Official Publication Slovenian Women’s Union of America Uradno Glasilo Slovenske Ženske Zveze V Ameriki | The Dawn Volume 78 Issue 4 July - August, 2006 CONTENTS IN EACH ISSUE 1 From the Editor 2 National President’s Message 3 National Secretary News 4 National Convention News 5 SWUA Scholarship Program FEATURE STORIES 8 A Real Slovenian Picnic - By Corinne Leskovar 9 The Cover and Above Pictures 10 Photo by D. Mladenovič j j Ljubljana Market . _ Slovenian Tourist Board www.slovenia.info 14 16 17 20 21 22 24 39 IT’S IN EVERY SLOVENIAN Men in a SWUA World Kid Talk Kids in the News Discovering your Slovenian Roots To America The Immigrant Experience HERITAGE NEWS The Scanning of SWUA Archival Records Dopoljena pot - The Path Taken Book Signing at the Slovenian Heritage Museum Personal Reflection of a 25 Year Member “I am the vine... ” Branch Reports Feature Branch 108 - Olney, MD CULINARY Entertaining ... With a touch of Slovenia by Jenka Zarja - The Dawn EDITOR: Debbie Pohar DIRECTOR OF DESIGN: Bonnie Pohar Prokup CONSULTING EDITOR: Corinne Leskovar EDITORIAL OFFICE: 1696 Illinois St., LaSalle, IL 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. 78, No.4, July/August 2006 Published bimonthly Periodicals Postage paid at Joliet, IL and additional mailing offices. (ISSN 0044-1848) Postmaster: Send all changes of address to: SLOVENIAN WOMEN'S UNION OF AMERICA 431 N. Chicago St., Joliet, IL 60432 Communications for the next issue of publication: Do you have something SWUA-related 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 pohar4teaol.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 first day of the month preceding the issue. For example, articles for the September/October issue must be received by August Iw. Thank you. From the Editor Ljubljana’s Market The open-air market on the river bank of the Ljubljanica River between the Triple Bridge and the Dragon Bridge is perhaps the most enchanting site in Ljubljana. Situated in the heart of the city, it is considered to be one of the great designs of Slovenian architect Jože Plečnik, who was given the commission to modernize the city during the decades between the two world wars. The stalls of the market fill the squares of Vodnikov trg and the adjacent Pogačarjev trg with the aroma of fresh flowers, bakery items, sauerkraut in wooden barrels, cheeses, fresh fish, sausages and meats in the air. There are displays of honey and beeswax candles, crystal, fresh and dried mushrooms, fruits, herbs, baskets, hand-knits, and hand-made souvenirs. Letters to the Editor It’s exciting to see the Zarja become a really polished and professional publication. The big, bold “Zarja” on the cover tells us immediately that something has changed. Kudos to the editorial team! A request: everyone please, please show translations whenever you use a Slovenian word or phrase. Most of us do not know the language. This will help us to learn and become more familiar with Slovenian words and phrases. 1 would also like to see a map (as needed) so we can identify the location of the Slovenian cities and towns mentioned in many of the articles. Former Chicagoan Dear Staff and Members: thanks to all your efforts, the Zarja is exceptionally beautiful. Our younger generation has to be congratulated for doing an absolutely great job in keeping our Slovenian culture alive and growing. Thank you. Irene from Colorado I received the most recent issue of Zarja today. The cover looks great. I almost did not realize what it was. It looks as nice as a magazine you see on the newsstand. Congratulations on the change! Barbara Friesenhahn North to Alaska... The Last Frontier Ljubljana’s market is opened every day except on Sundays and public holidays, from early morning till 6 p.m. (during the summer) or 4 p.m. (during the winter). This is a great Hello SWUA members! place to get your lunch and your souvenirs in one fell swoop and enjoy one of the true beautiful assets of Ljubljana. - Debbie Pohar, Editor Show us your SLOVENIAN Garden Grand Prize winner will receive $50.00 Send in your photo and tell us why you should win! Send entries by July 10. 2006 Email: wprokup@aol.com Mail: Bonnie Pohar Prokup 3119 Carrie Street, Peru, IL 61354 For more info go to: www.swua.org \ ___________________________________ I am a current SWUA member and live in Alaska, where a Branch has not yet been established. I would like to start a Branch so I can attend meetings, participate in events, network with other Slovenians and help keep our heritage and culture alive here in the Last Frontier. Therefore, I’m asking you, the readers of ZARJA and members of SWUA, if you know of other Slovenians living in Alaska who would be interested in having their own SWUA Alaska Branch, ''»•'% ease contact me at: tundraheart@vahoo.com. Thank you!! The market is a definite must see on my list every time I visit Slovenia. I take pleasure in wandering along the river bank through the market to enjoy the scents, clamor and bustle all-around. I have yet to depart empty handed and always wish there was just a little more space or a little less weight in my luggage so I could take home more treasures. Trust me when I say, if there was a way to transport the exquisite flowers home, I would have done it. National President’s Message Enjoy the Beauty of Summer If you have ever had an opportunity to visit Slovenia one of the most distinguishing sights of this unique country are its beautiful blooming flowers. Whether it was in the old country or in the United States, Slovenes everywhere are very proud of their ability to grow very vibrant and colorful flowers. You can probably remember how your grandmother, grandfather, mother or father was always so proud of their flower gardens. I am sure many of you continue this special tradition as you plant your own special flower gardens. Remember, our next issue is highlighting the Slovenian garden and the beauty of its flowers. I hope you treasure the memories it creates as you remember the splendor of gardens from your past. Send in your entries for the garden contest by July 10th to wprokup@aol.com.. Please take time to look at the back cover of this issue of the Zaija. The back cover will always highlight something of special interest to everyone. Our T- shirts are of excellent quality and when one wears them they share your passion for your heritage. The shirt is an excellent gift for any occasion. Summer is the time for many branch activities. It is a great way to connect with members and their families. I hope you try to attend as many functions that you can. Enjoy the beautiful and warm summer. I hope to see many of you at some of your local events. Love, peace and laughter, Kathleen Ferrante 178 Gaylord Drive Munroe Falls Ohio 44262 Telephone 330.688.4949 Email kdorchak@neo.rr.com Welcome to our new members! Zarja The Dawn Donations 2, Kochniarczyk, Jennifer 2, Lebar, Izabella C 2, McNally, Donna 2, Urbanski, Christina Ann 3, DeGarbo, Andrea 3, DeGarbo, Francesca 3, DeGarbo, Gianna 5, Fon, Stephen Joseph 12, Kegel, Camille M 12, Kegel, Tom 12, Potisk, Shirley 12, Ulma, Rose 16, Tomasich, Rose M 20, Agnich, Georgene 20, Smutnak, Beverly 28, Burich, Kyle A 28, Burich, Tyler R 28, Fritcher-White, Aurora 28, Fritcher-White, Orion 30, Stupnik, Frank 33, Bucar, Frank 33, Foldeski, Anna Marie 39, Holcomb, Marija 39, Nisen, Phyllis J 40, Bajuk-Woelfl, Martina 43, Bartels, Alexandra 43, Delopst, Connie 43, Delopst, Kayla 47, Bruening, Francine 47, Kacica, Jayme 47, Todaro, Geraldine 50, Anne, Loretta 50, Pirnat, Florence J 89, Argubright, Jill M 89, Gunderson, Janell 89, Gunderson, Mary Jane 89, Rehn, Megan 89, Rehn, Ona 89, Sabotta, Annalise 89, Sabotta, Chris 99, Christensen, Luke M 99, Kenney, Pamela B 99, Pecharich, Linda A 99, Shelerud, Mary 100, Jelenič, Sherri L 108, Balazic, Rosalie 109, Medved, Frank $85 Donation Branch 89 $30 Donation Mosquin, Sonja, 93 Yost, Yul, 109 Jamnick, Theresa, 25 $25 Donation Mozzicato, Anna-Marie, 25 $20 Donation Anonymous, 99 Ganster, Diana, 20 Spagnolo, Marcia, 81 $10 Donation Blackford, Emma Grace, 50 Blackford, Rebecca, 50 Branch 50 Ehnat, Mary Therese, 16 Fitzsimmons, Bernadette, Juliana, Thomas and Matthew, 108 Foley, Ruth, 33 Lanari, Vida, 39 Lenkaitis, Cathy, 24 Marchiori, Emily, 24 Morison, Fran, 2 Pelander, Lois M, 33 Tarizzo, Marilyn, 20 Trautner, Frances, 20 Zakosek, Jerry, 20 Zupančič, Leopolda, 100 $5 Donation Branch 35 Branch 20 Branch 39 Diamond, Helen, 30 France, Beverly, 20 Jordanek Family in memory of Albina, 47 Nething, Aimee, 102 Zakrajšek, Angela, 47 Zimmer, Marie, 42 Schultz, Olivia, 99 I can not stress enough the importance of attending our next National Convention at Starved Rock Lodge in Utica, Illinois. Our conventions are held every „ .. „ / Kathleen Ferrante four years so each is National President significant in making history. This is the time that we will be making very important and essential decisions for the future of our organization. Make sure your branch is represented. It is vital. National Secretary News Membership Campaign Update The continuation of the membership campaign, LIVING OUR LEGACY is on, already in five months we have recruited 149 new members. This is great, but we have a long way to go to reach our goal of 800 new members by the time the Convention of 2007 rolls around. I think we can do it! Let’s keep recruiting. This is a thrilling time for SWUA, we are entering our 80th year of existence. Just take a look around you and see how many ethnic organizations have lasted this long. With this anniversary we have taken extra steps to