may have seen a pink elephant or two but no serpents!
But what the heck, it’s a good story and a holiday to drink at so I guess you can count me in.
One of my very special treats around the Christmas season is a nice glass of wine, a warm crackling fire, a piece of potica with a slice of ham on top with butter and good friends to share. Now I know a true Slovenian doesn’t put butter on Potica but its Christmas and I like to indulge a bit even though it garnishes me the evil eye from the aunts!
Don’t forget to hang your stocking with care by the fireplace... you never know. Well, as always if you need to contact me you can at Doomsports@aol.com. and until next time may good luck be yours! - Don Baldin
~ii'r
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Don hanging his stocking
Kid Talk
Pint-sized Potica
By Melissa Netzer, Zarja Correspondent
Children just seem to be drawn to the sweet smells, powdery white flour, and gooey filling that are involved in potica making. But with all the activities, obligations, and errands that today’s modern families are juggling, an unfortunate result is that sometimes parents just don’t have the time to make this delectable treat with their kids. However, the Felipe family of Arlington, Virginia has made it a special annual tradition to make potica together the Friday after Thanksgiving. Father, Mark, and ten-year-old son Anthony enjoy rolling out the dough, while six-year-old Anne and five-year-old Teresa like to help Mom, Donna, spread out the filling.
The Felipe children started out with tasks such as sprinkling on the raisins when they were just one or two-years-old and it progressed from there. Anne has become so involved
“Little Anne enjoyed getting right into the dough stretching as soon as she could stand on a chair by the kitchen table. She ’d be covered in flour, but would insist on rolling out her own piece of dough, putting the filling on, and rolling it up herself. She also insisted on eating ‘her’potica by herself!” said proud Grandmother Maria Kompare.
Potica making in the past was serious business for Grandmother Maria Kompare, who learned how to make it from her mother-in-law, Anne Kompare. In fact, Maria jokes that learning how to make potica was a requirement before she could marry Anne’s son Ed. But thanks to Anne’s “requirement” this time-honored tradition is being passed down to the very youngest family members to participate in and enjoy.
Ahhhhh... Did I hear the word POTICA?
Hi! This is Babs again and here to talk about potica. I have been helping my Aunt make potica for years and just recently had the opportunity to make it in Slovenia. I was so excited to do this and 1 must say - What a difference! Think about it... In America we go to the store to purchase all the ingredients and chopped walnuts, but if you live out in the country in Slovenia it can be a different experience. Or so it was for me.
I was visiting our family friend Marija Bauer who some of you know as the lady who created the Gingerbread Village. She lives in a beautiful village on the Croatian border. There are only a few houses in this village and everyone seemed
to be related. I could write a whole book about my one-week stay at her home but for now let’s stick to potica. One morning I woke up and saw a big bowl of walnuts that needed to be cracked open. They were stored in the cellar after they were picked from a tree. So I cracked for what seemed like an hour. Then I had to make sure there were no shells, then Babs cracking walnuts	we chopped them by hand and
in Slovenia	one step was taken care of.
Baking with Marija was lots of fun and I picked up a few tips for my Aunt. Marija sets her dough over hot water and she feels that chopping the walnuts with a hand grinder makes them just perfect. And I also learned you can make potica with almost any flavor you would like. We even made a tarragon potica that was fantastic!
Making potica can be a great experience for all ages. If you have not done so yet ask someone to help you. There are so many good potica recipes in this issue, why not try making one for Christmas? I know I will be. - Babs
Anne
that last year she insisted on making her own pint-sized poticas- one for her kindergarten teacher and one for herself. With a little help from her mom, the results of her efforts were extraordinary.
When we realized we needed eggs 1 had to first learn how to ask for eggs	in
Slovenian and walk almost two villages away	to
someone’s house to borrow the eggs. There were no supermarkets of any kind within miles. Yes, it was a beautiful setting with mountains, greenery and charming house where ever you looked.
Babs and Marija making a potica
The M U O E
New Column for a New Position
By Vice President of Culture and Heritage - George J. Plautz Jr.
In this column I intend to heighten member s understanding of the heritage conservation fiscal process, provide Thank yous to those who donate and highlight exhibits and events.
When I became responsible for the Museum operation, holdings and infrastructure, I created seven teams to oversee the operation. Several of these teams now have leaders and are working hard to accomplish their goals. The first Team Leader is Nancy Henkel (Br. 89), she leads the Exhibits and Special Events Team; the second Team Leader is Mary Lou Deyak Voelk (Br. 23), she leads the Archives and Preservation Team; the third Team Leader is Theresa Bums (Br. 20), she is the Team Leader for the Museum Store Team. We could use another volunteer to assist who can undertake some physically difficult tasks. I am still looking for someone with curatorial experience to head the Museum Collections Team, someone with knowledge of library science to head the Research Center Team, someone with plumbing, carpentry and electrical skills to lead the Space Management Team and a Tour and Event Specialist Team Leader. If you would like to donate your time and skills I would love to hear from you! My email address and mail address are at the bottom of this column. If the Museum, Library and Research Center are to remain in Joliet we need to see more volunteers, Branch 20 is obviously not the sole support of the Museum. While a member may not possess the skills of artifact conservation and library science, members in other branches could still help out by volunteering some time to aid the team leaders or come aboard to serve as Team Leaders for Space Management and Tours.
Our Heritage Fund is so low that scraping the bottom of the barrel is now an art form. Hard working volunteers must endure crowded and dirty spaces, few tools and a sparcity of good will. While the operation has incorporated donations to the artifacts at Joliet, there is a very limited display area and absolutely no storage and curatorial space. These problems can be overcome however, with your involvement. The business plan for the museum is to create a Board of Trustees that will manage a 501c3 Slovenian Heritage Preservation Foundation. The Foundation will
manage the direction and funding of the Museum, Library and Research Center. After the Foundation is incorporated, non-profit tax status will be sought allowing donations that are tax deductible. This will allow the Museum, Library and Research Center to become one entity outside of the burial society business. We are looking for professionals to help us with this endeavor in obtaining the non-profit status. Are you interested in becoming a Trustee? Email or write to me! If we have the 501 c3 status we then can apply for grants throughout the world. Special Projects Director Jan King will be assisting me with this project.
On behalf of the organization, I thank Vida Kumse and Vic Staut for their donations of artifacts for display in the Slovenian Heritage Museum, Ed Gobetz of Willoughby Hills, OH for his donation of $30 to the Heritage Museum and Branch 13 of San Francisco, CA for their donation of $20 in memory of Sophie Troya and Stanka Pecavar.
I would like to get a Calendar of events going for the New Neighborhood that will showcase events of interest to members. Does your city have a Slovenian festival, or ongoing activities? Contact me at the addresses below.
I have named Mary Lou Deyak Voelk to fill the newly created position of Assistant Vice President of Culture and Heritage. Mary Lou, while handling the Ivana Project and archives, will also be the SWUA representative for KUD Sodobnost International, the company that is producing the bilingual children’s books in Slovenian and English. See back pages for more information. The SWUA will remain the sole distributor of these books. She will also be responsible for the Culinary Society.
George J. Plautz Jr.
1307 Dragon Head Drive Valrico, FL 33594 doblice@gmail.com
Genealogy by George!
The Genealogical Quest: Tracing Marriages
Tracing marriages can be interesting in what they reveal. From most of my research in the parish of Črnomelj, Slovenija, I found that marriages are held in February. Why February? I am not sure although I can assume St. Valentine has something to do with this. Or maybe not and someone will advise me why this happens. Marriages also happened during the rest of the year. There are lots of resources to trace marriage records in Slovenija and the United States.
Most of us have been exposed to the marriage customs of our ancestors, the feasting, the travel to the bride’s home, and now in Slovenija the civil ceremony and religious ceremony. If you went to the Convention at Starved Rock in June perhaps you saw the wedding dress exhibit. Displayed were many different styles of wedding attire, however most likely the ladies in the 1700 and 1800’s and early 1900’s didn’t wear a white dress. The exhibit was an astounding success due to the design and plan by Nancy Henkel (89). An article in the newspaper, The Slovenia Times, dated September 13, 2007, talks about the current wedding protocol in Slovenia. You can view this article on the Internet at: http://www.sloveniatimes.com/en/ inside.cn2?u id=4235070A-F. 874-5F83-BC40-lF67C2FD046B&linkid=news&cid=95BA81FE-636A-933D-C350-7FE6FECF5929.
In my research of marriage records I found that many families were intermarried. This was due to the lack of persons available to be spouses and the limitations of travel. I also found many May/December marriages. Most people never left the village they were bom in until the mid 1800’s. I found this to be true in the U.S. in the early 1900’s in Calumet, Michigan, and in the 1930’s in Willard, Wisconsin. So many families become connected through marriages that eventually you end up tracing the whole village or parish. I also found that most of those that witnessed the wedding were relatives of the bride and groom. This helps to ascertain relationships in your genealogy research. I also found that where groups from the same region of Slovenia settled, many of those that married did not know they were distant cousins!
To find marriage (Poroke) records can be as simple as requesting a check of the Arhive in Ljubljana (keep in mind that due to privacy laws in Slovenia no records past 1900 are provided unless you can verify the individuals are dead). Or you can search microfilm owned by the Latter Day Saints at a Family History Center. Before you visit a search on the Internet may be required to speed up the process. You can find an online Family History Library catalog by going to the Internet and entering www. family search. org. Look for the Title/Author search and enter the Title as
Matična knjiga 1753-1941 and the Author as Rimsko-Katoliska Cerkev. This should result in the microfilm reel numbers for the following regions: Bohinjska Bela; Banja Luka, Kočevje, Fara, Kočevje; Jesenice, Koroška Bela, Jesenice, includes Tavomik; Lesce, includes Hlebce, Hraše and Nova Vas, Osilnica, Ribnica, Semič, Stari trg ob Kolpi, Črnomelj, Tržič and Črnomelj. Enter the Title as Kirchenbuch 1669-1941 and Author as Katholische Kirsche Gottchee (Krain) and that will provide you microfilm reel numbers for the following parishes: Altlag, Ebental, Gottenitz, Masern, Mitterdorf, Morobitz, Nesseltal, Obermosel, Oberskrill, Pollandl, Rieg, Stockendorf, Suchen, Tschermoschnitz, Unterdeutschau, Unterlag and Unterwarmberg. These parishes are for the region in the very middle of the southern border of Slovenia that was inhabited by people of Bavaria in the 1400’s. The Gottscheer Genealogy and Heritage Association has recently published a CD for 19 parishes. The CD contains over 28,700 marriage records. Includes the names of the parents (except for the very early years) of the bride and the groom, name and age of the bride and the groom, name of the village in which they were living and the marriage date. It includes a bride index and a groom index. Work continues to expand these Excel spreadsheets of data. You can find out how to order a CD at www. gottschee.org and clicking on publications. In addition to these types of searches you can always search the Vital Records department at the municipal or state level. If you have an Ancestry.com subscription or know of someone who does, almost all the states have some type of Marriage Indexes that can searched. Many of these are for limited periods of time. This might be the reason for you to subscribe to www.ancestrv.com.
Another habit I have is transcribing the wedding notice from the newspaper into my family history database. Local newspapers, at least up to the 60’s, included write-ups of the marriage celebration. They include a detailed description of the dress the bride wore, who the attendants were, where the couple married, where they worked if both had jobs, what school they graduated from, where they were going on their honeymoon and where they were going to live. Newspapers are available on microfilm in many libraries and sometimes librarians make scrapbooks out of these types of articles for reference. This information can be important as it probably gives the names of the parents and any siblings of the couple. If you possess the wedding photograph you can then tie all of this information together. I was lucky to have aunts who saved these clippings. There are many avenues regarding the tracing of marriage records that I have not touched on. I do hope that what I have covered suggests an idea or helps you on your genealogical journey. - Adijo, George
Family Connected e
By Tom Zakosek (Branch 99) with George Plautz
Who, where and why, three words that lead to my goal to create a paternal family tree after I retired from teaching in 2001. With some documentation concerning my grandparents, but not much else, I knew little about my grandfather who died in 1939. Of my grandmother, Julia Prah Zakosek, I knew much more having spent Sundays at her house, attending midnight mass together at St. Stephen’s in Chicago, and anticipating her visits to us by bus.
1 began searching the Internet for anything Slovenian, eventually discovering a group called the Slovenian Women’s Union of America, and contacted them. After joining the organization and signing up for an Internet newsletter I posted a short article about the town of Krška Vas. The name of the town was significant as it was the birthplace of my grandfather, which I found on his death certificate. The article was also published in the Zarja.
Cousin Joze Zakosek and his parents in Krška Vas On Easter, 2002, meeting at my mother’s house in Chicago, John and Sonja Boyd, and her sister, Olga Vidmar, visited with their new found relatives. Of course a full Slovenian breakfast was enjoyed by all! 1 began to make plans to visit Slovenia in the Fall of 2002. John Boyd assisted me in planning for my trip to visit Joze’s family and attend the wedding of his son in September. Flying into the airport at
Zagreb, Croatia, 1 was greeted warmly by John Boyd and Anton Zakovsek. It was an awesome and emotional greeting. We crossed the border into Slovenia to meet Anton’s wife, Olga, in Krška Vas. Since the Boyds were bilingual I stayed with them until Joze came down from Maribor where he and his family lives and spent a few nights in the village of Krška Vas; sleeping in the same places my grandfather did 100 years earlier. We returned to Maribor to attend the wedding and I stayed with Joze Zakovsek Tom Zakosek, extreme right, left of him are Anton and Olga Zakosek and Tom s cousins and his family.
I continued researching, when lo and behold, an email arrived from a Renata Martinčič in Slovenia. She told me that she went by Krška Vas on her way to work and would stop in the village and look up the Zakoseks. Soon she sent me the name and address of an Anton and Olga Zakosek and I wrote a letter to them in English. About a week later the phone rang and a voice on the other end identified himself as Joze Zakosek, your cousin from Krška Vas. I, nearly in tears and unable to speak, listened as he told me that his parents did not understand English but knew an American living nearby, who they took the letter to read and translate. This American was John Boyd and he was fluent in the Slovenian language and was able to converse with Anton. After a while the subject turned to John’s wife, Sonja, who turned out to be cousin to Joze and myself.