make the celebration coincide with the National Convention, it should be the event of the century for SWUA! We have an exciting line up planned, be sure to mark your calendars for June 21, 2007. I can’t tell you how much fun the three of us; Corinne, Debbie and I are having with Zarja and we love the overwhelming feedback we are receiving, please keep sending, we love to hear from you. Bonnie Pohar Prokup National Secretary Because of all the excitement we have -1 highly suggest you tell everyone you know about SWUA. Show them a copy of this Zarja magazine and ask what they think? Would they like to join for $20.00 a year? I sure hope so. Enjoy your summer! I will too - (at the softball fields in Illinois of course!) -Bonnie Pohar Prokup, National Secretary’-wprokup@aol.com Offer Your Talents: Volunteer With SWUA With more than 4,100 members, there is bound to be some undiscovered talent in our SWUA membership. And now, more than ever, we need that talent to help us move forward into the 21st century. Why don’t you share your talents with us? We have so many options for you to do something meaningful by volunteering to help SWUA: Skilled writers and editors are needed for swua.org (contact lcc0920@ameritech.net') and our bi-monthly magazine, ZARJA (contact wprokup@aol.com'). It doesn’t matter where you live as long as you have access to e-mail and experience writing or editing. The Heritage Museum in Joliet, IL has a wide variety of opportunities for you - whether you have one hour a month or one hour a week: *Are you a good organizer? Help organize books and items at the museum. *Do you have top-notch cleaning skills? Give an hour a month to help keep the museum sparkling. *Do you know how to scan papers into a computer - or would you like to learn? Offer your skills. *Talented at organizing events? Work with local churches and social groups create fun events at the museum such as teas or ice cream socials. * Are you or your spouse handy at fixing things? Lend two hours a month to help the museum stay in good repair. *Have a teenager who needs to do community service? Let us know. *Is your social group looking for volunteer opportunities? Set up a work day at the museum. If you can help in any of these ways, please contact marvlou@swua.org. A leader is needed to head up volunteer efforts for SWUA. If you have a need to lead, contact President Kathy (Dorchak) Ferrante at kdorchak@neo.rr.com. Do you have good marketing skills? Head up our marketing efforts. Contact President Kathy (Dorchak) Ferrante at kdorchak@neo.rr.com. Try to find a way to give back to SWUA. We will find a way to match your skill with our needs and you’ll help our organization grow. jlllk iif First Midwest Bank Joliet, IL (815) 727-5222 twc Bylaws Amendments/Revisions Opportunity to Amend/Revise the Bylaws to Reflect the Intentions of our Membership Every four years at our national convention we have the opportunity, after considerable review, to amend/revise the bylaws to reflect the intentions of the organized membership. It is time once again to hear from the membership regarding bylaws which may be problematic, outdated, vague or restrictive as we provide the authority to our national officers and board of directors to, among other duties, oversee the original burial insurance policies, continue to keep the membership connected through our official organ, Zarja The Dawn, and also to provide guidelines and formats to branch officers in the governing of our branch meetings and state conventions. As reported in the May - June, 2006 issue of Zarja The Dawn a bylaws committee is being formed with Denise Bartlett (National 2nd Auditor and Treasurer of Branch 43) as chairperson. Denise is looking for interested and/or experienced members in parliamentary/bylaws procedures. The meetings will be held by telephone, e-mail and U.S. mail and the only compensation is “satisfaction”, maybe postage. Committee members do not have to be delegates at the National Convention, but of course, there will be committee members present to respond to the convention attendees. The National Board has heard from branch members over the past four years who feel that a few areas of the bylaws need to be reviewed. If members or branches want to have a voice in this procedure, the next several months is the time to review, discuss, and submit ideas for consideration. It is suggested that all members become familiar with the SWUA bylaws. Your branch President and Secretary have copies. Members may also go to www.swua.org to print a 16 page copy. Each issue of Zarja The Dawn through the March/April 2007, issue will highlight sections of the current bylaws, and will include concerns and suggestions received thus far. In addition to committee volunteers, Denise is asking for feedback regarding suggested revisions, information from members regarding the reasons/history of certain sections, lessons learned from past SWUA history regarding the bylaws, in short, members are urged to SPEAK UP. The committee will consider every submission of information before presenting suggested formal (final) bylaw changes for all members to read in the May/June 2007 Zarja The Dawn, to review/consider/discuss at their branch meetings and entrust the delegates at the June 2007 Convention to determine with their vote. Items to consider from pages 1 thru 11 of SWUA’s Bylaws booklet (page 1 thru Article II- page 4 of web site copy): Preamble Article 1 Several members have expressed interest in changing the name of our organization. They feel that because we are eagerly encouraging men to continue to join our organization that our name possibly discourages many men from actively participating and joining our ranks. Do many members concur with this idea? Are there suggestions for a new name? Article II 2) Is it necessary to require our members to be in good health? Should we state that our organization was founded on Christian principles but we welcome those of all faiths to join? We have members with spouses and/or children that are Jewish, Muslim, etc. and as our bylaws now read they are not welcome to join. Article IV Between National Conventions should a unanimous or majority consent of the Directors be required to exercise their powers? Declaration of Principle Article II 2.03 Same as Preamble - Article II 2) Repeat of Christian requirement. These bylaw revision suggestions are of great importance and demand serious consideration. If you would like your opinion or ideas to be heard and/or would like to serve on the bylaws committee please contact Denise Bartlett. Denise P. Bartlett 7902 W. Howard Ave. Milwaukee, WI, 53220-1612 telephone: 414-327-4990 e-mail: denisepbartlett@wi.rr.com SWUA Scholarship Program 2006 SWUA Scholarship Awards The Slovenian Women’s Union of America Scholarship Committee is proud to announce seven students selected to receive 2006 scholarships. Criteria used in evaluating applications are: scholastic achievement, civic, religious and community participation, financial need and promotion of Slovenian culture. The committee had a difficult time making this selection, as there were sixteen highly qualified student applicants. We trust that you, the generous donors throughout the United States who made the SWUA Scholarship Fund possible, will be pleased to read brief biographies of this year’s winners. - The Committee: Marge Church, Dorothy Jerneycic, Rose Marie Princ, Milena Gobetz, Lisa McDonell and Janice Singletary The $2,000 Slovene Rest Home Association of Fontana, The $1,000 Frances Barman Award California Award Jennifer Golobich, daughter of Gerald and Lynn Golobich, Virginia, Minnesota has been member of Branch 23 for four years. Academically Jennifer has maintained a 4.0 GPS, ranked number one in her class and has held leadership positions in the National Honor Society, Senior Class Student Council, and Year Book Committee. Jennifer and her church group have served breakfast brunches and helped with fall festivals. She has assisted with elementary religious education classes and is currently taking classes to become a Eucharistic Minister. She volunteers as a coach in elementary sports programs and camps, delivers Meals on Wheels to the elderly and as one of her favorite hobbies, makes pillows for the St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital Pillow Project. She has been employed by the City of Mt. Iron Recreation Department, was editor of the school yearbook, and captain of the varsity basketball and volleyball teams. Jennifer was elected Mt. Iron Buhl’s homecoming queen in her senior year. She plans to attend St. Scholastica College, Duluth, Minnesota and major in Occupational Therapy. “In everything she does, Jennifer makes certain that all others are involved and feel comfortable in the group. There are always one or two students who are chosen last or left out of groups. Jennifer continually included these students in her work group or visited with them at the end of class. I hope that I have given you glimmer of this well-adjusted, kind, determined and extremely deserving young woman that I know as Jennifer Golobich. I am certain she will not only succeed in any goal she sets for herself, but she will also be an asset to the community that is lucky enough to have Jennifer join them.” - Ms. Mary Beck, Science Department Chair, Mt. Iron Buhl High School Kelsey Ivancich, daughter of Frank Ivancich and Kathy Braun, Ely, Minnesota has been a member of Branch 23 for sixteen years. Kelsey states that “friendship, commitment, risk, and discipline” have been her