It was a traditional Slovenian wedding where a procession started at the groom’s house and moved on to the bride’s house before heading to the City Hall and eventually the church. Photographs and a reception followed, from which I thought I would never recover. The reception began about 7 p.m. and continued to 6 a.m. the next morning, a short respite and the festivities started all over at 3 p.m.
After a few days, I returned to the home of John and Sonja Boyd and spent some time with Anton and Olga Zakovsek constructing a family tree. Anton has a superb memory and we were able to go back four generations, with few omissions. Atrip to the local church was made to examine records and resolve a minor mystery on the spelling of the family surname. In America we spell our surname without a V but the Slovenians spell it with a V. Why was this? After discovering my great grandfather’s name inscribed about 1870 in a com crib without a V we determined that the church added the V to the spelling. I have returned to Slovenia twice since then and currently plan another trip there soon.
In closing, I have been on a remarkable journey, which has been very rewarding and allowed me to meet so many generous and hospitable people. The Internet is a remarkable tool, but nothing beats eating potica and drinking cviček with family in Slovenia!
Contact me via email at tzakosek@msn.com. especially if your surname is Zakosek, as there are a few holes to fill in the family tree.
NOTE: Renata Martinčič responded to the original articles and made the first contact with the relatives in Slovenia. Her help will forever be remembered, along with the assistance of the SWUA, John and Sonja Boyd and Anton and Olga Zakovsek. It takes so little time to help people connect with their families, let’s help our fellow Slovenians to find their roots. We are hoping that Renata will respond to this article also as Tom has lost touch with her.
Potica.........from Slovenia to America
I have fond memories, beginning at the age of three, of eating potica for holidays. My mother liked to bake and I liked to eat. My grandmothers gave us potica for the holidays.
There were loaves of potica ranging from large-medium to small. Some loaves were light in color while others were dark. Nuts came in all sizes, including poppy seeds. The ingredient I disliked the most was raisins! After awhile, my mother conceded that if she didn’t want to see a bunch of little raisins sitting on the table, she needed to bake at least one potica without raisins. My grandmothers however, remained true to the traditional recipe.
My mother didn’t mind if I watched her bake or help in preparation or clean-up, but her basic recipes she kept a secret. I never asked for the recipe and didn’t bake much when I was younger. Once I left home, eating potica was a rarity; therefore I tried to be at home for the holidays to enjoy potica and other traditional Slovenian food.
When my mother no longer baked potica, my sister took over the job of making potica for the family. She would bake potica and cookies and send them to those of us who were unable to be at home. I always looked forward to her Christmas package, because I knew the worth of the treasure inside.
So, after all these years, I decided to try my hand at making potica. I wanted to send some to my sister as a gift for the
many poticas she had sent me. I have to admit for my first try, the potica came out really well. I boxed up a couple of loaves, threw in some MILKA chocolate (the best in Slovenia) and some Easter candy, as Easter was soon on the way. I paid the price for fast delivery to the US.
How did the potica make the trip? Well, the potica arrived at her house 7 weeks later instead of the 2-3 days! My sister said, “It looked good, except for the mold!” But the chocolate was delicious.” I was more worried about {he potica making it through customs than not being delivered on time.
My sister appreciated that someone else sent her potica this time and THAT was most important to me. So, for the upcoming holiday season, I will bake her potica that she can have right out of the oven! - Jan, Branch 30
The Beginner
She measured out the butter with a very solemn air,
The milk and sugar also; and she took the greatest care To count the eggs correctly, and to add a little bit Of baking powder, which, you know, beginners oft omit.
Then she stirred it all together, and she baked it full an hour;
But she never quite forgave herself for leaving out the flour.
The Path Taken.. • Dopoljena pot by Mary Lou Voelk © Mildred Grahek Stofac
Branch 3 Pueblo, Colorado
The Grahek Family
Mildred’s father, John (Johann) Grahek was bom on August 24, 1881. He and his brothers Matt, Joe and Frank immigrated to the United States in the early 1900’s. They were looking for more than what the family farm could offer. They left behind their parents Mathias and Anna Jerman Grahek and sister Anja, who never married. According to family
John Grahek 's passport photo
history, Anja was kicked by a cow, which permanently injured her arm. Another sister, Agnes, moved to Canada. We now know that there were two more sisters left in Slovenia, Katharina and Marija.
The Stipanic Family
Mildred’s mother, Anna Stipanic was bom on February
11,	1891 to Janez and Marija Gregorič Stipanic in Gradac, Bela Krajina. Her father was a schoolteacher. A few years earlier he and two children, Joe and Mary came to America to earn money, Joe moved to Kansas to farm and Mary was married. Mildred’s father returned to Slovenia, alone. He advised Ana that life would be better in America. On September 19, 1907 Ana passed through Ellis Island. She boarded the train for Pueblo, Colorado to be with her sister Mary Stipanic Kolbezen. Here she met and married John Grahek.
state baby Grahek. On June 11, 1912, Mildred’s father became a citizen, as did her mother and brother John Jr. and baby, Marija.
Slovenian tradition required the eldest son be responsible for the care of parents in their old age. Mildred’s father, being the eldest, made the decision to return to Petro Vas, Slovenia. Her father, mother, brother John Jr. and sister Marija made the voyage. Grief struck during the trip, when Marija died en route.
Life In Slovenia:
The home in Petrov Vas was located near the railroad tracks. In the early days of the railroad, the rail system afforded an array of economic opportunities. Towns were built around the railroad center, the closer one’s home or business the better. However, flying sparks from passing trains were always a concern. The family suffered a tragedy when flying sparks set the house afire. A new house was built of bricks. Today, this house is still standing. Mildred was bom in this house!
Petrov vas
Anna Grahek and children, 1927
The New Family
On October 5th 1908, Anna Stipanic and John Grahek were married in St. Mary Church in Pueblo. John Jr. was bom in 1910. Twins, Marija and an unknown boy’s name were bom in 1912. The boy died at the age of 4 months. The cemetery records
When my husband Ray and I traveled to Slovenia, I enjoyed seeing the home I was born in and the beautiful countryside that is all around the house. What a beautiful memory. Five children were born in Slovenia, and I was the youngest. As my father was an American citizen, we became citizens.
-	Mildred Grahek Stofac
This is the family of John and Ana Grahek:
Born in the United States:
John Jr: Bom July 7, 1910 Died April 7, 1972 Married Rosa Skala July 10, 1930
Marija: Bom March 25, 1912 Died June 28, 1913 Boy: Born March 25, 1912 Died June 1912
Born in Slovenia:
Antonia: Bom September 22, 1913 Died March 11,2004 Joined Sisters of Charity January 31, 1933 Fred: Bom December 17, 1914 Died February 11, 1994 Anton: Bom May 8, 1917 Died August 7, 1917 Frank: Bom December 17, 1918 Died April 4, 1990 Married Mary Alice Perko 1940, Carol Smith 1980 Joe: Bom March 7, 1921 Died July 13, 1996 Married Margaret McHenry February 10, 1949 Mildred: Bom November 14, 1922 Married Ray Stofac April 12, 1942
Mildred’s father worked a small farm in Slovenia. They had two cows for milk and butter, raised pigs for meat, and there was a large vegetable garden. Her mother was a hard worker. She cared for the children and worked the farm.
During potato planting times, the entire family pitched in. Using a hoe, the boys would dig the holes. Mildred would drop in the potato and fill the hole. When the potatoes were still growing, Mildred would dig in the garden to get the little potatoes for the pot of soup so they would have food to eat. Those little potatoes would be barely quarter-size. They would harvest carrots, turnips and potatoes and store them for winter use in the root cellar. They also hung the klobase and other sausages in this root cellar. Because the klobase were smoked it could be eaten without cooking.
“We just needed to grab a link of sausage and start chewing. We made our own sauerkraut; we also had a wine cellar and made the finest zinfandelfrom our very own grapes. My brother Fred continued making wine after we arrived in Pueblo”- Mildred Grahek Stofac
Their home had a large fireplace in the kitchen. Part of the fireplace extended into the next room. Mildred and her brother Joe would sleep on top to keep warm. Mildred remembers riding the hay wagon to the field and watching her brothers cutting the hay with a sickle. They would sing all the time. Singing while they picked the grapes in the
vineyard is unforgettable. Looking back, they would sing all the time!
Mildred was four years old when they were playing in the bam with an umbrella. The end broke off and somehow her eye got in the way. Mildred and her mother walked the distance to Črnomelj. Doctors there could not help and sent them on to Ljubljana. Carrying Mildred, her mother walked all the way to Ljubljana. They arrived in Ljubljana only to find that had they arrived an hour or so earlier the doctors might have been able to save the sight in her eye. Mildred was left alone at the hospital for ten days because her mother did not have the money to stay with her. A nurse from their village of Petrov Vas worked at the hospital. She brought her home, saving her mother a long trip home.
“Losing the sight in my eye has never been a handicap. I drive a car, and have had my highest bowling game average of 250 this year (2007) and am involved in multiple clubs and Slovenian societies”-Mildred Grahek Stofac
Living conditions in Slovenia proved difficult and her parents decided to return to the United States. They also missed family. But there was a problem. Mildred’s grandparents lived longer than expected, and her father’s Visa had expired. In 1924 he traveled alone to Vancouver, Canada to await the reinstatement of his citizenship. He could get into America sooner on the Canadian Quota because the American Quota was already filled. In Vancouver he gained employment in lumber camps and earned enough passage to Pueblo, Colorado from Petrov Vas, Slovenia for the family.
The Return to America
During the time her father was in Canada, her oldest brother John Jr. was nearing his 18,h birthday. He returned to America to avoid being impressed into the Yugoslavian army. In the fall of 1930, her brother Fred was nearing 18 and he, too, was looking to be impressed into the army. It was time to leave Slovenia.
I was only 6 years old when my mother, three brothers and my sister leftfor America. Oh, what an experience for a young girl, who could only speak Slovenian. We were ticketed to America and then to Pueblo. The cost of the entire ticket was $1,013.91. From Slovenia to America, it was $712.50 and from New York to Pueblo, $301.41. ’’-Mildred Grahek Stofac
They traveled by train to Cherbourg, France. On December 16, 1930 they boarded the S.S. Leviathan* for America. Mildred was sick most of the time. Each day the crew
The children
loved playing around the old
water well.
Easter was
always special; they would jump, play and even dance on the well
fc* *	________________________
walls. A special treat for Easter was an apple and an orange, they felt like kings and queens.
master would bring her an apple because he thought this poor little immigrant girl would feel better. Upon arriving in New York harbor, Mildred’s first sighting of the Statue of Liberty was exhilarating. As they passed through customs on Ellis Island, the agent asked her mother if she had two husbands to support all of them in America. This comment embarrassed my mother very much.
They boarded the train for the long, tiring trip to Pueblo. Her brother Frank was the brave one. When the train would stop at a station, he would get off and buy the bread for them to eat. At one of the stations, Frank came back with the money and the bread. He told them the man gave him the bread and just folded his hand back over the money. Oh, we were so excited, “What a place America is!” We arrived in Pueblo on December 26, 1930.
“/ was a Slovenian girl living in America without knowing a single word of English ”
-	Mildred Grahek Stofac
Upon arrival in America they lived with Mildred’s mother’s sister, Mary Stipanic Kolbezen and her 8 children for about six months. There were 13 children living in a house with one bathroom. While it was very crowded, everyone got along well. The Kolbezen home had two rooms upstairs. The girls slept together and the boys slept on the floor in the other. Her father continued working in Canada, sending money to support his family and saving for his return trip.
They had arrived during the Great Depression. Fred began working at the Nuckolls Packing Plant to help support the family. Frank and Joe would deliver ice before school and care for the chickens and rabbits. Joe was only 8 years old. Antonia, age 17, began working with the Sisters of Charity at the hospital to help support the family. One of the nuns convinced Antonia to visit the motherhouse at Mount St. Joseph’s in Cincinnati. Antonia thought she was going to
earn money for her family back home. Antonia did not understand English and was not aware that she was going to become a nun. When Antonia would see a girl cry, the motherhouse would send the girl home. When Antonia cried she wasn’t able to tell them her home address nor did she have any money with which to leave. Antonia stayed and
became Sr. Antoinette. They wrote their father and told him Antonia was to become a nun. He responded and said that when she became a nun, he would become the pope. Sr. Antoinette was a dedicated nun for seventy-one years and her father was very proud of her.
A Family United
In May 1931, Mildred’s father’s passport was reinstated and he was able to return to America. They moved into their own home in the “Grove”, a neighborhood where many Slovenians lived. Her father, and brothers Fred and John Jr. worked at the Nuckolls Packing Company. The garden provided all the vegetables. There were chickens and rabbits along with traditional Slovenian fare: sauerkraut and beans, endive with bacon, homemade noodles, klobase, žinkrofe, blood sausage, poticas and lots of bread and potatoes. The potato was their staple food! They each had a list of things to do when they got home from school. Their chores ranged from taking care of the chickens, doing the laundry, to cleaning the house.
In Pueblo They attended St. Mary’s Church. Their lives were centered on religion but Mildred cannot recall if they attended church as a family unit. She does remember going to church every morning before school. They were all confirmed and received communion at St. Mary’s Church.
Moral support came from the other Slovenian families in the congregation and from her father’s brothers who lived nearby in Canon City and from her mother’s one brother and one sister who lived in Pueblo.
They were citizens because of their father’s citizenship. However, it was a challenge to be a new American. They couldn’t speak or write a word of English nor could they understand it. Frank, Joe and Mildred attended St. Mary’s Catholic School. There were no special teachers. Mildred was afraid of everyone, and would run away when the other girls approached her. Her brother Joe observed other students raising their hands and getting permission to leave the room. He raised his hand and repeated what he thought he heard. Roughly translated, Joe was telling the nun that somebody had died rather than asking to go to the restroom. Joe had to repeat 4lh grade because he could not speak the language. He overcame the language obstacle, graduated from Central High School and went on to become the Assistant Fire Chief for Pueblo City Fire Department. Mildred attended St. Mary’s School
Mildred and Sr. Antoinette, her Aunt Antonia
Mildred’s
Communion
Anna and John Grahek 50th Wedding Anniversary
for 8 years where she learned to speak and write English and then went on to Central High School. Her brother Frank also graduated and became a captain in the Pueblo Fire Dept. Fred and John were later employed by the Colorado Fuel and Iron Company, Fred as a clerk in the office and John as a train engineer.
would celebrate in traditional Slovenian fare. Fred would play the concertina and they would sing! Oh, there was lots of singing. There was also plenty of Fred’s homemade wine and good food to eat. Together they would attend midnight mass. Tradition continued until Mildred’s mother died on January 13,1984. They then moved to Joe’s home. Now it is held at the home of Joe’s son, Greg.