four simple guidance words these past years. She has held offices in the National Honor Society, Student Council, chosen to be a Young Life Junior Leader, helped kids with a voting project during political elections, a member of “On Target”(a local youth service and intervention organization) and during basketball season helped with little kids basketball in the elementary school from 2003 to 2006. She has been captain of Ely High School’s varsity volleyball and basketball teams. Kelsey plans to attend the College of Saint Benedict and earn a degree in pre-medicine or chemistry. Eventually she would like to be a radiologist. She is ranked 9th in a class of 67 students. “Kelsey is an outstanding young woman who throughout her high school career has demonstrated qualities of intelligence, leadership, character, and commitment. Kelsey has maintained her academic standing while at the same time putting forth the effort and commitment necessary to participate in and assume a leadership role in a variety of extra curricular activities and organizations. She has sent her own high standards and code of personal ethics that she has stood by and demonstrated in a positive way as a role model to her peers and younger students.” - Ms. Jocelyn Murphy, Principal of the Ely Public Schools Support SWUA Scholarship Contact mturvey@aol.com The $1,000 Josef Princ Award Anthony Perko, son of Charles and Ursula Perko, Pueblo, Colorado has been a member of Branch 3 for life. Anthony is currently studying at the University of Colorado, majoring in history, intending to become a public school teacher. Due to classes and tests which Anthony took in high school, he already possesses 59 credit hours at the university, making him one credit short of having a junior standing, though he is just finishing his freshmen year of college. Anthony has a part time job with the school contacting alumni, giving updates and talking to them about school events. While in high school Anthony was the historian of the National Honor Society, captain of the Knowledge Bowl and Matchwits teams, and a member of the high school wrestling team. As a freshmen, Anthony is not yet well acquainted with the faculty so Margaret Cullen, President and Eileen Kaplan, Secretary Treasurer of SWUA Branch 3 wrote the following: “The SWUA Branch 3, Pueblo Colorado supports the application of Anthony Peter Perko requesting to be a recipient of a college student scholarship. His free time is limited due to his college studies. He assists an alumni organization in fund raising endeavors and attends a Boulder church for his spiritual life. He enjoys his visits home, especially the ethnic cooking. We believe our applicant is worthy of a scholarship and will put it to good use.” The $500 Slovenian Women’s’ Union Continuing Education Award eAnne Kemmerling, daughter of n Virginia Kemmerling, Denver j> Colorado, has been a member of Branch 47 for 26 years. She received | her Bachelor of Science in 2002 from Ohio State University and will receive her Masters in August 2006 from University of Denver. In fall of 2006 Anne will attend Metro State University to gain some additional skills in web development and management. These classes were not part of her degree program but she feels are import for her future career as a librarian. Nicholas Kuhar, son of Stane and Marge Kuhar, Wickliffe, Ohio has been a member of Branch 25 for five years. Nicholas has just completed his junior year at John Carroll University, majoring in Religious Studies and Theology. He has been on the dean’s list all three years, currently holding a 3.84 GPA. He is a member of the John Carroll University Jazz band, has hosted radio programs on WJCU -88.7FM for the student populations, volunteered at fund raising for the Police Athletic League, Cleveland Police Department Program, served as secretary of the editing staff for the university’s year book and served as a staff person for the Catholic Studies Department, editing and researching work for staff personnel. His community work consists of doing Christmas arrangements for St. Vitus Church and the St. Vitus Village, delivery of hot meals at Thanksgiving, doing maintenance and grounds work for St. Vitus Parish, camp counselor at Camp Pristava, for young children of Slovenian descent in Harpersfield, Ohio, a non paid position 50 to 70 hours per week. Nicholas also was involved with the 2005 Baraga Days celebration, held in Cleveland, Ohio. He is a staff volunteer for the KAIROS retreat program at St, Ignatius High School. He attends Slovenian language classes at St. Vitus Church. Nicolas would like to teach at a Catholic secondary school or college setting and provide guidance for young people. “All of Nick’s involvements attest to his considerable gifts, which show a wonderful balance. He is a talented, yet humble; responsible and a person of integrity. He is also well-liked by his peers. I would rank him in the top five percent of students that I have had at John Carroll University.” - Thomas Scubeck. SJ. professor in Religious Studies “Anne is an exceptional young woman with a strong love for her heritage. In a conversation that I had with her, she is looking forward to the day when she can become active in the activities of our branch and keep her heritage alive. She is planning to give many talks about her recent trip to Slovenia as the recipient of the SWUA Travel Award for 2005.” - Kathleen Ferrante, SWUA National President and member of Branch 4 7 Teresa Skalko, daughter of John and Christine Skalko, Esko, Minnesota has been a member of Branch 34 for 18 years. Teresa’s fondest memories are of her elementary school days at Queen of Peace School. Since the eighth grade she has participated in a program called Destination Imagination (or Odyssey of the Mind) a problem solving program. She has also been active in Chess Club, Math Team, Knowledge Bowl National Honor Society, and plays her clarinet in the church choir. During the summers of 2004 and 2005 she participated in a mission trip to Mexico with her church. Teresa states that those trips deepened her faith and changed the way she views our culture, cherishing how blessed we are. Teresa is ranked 6th in her class and holds a 4.0 GPA. The most influential person in Teresa’s life is her grandmother who has instilled in her a deep appreciation and admiration of her parents and grandparents who have taught her two Slovenian customs: to polka and to make potica. Two years ago, Teresa earned her Certified Nursing Assistant licensure and last summer worked as a CNA in Surgical Services at St. Mary’s Medical Center in Duluth. Teresa will attend Viterbo University in La Crosse, Wisconsin this fall, majoring in Nursing with the intent of becoming a nurse anesthetist. “Teresa has demonstrated a strong aptitude for study and learning. She has given of herself to assist others and she has an active faith life and participates regularly in various parish activities and at Mass each week. 1 am confident that Teresa will continue to apply her God-given talents to her college studies in nursing as she seeks to grow in wisdom and knowledge.” - Father Joseph A. Sirba, Queen of Peace Church, Cloquet, Minnesota Alyssa Spinuzzi, daughter of Daniel and Bernadette Spinuzzi, Pueblo, Colorado has been a member of Branch 3 for 18 years. Alyssa has had a life long interest in education. She has been an active participant in many extra-curricular activities, including soccer and swimming, but most enjoys tutoring at a local elementary school. She was gratified to witness the children she tutored achieve success in the area of reading and math. At her church she serves as a Youth Mentor and Altar Minister, as well as assisting with elementary level religious school classes. She helped operate an ice cream booth at the church festival and is close to her Slovenian culture. At a World Language Day she represented her Slovenian heritage. Other volunteer interests are helping the elderly at a Pueblo care center, collection of food and clothing for Pueblo Migrant Farm Workers Program as well as the collection of medical supplies for an orphanage in Mexico. Alyssa plans to attend Colorado State University, majoring in education. “Alyssa was my student during her junior year of our intensive English course - one semester of vocabulary and grammar and one semester of expository writing. She is diligent, always prepared and ready to ask questions. During the second semester, she received a cornea transplant, and through the waiting, the surgery, and the recovery, Alyssa kept up with her work. She’s honest, hard working, caring, friendly, and curious - what better qualities for a future teacher? This is a person on the go with finely-set goals.” - Mrs. Susan S. Applbaum, South High School English/Speech Teacher A special thank you to the SWUA Scholarship Committee members for a difficult job, well done! Visit our website at http://www.swua.org Donations and questions can be sent to: Mary Turvey, Director SWUA Scholarship Program 52 Oakridge Drive Marquette, Michigan 49855 Scholarship Donations April and May 2006 $5.00 donation Branch 23 - (+Julia Russ) $ 10.00 donations Branch 1 - (+Amelia Muelle)( +Victoria Sullivan) Branch 42 - (+Bctty Kosak-Gawor) Agnes A. Kurnick - Husband (+Edward Kurnick) Mother (Mary Ancel), Aunt (+Matilda Kambic) $50.00 donation Rea Rossi in memory of Ann Saari. Branch 23 A Real Slovenian Picnic Most people equate summer with baseball and picnics. It’s either a family backyard barbeque, a church/community potluck or, in the case of