Today:
They still have living relatives on Mildred’s mother’s side in Gradac and Ljubljana They are the descendants of her mother’s Aunt Fani and Uncles Michael, Jacob, Anton and Matija. They recently found that their father had two more sisters in Slovenia, Katharina and Marija with their descendants.
During World War II Mildred worked at the Pueblo Ordinance Depot. Both Fred and Joe served in U.S. Army, Fred in Europe and Joe in the Pacific. Joe was wounded and thankfully made a full recovery. After the war, Mildred’s brothers John Jr. and Joe opened Grahek Grocery; she began working in the store along with John III Joe and Joe’s wife Margaret. They specialized in Slovenian foods, making and selling homemade klobase, blood sausage, poticas and strudels.
On 1942 Mildred was married to Ray Stofac. They were married for 49 years and 3 months and had son, Kenny. Mildred has two grandchildren and two great grandchildren.
On October 5,1958 her parents, John and Anna Stipanic Grahek celebrated 50 years of marriage. They were people of faith, hard working, and devoted to each other and their children. A year later, they would lose their father on May 10, 1959.
Raymond and Mildred (Grahek) Stofac
Christmas Eve will always have special memories. The entire family would go to Mildred’s mother’s house. They
Mildred continues to be active in activities at St. Mary Church, the Slovenian Women’s Union of America, Branch 3, the Pueblo Elkettes, the local Elks, the Dante Alighieri Society, the Colorado Council of Catholic Women, and the parish women’s society. She cares for the church linens and visits parishioners in nursing homes each week and takes several women to church each day.
“Our family, my brothers and I, were always gainfully employed. We earned everything through hard work.
In A merica, the only time I was an outsider was when we first arrived and did not know the language. But that didn V last long. Most important, we had the opportunity to get an education. We made good livings, and raised successful children. Today I still feel the exhilarating experience upon first sighting the Statue of Liberty. I am proud to be an American and I am proud to be a Slovenian. ” -Mildred Grahek Stofac
*Bui 11 in 1914, the Leviathan was originally the German S.S. Vaterland, a 54,282 gross ton passenger liner, and at the time, the largest ship on the seas! The Vaterland had made just a few short trips when in late July 1914, she arrived at New York just as World War I broke out. Because of British dominance of the seas, the Vaterland remained immobile at the Hoboken, New Jersey terminal for nearly three years. Until in April 1917, the United States entered the war and the government seized the Vaterland. She was placed in service to the Navy and appropriately named the USS Leviathan.
After the war, the Leviathan was steamed to Newport News, Virginia where she was completely renovated to suit American tastes. As S.S. Leviathan, she became the “queen” of the United States’ merchant fleet. This ship was operational until the late 1930’s when she was rendered non profitable. Inactive until early 1938, she made her final Atlantic crossing to Scotland and was broken up. No U.S. flag commercial ship approached her size until the S.S. United States was completed in 1952.
Data from the Naval Historical Center: www.history.navy.mil
Memories
My Grandparents: John and Anna Stipanic Grahek
By Margaret Antoinette (Toni) Grahek Carter
Colorado, early 1900’s:
When workers gained union strength, large companies sent out ads to foreign countries boasting of the United States as the “land of milk and honey, where the streets are paved with gold.” Colorado was one of the areas that advertised. Desperate Slovenian workers needing jobs flocked to Pueblo, Colorado only to find they were wanted as strike breakers. The Slovenians built their neighborhood on one side of the bridge that spans the Arkansas River. On the other side was the Italian neighborhood. St. Mary parish, built in 1924, was where many of the young Slovenian people attended school. Today a Slovenian library is maintained at the church by Bernice Krašovec, curator (719-542-6323). It is here that my grandparents, John and Anna Stipanic Grahek made their home and raised their family
My father, Joe was the 7th child bom to my grandparents. He and my mother Margaret McHenry were married on February 10,1949. My parents along with my Uncle John Jr. owned the Grahek Grocery in Pueblo. My mother Margaret and Aunt Mildred Grahek Stofac worked at the store.
The Grahek Store and extended family have been an integral part of my life. As a young child, I was in the care of my grandparents, John and Anna Grahek, while my parents tended the store. I lived a life immersed in Slovenian tradition. Grandpa would pick me up at the store and carry me on his shoulders. As we made our way to their home he would talk to me in Slovenian. He said I reminded him of his mother, who had red hair like mine. Grandpa would tell me stories and sing to me on their front porch. I remember him teaching me a song about a donkey. Grandma came out and yelled at him for teaching me such things. He just laughed and laughed. He had such a sense of humor. I was so young at the time; I can’t remember a verse!
1 remember one meal at Grandma’s house. My brother David, who had lost his front teeth, was having difficulty eating com on the cob. Grandpa told him not to waste food and to eat all the com off the cob. “Just nibble like a mouse, one section at a time,” he said. Then grandpa laughed and laughed.
At one family gathering at my grandparent’s, the adults were sitting around the dining room table, enjoying my Uncle Fred’s wine and singing. I crept in and crawled under the table. Then grandpa announced to all that we had a mouse under the table; he grabbed me and plunked me on his knee. Again, his laughter filled the room.
I have wonderful memories of Grandma in the kitchen. Her cooking was superb. She taught me to make apple strudel, chicken soup and buckwheat potica with bacon. She was a worker. Her home was immaculate. She tended a very large garden. I remember picking beans with her! Grandma was also thrifty, talented and creative. To keep her wardrobe in the style of the times, she would change a collar, take in the seams, or add lace or zippers. When she was finished, it was a new outfit! Once I had given her yards of fabric. From this assortment she sewed dresses and household items without using a single pattern! She could also crochet with the best of them.
Each summer I would spend a week with my Grandma. Such a treat! I got to sleep on the couch. Each evening we would sit on the front porch swing, greeting the neighbors as they walked by. During this time she would sing to me and tell me stories. From my grandparents I learned to have pride in my country and my Slovenian heritage.
Grandma also had a sense of humor. When I brought my future husband Dennis to meet her, she sat while he talked about his family, how they made dandelion wine in 10-gallon crocks. She smiled and asked my Uncle Fred to show him our homemade wine. Fred took him to the cellar and showed him the two 50 gallon barrels of wine. Dennis still talks about how they “com swaddled” him.
Grandma was religious and went to church every day. When
I	had my first son, Douglas, her advice was to nurse him as long as possible. Grandma had nursed her children until they were three years old. She believed that was why she had six living children.
The Grahek Grocery was a great place to grow up around! At an early age I was delighted to be part of the workers. 1 learned to stock, watch for shoplifters and count change. My brother David, sister Colleen and I spent many days in the back room playing with the big boxes and eating fresh bread sandwiches. The Grahek Store was known for their blood sausage, klobase and Italian sausage. When our parents were busy making sausage in the basement, we would explore and play among the wonderful aromas. As a teenager I worked the store during my junior and senior years. I delivered groceries every Saturday, stocked shelves during the week and after school, and ran the cash registers.
The Grahek Store was the hub of community life. During the steel mill strikes, my dad would extend credit to the
workers. Many continued to pay back after the store closed. My dad sold the store after his brother, John Jr. died in 1972. However, sausage making never stopped. Dad shared his knowledge with me and FINALLY, after 25 years of marriage, my husband was allowed to become part of the sausage making team in the kitchen, AND he got to see the
Potica Cake from Mildred Stofac
Ingredients:	Filling:
3/4 cup butter	1 cup ground nuts
1	1/2	teaspoon Baking	Powder	2 tablespoons flour
1	1/2	teaspoon Baking	Soda	1/2 cup brown sugar
1	1/2	teaspoon vanilla	1 teaspoon cinnamon
2 cups sour cream
1	1/2 cups sugar 4 eggs
3 cups flour
secret family recipe! Today, my husband, sons and I continue to make the family’s sausage recipes.
Just recently, we have found more relatives in Slovenia. What wonderful thoughts to know there is more family just a continent away!
Cream butter and sugar, add eggs one at a time. Sift dry ingredients together three times and add slowly to creamed mixture, alternating with sour cream. Add vanilla. Pour a layer of batter, then a layer of filling, then another layer of batter etc, until both are used up.
Make sure to end with the batter as the top layer. Bake 1 hour and 15 minutes in a 350 degree oven. Cool on a rack for 15 minutes, then remove from the pan and put on a rack to finish cooling. When cooled, sprinkle with powdered sugar, or decorate with white icing.
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Wooden Dove Ornament
A Gorenjska region tradition in miniature. Your family will treasure it.
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Quality craftsmanship in solid beechwood. Removable grid makes this perfect for slicing holiday breads.
Handcrafts, Gifts, and Heritage
Country Pendulum Clock
Modeled after an 18th century Slovenian countryside clock. Slovenian lace imprints.
f THE IVANA PROJECT -S WUA Archival Documents Scanned N
Ivana Božic was the Is1 deceased S WUA member. Within weeks of her name being published, her great-granddaughter Barbara Friesenhahn made contact with the museum. The result was Ivana’s story being the beginning of The Path Taken... dolpoljenapot. Ivana was a typical Slovenian immigrant woman of her time, she
learned the English language, became a member of this newly formed Slovenian Ladies Union, showed leadership in Branch 5 of Indianapolis, IN and became a role model for her family.
It is therefore proclaimed that the scanning project be forever identified as the “IVANA PROJECT”.
Death in 1942		Skerl Rose	Br. 15	Kocjan Mary	Br. 12
Baraga Agnes	Br. 25	Slapar Frances	Br. 25	Koos Mary Ann	Br. 04
Barnes Anne	Br. 13	Smole Agnes	Br. 41	Korošec Agnes	Br. 32
Begg Angela	Br. 06	Specka Ljuba	Br. 54	Kovach Mary	Br. 25
Bencina Pauline	Br. 17	Spudich Louise	Br. 10	Kramarich Barbara	Br. 20
Benscics Margaret	Br. 16	Sterle Mary	Br. 38	Kremžar Magdalena	Br. 25
Blasko Victoria	Br. 10	Strekal Mary	Br. 14	Krmpotich Anna	Br. 32
Bradac Cecilia	Br. 49	Susa Pauline	Br. 10	Kuhelj Hermina	Br. 74
Briski Magdalena	Br. 77	Tomsic Jennie	Br. 32	Kusnar Margaret	Br. 25
Brletich Anna	Br. 81	Toparis Josephine	Br. 41	Lerchbacher Pauline	Br. 40
Cesnik Antonia	Br. 15	Turk Suzanna	Br. 89	Leskovec Frances	Br. 96
Dolgan Antonia	Br. 54	Vidic Mary	Br. 16	Lisac Gerturde	Br .84
Dugar Mary	Br. 05	Vidmar Mary	Br. 97	Loushin Frances	Br. 34
Ferbezer Frances	Br. 59	Zagar Frances	Br. 12	Lustik Mary	Br. 25
Flore Antonia	Br. 77	Zallar Agnes	Br. 23	Luzar Frances	Br. 21
Germ Frances	Br. 31	Zallar Mary	Br. 41	Maierle Mamie	Br. 09
Habjan Frances	Br. 50	Žgajnar Mary	Br. 25	Markovič Mary	Br. 25
Horvat Mary	Br. 19	Zmak Anna	Br. 13	Markovich Mary	Br. 48
Hrlevich Mary	Br. 17	ZombeckAnna	Br. 80	Marold Marie	Br. 48
Hrovat Frances	Br. 15	Zupan Antoinette	Br. 14	Mesnarich Mary	Br. 12
Ivan Theresa	Br. 30	Zupancich Mary	Br. 03	Mihalenec Viola	Br. 41
Jacksic Mary	Br. 72			Mihelich Katherine	Br. 28
Javornik Anna	Br. 12	Death in 1943		Miklaucic Stephanie	Br. 17
Jersan Mary	Br. 25	Balkovec Mary	Br. 26	Mismas Josephine	Br. 25
Juzna Lisabeth	Br. 02	Barbaric Josephine	Br. 05	Modic Cecilia	Br. 15
Kapler Gertrude	Br. 14	Cesnovar Mary	Br. 25	Pavich Anna	Br. 95
Kocka Johanna	Br. 16	Chopp Helen	Br. 65	Posega Jennie	Br. 74
Kodromaz Antonia	Br. 25	Curl Mary	Br. 77	Prentovich Sophia	Br. 06
Kolak Mary	Br. 81	Cvetkovich Josephine	Br. 54	Prijatel Mary	Br. 41
Korce Louise	Br. 07	Dimauro Katherine	Br. 13	Rallih Anna	Br. 25
Kostajnsek Theresa	Br. 25	Dobnikar Jenni	Br. 10	Richter Mary	Br. 12
Krmpotich Mary	Br. 16	Franz Anna	Br. 53	Rodich Anna	Br. 16
Kucic Theresa	Br. 27	Glavan Mary	Br. 10	Rudolph Margaret	Br. 08
Lasnik Mathilda	Br. 66	Gore Mary	Br. 79	Rus Theresa	Br. 72
Lovrencich Luci	Br. 09	Gottlieb Anna	Br. 34	Russ Frances	Br. 47
Matan Mary	Br. 08	Gradishar Antonia	Br. 16	Salehar Mary	Br. 16
Mehelik Mary	Br. 06	Hribar Caroline	Br. 40	Samsa Mamie	Br. 10
Mervar Frances	Br. 25	Hrovat Mary	Br. 88	Shain Mary	Br. 12
Milavec Louise	Br. 41	Jakopič Margaret	Br. 25	Sharich Frances	Br. 56
Milos Mary	Br. 39	Jartz Jennie	Br. 41	Sikovsek Theresa	Br. 77
Modic Mary	Br. 85	Jerasa Josephine	Br. 14	Skoda Amelia	Br. 21
Novak Fanny	Br. 12	Jereb Josephine	Br. 25	Skoldar Mary	Br. 25
Otrin Mary	Br. 23	Jurca Mary	Br. 21	Sotlich Mary	Br. 28
Ovca Cecilia	Br. 74	Kapla Mary	Br. 25	Stefanich Theresa	Br. 34
Peterlin Josephine	Br. 10	Kerne Alice	Br. 89	Stefin Mary	Br. 83
Pucel Rose	Br. 12	Kim Lucia	Br. 42	Sterfancic Antonia	Br. 47
Rakovic Rose	Br. 02	Klemenc Anna	Br. 12	Stern Louise	Br. 25
Rossman Katherine	Br. 10	Klobucher Mary	Br. 71	Stokel Mary	Br. 10
\Sivec Gertrude	Br. 25	Knezevich Anna	Br. 54	Strel Katherine	Br. 53y
.Suhadolc Rose	Br. 25	Kamin Mary	B	07	Rezek Mary	Br. 28 N.