Slovenian Women’s Union of America, a branch picnic. If you’re a member of an active branch anywhere in our vast network, you probably have many good memories of picnics but hardly any branch can compete with Branch 2, Chicago who had their first picnic in the summer of 1940 and have continued every single year to the present time. For all these years it has been combined with a pilgrimage at the beautiful grounds of the Slovenian Franciscan Fathers in Lemont, Illinois, a place that has been dear to the hearts of Chicagoans since 1924. Branches 2 and 20, Joliet initiated the pilgrimage/picnic in 1940 as co-sponsors and maintained this partnership for almost fifty years until 1989 when Branch 2 went “solo”. It was named “Zveza Day” in 1942. No matter the weather - there have been total rain-outs several times, but never a cancellation - members of Branch 2 have provided a wonderful family day there every July for 66 years! At the first picnic an outdoor procession along the path around the miniature Lake Bled and Holy Mass celebrated at the outdoor Grotto of Lourdes was followed by an afternoon picnic “on the hill”. Over the years the tradition has included afternoon games and music, Slovenian style, by some of the best polka bands from Midwest states. There have been groups of folk dancers, entertainments and sports for the children, and for many years, visitors from neighboring states and even from Slovenia. The SWUA National Board often arranged their board meetings for the month of July so they could attend the picnic and meet the members. This is what it looks like at a Branch 2 picnic in Lemont -can't you just feel the cool breezes? It’s always been more than a simple picnic for Branch 2. Some have been connected with national efforts such as, to organize prayers for peace during WWII, and afterward, celebrations when our victorious soldiers came home; they were venues for many performances of the Branch 2 Choral Club and Joliet Cadets as well. One year they named it “Anna Zorko Day “ in honor of one of their most beloved members and another time the children let hundreds of balloons into the air filled with fun messages, learning later that the farthest went all the way to Buffalo, N.Y. In 1985, Branch 2 President, Fran Morison and her son, Mike planned a special commemoration at the Zveza Day Mass in recognition of Branch 2’s support of the Cause for the Canonization of Slovenian-American Missionary, Bishop Frederic Baraga. The members heard prayers in the Chippewa Indian language offered by an expert, Myles Goderd, dressed in Indian garb. On the “hottest day of the year” forecast in all the Chicago newspapers in 1995, the loyal crowds still came to enjoy a real Slovenian picnic and cool off under the shady trees. There’s always a raffle - branches survive on fund raisers - but an especially successful one netted over $6,500, the donation of Branch 2 towards the new statue of St. Francis erected at the top of the hill. A large crowd representing our membership from the states of Illinois, Indiana, Wisconsin, Florida, Arizona and California came to Zveza Day in 1989 to view the statue for the first time. Another marvelous picnic is coming this month, on July 16th. After the traditional morning services, there will be an afternoon program featuring Singers from Slovenia, lots of good music for dancing outdoors all afternoon and two of our member-families will be observing their reunions. Everyone is welcome to attend. It will be a real Slovenian picnic on the hill. Thanks to Branch 2! - Corinne Leskovar Part of the excitement is on the sports field and games for our young members Men in a SWUA World Big Picnics and Balina (Bocce Ball) Photo: Marko Puc Marie T. Stelow, MS, LCPC Individual, Couple, Family Therapy 1000 Essington Road Phone: (815) 773-2303 Joliet, IL 60431 Fax: (815) 744-1623 with the standard bracket system. But, remember t w o things in your tournament, first off make the prize nice but not worth enough to argue about and secondly, play for fun. The idea is fun, laughs and a little exercise. Finally, beverage and cleanup, never good to have the same people on them for obvious reasons, but if you do, remember the Bloody Mary’s for that morning cleanup, it might be the only way to get any help. Well, that’s all the advice I have, I hope it helps and I’ve always found that the most important ingredient to a fantastic picnic is the people you invite. If you have fun people it will be a great time. In the next issue, I need a little help. I’m going to talk about mushroom hunting and could use a few successful Don Baldin, Branch 24 stories and pictures. Helping at a family pig roast Though I’ve done alright 1 don’t have many pictures, so send some and 1 promise 1 won’t ask where your secret spot is! If you’re having a picnic or bocce tournament don’t forget to let me know at doomtribe@aol.com. I may just pop in, I’m always up for a good party. Until next time, let good luck be yours.- Don Baldin As you’ll recall last issue we hit on small picnics. Now let’s move on to the big party picnic! This is the big summer gathering. The whole family and neighborhood is coming. We need to first have a couple of “planning meetings”, you know the kind, when you put some Union Pivo on ice and get the yellow pad out and form committees to make sure the party goes smoothly. You’ll need to assign a food committee, a beverage committee, an entertainment committee (many times the same as the beverage committee) a set up committee and of course the dreaded cleanup committee. Now if you’re the host most likely you are on all the committees so here are a few tips. First let’s start with the food and the main course. Simple, grill a pig. I’m not sure how to cook one but I know you need a Union Pivo to get started, the rest we may have to ask Jenka about. Now you say all we have is a pig, what else can we serve? No problem, this is where Mom and the Aunts come in, they love to bring side dishes and desserts, so let them. Ok, we just ate a big meal and had a few drinks so it’s time for the entertainment committee and we need exercise, sure some will want to go for a hike but for us true Slovenian picnic people, balinanje is perfect and everyone can play and have fun. Plus, it is very popular in Slovenia and in Slovenian areas here in the states. So, how do we run a good old fashioned balina tournament? Well, first you have to pick teams; the best way I’ve found is out of a hat, makes it random and no one gets mad. Once you have your teams paired up you should randomly number the teams and go Balina players in Lemont, IL Photo: Marko Puc Editor’s Note: Direction for roasting a whole pig on a spit (prašiček pečen na ražnju) can be found on page 128 of More Pots and Pans, one of SWUA’s Slovenian American Cookbooks which can be purchased from our Heritage Muesum by calling 815.727.1926. Kid Talk Children Discovering their Roots I can still remember this time last year when my mom told me we were going to Slovenia. I was so excited to see the country I always heard about. I remembered getting on the plane and being a little nervous because it was so far from home and I knew I would not understand anyone. I’ve been out of the country several times but never as far as Slovenia. The plans were set in motion and before we knew it we arrived in Slovenia. What a sight to see! There were mountains, trees, rolling hills and then my favorite the Adriatic Coast. Our friends took us all the way down to the Island of Pag in Croatia for a holiday by the sea. We rented a room overlooking the water. One special memory of my trip to Slovenia was shopping, especially in the market in Ljubljana. I never saw anything like this. There were stands everywhere filled with everything from fruits, vegetables and flowers all the way to wooden dice. The dice were pretty cool. They were painted in fun colors and you could purchase Ljubljana Market them in all sizes. These made great gifts to bring back home. My mom’s favorite was a wooden back massager. She uses it all the time. My other favorite purchase was these funky pink tennis shoes that I still wear one year later. They always get me tons of compliments and of course you can’t have shoes unless you have the matching hat and bag. These were purchased at this cute hat store right around the comer from the market. Yes, I would say shopping in Slovenia was lots of fun, especially when it was followed by ice cream. My mom met her friend in the square and let me have ice cream while they talked. Near us was an older gentleman by the Prešeren Statue who was playing his accordion. My mom gave me some coins to give to him. I enjoyed his music. Ahhh, thinking of all of this makes me want to go back. Depending on how well my softball team does this summer, 1 may get the chance. It will be a last minute decision. If not.... Maybe the following summer. - Babs FIND THE WORDS Slovenian English Tržnica Market Ljubljana Ljubljana Torba Bag Fizol Bean Korenje Carrots Piščanček Chick Mesto City Kuhati Cook Kumara Cucumber Kmet Fanner Riba Fish Hrana Food Vrt Garden Zemlja Roll Prodajati Sell Trgovina Shop F R T R Z N I C A D T Z I U R I B A F G L J U B Z T G X Z E M L J A M C 0 Y 0 K M E T B C T E E L J V P E T H R A T S L Q V I K U H A T I E T T J R N M E N B V E W 0 0 H T A K U M A R A Q L R R L J U B L J A N A L B A K 0 R E N J E R S A A N P R 0 D A J A T I W Z A L M P I S C A N c E K Kids in the News We would like to congratulate Lydia Simrayh who was recommended and accepted into the People to People Student Ambassador Program. She will be traveling to Europe this summer as a student ambassador representing South Cook County and the United States in London, Paris and Rome studying European culture. She will be sitting in on the British Parliament, visit Buckingham Palace, the French Parliament, and will be greeted by the Pope at the Vatican along with stops in Lyon, France; Milan, Italy and Monaco. Lydia Simrayh Lydia is a member of Branch 99 anc ^ ^ along with her mom Bonnie Simrayh, grandmother Michaela Simrayh and two aunts Magdalena Razpotnik and Bernadette Petrovič. The whole Simrayh family and Branch 99 is very proud of her. Andrej Stare (center), son of Angela and Bart Stare, graduated on June 4,2006 from the Heights High School. Potomac, MD. He will attend Mary Washington College, located in Fredericksburg, VA, beginning with the Fall term. (left to right) Veronica Stare, Andrej, and Angela at Andrej s graduation day in the Slovenian Chapel following the monthly Slovenian Mass that is celebrated there. All three are members of Branch 103. Mary Jo and Peter Rom’s granddaughter Katie Lynn Steiner graduates from Case Western Reserve University summa cum laude with a graduate scholarship to Williams College in Massachusetts where she will study art history. Katie Lynn Steiner Branch 50 Camp Heritage June 21 - 24, 2007 All junior members are encouraged to attend. It will be a perfect opportunity to learn more about your Slovenian heritage and have a blast. An exciting line up of activities are being prepared especially for you. Fore more information contact wprokup@aol.com or henkelnancy@aol.com. Tee and Polo Shirts: I’m Still Taking Orders! During the month of May I took orders for the selection of men’s, women’s and youth tee and polo shirts. What a success story! Not only did we sell shirts, I talked with people! What great conversations! The cherished love our members have for their Slovenian heritage is astounding. Meeting members from around the country and hearing their stories is something we haven’t done. And so I propose we continue this “home based” activity. On any particular day, if you feel like “volunteering” at the Slovenian Heritage Museum, just pick up the phone or email me and order that shirt BTW: Molly Jerich Thomas, Branch 103, received the 25"' shirt half price! Now for 50th order, a free shirt! 715.372.8578 ottolou@cheqnet.net Mary Lou Voelk wearing polo shirt Discovering Your Roots Discovering Clues to Ancestry Through Old Photographs How many of you have photos that are from the “olden” days? How many of you have no clue as to who the people in these photos are or when or where the pictures were taken? Many of us can distinguish ourselves as being typically in the same quandary. We never thought we’d want to know, but as our older generation leaves us, we wish we did know! The intent of this article is to give you some steps to follow in identifying old photos. First, the type of photo you have may help determine “when” the photo was taken. Daguerreotypes (1839) were the first photos every made. They appear on light-sensitive, silver-coated copper plates that have a reflective surface and need to be held at a particular angle to see the image. Sometimes, the photo is tinted or colored. These types of photos were expensive to make and required long sitting periods. Ambrotypes (1854-1856) are similar to daguerreotypes, but glass was used instead of metal. The glass was covered with a coating called “collodion,” a mixture of ether and guncotton. There is always a black background. These were less expensive to make and captured the image easily. They are housed in a case and the case itself, is usually dated. shape of eyes, nose/nostrils, jaw, ears, facial structure, eyebrow structure, hair pattern, and teeth (it is helpful to use a magnifying glass). Look at the clothing as it can reveal social status, religion, and clues to personality. Props in the picture can denote time period. Note the architecture of any buildings as this, too, can denote time period. Technical elements, i.e., Photo-Power provides a glimpse of the way people lived, their life styles, their place in time... Rose Marie Jisa, President Ohio Chapter Slovenian Genealogy street composition, telegraph lines, railroad tracks, fire hydrants, bridges, can identify where the picture was taken. Preserving old photos is something you will want to do. First and foremost however, keep the original photos in a safe place and share copies of them only. It is VERY important that you use acid-free paper and acid-free cover sheets that can be purchased at most discount stores. Make color copies at a copy center - the cost of doing this is becoming less prohibitive! Scan your photos to a computer so they can be available on the Internet. Tintypes (1856-1930’s) are made of iron that is coated with a black or brown varnish. They are called tintypes because tin shears were used to cut the photos from the iron sheet. They are quite durable and do not scratch. It took only a few minutes to take the photo and several copies could be made. These types of photos allowed even the poorest families to have access to photos. Paper Prints and Negatives (1930’s to the present) have several different types. Talotypes are very rare and can be distinguished by their lack of clarity. Card Photos are photos mounted on cardboard stock. Sterographs are two nearly identical images mounted side by side. These allowed pictures to be three-dimensional. Their primary purpose was to provide entertainment. Candid Photography was developed by George Eastman. Negatives have a solid support surface and a coating of light-sensitive material. Retouching enhanced larger prints. The Polaroid takes instant pictures (1947). And finally, digitized photography is what we know today. As you identify the people in the photo, look for common physical characteristics - family characteristics - moles, Use a very soft lead pencil or a specific writing tool used specifically for labeling the pictures. Do NOT use ballpoint pens! Indicate the subject of the photo, when and where it was taken and label your name as the supplier of the photo. When planning a family event or reunion, include a “sharing photos” session in your invitation. Encourage everyone to bring family photos. Suggest that copies be made of the more interesting photos so they can be shared. It is actually possible to search among living relatives at these reunions to see who looks most like a relative in an old photo! If you have photographs from Slovenia that have obviously been taken professionally, be sure to look on the back of the photo for the name of the studio that took the photo as the information usually includes the town or village where the photo was taken. This information can help determine the area where your family lived. Old photographs can provide a wealth of information to the genealogist. Handle them with care . .. they are your treasures ... - Rose Marie Jisa, Ohio Chapter President www.sloveniangenealogy. org Living Your Legacy Why We Remember The hardest task for every genealogist is tracking down dead ancestors. And many of our relatives wonder why we are digging in the past and stirring up memories. The significant reason for why we are looking is to remember our forbearers who established our genetic code and traditions. Everyone remembers the tragedies of war and resulting deaths that garnered our freedom. Memorial Day, the Fourth of July, and Veteran’s Day commemorate those events. But what commemoration is there for a grandmother, who never saw her parents again, after she settled in the America? Who remembers the parents and grandparents who died in a country faraway and long before our birth? Many of us in America, of Slovenian descent, have no family memories of those who lived before us. This lack of knowing is also a tragedy that can lead to internal family conflict. Remembering family provides healing and resolution of this conflict. It provides structure and stability to family life. This remembrance then becomes more significant than a birth date or place. By remembering those who have gone before us we resolve our ancestors dreams for their children and grandchildren and obtain their goals for their descendants to have a better quality of life; and, we educate our children and grandchildren how important it is to remember and honor our ancestors. By instilling this in our children and grandchildren, then we know that people will remember us when death calls us away. While so much of genealogy glorifies the tracking of royal blood or who settled a country or land first, genealogists should remember themselves that discovering the beginning of family is not the zenith of their search, important as that may be; but ensuring that family members remember their George Plautz ancestors is the goal. Below are listed several URLs that are contain indices for people who died. I am sure there are more of them if you look for them. - Adijo, George Plautz Illinois Death Index http://www.cvberdriveillinois.com/GenealogyMWeb/ idphdeathsrch.html Minnesota Death Certificate Index http://people.mnhs.org/dci/ St. Louis County, Minnesota Death Index http://www.rootsweb.com/~mnstloui/slcmndin.htm Wisconsin State Death Index http://www.vitalsearch-ca.com/gen/wi/_vitals/ wide59_b.htm Milwaukee Archdiocese Cemetery Search Engine http://www.cemeteries.org/genealogv.asp Ohio Death Certificate Index http://www.ohiohistorv.org/dindex/index.cftn Social Security Death Benefits Index http://stevemorse.org/ssdi/ssdi.html Discovering Your Roots: Discovering Clues to Ancestry Through Old Photographs REFERENCES Frisch-Ripley, Karen. Unlocking the Secrets in Old Photos. 