Suhadolnik Frances	Br. 25	Kastelic Veronica	B	25	Robnik Pauline	Br. 55
Svete Sophie	Br. 07	Kenik Theresa	B	15	Rožic Milka	Br. 95
1 Terček Kotar Mary	Br. 71	Kermetz Frances	B	12	Rudelich Mary	Br. 25
Trost Antonia	Br. 04	Kinder Mary	B	74	Sadler Frances	Br. 33
1 Ujcich Mary	Br. 04	Klansek Mary	B	24	Sajovic Mary	Br. 41 1
| Valenčič Elizabeth	Br. 15	Kochevar Mary	B	33	Schweiger Theresa	Br. 88 |
| Vidmar Anna	Br. 25	Kosten Frances	B	49	Sitar Anna	Br. 28 j
Vidmar Rose	Br. 25	Kozmut Antonia	B	17	Skala Josephine	Br. 78
Vuscan Helen	Br. 13	Krantz Josephine	B	30	Skull Caroline	Br. 35
1 Zupančič Mary	Br. 10	Krebel Rose	B	10	Slanovich Ivana	Br. 71
		Kucan Antonia	B	08	Slapnik Josephine	Br. 18
Death in 1944		Mahne Helen	B	37	Smerkol Mary	Br. 51
Arch Mary	Br. 77	MarelichAnn	B	13	Smole Jennie	Br. 25
Bambich Mary	Br. 25	Matkovich Agnes	B	16	Sneller Margaret	Br. 25
Banko Mary	Br. 24	Matos Theresa	B	25	Srebemak Mar.	Br. 28
Bensa Mary	Br. 41	Merhar Jennie	B	25	Steblay Antonia	Br. 19 1
I BlzjakAntoinette	Br. 93	Mesarich Catherine	B	08	Sterle Mary	Br. 25 1
| Brate Pauline	Br. 10	Mihevc Ivana	B	07	Stern Anna	Br. 23 |
| Bruss Frances	Br. 25	Mihocic Mary	B	67	SupanichAnna	Br. 28
Burgar Mary	Br. 25	Milavec Mary	B	25	Susel Mary	Br. 03
Crtalic Josephine	Br. 25	Mramor Mary	B	03	Tometz Katherina	Br. 39
1 CulikAnn	Br. 20	Mrozek Mary	B	20	Torkar Frances	Br. 41
Damjanovich Mary	Br. 78	Nagode Helena	B	14	Trubich Evelyn (Jonny)	?
Giemza Frances	Br. 88	Nahtigal Mary	B	10	Trusnik Justina	Br. 05
Giovanelli Helen	Br. 84	Nieuzytek Katherine	B	14	Tumshek Mary	Br. 04
Gorishek Mary	Br. 43	Noga Mary	B	61	Tursic Agnes	Br. 41
Gornick Frances	Br. 34	Nose Anna	B	32	Verb ich Apolona	Br. 20
1 Govey Mary	Br. 26	Novak Louise	B	. 16	Vertnik Agnes	Br. 23 1
| Hočevar Anna	Br. 10	Novlan Angela	B	. 20	Vesel Frances	Br. 23 |
| Hozbarsic Julia	Br. 25	Nusich Frances	B	38	VidakAnna	Br. 45 |
Hutar Margaret	Br. 23	Ostanek Mary	B	10	Vidmar Mary	Br. 65
| Jaklich Rose	Br. 25	Pecek Agnes	B	. 06	Werhovnik Theresa	Br. 43
Jakse Pauline	Br. 65	Perme Agnes	B	. 25	Zaitz Rose	Br. 43 |
1 Jankowski Elizabeth	Br. 95	Plut Katherine	B	. 08	Zajc Mary	Br. 27
Jazbinsek Rose	Br. 26	Poderzaj Mary	B	. 31	Zavodnik Johanna	Br. 12
Juha Frances	Br. 40	Prijanovich Rose	B	. 65	Zgonc Rose	Br. 23
' Jurca Agnes	Br. 21	Remshak Vida	B	. 01		
r	REQUEST FOR ANCESTRAL DOCUMENTS					1
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Name of Deceased:		DOB:			DOD: Branch #:	
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Send this form with a payment of $25 to: SWUA, 431 N Chicago St. Joliet, IL 60432
Potica Contest Winner, 2007 National Convention - Helen Cukale
“I've always been proud of my Slovenian heritage -
and have loved baking Potica for my family and friends/” - Helen Cukale
Helen was contacted at her home in Chicago after she was declared the winner of the Slovenian Women’s Union of America 80lh Anniversary Potica Contest held in connection with the National Convention in June, and we learned more about her.
She is one of many of our elderly Slovenian homemakers who have raised wonderful families and infused in them a love for their culture and heritage, and has found friendship and joy in her membership in the SWUA. Helen’s daughter, Lenore Urbanski, can vouch for this. She was the one who came to the convention and accepted her mom’s prize and title as the Best Potica Baker!
Helen and her family live in the Chicago area and are members of Branch 2.
More About Helen
Helen’s life story is an interesting combination of coincidences. She was bom in LaSalle, Illinois just a few miles from the site of this year’s National Convention held in Utica, and co-hosted by the LaSalle and Oglesby Branches of SWUA. Helen has told us this story of her life:
“My parents came from Slovenia, father from Brežice and mother from Skopice and they settled in LaSalle. I was bom on April 20, 1922 and baptized at St. Roch’s Slovenian
church. Later we moved to Chicago, Illinois, near St Stephen’s church where I grew up.
In 1939, I met my future husband at a SNPJ concert and dance. Tomaž Cukale was a member of the Franc Prešeren Male Chorus; they were performing that day - a very popular group of handsome men! He was a fine tenor and dreamed of pursuing a career as a singer. I married him in October, 1940 and our family consists of three lovely children, Thomas Jr. with whom I live, Lenore Urbanski and Norman. My dear husband of 54 years passed away in 1994.
I have always been active in Slovenian events. I remember that at the age of 12, I was in a Slovenian dancing class and Mrs. Kušar was our teacher. In 1932 we were thrilled to perform at a big folk fair in Soldier Field in downtown Chicago.
I am happy to see how successful our SWUA has become. So many young people are showing their interest and pride in our beautiful traditions. This being said, I want to thank all those members who have honored me with the Best Potica Baker award. It all reflects on my own mother who taught me how to bake a fine potica. Even though I was not present myself to see the smiling audience at the convention, I am grateful for it. My daughter well-represented me! And, I know that my mother was looking down on me from heaven!” - Helen Cukale
Helen Cukale
The awarding of the First Prize to Mrs. Cukale, a beautiful lady, 85 years young and a member of Banch. 2, Chicago, was one of the outstanding moments of the Convention. Mrs. Cukale was not in attendance but her daughter, Lenore Urbanski, was called to the stage to accept the prize for her. The banquet crowd watched as Lenore walked up, holding her cell phone high and we all knew she was calling her mom. In a moment we heard her shouting into the phone and repeating, “Mom, You Won!” It was truly an exciting moment and the crowd responded with vigorous applause. We are certain that a happy Mrs. Cukale heard all the cheers over the phone from a hundred miles away!
Congratulations to all the winners and thanks to all the entries whose beautiful poticas were a part of an interesting and dynamic SWUA Convention. Thanks to the Committee from Branch 99 who handled it very well indeed and made a beautiful display of all the poticas for everyone to witness and enjoy. They are: Mary and Paula Mavec, Mara Martinčič, Fran Wolfe and Anne Nowak.
All the poticas brought to the convention from delegates and guests were served at the Gala banquet and were the perfect Slovenian dessert, capping the Convention events deliciously! - Corinne Leskovar
Yeast Mixture:
Mix together and let stand 10 minutes or until frothy:
2Va tsp. dry yeast Va cup water '/2 Tbs. sugar
Dough:
Va cup milk Va stick butter 3 egg yolks
1/3 cup plus 2 Tbs. sugar 1 tsp. salt /2 Tbs. vanilla
3	V2 - 4 cups flour
Bring the milk and butter to boiling point. Let cool. In small bowl, beat egg yolks, sugar, salt and vanilla with an electric mixer until light and lemon colored. In larger bowl, pour yeast mixture, milk and butter, egg yolk mixture and 1 Vi cups flour. Beat well. Keep adding the rest of the flour until dough comes away from sides of bowl.
On a floured board, knead dough by hand for 15 minutes, adding more flour as needed to form a non-sticky mass. Put the dough in a greased bowl, turning to grease all sides, and let it rise for 1 Vi to 2 hours, until doubled in size.
Filling:
1 lb. shelled walnuts, ground
4	oz. butter Va cup Half & Half 1 cup sugar Va cup honey 1V2 tsp. vanilla 1 ‘/2 tsp. cinnamon 3 egg whites, stiffly beaten
V2 cup golden raisins, soaked in boiling water until soft, then drained
Melt the butter. Add milk, sugar and honey. Bring mixture to a boil. Pour over walnuts. Add vanilla and cinnamon. Fold in beaten egg whites. If mixture seems too thin, thicken with a few teaspoons of crushed graham cracker crumbs.
Method:
On a large cloth-covered table lightly sprinkled with flour, place the dough and roll out to 27 x 27 inches and 1/8 inch thick. Spread the filling over the dough evenly, and sprinkle raisins overfilling.
Start rolling the dough by hand, keeping it straight and even from beginning to end. Every couple of turns, prick holes in the dough with a knitting needle or something similar to prevent air pockets from forming as the dough bakes. Keep rolling to the end. Using the end of a saucer cut 4 inches from each end of the roll.
Prepare two well-greased pans, a larger 10 inch tube pan and a small loaf pan. Into the tube pan, gently place the long potica roll, edge to edge. Into the smaller pan, place the two end pieces, joining them together. Always place rolls in pan seam side down. Cover and let rise in a warm place until double in bulk, about one hour.
Bake both poticas in a preheated oven, 325 degrees F. for 1 to 1V2 hours until golden brown (the smaller pan will take less time). For a nice shiny top crust, brush tops before baking with beaten egg.
The first place winner was awarded a beautiful, hand-painted wooden plate from Slovenia with the words Best Potica 2007, and a floral design in the center. It was specially designed and painted by an artist, M. Mlakar of Ljubljana.
Mrs. Helen Cukale entry received the most points for its Appearance (either round or loaf-shaped was acceptable), Texture (visible in the slices) and Taste. Later, it was passed around for everyone to taste (tiny pieces, of course), and we noted one more very special fact that indeed, made it a prize-winner. Every slice was exactly the same, from the first to the last piece, with the same pattern of circles of dough and filling visible. It had the same texture and appearance; it did not cave-in, as some poticas do if the filling is too heavy, nor did any holes appear to change its perfectly rolled inside appearance. The crust also was uniformly golden brown and the potica was the same height and thickness.
W
Preserving the Tradition of Potica
By Melissa Netzer, Zarja Correspondent
There is nothing quite like the joy of walking into the kitchen and smelling the sweet scents of honey, walnuts, and yeast lingering in the air. Like magic it seems to conjure up childhood memories of long afternoons spent in the kitchen with mom or grandma helping to mix, knead, and pull potica dough paper-thin. Hours would pass as she worked diligently at her culinary masterpiece and we tried to wait ever so patiently for the dough to rise. There is no question that potica making is an art form. But in these modem times of hustle and bustle, it is getting increasingly difficult to find the time to make this beloved symbol of our Slovenian heritage.
Rea Rossi knows the pains of potica deprivation all too well. Although she and her sister, Marguerite, helped make potica on numerous occasions, it was their mother, Helen Theno, who was the expert in the family. Making potica is an elaborate task and as the years went by it just became too difficult for Mrs. Theno to make. Several years passed without potica and Rea became determined to find a way to keep this Slovenian tradition alive. Her idea was to create a short cut using Pillsbury Crescent Roll dough. After a period of experimentation, Mrs. Rossi perfected her modification to the recipe.
“The potica tastes almost as good as my mom’s,” Mrs. Rossi said. “Real potica tastes the best but the short cut potica is better than store bought potica or no potica,” she added. Even Rea’s mother, Helen, got in on the fun. “I made potica with my 86 year old mom at Christmas time and she was so excited we were doing it. She doesn’t mind the short cut and she loves spreading out the walnut filling on the dough.”
Rea Rossi and her mother Helen Theno, Photos by Jim Rossi
In almost every Slovenian household, potica is a cherished treat. However this time-intensive delicacy is being prepared less and less. Rea Rossi’s innovative short cut transforms the art of potica making into a quicker and easier undertaking. Her hope is that by using this modified recipe, people who might not ordinarily have taken the time to make potica will be inspired and realize that they too can do it.
In the end though it doesn’t matter which potica recipe you use. The fact of the matter is that potica making is a treasured tradition that should be celebrated and passed on for future generations to enjoy. So as you plan your holiday baking list, make sure to include potica!