1999. Pfeiffer, Laura Szucs. Hidden Sources—Family History in Unlikely Places. Ancestry Publishing, 2000. Shull, Wilma Sadler. Photographing Your Heritage. Salt Lake City: Ancestry, Inc. 1988. Steamship History Society of America Collection. Longsdale Library, University of Baltimore, 1420 Maryland Avenue, Baltimore, MD 21201. Web site: www.ubalt.edu//archives/ ship.htm Taylor, Maureen, Uncovering Your Ancestry through Family Photographs. Betterway Books, F & W Publications, Inc., Cincinnati, Ohio, 2000. Weinstein, Robert A., and Larry Booth. Collection, Use, and Care of Historical Photographs. Nashville: American Association for State and Local History, 1989. . TEZAK FUNERAL HOME “First in Service Since 1908” Licensed Producer: Richard K. Tezak (815) 722-0524 American Slovenian Catholic Union (K.SKJ) 1211 Plainfield Road Joliet, IL 60435 To America... The Immigrant Experience Stories of Slovenian Women Immigrants to the USA I collected life stories of Slovenian women migrants and their female descendants for three years, from 2001 to 2004, while living in New York City and travelling to different cities with strong Slovenian presence. The oral history project was focused on recording the personal women’s accounts of the migrants’ experience and the reproduction and transformation of cultural tradition through time. I would like to start this short presentation of the oral memories with a description of the beginning of a stay in the United States as was recounted to me by an elderly lady in Cleveland. It echoed the memories from many other narratives and I was amazed when the topics of the poor houses, the sad landscape, the hardship and homesickness were described to me in a vivid voice. “When we came to America, it was 1935, it was a deep depression in this country. We came to Cleveland on March 9, 1935 and it was wintertime, it was so awful. Me, my mother and my brother, we just cried. We thought it was a terrible place we came to, it was so desolate. We had never seen frame houses before, we »in old country« had big stone houses, six feet tall. We were not happy, but we are still here. Going to school at that time was difficult, the schools were not geared to accept foreign children, the teachers were not trained to deal with children like us. Nobody really cared because nobody really wanted us here, nobody wanted us to come here. (...) I remember when 1 sang with one of the childrens’ groups. This was shortly after we came to this country. 1 remember at the concert I had a solo - “Kje je moj mili dom - and I just broke up and the whole audience cried with me. That was so moving for me. That was the way I felt, you know. If somebody had said, “Pejd nazaj ”2,1 would have gone back at once. ” The experience of homesickness and hard life is undoubtedly the most common one among Slovenian immigrant women. However, there are important differences, which were caused by particular migration circumstances. The four sisters 1 met also in Cleveland, recounted how their father came to the United States in 1908, went back to Europe to serve during the First World War and then came back and sent for his fiance, their mother, in 1921. This couple, who was from the same region as the parents of above quoted lady and settled down in the same neighborhood in Cleveland, was in a much better position since they came to America long before the Depression era hit the country. What a big difference this could make is seen from a picture the four sisters happily described in their narrative: “Without much money we had a very good childhood, always fun. We always had music in our house. Collinwood was the neighborhood, a beautiful church. We always spoke Slovenian at home and we enjoyed life, picnics with a singing group. It was like an extended family. We knew everybody; it was all Slovenian community. Our parents talked so much about Slovenia we thought we had lived there ” Regarding the Slovenian language, this experience is quite unique. Most of the daughters of the immigrants from Slovenia stressed out that they didn’t speak Slovenian at home and they didn’t learn it even if they lived in a very Slovenian community. A lady, who grew up on the Iron Range in Minnesota, told me: “Food, religion, festivities”, that’s what her mother, the immigrant from Slovenia, passed to her. In her opinion, it is the basics of tradition and tradition is the most important foundation of a family. “Not the language”, and in her case not the stories of the old country. “Soup, apple strudel, that is in my mind. And then on Sundays during the summer - I lived in a very Slovenian neighborhood - they would go up to a big lawn and they would sit and food came from somewhere and they would sing. Just sing...” A lady from Pittsburgh, who also grew up in 1930., described the same elements of cultural tradition and identity, which were preserved or, sometimes, lost and forgotten. Preserved were mostly food, festivities, religion and music; language was lost. “I remember mostly from my childhood music and music was polkas”, and recounted, how the origin and tradition made her feel embarassed as a child. “On my mother s side I had a cousin who played button box accordion and I was kind of horrified that anybody knew I had a cousin who played button box accordion. I mean, you know, where you are little, you think, oooo, no.(...)”. She admitted that also the language was an embarassment to her because all the children wanted to be American. This was typical situation for the second generation as they interacted with not only more Americans but also with the Mirjam M. Hladnik most important mechanism of assimilation, the public school system. There, the first identity crisis occurred to everyone and complex choices started to be a part of everyday life. In the narratives I recorded we can find three types of decisions. Some of the women turned from the Slovenian origin and community in embarrassment and quite a few of them went to study and pursue a professional career. Some stayed close to their families and communities and are, ladies in their seventies, still very active. Most of them found a personal combination of assimilation and preserving the tradition, the combination they also passed to their children. A lady from La Salle remembers the complex combination of reproduction and transformation of cultural tradition. The Slovenian language was not important, because to know English was crucial. On the other hand, there were many cultural activities in Slovenian at home and in the community: “O, everything was tradition. All our meals were always Slovenian food, always. Nothing was American.''’ It is obvious that the food, religion and festivities were the core elements of the cultural tradition that were practiced in everyday life. On the other hand, there was vivacious cultural life in every Slovenian community that went far beyond the tradition. Slovenian immigrants built national homes and reading rooms; in Slovenian they had plays, choirs, operas, concert events; they established newspapers and magazines, published books; they had drama and singing groups; they sang Slovenian songs at every occasion and they recorded these songs on LP records as early as 1924. In all these activities, at home and in the community, the immigrant women played the crucial role. Why? As Mary Molek put it so beautifully in her book Immigrant Woman, this was because: “These young women were not ‘the tired, the poor’ proverbially greeted with open arms by the Statue of Liberty. Neither were they descendants of uncultured, uncivilized lands. They were, instead, bearers of an already-established cultural heritage, centuries old...” - Mirjam M. Hladnik (Footnotes) 1 “Where is my sweet home”, a sad folk song. 2 “Go back”, in Slovenian. Zimmer FUNERAL HOMES Mark Zimmer, Funeral Director mark@zimmerfuneralhome.com 805 North 6th Street, Sheboygan, WI 53081 (920) 457-7012 - Fax: (920) 457-7013 W 2132 Ganton Rd„ Sheboygan, WI 53083 (920) 565-2331 www.Zimmerfuneralhome.com Members of the Year Dolores Konechnik, Branch 5 Indianapolis, IN Our Branch 5 Member of the Year is Dolores Konechnik. Dolores has been a long time member of SWUA and our Recording Secretary for over 12 years! Dolores and her husband, Louie, recently celebrated their 57lh wedding anniversary with their 3 children, 6 grandchildren and 10 great-grandchildren! Dolores enjoys cooking, baking and Louie and Dolores are the best sausage makers in town! They have passed these skills down to their family, even sharing Louie’s famous sausage smoking techniques so the legend will live on! What a wonderful family! Thank you, Dolores for sharing your many talents with the ladies of SWUA! Pat Sixel, Branch 102 Willard, WI From the day she was born, Pat Sixel was destined to become “Member of the Year”. She has a family history of involvement in this organization, her grandmother founded Branch 102; her mother was president of Branch 102 for 30+ years; and Pat has been a member of Branch 102 for over half of her life. Pat embraces her culinary heritage. We eagerly await the Slovenian dishes she brings to each meeting. Some of the goodies Pat has made are noodle kugel, struchla and cabbage rolls. Family is important to Pat. While she and her husband, Mike, have no children, that doesn’t mean Pat is childless. She has her cats, Rickie and Reasa, who are treated better than many children. She becomes a second mother to her friends’ children by treating them with concern, respect, and love. She becomes a “sister” to her many friends. She has a generous spirit that is inclusive, not exclusive. Pat enjoys attending the Branch 102 meetings and says that traveling to them with her childhood friend, Candy, has brought them closer and renewed their friendship. Following her mother’s death in 2003, Pat bought a Slovenian flag for Branch 102 as a memorial. The flag is proudly displayed at each meeting as a reminder of Pat’s love for her mother and her heritage. She has given money to the SWUA scholarship fund in honor of her mother. She has given her time and talent to Branch 102 as a long-time member (and chief Slovenian cook). She has given her love to her family and her friends. We at Branch 102 are proud to honor Pat Sixel as the 2006 Member of the Year. Heritage News Historical Event: The Scanning of SWUA Archival Records 119. dsewr.bn, l*K. m 14. fccemfcr«. 1M7. Slovenska Ženska_Zveza The State of the Museum letter came to you with your January 2006 invoice. I quote: “And now after many years of effort, a dream is becoming a reality. The computer technology is set up and scanning of our archival records can now begin. Records will be scanned in order of death. Example: the first deceased member of the SWUA was Ivana Bozic, DOD, July 22, 1928. Amelia Bozic, daughter, was the beneficiary.” As we proceed in the scanning the names of those deceased members will be printed in Zarja. names of deceased members in order of their DOD. As family histories are gathered, they too will appear in print. If you recognize your family name it is important that you contact me for OrgauilKd Devwaber Ifch, 10JS. Incocpsritfd Pcci>3ib«r 14, 1917. ZA AMERIKO. Slovenian Ladies Union Prošnja za sprejem. 'YiAs oiTvj W Vitbpf M-r " 4- —•*. .. t- f 'L “*■' - : f*'- ■ u,.c t-tni 3.-8 Ivana Stramjan Golobar Bozic 1869 - 1928 details. This project is a serious undertaking. There is a 2,014 count of deceased member documents between the dates 1928 —1959. Dedicated people are needed. Funds are needed to purchase the proper storage containers and CD’s. I will be working at the museum (Tel: 815.727.1926) in Joliet, Illinois July 15-19. 2006. Please consider offering your skills, talents AND moneys. Prior to those dates you may contact me at any time using the information below. - Mary Lou Voelk Making its debut in this issue of Zarja is the Dopoljena pot - The Path Taken. Each future issue will contain the Marvlou@swua.org Home: 715.372.8578 The First Documents Scanned Ivana Božič Branch 5 Date of Death: 7/22/1928 Rose Rutar Branch 10 Beneficiary Paid: 10/16/1928 Mary Schutte Branch 11 Date of Death: 12/9/1929 Agnes Cajnik Branch 24 Date of Death: 12/16/1929 Elizabeth L. Novinc Branch 14 Date of Death: 12/28/1929 Jennie Kostelc Branch 10 Date of Death: 1/1/1930 Maria Kurnik Branch 13 Date of Death: 1/18/1930 Anna Jerale Branch 1 Date of Death: 2/3/1930 Mary Levstik Branch 10 Date of Death: 2/9/1930 © Mary Lou Voelk Scanning first documents Heritage Donation Denise Bartlett: $50.00 Dopoljena pot - The Path Taken Story of Ivana Bozic, Slovenian immigrant, as told by her great granddaughter, Barbara Friesenhahn.© Ivana Stramjan Golobar Bozic was a founding member of Alphonsa Anna Golobar, was born August 2, 1903 in the SWUA Indianapolis Branch 5.1 grew up knowing this Alexandria. Everyone called her Anna. Louis died June about Ivana, my paternal great-grandmother. I was 15, 1905 in Indianapolis from tuberculosis. Ivana could not afford a headstone, but she would take Anna to the cemetery every Sunday and point to the site where he was buried. Unfortunately, the story, but not the exact location was passed on. Founding members of Branch 5, Indianapolis. Ivana is in the second row, third from left. surprised however when I read the State of the Museum letter, written by Mary Lou Voelk, that Ivana was the first member of the organization to receive a death benefit. Ivana Stramjan (Stermjan) was bom June 24, 1868 in the town of Tenetiše, the Šmartno pri Litiji parish. Ivana was the third of five children bom to Frank and Neza Flisek Stramjan. We believe one sister, Frančiška, who was married to A. Sustar, immigrated to the U.S. and settled in Pennsylvania. My aunts remember their cousins, Frank Schuster (Sustar) and his family, traveling to Indiana from Pennsylvania each year for the Indianapolis 500. On August 26,1895, Ivana married Alois (Louis) Golobar in Šmartno pri Litiji, Slovenia. They came to the U.S. separately in 1901, first to Pennsylvania, and then to Alexandria, Indiana before settling in Indianapolis. Louis arrived in New York on January 6, 1901, final destination Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania. Ivana left Slovenia on June 25, 1901 aboard the ship Konigin Luise. She arrived in New York on July 6, 1901. Ivana’s final destination was Forest City, Pennsylvania, where Louis then lived. Ivana was a cook in Slovenia and Louis a baker. He continued his trade in the U.S. They had one son, Louis, who died en route to the U.S. My paternal grandmother, On November 4, 1905, Ivana married John Bozic and forever became Mrs. Bozic to the Slovenian community in Indianapolis. They had four children together: John (1906-1908) Amelia (Molly) (1908-2005) Frank (1912-1999) Rudolph (Rudy) (1914-1975). I find it very interesting that Ivana had her last child at 46 years of age. So much is made these days about older moms, but I always think “well, that is nothing; my great-grandmother was doing that 90 years ago”. Since, 1 just became a mother for the second time at the age of 41; I applaud her courage and determination to provide for her children. Ivana did not have an easy life. Her second husband, John, was a laborer. He was illiterate and consequently had numerous jobs and was often unemployed. John was frequently absent from home leaving Ivana to fend for the family. Once, he went searching for gold in California. Ivana and John owned a home on Warman Avenue in the Haughville section of Indianapolis. Ivana rented the main room of the house to other Slovenian immigrants. She did their laundry and prepared their meals. The boarders were always served first, then the children and finally Ivana would eat. Later, John Bozic and Ivana Stramjan Golobar 11/04/1905 wedding picture (Ivana is seated, John to the left, others unknown) after John died, Ivana worked nights cleaning a paper factory in downtown Indianapolis. Ivana’s home was small by today’s standards. It had an outhouse, although a bath was later added. They bathed in a tub near a wood-burning stove. A garden provided much of the food. Ivana and her children raised geese, chickens, rabbits and even a pig once. She did the laundry on the back porch both winter and summer. Ivana had to check the wind direction before hanging the laundry because of the smoke and ash from a nearby factory. John and Ivana’s house was near Holy Trinity Catholic Church. Holy Trinity holds a special place in the hearts of Slovenians living in Indianapolis. It is the center of the Slovenian community. It is special to me because my husband and I were married there. I am the 4th generation on my mother’s side and the 3rd generation on my father’s side to be married in this church. Ivana was a devout Catholic. Her children all attended Catholic grade school (although Anna left after the 6th grade to work and supplement the family income). John was not a regular churchgoer. One time, Ivana bribed him with a gold piece to attend. Molly went to school and related this to her teacher, who passed the information onto the priest. Father made it a part of his weekly sermon, without names, of course. Ivana was not pleased! Ivana’s first grandchild, Mabel Ann Mohr, was bom in 1923 to Anna Golobar and Anton (Tony) Mohr (Mohar). Four more children followed: Margaret, Anna Mae, Jeanne and my father, Robert. Ivana’s son Frank had one daughter and son Rudy had three children. Ivana enjoyed her grandchildren. Except for Margaret who died as a toddler, all of her grandchildren are still alive. Her great- grandchildren number 17 and there are 17 great-great-grandchildren. Ivana was a quiet woman with many burdens and responsibilities. That did not stop her from helping others. In 1923, Ivana’s neighbor, Mary Kastelic Milharčič, died leaving 7 young children without a mother. Ivana helped watch over the children and taught the daughters how to cook. Mary’s oldest daughter was my maternal grandmother, Mary Milharčič Konovsek. Ivana was responsible for handing down Slovenian cooking traditions to both sides of my family. Ivana Stramjan Golobar Bozic died on July 22,1928 during an emergency appendectomy surgery. She had complications due to undiagnosed diabetes. Ivana was buried on July 25, 1928 at St. Joseph Cemetery in Indianapolis, IN. She is buried next to John Bozic. At the time of Ivana’s death, Molly was 20, Frank 16 and Rudolph 14. Her daughter, Anna, and her husband brought them into their home to care for them. Today, my mother, Mary Frances Konovsek Mohr, who has been a SWUA member since she was a baby, is still an active member. My sisters, Mary Ann Cox, Rosemarie Pell, Jennifer Norris, and I are members of SWUA. I won a SWUA Scholarship in 1983. My mother has made sure that all five of her granddaughters, Brooke Mohr, Kristina Cox, Erika Pell, Molly Mohr and Renae Friesenhahn, are members. My daughter, Renae, is one of the newest members of SWUA Branch 5. I am very proud to carry on this legacy that my great-grandmother started 78 years ago. - Barbara Mohr Friesenhahn Ivana’s Granddaughters - All current memebers of SWUA! Front row - Kristina Cox, Molly Mohr, Brooke Mohr, Erika Pell (great-great grandaughters) Back row: Mary Ann Cox, Jennifer Norris, Rosemarie Pell, Renae Friesenhahn (great-great granddaughter), Barbara Friesenhahn (great grandaughter) Slovenian Women’s Union of America Slovenska Ženska Zveza v Ameriki Membership Application Yes! I want to join the S.W.U. I want to preserve and promote the legacy of our Slovenian-American heritage. As a member I will receive the publication, ZARJA-The Dawn; I can affiliate with branches and events across the country and best of all, I will come in contact with fellow Slovenes. Please type or print legibly. Choose type of membership: □ Junior (Birth to 18), Annual Dues $5.00 Q Adult, Annual Dues $20.00 Name and Middle Initial_________________________________________________________________________________________________ Street Address________________________________________ City/State/Zip___________________________________________________ Phone/Fax_____________________________________________ E-Mail___________________________________________________________ Date of Birth_________________________________________ Do you speak Slovenian?