Dear Members! Keep up your good work - the Zarja magazine, the Scholarship Program and all other programs saving our heritage are so important. Many of us are 2nd generation Slovenians as our grandparents escaped and fled the persecution and hard times in their homeland of Slovenia in the late 1800’s and early 1900’s. We need to stay grounded in our chaotic day to day lives and understand and appreciate our family backgrounds. My uncle, Billy Slogar, helped to introduce me and my sister to S WUA. He lives for all things Slovenian! Thank you and good luck in baking your own Short-Cut Potica! - Rea Rossi
Rea Rossi’s Short-Cut Walnut Potica
Recipe Made with Pillsbury Dough and the Slogar Family Filling
Dough:
1 lb. (4 c.) ground walnuts 6 pkg Pillsbury Crescent Roll Dough 1 c. cream (evaporated milk)
1 c. honey V2 c. sugar
3 slightly beaten eggs Va c. butter 1 tsp vanilla
Directions:
Scald milk, add nuts, honey, sugar, eggs. Stir. Cook 5 min. at med/hi, then remove from heat. Add butter and vanilla.
Stir. Let cool. {Recipe makes 3 poticas)
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Sprinkle flour on pastry cloth to avoid sticking. Using 2 packages of Pillsbury Crescent Roll dough per potica, lay on pastry cloth. Push perforations together to try to form a rectangle, roll flatter with rolling pin - this is the challenging part but don’t give up! It will
become an irregularly shaped rectangle.
Spread 1/3 of walnut filling on dough. Roll one up like a jellyroll and then just roll it into the other. Place rolled potica in well greased loaf pan. Repeat for the other 2 poticas. Bake for approx. 60 minutes. Cool for about 2 minutes in loaf pan on cooling rack. Melt butter over top of the potica. After 2 minutes, remove potica from the pan to the cooling rack.
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JOSEPHINE VALENČIČ SCHOLARSHIP IN VOICE
The Cleveland Institute of Music is now accepting applications for the Josephine Valenčič Scholarship in Voice. The Valenčič scholarship covers a portion of the cost of tuition for a Cleveland Institute of Music student who is a citizen of Slovenia, of Slovene heritage, and/ or a member of a chartered Slovene-American organization. Applicants must be enrolled in the Preparatory Voice Program for at least one year. The scholarship is awarded for a full year and distributed over two semesters.
For more information contact the Cleveland Institute of Music at (216)	791-5000	or go to
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Minnesota State Convention, 2007
Slovenian Folklore presented by (Left to right) Rose Marie (Dolly) Shober, Gerry Petrich, Mary Lou Voelk
Slovenian Women’s Union of America, Branch 39 of Biwabik, hosted the annual SWUA Minnesota State Convention at St. John’s Church in Biwabik on Sunday, September 9th. Representatives from seven (7) out of eight (8) Minnesota branches arrived at 9:00 a.m. for registration and coffee with the meetings beginning at 10:00 a.m. Along with Biwabik, members from Ely, Duluth, Chisholm, Soudan, Aurora and the Twin Cities attended. An election of SWUA Minnesota officers was held naming Rosemary Ribich, Biwabik as Minnesota President, Anita Vovk, Aurora as Minnesota Vice President and Mary Spehar White, Duluth as Minnesota Secretary-Treasurer. Biwabik native, Norm Setnicker, President of the Twin Cities branch, gave a presentation about the activities of Minnesota’s newest Branch 109. Many of the members of that branch are off-spring from the Iron Range and now residents in or around the Twin Cities. SWUA thanks Norm and his members for truly LIVING OUR LEGACY.
Norm Setnicker giving presentation
Minnesota Vice-President, Jean Korsman chaired the meeting in the absence of Lisa McDonell, Minnesota President. After a very constructive agenda, the members assembled in the church for the celebration of the Mass officiated by Fr. Bill Skarich, pastor of the East Range Catholic Parishes. Eleanor Indihar, Gilbert, was the reader and Barb Urick of Aurora served as the Eucharistic Minister. The choir was comprised of several members of SWUA with Mary Veronick, Gilbert as the organist.
A complete and delicious turkey dinner was catered by Francine Gunderson and her staff and served to seventy-five (75) members and guests. A program by Mary Lou Deyak Voelk, Iron River, WI and formerly of Ely representing the SWUA Heritage Museum as Roaming Ambassador, was presented and enjoyed by all the
attendees. The convention inspired four (4) new members for Branch 39. There were three (3) members of Branch 39 that were honored with fifty (50) year membership pins. They are Vida Lanari, Branch 39 Secretary-Treasurer, Marija Ferkul and Martina Michals. These three members are sisters and an important part of the branch activities. Congratulations for your longevity in our beloved SWUA.
Aurora Branch 35 will host the 2008 SWUA Convention in conjunction with their 80th Anniversary celebration. The planning has already begun and if anyone is interested in membership, please contact Rosemary at 218-865-6600 or Anita at 218-229-3202. The benefits of membership includes learning and preserving Slovenian heritage, genealogical searches, participation in events across the country, scholarship opportunities and enjoying the bimonthly magazine Zarja The Dawn. - Rosemary (Sertich) Ribich, President Branch 39, Biwabik, MN
THANK YOU to each and every person attending the Minnesota Convention in Biwabik. When President Rose Mary Ribich called for a special collection for the Slovenian Heritage Museum in Joliet, IL your passion for our Slovenian heritage came through. Your donations netted $79! I feel privileged to have been able to accept your generous donation for our heritage museum. A sincere thank you!
- Mary Lou Deyak Voelk and George J. Plautz Jr.
Wisconsin State Convention, 2007
Left to right, Judy DiPasquale, Larry Paki:
After a busy summer filled with major events in our little town, Willard hosted the 2007 Wisconsin State Convention on September 9lh. Cool fresh air and wonderful music (provided by Dave and Larry Pakiz and Judy DiPasquale) welcomed our guests from Branches 1,
12 and 43. We welcomed Denise Bartlett as a representative from the National Board. The business meeting with State President Josephine Janezic, presiding, resulted in the election of Yvonne Khaldy-Johnstone, Branch 43 as State President and Rita Mejerle-Klug, Branch 43 as Vice-President. Mass was celebrated by Monsignor Matthew Mainer, a Willard native, with the Slovenian choir singing favorite Slovenian hymns. After a lovely dinner complete with fried chicken and Slovenian sausage, Monsignor Mainer delivered a talk on Slovenian Rosg ^ Presjdent immigration, Mary Turvey Branch 102 spoke about the scholarship fund and Josephine Janezic recapped her nine years as Wisconsin State President.
Josephine Janezic, outgoing Wisconsin State President
Yvonne Khaldy-Johnstone, newly elected Wisconsin State
All too quickly, after more music and singing the bus and THANK YOU to Josephine for her dedication to Wisconsin vans departed for home but not before Branch 102 said SWUA. - Karen Hribar-Spires
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Branch Reports Poročila Podružnic
BRANCH 1 - Sheboygan, Wisconsin
Ah, Potica! Whose mouth doesn’t water with the thought of a slice or two of potica? Maybe with a slice of ham or spread with butter (not at our house!) and a choice of beverage.
Wb	
	
	
	
Rogene Grabner passes on the polica baking skills to her granddaughter Jamie Grabner, both are members of Branch 1
In Sheboygan we are most fortunate to have a Master Potica baker, Chris Shircel of Slovenian heritage. Like many potica bakers, he learned the art from his mother and his grandmother, mostly observing. He began baking at the age of 19 and is still going strong 35 years later. Word of mouth advertising has extended his reputation to the Midwest, the South and the West. Many of you know his potica and agree it’s the best. The proof is in the tasting.
1 remember the potica contest at the National Convention in June. We all had a taste of the winning potica. 1 would match Chris’s potica with that one any day! His kitchen was built around his baking, a granite island and marble rollers. Thus, kneading and rolling of the dough is easier, with the best results possible. Even though he also holds a full time job he was happy to share this information with me.
Along with Chris, many of our SWUA members are potica bakers, with the skills being passed on from generation to generation. It’s a great way to keep our heritage alive.
Angie Fritz
BRANCH 2 - Chicago, Illinois
Calling all local branches! Come to our annual Penny Social, Sunday November 18 at 12:00 at St. Stephen’s Church hall 1856 West 22nd Place, Chicago. We always have so much fun: Penny Table, Games, Elsie’s Christmas Comer; Bakery Shoppe, Chances and Hot Dogs with all the trimmings. Keep December 16 available for our Christmas Gala. We will be raffling off a Slovenian Doll purchased at the National Convention, which was made by Branch 1, Sheboygan. It took five women to make each doll and our doll’s name is Marylou and she is beautiful. It
Rosemary Li twin with Branch 2 newest members, daughter-in-law Michelle Litwin and granddaughter, 5 month old Sarah, at Zveza Picnic in Lemont, 1L.
will be a good keepsake. Santa arrives on Saturday December the first, at 12:00 at St. Stephen’s for the children’s party. Please pray for our members who have been in the hospital, Geneva Cerjak, Jolene Svoboda, and Louie Pasderetz. Hope to see you all at our meetings. Condolences who have recently lost loved ones; member Mary Habel, (died in Florida), member Geraldene Kramer, to Mamie and Carole Fabian who lost sister/aunt member Ann Bunetta who was a very active member in all out Zveza events, she will be missed, member Mary Bemasek lost her bother Joseph Kregul and member Lenore Urbanski lost her brother-in-law Fred Urbanski. In closing, my husband, John “JZ” Železnikar, died on August the 14th, he was also father to member Mary Newbould and brother to member Sophie Bogolin, please remember them in your prayers that they will rest in peace with the Lord. Wishes to you all a MERRY CHRISTMAS and a HAPPY NEW YEAR! Please remember our servicemen in your prayers and with hopes that they return safely back to us soon. God bless you all.
Love Daisy
BRANCH 12-Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Since we are winding down the summer and our Fall Meeting Schedule has not started, there are several matters
I	would like to bring to your attention, before the next issue of the Zarja is published; and all of this, will then be old news. It is with a great deal of sadness that our Lodge acknowledges the loss one of our most beloved and devoted members, Stavia Dobersek. I know that the majority of our local Slovenian community is aware of her death and to all of us she was, and always will be an ideal and sadly missed. We all admired the combination of kindness, loyalty, humility and friendliness that her life represented. The loss of this beautiful lady, who was our President for over 26 years and Honorary President at the time of her death, was an inspiration to us all and the examples she set will long continue to influence us. She not only held officer positions in many of our Slovenian Lodges, but with Sacred Heart of Jesus Parish and so many other community
organizations, such as Eagles and Tripoli Shrine Honored Ladies. We extend our deepest sympathies to her son, Lance and his family.
And now on to other news. Branch 12 will be celebrating its 80lh Anniversary on October 31st, this year and we had started preparations for a celebration, on Sunday October 28th. However, before we could complete the preparations, we were advised of a conflict; not one but two, which made us realize that it would not be feasible to celebrate this historic occasion on October 28th as planned. Two separate Milwaukee organizations are planning events on this date and our membership agreed that celebrating our 80th anniversary would better serve the Slovenian Community if we postponed our observance until the spring of 1980. Plans are in the works and we hope that you will help us celebrate next spring. Look for more information in the coming issues of Zarja.
Our new season starts with our September meeting on September 20Ih and because our membership has been dwindling not only in SWUA but all Slovenian lodges, we are trying to encourage membership growth and would truly like to invite all Slovenians, including the men, to join us on the third Thursday of each month, for a nice light lunch, some great conversation and a couple of games of bingo. We really need to get our Slovenian community involved in the various Slovenian events, if we want to preserve our ethnic heritage and that isn’t only for SWUA, but for all of our Slovenian Lodges. So join us.
More News on our Lodge in the next issue of Zarja. So until next issue, here’s hoping that everything is just right in your little comer of the world.
Fran Remshak
BRANCH 14 - Euclid, Ohio
It’s hard to believe that fall is upon us and winter is not far behind. Greetings from Branch 14 in Euclid, Ohio. The September-October issue of Zarja had an excellent summary of the recent Convention which voted down both the changing of the name of the SWUA, and removing the word “Christian” from our bylaws. Our traditions still stand.
As is our custom, Branch 14 will be hosting its annual Christmas dinner catered by Sophie Mazi on Tuesday, December 4, starting at 6 p.m. Stana Grill is once again in charge of reservations and she will be calling you soon. If you wish to call her, her number is 440-944-0598. Thank God we have such a conscientious member as Stana because without her work and knowledge these dinners would never be as successful as they are. We once again will have a raffle for which our members are asked to donate a prize. The raffles at our Christmas and Mother’s Day dinners are our only fundraisers for the year and are the highlight of the evenings. See you in December at our Christmas dinner.
Patricia Budzilek
BRANCH 16 - South Chicago, Illinois
Well, we came back from summer break and had our meeting Wednesday night. It was quite an iffy thing because we didn’t know if we were going to have a President..
Since Mary Therese Ehnat hasn’t been feeling well she resigned from her position as President. We want to thank Mary Therese for the work that she has done in the past years. She did a wonderful job and conducted the meetings very well. We also want to thank Mary Jane Strus for conducting the meetings when Mary Therese could not be present.
Anyway, on Wednesday night we were very fortunate that Marjorie Mitchell, one of our most recent and youngest members accepted the position of President. She is a very ambitious person and loves her Slovenian heritage. With the help of all the other members, we should do well. Congratulations, Marjorie!
Rosemary, our delegate reported on the Convention. She donated 3 homemade poticas and was in awe of all the poticas, especially the one that won the prize. She was on the Committee that welcomed all the guests to the Convention. She enjoyed working with all the young girls that were dressed in their Narodna noša, which she also wore. She remarked on how beautiful everything was, how everything was scheduled and also the beautiful Mass with the Singing Slovenes and the beautiful Banquet.
While Marge was not a delegate, she did visit for an hour or so and she was able be at the Presentation of the Youngsters book “Land of the Gingerbread”; which she brought to the meeting for everyone to see. She talked about the display of all the different Wedding gowns and she met Gen Buol, the person who was most instrumental in helping us out with our Regional Convention. Marge was very impressed with all of this.
A very sad note, one of our loyal members, Andrea Krai passed away in August. Our members met at her Wake and said the Rosary and the Prayer for the deceased member of SWUA. We express our sympathy to her husband Ed, her family and all her friends. May she rest in peace.
Jim and I became great grandparents of Elyse Agnes Hoffmann, daughter of Kristin and Dan Hoffmann on June 1, 2007. I can’t wait to sit her on my lap and sing some Slovenian songs to her, like I did with her mother.
I	would like to invite all our inactive members to come to our next meeting that will be held November 10th, at 1:00 in St. George Church Hall, 96th & Ewing, side entrance to the Hall. We also would like to see some young members too.
A final note, we miss Veda very much, and hope and pray that everything goes well with her.
Dorothy A. Rossi
BRANCH 20 - Joliet, Illinois
Happy Autumn to All. The wonderful autumn season is upon us. We had our first meeting on Sep. 18th after our summer break and the attendance was great. Mr. Alex Kaluza was our guest speaker about his memorable trip to the Canadian West. He had many experiences to share with us, as well as some great photos. Members Sue Bartholme and Barbara DeLaney hosted the meeting. Numerous door prizes were given. The winner of the 50/50 raffle was Pat Kraski. Two new members were introduced, Colleen Kovic and Pat Kraski. Welcome! The progressive attendance award was not presented since Dorothy Sunnan was absent.
Grace Doerk gave an EXCELLENT report about the National Convention, she also informed us she has received a Certificate of Excellence from the S.N.P.J. on a job well	done.
Congratulations Grace! November 20lh meeting will hold election of officers.
Our annual Christmas party will be held on December 30lh at St. Joseph Park with a buffet style dinner. For reservations please contact Pat at 815-729-1795. RSVP by Dec. 21st. Happy 50th Anniversary to Dr. Richard and Mrs. Marilyn Tarizzo.
Our sympathies to the families of the following members who passed away, Mrs. Mary Mcasey, Mrs. Theresa Minier and Mrs. Edna Sprietzer. You are in our prayers.
On a final note Branch 20 would like to thank Mr. George Plautz Jr. on his hard work helping out with finances and especially the Heritage Museum Gift Shop sale procedures. One last reminder with Christmas approaching us, the “Pots and Pans” cookbook is a great gift. The cost of $10 plus $4 for shipping and handling. Also the “Women’s Glory” book at the cost of $ 15 plus $4 for shipping and handling. Have a Wonderful and Peaceful Autumn.
Barbara J. DeLaney delanevprd@sbcglobal.net
BRANCH 24 - LaSalle, Illinois
Dober Dan! Following a summer break it was good to see familiar and new faces at our “full house” meeting. Members listened to a full report on the convention followed by a short business meeting, refreshments prepared by Lois Hollerich, Marie Zandecki and Carol Koplenik were enjoyed as was much visiting while listening to the Singing Slovenes on CD.
Our meeting was held a week earlier than usual due to the fact that 11 people from the La Salle-Peru area would be on the “Hidden Highlights of Slovenia” tour sponsored by SWUA. For ten of those, it will be their first trip to Europe’s little jewel. I was fortunate enough to have traveled there four years ago with a group of cousins to attend the 90th birthday party for our last living Aunt and it was like “coming home”. I am thrilled to be able to go again and once more visit the home where my father was bom and raised in, to visit my Aunt (who is almost 95) and cousins.
We are pleased to welcome new members - Kathy Casstevens, Jane Haake, Marilyn Olson, John Pohar IV, Julia Pohar and Marge Roth. Membership was one of the concerns addressed at the convention, as it has declined every year since 1957. The good news is that, in 2007, 14
branches have increased their membership. New members are vital for the continuation of the Slovenian Women’s Union of America. Wherever our location, be it in the north, south, east or west in this great country, we all have unique talents and gifts to bring to the SWUA. This was evident at the National Convention - members from all over, with different personalities, all working towards one goal.
I’ve never left you with a “joke” or cute story, but this time I have to. A woman, touring with a group, came into a restaurant. I asked her how she was doing and she said, “I’m not sure since I’ve become one of the “snapdragons”. When I asked what that meant she said, “Something snapped and now I’m dragon”. Enjoy the beautiful days of autumn and until next time, may your hearts be filled with peace and love.
Loretta Story 91ives@insightbb.com
BRANCH 35 - Aurora, Minnesota
Good morning to all SWUA members. We have finally had a meeting on August 12, and it was good to see the members again. We had so much to discuss regarding the upcoming Minnesota SWUA Convention in Biwabik. We opened with a short prayer for all members, living and deceased. We are so excited to find out we have 3 new members They are the daughter and grandchildren of Barb Vodovnik. We want them to know how excited we are to have them on board.
It is with sorrow that we report two deaths in our membership, Katherine Hanka passed away in May and Betty Rokser in August. They were both very good members and will be missed. Also we are sad to report that Dorothy M. Jamnick has gone to Michigan to live with her daughter, Dorothy L Jamnick. Dorothy’s heart and soul were into the organization and she worked diligently for many years to keep Branch 35 thriving. For those who may want to wish her well in her new home, Dorothy M Jamnick c/o Dorothy L. Jamnick, 140 Eastman St., Montrose, Michigan 48457-9156.
Now we look forward to the convention to see old friends and meet new ones. Enjoy the last days of summer and wishing you all good health.
Anita Vovk gospanita@vahoo.com
BRANCH 39 - Biwabik, Minnesota
By the time you all read this we will be well into the holiday season. So much has happened over the last few months, I will try to recap.
We had a great day on August lsl as we assembled at the home of Bob and Rosemary Ribich at Bass Lake to have our kick-off meeting for the coming year’s activities. Our meeting comprised of giving a report on the National Convention and trying to make the members wish they were there with us! It was reliving our Gala event and with the help of Mary Lou Voelk, who joined us that day, we were presented with all kinds of interesting information. The apple wine increased our appetite for a beautiful pot luck luncheon.. Wow, can SLOVENIANS cook? Of course, the main purpose of the meeting was to prepare for the annual Minnesota Regional Convention (Zveza Day) that was hosted by our Branch 39 in Biwabik.
Joseph and Barbara Kociuba 65th Anniversary, May 19, 2007
You must read the report on the convention on page 28. We had a glorious day at our Zveza Day and with the help of so many of our members, I think the rest of the branches that attended had a great time also.
We plan to tie up all loose ends for the year at our October 7th meeting and start our new 2008 year with our Epiphany dinner on January 6th, 2008 at Michael’s on the Course in Virginia, MN.
A Blessed Christmas to all and May 2008 bring health and happiness to all SWUA members and families.
VESEL BOŽIČ in SREČNO NOVO LETO Rosemary (Sertich) Ribich
BRANCH 42 - Maple Heights, Ohio
Here we are winding down another year with winter and the holidays soon to be upon us. In August Mary Ann McNamara lost her mother, Emma Urbančič, and yet another popular member of the Maple Hts. Slovenian community leaves us. Emma and her late husband, Frank, were the kind of people every organization needs honest, hard working and loyal. The Slovenian National Home and The Planina Singing Society were beneficiaries of their presence and they will not be forgotten. To Mary Ann and the Urbančič family we extend our deepest sympathy.
On a happier note we extend congratulations to our Vice-Pres., Jeanne Offutt, on the award her son, Daniel, received as a paramedic firefighter in Euclid, Ohio. He was awarded a special service medal and commendation from The Cleveland Clinic Hospital System-Eastern Ohio Division, for service above and beyond the call of duty.
In keeping with the POTICA theme of this issue of Zarja,
I	can’t help but recall an amusing incident regarding this subject. My late sister, Frances Tomsic, a life-long member of Branch 42 and an exceptional baker, decided to send a serving of the delicacy to her son’s 2nd grade teacher. She carefully instructed him to tell the teacher that “this is a sample of Slovenian pastry”. When he got home she asked him what he had told the teacher and his reply was “here’s a taste of Spanish Potica”. What is it with the Spanish influence and our youngsters? My daughter and I often reverted to Slovenian when conversing within earshot of juvenile ears. The response from my then very young granddaughter, Katie, was “there you go talking that Spanish again”!
Please plan on attending our branch Christmas party Sunday, Dec. 2nd at 2:00 p.m. at Sterle’s Sloveni an Country House. Advance reservations are a must through Marge Church (330-467-0696) or myself. Cost to be determined and payable on that day at the restaurant.
Don’t forget our next meeting on Sat., Nov. 10th at 11:00 a.m. at the Maple Hts. Library. Make a New Year’s resolution to start attending our branch meetings whenever you can. The active membership is shrinking and needs encouragement. The proud heritage of SWUA’s Branch 42 must survive and can do so only if we each do our part. As our National Pres., Bonnie Pohar Prokup, put it “Do it for your grandma”. May you all have a Happy Thanksgiving, a most joyous and Blessed Christmas and a reasonably healthy and Happy New Year. Zbogom.
Lil Sadowski (216-398-4367'! LRSadow@aol.com
BRANCH 43 - Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Our meeting in June was well attended and was preceded by a luncheon prepared by members celebrating birthdays. There was even a birthday cake commemorating Slovenian Independence.
From all reports the 25th National Convention it was a memorable gathering. The sessions, the social events and the renewing of friendships will be remembered for a long time. Thank you to the planning committee, which worked so diligently to make this convention successful.
Congratulations to all of the new and re-elected officers. We of Branch 43 are fortunate to have one of our own officers elected to the position of Treasurer. Congratulations and Best Wishes to Denise Bartlett.
Looking to the future! Milwaukee, Wisconsin has been selected as the site of the 26th National Convention in 2011. That seems like such a long way off, but it will be here before you know it. It will take many hands to make this convention successful and your ideas as well as your willingness to carry them out is needed and appreciated. Welcome to the City of Friendship.
The Wisconsin State Convention was held in Willard, Wisconsin on September 9,2007. Many thanks to Josephine Janezic, Terri Majchar, Jackie Smith and Virginia Strukel for making the long bus trip enjoyable. Food, liquid refreshments, and singing as well as movies were provided for our comfort and enjoyment.
We were greeting by Narodna Noša clad musicians and greeters and ushered into the hall for some donuts, and coffee and lots of hugs, kisses and handshakes. President, Josephine Janezic, opened the official meeting and delegates gave reports from the four Wisconsin Branches. Since Josephine Janezic has completed, very successfully, her two terms, a new President and Vice President were elected. Yvonne Khaldy is our new State President and Rita Klug Majerle is the new Vice President. Congratulations and Best Wishes to two very hard working SWUA members.
After the mass, with Msgr. Matthew Molnar as celebrant, we were treated to a delicious dinner and entertained by the musicians. Unfortunately, our bus driver was on a schedule and we had to leave before the final sing along, but the accordionist followed us on the bus and we were given a musical send off. Hope to see you all in Sheboygan on September 14,2008.
All good things come to an end and Josephine Janezic’s presidential term for our state has ended. Josephine was a hard working, and ambitious leader. Many thanks are extended to her for a successful and memorable term of office. Best Wishes, Pepca.
Sincere condolences are extended to the family of Joseph Luzar, who passed away on Tuesday, July 24,2007. Joe is survived by his daughter, Jan and her husband, Tom Gehm, and son Jim and his wife, Diane. May his soul rest in peace.
Please mark your calendar for the Annual Christmas Concert that will be presented by the Uspeh Chorus on Saturday, December 1, 2007. The concert will be held at Sacred Heard Church. (N. 49th and Wells St.) A reception will follow and you are most cordially invited.
Just a reminder that our monthly meetings are held each fourth Wednesday of the month at noon with lunch provided
Four sisters are all members of Branch 50. Left to right, they are Mary Blatnik, Josephine Wutchiett (Recording Secretary of Branch 50), Fran Kajfez (Treasurer of Branch 50) and Alice Signorelli.
by birthday members. The dates of the meetings are as follows: October 24, and November 28. Our Christmas luncheon will held in January after the hustle and bustle of the holidays. Meetings are held at the West Allis Library on So. 75th St and W. National Avenue. There is ample parking and easy access to our meeting room. We look forward to seeing you.
Mici Bregant
BRANCH 47 - Maple Heights, Ohio
Hi everyone. Now that Summer is almost over we are all looking forward to the Holidays. Our next meeting is November 11,2007 at the Maple Hts. Library at 1:00 p.m. Our Christmas Party will be on December 1st at the Valley View Community Center at 12:00. Make plans to attend and bring a covered dish to share. We will also have a $5.00 gift exchange to raffle off.
Congratulations to all of our new Board Members. Hope they have a very productive 4 years. Birthday wishes go out to all our November and December Members. I hope the Holidays are very beautiful for all our members. Contact person: Elsie Spellacy 1-330-699-0031 or E-mail Katherine Wallace webblekatt@hotmail.com.
Katherine Wallace
BRANCH 50 - Euclid, Ohio
‘‘''Welcome back!" members and friends, to our first meeting since June, when we enjoyed our annual picnic lunch. At our meeting, President Rose Mary Toth discussed the scholarship program, which has disbursed $200,000 since its inception in 1943, and the importance of seeking new members for the S WUA. Rose Mary reminded us that the purchase of Zarja gifts and cookbooks will benefit the Museum and the next convention in Wisconsin in 2011. The gift list is great and perfect for Holiday giving. The SWUA.org web site has many fine gifts available for purchase online.
Branch 50 is pleased to welcome new member Dr. Edward Gobetz, professor and founder of the Slovenian Research Center and author of 15 books.
We encourage you to read every page of the newly redesigned Zarja magazine, which is now being printed by a new company (Letterkraft). The September/October issue has some terrific photos of our recent National Convention.
This current issue of Zarja features a special potica theme. Rose Mary Toth reflected on memories Of her deceased mother, our member and dear friend Albina Mrsnik, who for many years volunteered to bake poticas for various benefits for numerous Slovenian organizations and cultural events. As a baker myself, this talk of potica reminds me of the time when I was approached by Stane Kuhar of Saint Vitus Church to appear on a television cooking show with local celebrity Maury Feren, producer of a nationality cooking show on TV, to demonstrate my own ‘ice-box potica’ and ‘noodle strudel’. It was an exciting (and anxious) experience and a lot of fun for yours truly.
Ivanka Matic has just completed a very successful trip with the St. Vitus Altar Society to Lemont, IL and will conduct another weekend trip to Sault Ste Marie, Michigan for the 150th anniversary gala in honor of Bishop Baraga.
Some of our Branch 50 members recently saw a “visitor from outer space’ when astronaut and scientist Sunita Williams, of Slovenian and Indian descent returned to her northeast Ohio birthplace to talk about her expeditions on the International Space Station where she walked in space and set a world record for a female space traveler, spending some 195 days in space! She took a bit of Slovenian culture to orbit with her compliments of Azman Meats in Cleveland when she shared Slovenian smoked sausages with fellow astronauts in space.
We are proud of Rick Tomsick, my son and a Branch 50 member, who recently spoke at Oxford University in England at an international patristic conference, a field dealing with the writings and theology of the early church fathers, in which he has a graduate degree. This is quite a sideline for Rick who is also a successful real property lawyer with the Taft Law firm in Cleveland.
Congratulations to Frank Urbančič, Jr., son of Branch 50 member Josephine Arko and Frank Urbančič, Sr., for being named Professor of the Year 2007 at the business school of the University of South Alabama where he has taught since 1990, based on his outstanding contributions in teaching, research and service. Frank is a graduate of Cleveland State University and Kent State University and teaches financial accounting.
Here’s wishing all members a Joyous Christmas, good health and prosperity in the New Year 2008. Come join Branch 50!
Anne L. Tomsick 216.531.2745 ciaynow@yahoo.com
BRANCH 54 - Warren, Ohio
We had our first Fall meeting, at my home. Louise and 1 told them all about the convention. They seemed a little envious! Thanks to Louise Vett and Elsie Shine for the dessert. Our Christmas luncheon, will be on Wednesday, December 19,h at one o’clock at the Cafe 422, on Youngstown Road. I’ll be calling you for reservations. We’ll be at our daughter’s in South Carolina for Thanksgiving with our youngest son and family. I won’t have to do any cooking - a nice break for me. Our members seem to be fairly healthy and no reports of any illness. Happy 60lh wedding anniversary to Ann and Chuck Tomazin. She has been our member for many years and they are a special couple. Good Luck to our new National Officers and to the Zarja editors - keep up the good work. Happy and blessed Thanksgiving to all and pray for world peace.
Joanne Ponikvar
BRANCH 55 - Girard, Ohio
Since my daughter, Monica Selak, is quite busy with adjustment and orientation in medical school, 1 am substituting for this issue as our branch reporter. Hopefully, everyone enjoyed the summer with rest, relaxation, family picnics, graduations and weddings. Although none of our Branch 55 members were able to attend the National Convention, we delighted in the numerous pictures and articles concerning the event - what fun! Congrats to the newly-elected Board of Directors; may they be guided with wisdom and grace to promote our Slovenian heritage. Čestitke! Hopefully, we can assist them in future projects, even if in a small manner.
Branch 55 welcomes a new member, my daughter-in-law, Molly Roberts Selak, who is residing in Milton, Florida with my son, Mark (also a member). Mark is in Marine helicopter training at Pensacola, Florida. Please keep him and our country’s military in your prayers.
Plans are underway for a Christmas gathering. As in the past, we will be joining members of Lodge 42- Slovenska Bistrica- American Mutual Life Association. Please call me if you have any ideas or suggestions, 330-539-5893. We will be contacting our members as plans are completed.
In conclusion, I wish all of you a blessed Christmas season and a wonderful New Year 2008. Vesele in blagoslovljene praznike! Enjoy the beautiful colors of autumn.
Nasvidenje, Maria Selak
BRANCH 89 - Oglesby, Illinois
Seeing our own junior members on the cover of the last Zarja was a wonderful surprise. Thanks to the editor for choosing that picture. We got to see the girls again when we had our indoor picnic on September 9 at the Dickinson House. After we ate our delicious dinner we watched them running around on the big green lawn outside the French doors. There were 31 members present and we listened to the Singing Slovenes while we ate klobase, Molly Rodriguez’s great Slovenian enchiladas, and lots of other great food. The tables were decorated with the red gingham table runners from the convention and we enjoyed recalling those memorable days. President Alice Ebner read the names of our far away or house bound members and we wished they could all have shared the day with us. After a report from our convention delegate we discussed our single yearly fundraiser, our bakeless bakesale.
We are so pleased to welcome several new members; They are Barbara Beer, Pat Bennett, Annabelle Bryant, Cynthia Carus, JoAnne Cole, Mary Alice Corbitt, Elizabeth Fox, Heidi Huber, Sister Jozefa Seskar, Mary Ellen Keith and three junior members; Anna Ebner, Olivia Ebner and Hannah Huber. We have various activities planned for the upcoming year and pledge to make our meetings interesting, informative, and fun. Branch 89 is enthusiastically looking forward to Milwaukee in 2011 and hope it might include a Cubs vs. Brewers game.
Barbara Bruch barbarabruch@vahoo.com
BRANCH 93 - New York City, New York
Branch 93 New York City, NY This spring the membership list was e-mailed (and snail-mailed to those not on e-mail). We suggest that if a fellow member lives nearby, you can meet on your own in addition to any branch meetings/events. The list may also be helpful to those doing genealogy research. We are still a relatively new branch as the Brooklyn branch was dormant for several years with just
8	or 9 members (and reorganized five years ago as the NYC branch). Although we have over 50 members, due to many out of state or elderly members we have just a small group that can actually attend events in NYC. Hence, we need to always invite family/friends to our events and work on expanding our numbers. To all SWUA members: if a friend or family member of Slovenian descent is making a personal or professional move to NYC, or moving temporarily for a summer job/internship, please let us know. Lynn Zalokar attended the National Convention as the Branch 93 delegate. She is the membership manager for a women’s not-for-profit professional association. Her participation included a brief presentation on membership issues relevant to the SWUA. Hopefully delegates found the information helpful and brought a few ideas back to their branches. Lynn expressed disappointment that the name change and a simplification of the membership requirements did not pass as both would help the organization to remain vital for years to come. Although the tallies were 24 yes, 22 no on the name change and 25 yes, 21 no on simplifying the membership requirements -31 was needed for a 2/3 majority (total number voting was 46) to amend the bylaws. However, it’s encouraging that many recognize the need for change. The Slovenian Consulate in NYC informed us about an Arthur Miller play in September “The American Clock” which tells the powerful and moving story of America during the Great Depression. The play featured members of the American Academy of Dramatic Arts including Klemen Novak from Slovenia! There were four performances, which were free, and hopefully a few of our members were able to attend (an announcement was made via our yahoo group). Thank you to members over the past five years who have made donations to the SWUA via their renewal forms! Your generosity is appreciated and it’s nice to see your names and Branch 93 in the Zarja. Plans for the fall include a continuation of the Slovenian film series. The “Sample Slovenian Heritage” weekend is on hold. 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, don’t hesitate to ask.
Lynn Zalokar, 201 -947-6336, lzalokar@vahoo.com
BRANCH 99 - Lemont, Illinois
Can anyone say... potica? Well that was the word on everyone’s mind during the recent convention. Our branch is proud to say that one of our very own took honorable mention. Congratulations Christine Martinčič! Her recently discovered talent proved to be a delicious one! Speaking of delectable bakery, the Potica Demonstration held on September 29lh was also a rousing success, thanks to our popular chef, Vince Zajec. The chairman of this event was
Monica Selek
our treasurer, Tom Zakosek. In other news, we will be having a meeting November 4th, at noon in the cultural center. There will possibly be a cooking demonstration video featuring, you guessed it, Slovenian dishes. Delegate Mihela Simrayh will also report from the convention.
The Annual Bunco was another success, due to the efforts of the Schultz girls, especially Fran Schultz and Laurie Stanczak for the fourth year in a row!
Our next big event is the Christmas Cookie Sale on Sunday, December 2nd at noon in the cultural center. All members are invited to bring at least six dozen home-made cookies to share! Also, be sure to invite your children for a St. Nicholas day program held by the Slovenian School at 2:00 p.m. The co-chairmen for this event are Mary and Paula Mavec, so be sure to call Mary at (815) 723-9003. For more information, members can call Corinne Leskovar at (722) 275-1115.
To conclude on a good note, I am so happy to share that Ray Schultz is doing well and Mihela Simrayh is recovering from a fall. Our branch has also expanded recently by twenty new members! Ten of them were signed up by Jennie Valent, thank you Jennie! Until next time... happy cookie making!
Olivia
BRANCH 100-Fontana, California
We all just received the beautiful September/October edition of Zarja within the past few days. It was great reliving the convention through all the articles. It will be a time that will remain in my thoughts for many years to come. Branch 100 along with families and friends will be attending a special Christmas Holiday performance at the Candlelight Pavilion in Claremont on December 15th. It will be a luncheon/matinee starting at 11:00 a.m. “The Wonderful World of Christmas” is a holiday extravaganza produced by Ben Bollinger and includes music, dancing, and a heartwarming story. Members should have received invitations and ticket information, but if you will be in town and wish to attend, please send an email to me and I will direct you to Mary Lou Jensen who is handling the reservations. All reservations must be in, however, by November 8th. Cost is $44.00 per person, which includes several entree choices, champagne or juice, tax and gratuity. Because the Christmas social will not allow us to have a meeting in conjunction with it, it was decided to have a separate meeting to handle Branch business and elections on Sunday, November 11th at the Slovene Hall in Fontana at noon. We will have a light lunch that day after our meeting for a nominal charge. We hope to have some of our new members attending both of these ...new ideas are invited!
Jean Koci
BRANCH 102-Willard, Wisconsin
Greetings from Willard! As the new branch reporter I want to say a big thank you to Aggie Debevec for reporting the news from Willard. Aggie is also currently the Vice-President of our branch. She is a key member of the kitchen team at Holy Family Parish too. Hvala, Aggie for your time and the energy you bring to Branch 102. We sadly report the passing of one of our Charter members, Mary
Koschak. Mary joined SWUA in 1941 and remained active in the branch and in the Willard community all through her 91 years. Our sympathy to her family.
Special birthdays were celebrated by Sophie Trunkel, 90 years young, Rose Pakiz, 85 and busy as ever, Josephine Verschay, Jeanette Perushek and Betty Fraid.
Members Judy DiPasquale of Penfield, NY and Dottie Podboy of Midland, MI spent the summer of 2007 at their cabins at Rock Dam lake. We were glad to have them close by and able to participate in summer activities.
After flying for American Airlines since 1978, Dave Pakiz retired on August 25th. Dave and his wife Betty live in Crystal Lake, Illinois. He is the son of Frank and Rose Pakiz. Dave plays the button box at many Willard festivities.
After a busy summer filled with major events in our little town, Willard hosted the 2007 Wisconsin State Convention on September 9th. Cool fresh air and wonderful music (provided by Dave and Larry Pakiz and Judy DiPasquale) welcomed our guests from Branches 1, 12 and 43. We welcomed Denise Bartlett as a representative from the National Board. The business meeting with State President Josephine Janezic, presiding, resulted in the election of Yvonne Khaldy-Johnstone, Branch 43 as State President and Rita Mejerle-Klug, Branch 43 as Vice-President. Mass was celebrated by Monsignor Matthew Mainer, a Willard native, with the Slovenian choir singing favorite Slovenian hymns. After a lovely dinner complete with fried chicken and Slovenian sausage, Monsignor Mainer delivered a talk on Slovenian immigration, Mary Turvey spoke about the scholarship fund and Josephine Janezic recapped her nine years as Wisconsin State President.
All too quickly, after more music and singing the bus and van departed for home but not before Branch 102 said THANK YOU to Josephine for her dedication to Wisconsin SWUA.
A Slovenska Trgatev was held on September 30th and enjoyed by everyone especially the children who had a wonderful time catching the thieves. November 17th and 18lh brings the annual Hunters bake sale before and after all Masses at Holy Family. Our Christmas party will be Saturday, December 1st in the Parish hall beginning with a pot luck lunch at noon. Until next time...
Karen Hribar-Spires kleespires@comcast.net
BRANCH 103-Washington D.C.
How does it feel to be married in a beautiful and special place: The Church of the Assumption on the tiny island of Lake Bled in Slovenia?
With immense natural beauty, Bled, together with its surroundings, ranks among the most beautiful alpine resorts in Slovenia. One of its beauties is certainly Lake Bled with the island and the church on it. According to written sources, the first masonry church on the island, a three-naved Romanesque basilica, was consecrated by the Aquilean patriarch Pellegrino in 1142. In the 15th century, it was rebuilt in the Gothic style, although according to a legend, which stayed with the people, the temple of the ancient Slavic goddess Živa, once stood in the place of the current Baroque church. The church’s present form, is from the
17th century when it was renovated after the earthquake. The main altar with its rich gold-plated carving, dates from 1747. On the central altarpiece is the Virgin Mary.
Like the church, the other buildings, the walls and the monumental staircase (99 stairs) preserve their image from the 17th century. Of special interest is the “wishing bell” from
1534 in the upper roof beam above the church nave, by F. Patavina from Padova.
My son Damjan Jevtič and my daughter-in-law Jelena, decided to get married in this exceptionally beautiful place. The event took place on August 18. 2007. We took the boat “Pletna” and in about 10 to 15 minutes arrived on the island. What is more important to do for the happiness? Perhaps, that the Groom carries the Bride 99 stars up on the top of the hill, where the beautiful Church of Assumption is located. Or, that the young couple light the light of eternal love. Or making the wish and ring the bell!? For more information about Bled, please visit: www.bled.si.
Ana Sonc-Jevtic
BRANCH 108 Olney, Maryland
We will be celebrate our 4th anniversary on Sunday November 18 at 2:00 p.m. in the Olney Community Room with refreshments, music and guest speaker, Mrs. Estelle Zorman will share memories of her trip this year to Slovenia “My Country, Beautiful Slovenia”. All are invited to bring their families and friends to the program and to join in socializing and the chance to win some terrific raffle prizes. Children and grandchildren are welcome to join the celebration and the opportunity to work on a St. Nicholas (Sveti Miklavž) craft.
We thank Mr. Albert Tramposch for an informative and educational lecture at our September luncheon meeting on the topic of Slovenia’s membership in the European Union,
including adoption of the Euro and Slovenian Presidency of the EU in the first six months of 2008. A summary of major points discussed during the lecture on this important event in Slovenia’s history is printed at the end of this report.
In addition, it was a pleasure to welcome at the September meeting Fr. Peter Rozic, a native Slovenian student studying Political Science at Georgetown University who will serve as our spiritual advisor, and member, Ms. Erika Maxel who attended her first meeting with us since relocating to Baltimore, MD to complete her graduate studies.
In recent months our branch warmly welcomed new members, Marjeta Cedilnik and her daughter Zala Weyker of Columbia, MD; Charles Koiner and Barbara Finch of Silver Spring, MD and Alenka Pfeifer of New Windsor, NY. Thanks to everyone who promotes SWUA among family and friends; let’s keep up the recruiting in the coming year.
Vesele božične praznike in srečno novo leto 2008! Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year 2008.
Summary of Mr. Albert Tramposch’s Lecture “Slovenia to Succeed the Presidency of the European Union in 2008”
Slovenia will be the first of the recently accepted members of the European Union to act as the EU’s Presidency. Slovenia joined the EU with 9 other countries including Poland, Hungary and the Czech Republic, on May 1, 2004, and was the first of these countries to be invited to join the “Eurozone” by adopting the European single currency, the “Euro,” on January 1, 2007. Slovenia has issued its own Euro coins and Euro stamps, which carry symbols of Slovenian identity and culture, such as the Lipizzaner stallion.
Slovenia will continue its “firsts” by becoming the first of the new members to be invited to act as the “Presidency” of the European Union Council for the first six months of 2008. This is a great honor for a new member and a small country like Slovenia. The Presidency is held on a rotating basis by EU member states, for six month periods. This year, Germany and Portugal have held the Presidency. The government, which holds the Presidency, acts as the public face of the EU, and represents the Union in its dealings with world leaders and organizations.
The Slovenian government estimates that it will chair over 3,000 meetings during the Presidency. It has set aside 57 million Euros (79 million dollars) to fund its activities, and will hire over 300 temporary staff. More information: http:// www.svez.gov.si/index,php?id=391 &L= 1.
BRANCH 109-Twin Cities, Minnesota
After a rather “lazy” summer, the Twin Cities Slovenians (TCS) plunged headlong into what will be a busy year. But before “digging in” some of the members “lived the legacy” by attending the “All Slav” festivities at Ironworld in Chisholm. Three members from the Chisholm Branch 38:Char Laurich, Joyce Debevec, and Anita Ponikvar were of great help as people asked questions about different aspects of Slovenian culture.
In addition to the traditional button box music and Slovenian food, there was a mock-up of Chicken Town “kurjavas” along with demonstrations on making “kislo zelje”, smoking sausage, cutting (with a “kosa”) and drying hay on the kozolec. That same weekend Yvonne McComber (TCS treasurer) and Norm Setnicker attended the SWUA Minnesota Regional hosted by Branch 39 in Biwabik. Like the national convention, this was our first regional meeting and we left with a greater appreciation of the dedication and wonderful hospitality of our Slovenian branches. Cheers! Rosemary Ribich, Jean Korsman and members of Branch 39.
At our Sept. 22nd meeting we reviewed and evaluated last year’s activities and set our goals and objectives for the coming year 2007-2008. Mary Ann Palmer reviewed our committee structure and identified key projects, which will be initiated. Mary Medved and Al Siftar set down the parameters for a map location-family name for each of our members. We hope to have a map of Slovenia with pushpins identifying where each member’s family name originated. Norm Setnicker gave a brief report on the personal project of Ambassador Zbogar: who is raising money for children hurt by land mines in Bosnia and are being treated in Slovenian hospitals. Jim Smrekar who is chairing the Festival of Nation’s project for TCS identified the theme for this year’s festival, which is “Arts and Architecture.” The festival is held the first week of May
and is one of the largest cultural events in the Upper Midwest. Slovenia has not been represented at this Festival since it became independent in 1991.
The theme of our meeting was the “Organic Slovenian.” Slovenians generally and historically eat and drink what is naturally around them particularly at harvest time. Members responded to the question, “What are your recollections of food and beverages that are typically Slovenian?” We had a chance to share stories, recipes, and traditions with the membership. It was good to reflect on how these different vegetables and fruits affected our Slovenian “senses.”
Our October meeting centered on Slovenian Genealogy. November’s theme will focus on “Children: Envisioning the Future.” Mary Bernard and the TCS Board will work on activities for teaching children about Slovenian holidays.
Norm Setnicker
Great American Dream Achieved
A New Restaurant in Ohio
Mr. Joseph Kofol came to the US in the early years of his youth as an immigrant from his native land of Slovenia. Joe was bom in the beautiful small village of Chez-Socho, near the city of Tolmin, which is only a few miles from the Slovenian-Italian border. This part of western Slovenia is known as the region of Primorsko.
When Joe came to the US he soon found a job working in Alaska in the logging industry as a lumberjack. He worked hard and saved his earnings and decided to move to the Cleveland, Ohio area to join the many thousands of Slovenians who already had settled there.
He started his first business in 1969, opening a tavem. Five years later, Joe opened a grocery store and then went into the restaurant business in 1980 opening the Red Chimney in the Slavic Village area. He opened his second restaurant the Blue Chimney on Brookpark Road where he also operates a Fun and Games business.
Yes, Mr. Joe Kofol succeeded on his accomplishments to becoming an outstanding American businessman and very
proud of America. He had said ‘7/7 my adopted country of the U.S.A., it gave me a chance to become somebody and to achieve it by hard work. If you want to work hard and to be an honest and decent citizen you will have all the opportunities to achieve what you wish and desire. If you follow the rules and obey the laws of the land and work hard, America is still the best country in the world', Joe says proudly.
Come and visit Joe’s newest restaurant, Northwood’s Grill located at 16381 Chillicothe Road (Route 306) in Bainbridge, Ohio, featuring a large menu of great American and International foods. Call 440.708.1474 for take-out orders. Once you visit them you will always, gladly come back to visit them again and again.
We want to congratulate Mr. Joseph Kofol and wish him continued success. - Mario Kavcic
Entertaining...
With a Touch of Slovenia
“Potica is as Slovenian as Apple Pie is American” - Hermine Dicke, SWUA Branch 1 was quoted in the Slovenian-American Cookbook More Pots and Pans which is still available in the SWUA Heritage Museum.
Throughout this issue you have been exposed to many different types of poticas. I have chosen a very unique potica for this issue which crosses both Slovenian and American cultures. This recipe uses apples as the filling for the potica. It has an astonishing taste of a cross between an apple strudel and a potica.
The wonderful sweet aroma of a potica baking in the oven, immediately returns my memory to the time of my childhood. There were two times of the year that I could guarantee that my mother would be baking a potica, Christmas and Easter. Of course, if other special occasions
Old Aemona-Style Ham (Šunka starih Emoncev)
happened during the year, like a wedding or baptism, we could also count on one of my favorite traditional Slovenian dishes.
My friends of different ethnic cultures loved to sample a piece of potica. My mothers’ way of making potica was always in the round pan with walnuts and raisins. Our favorite way to eat potica was with a slice of ham. The ham 1 have chosen for this issue, is a specialty in Slovenia called “šunka” (ham), baked in bread. To continue with the apple theme, 1 have accompanied the ham with a potato/ apple casserole. Dober Tek! - Jenka
Roast Potatoes with Apples (Zapečen krompir z jabolki)
The Romans especially those from Old Aemona (Roman name for Ljubljana) greatly valued dishes made with pork. This recipe is thought to be one of them.
Ingredients:
1	smoked ham, weighing approximately 3-8 lbs.
Vi lb. dried figs Vi C. milk /2 C. honey 6 bay leaves
For the Pastry:
1	lb. flour Vi C. oil Little water
* You might need to use more oil and water.
Ingredients:
9 oz. potatoes
9	oz. apples
2	oz. Swiss cheese
2	oz. butter
1 C. heavy cream
2 garlic cloves, crushed
Several leaves of
tarragon
Salt
Freshly ground pepper
Boil the ham together with the dried figs and bay leaves. When cooked remove the skin and make slits in the ham. Fill the slits with figs and honey and spread honey all over the ham.
Knead together the flour, oil and water and then wrap the pastry around the ham. Bake the ham at 355°F for just over an hour.
Cook the potatoes, peel while still hot, and slice. Peel and core the apples and slice. Butter a roasting tin and alternate
layers of potatoes and apple slices. Mix the cream with salt, pepper, garlic and tarragon, then pour over the potatoes and apples. Scatter flakes of butter on top and sprinkle with grated Swiss cheese. Bake at 435°F for 20 to 25 minutes.
Dober tek!
Potica with Apple Filling
To make dough:
2	cups & approx. 1 3/4 cups of flour for kneading
2 pachets of dry yeast Vi stick of butter
Vi cup sugar
3 egg yokes 1 cup milk
10	tsp rum
1 tsp. grated lemon zest 1 tsp. grated orange zest 1 tsp. vanilla A pinch of salt
To make filling:
6	lg. apples V2 stick butter
1 cup sugar
2 cups ground walnuts 'A cup breadcrumbs
1 tbsp. lemon juice 1 tsp ground cinnamon 1 vanilla sugar V2 tsp grated lemon zest 1 tbsp. rum
Filling:
Peel and grate apples. Melt Vi stick butter in a pan, add apples, lemon juice and sugar, and simmer until all the liquid has evaporated. Allow cooling down, then adding all other ingredients.
A Potica Story
A former Branch 39 member, Jean Pajunen, who transferred to the Twin Cities Branch 109, tells an interesting Potica story. While spending the summer at her Iron Range home, she decided she would like a refresher on potica making. Jean called Jean Korsman, of Branch 39 and former National President of SWUA to ask her for a demonstration. Jean Korsman frequently gives Community Education classes on making poticas at the local schools. Jean Pajunen brought her ingredients and the two Jeans’ spent the afternoon making poticas.
Now the rest of the story - Jean Pajunen was so inspired with her renewed interest in baking potica that she agreed to make ninety (90) loaves for her daughter’s wedding. Way to go - Jeans! How good those poticas must have been and what a joy to share this with your daughter. You are LIVING THE LEGACY. - Rosie Ribich
Dough:
Sift flour into a plastic bowl, then add salt and yeast. Warm milk, and stir in all the ingredients for making a dough. Mix together with flour and knead until smooth. Cover and let rise at room temperature until it doubles in size. Roll with a rolling pin 1/5-inch thick. Spread fdling on the dough, then roll up tightly, place in a greased baking tray, pierce with a toothpick in several places, and allow to rise for about 30 minutes. Whisk an egg and some milk, and use it to brush potica. Bake at 375F for about 50 minutes.
Hvala lepa i to all our contributing writers in 2007 from The Zarja Staff
Forget-me-Nots
A series of illustrated bilingual (English - Slovene) books for children
Forget-me-Nots is a series of illustrated bilingual (English -Slovene) books for children, published by Sodobnost International in Ljubljana, Slovenia, and distributed in the U. S. by the Slovene Heritage Museum in Joliet, Illinois. The first book of the series, In the Land of Gingerbread, is nearly sold out, while the other four are not far behind. More books are planned in 2008.
jana Bauer
in the Land °f
Gingerbre^
Illustrated by A^e11 Bauer
In June this year three of the the books’ authors (Desa Muck,
Tatjana Kokalj, Andrej Rozman - Roza) toured the U.S. for two weeks and attended eleven very successful reading events at the following venues: Spring Valley Library, LaSalle Library, Common Grounds Book Cafe (Utica), the Book Mouse (Ottawa), Starved Rock Lodge (SWUA anniversary), Mead Public Library (Sheboygan), University of Wisconsin Library Milwaukee), West Allis Library (Milwaukee), Rockville Library (Washington D. C.), Slovene Ambassador’s Residence (Washington D. C.) and New York Public Library.
4il
Far beyond the red Christmas stocking lies the Land of Gingerbread, where the hills are soft and nicely baked, the fields taste of chocolate and the clouds in the sky are made of sugar foam. In the south of this land lies Gingerbread Village, and in this village lives a gingerbread girl by the name of Lisa. She lives completely alone, for her Daddy and Mummy have fallen into a black hole when the Land of Gingerbread was attacked by the terrible Big Mouth. One day Lisa decides to find the black hole and save her Mummy and Daddy. Together with her friend Crunchy she sets off through the Burnt Forest. Are they doomed? How will they escape from the horrible Big Mouth? Will Lisa ever see her parents again?
EVALD FLISAR
Spots
„ \VArld Cl'
Becomes
World Champion
Illustrated by SANJA JANŠA
f^et-^nots
Six-year old Spots has two pleasures in life: ice cream and soccer. His only problem are eleven bullies who threaten to toss him into the river unless he regularly supplies them with ice cream from his Dad's ice-cream parlour. And he can’t swim! Then one day, as he he kicks a ball in the back garden, training for the title of a world champion soccer player, he is joined out of the blue by the most unusual creatures the world has ever seen: the hipittvhopsters, tiny beings who can instantly turn into a ladder, window pane, tent, little dog, pigeon, anything - and who are good at playing soccer! They become his friends, and the adventure begins...
HURRY BEFORE SUPPLY RUNS OUT! These books are only available in the United States at the SWUA Heritage Museum. This series of books would make a great Christmas gift for that special child or adult in your life. See back cover on how to order.
Illustrated by Ana kušir
Tatiana Kokalj
Ertli AAB&IT
Illustrations by Daša Simčič
ftipge’.'^nots
Forget-me-Nots books are available at:
Slovenian Heritage Museum 431 N. Chicago St.
Joliet, IL 60432
Cost: $26.00
Add the following for S&H, 1 book ($3.50), 2 books ($4.50)
For questions, contact Mary Lou Voelk, ottolou@gulftel.com. 251.968.4364
illustrated by s Polona Kunaver Ličen ': % & David l-icen
[et^e-nots
'2007
Oscar doesn’t like school, but he has barely read shouldn’t prevent him frc T	7fiP,
all he needs is a Philosopher’s Stom	■“
suspensful story that is! - he is ready with a red riding hood and her grai stranger, a Mr. Wolf... And finally ' 920092904 6 carried out by a real policeman! Nc his bravery, with each of the three cases he learns something new.