__________________________________________ Please describe your Slovenian ancestry_________________________________________________________________________________ How did you hear about us? S.W.U. member newspaper _________________________________________ website________ other Applicant’s signature:___________________________________________________________________________________ Date: Branch Affiliation No. (if known)_________________________________________ Location: ________________________________ Please make checks payable to the Slovenian Women’s Union of America and mail to: SLOVENIAN WOMEN’S UNION OF AMERICA, 431 North Chicago Street, Joliet, IL 60432 (815)727-1926 email: swuhome@sbcglobal.net webpage: www.swua.org Please allow four to six weeks for membership processing. In addition to my dues, I wish to contribute to the General Fund: For Office Use: $___________________ Date Received: ___________________________________________________________ In honor of_________________________________________________________ Membership No.: ____________________________________ In memory of________________________________________________________ Branch Affiliate: ___________________________________ Send acknowledgement to__________________ I would like to volunteer for the S.W.U. My area of interest or expertise is:_________________________________________ Tell a Friend! If you wish us to send information to a friend or relative just fill in name and address here: My friend’s name Address City State Zip Book Signing: Joliet - Marianne Wolf Slovenian Heritage Museum Local Author Pens Book About Joliet, Its History, People and Neighborhoods The Slovenian Heritage Museum is pleased to announce a book signing for the much-anticipated book JOLIET by Marianne Wolf. JOLIET is a photographic essay depicting the rich cultural heritage of the city, with the focus on its people. This book is a documentary for future generations. Get autographed copies of the 1st edition for birthdays, Christmas and for the special people in your life. Unable to attend? Call the museum and order your signed copy. JOLIET by Marianne Wolf Pages: 128 Binding: Paperback ISBN: 0738540420 Publisher: Arcadia Publishing (Images of America Series) Price $20.00 + $2 S&H Contact: Slovenian Heritage Museum 815.727.1926 swuhome@sbcglobal.net When: July 15-16, 2006 Saturday 3:00-5:30 p.m. Sunday 9:00 a.m.-12:30 Music: Joe Wolf on the button box Book Review: The Legacy - By Mark Munger Author Depicts Murder Mystery During WWII in Yugoslavia The Legacy is a fictional murder mystery interspersed with factual historical events. It is two stories, one set in Yugoslavia during WW II and the other occurring years later (1990’s) in present day Minnesota. The main character is John Kobe who was bom to a young widow who had a passionate but tragic love affair with a young Slovenian partisan. The Legacy is an intriguing read and gives the reader insight into the different factions in Yugoslavia fighting to free their country during WW II. About the author: Mark Munger was bom in 1954, and has lived in Duluth most of his life. He is an honors graduate of Duluth Denfeld High School, the University of Minnesota-Duluth, and the William Mitchell College of Law. A practicing civil trial attorney from 1981 -1998, Mark was elected District Court Judge (trial level) in 1998 and serves a four county district in NE Minnesota. In 1990, Judge Munger faced spinal fusion surgery. It is then he began work on “The Great American Novel” he’d always threatened to write. It was during the research that the author found he was of Slovenian heritage. Until this time he thought of his heritage as being Yugoslavian. That research and the subsequent writing created The Legacy (ISBN 0972005021), Over the past two years, the book has become a regional best seller and achieved a rating from Mystery Review Quarterly of a “3 + daggers” out of four! The Quarterly also dubbed the book “a marvelous first novel”. To order: Slovenian Heritage Museum 815.727.1926 Send $20 + S & H Personal Reflection 25 Year Member of SWUA Remembers I recently saw my name listed as a 25 year SWUA member and it gave me a chance to ponder...over the years was I a contributing member of the SWUA or did I just belong? My parents have always supported a variety of Slovenian-American organizations. My father is a member of KSKJ*, my mother is a member of SNPJ* and SWUA. Every summer, as kids and teens; my brothers, sister and I were at the Lemont, Illinois picnics (organized by Slovenian-American organizations). My dad always saw friends from his old neighborhood, but my siblings and I didn’t know anyone. There were relay races and games on occasion, but there was no way for our generation (those outside a Slovenian neighborhood and the grandchildren of immigrants) to connect with anyone. Those were my impressions and memories. So it was a surprise two years ago when my niece Christine (now 17) told me she could imagine one day bringing “her kids” to Lemont and that there were so many things you could do there for the day. For those not familiar with the history of Lemont, please check this website: http://www.lemont-svs.org/historv.htm My family had moved from a Chicago neighborhood to the southwest suburbs of Chicago before I started fifth grade. My siblings and I encountered few, if any, Slovenians in our public schools. Some knew 1 was Slovenian (after asking about my atypical last name), but 1 can only recall one instance in high school when a classmate recognized my last name as being Slovenian! (There were plenty of ethnic surnames and maybe there were some Slovenian surnames that 1 just didn’t recognize at the time.) Later on 1 decided to join a Slovenian organization — I was 100% Slovenian after all. But my original SWUA branch in Chicago was 20 or so miles away, there didn’t seem to be any members my age or activities that seemed to me “Slovenian”. I was a “check book member” of the SWUA. 1 paid my dues and received the Zarja, but rarely read it. In 1993 I moved to New Jersey. I remember receiving my SWUA dues notice and giving serious thought to “Am I getting anything out of this? Should I even renew?” At some point I started to read the Zarja and the organization seemed to be fading away, it was rather sad and distressing mostly because it didn’t have to be that way! I have been around tradeshows, meetings/conferences, and association management my entire post-collegiate career. I thought the obvious was missing “Where is the Slovenian in the Slovenian Women’s Union of America?” I know many of the branches have long-standing and proud traditions each calendar year, but the SWUA seemed like a general women’s group. The culture, history and traditions of Slovenia (as well as our own Slovenian-American history in the U.S.) is the material for many a branch meeting. This is the direction that will give the SWUA longevity, as a source of education and life long learning! No one wants to live in the past, but we can learn more about it and learn from it. I took notice when Bonnie Pohar Prokup came on the scene — someone my age stood up to the plate? In 1999, I sent in my dues and wrote a note to Bonnie. From there it was e-mail and soon I was offering some comments and suggestions. Then I found myself at a board meeting! My biggest accomplishment was getting the online newsletter off the ground in the fall of 2000. Members now had a means of communicating with each other via the online newsletter. From there I was placed on the Slovenian Consulate mailing list in NYC. I was bursting with pride when I was invited to a holiday party. (I was convinced I was going to see Donald Trump and Melania Knauss. I did see them, but that was hardly the highlight.) I met several young native Slovenians at the event. I started to wonder if there was an SWUA branch in NYC or if there ever had been. I was never involved with a branch before, but I had an idea from other organizations on how a group in NYC might work. But again, why? Initially I was a passive member who paid my dues and did nothing else, but I was so sad at the idea that this organization might fold, that some were literally and figuratively expecting it to just die out. Once gone, there would be nothing. If this branch were to succeed, perhaps we could serve as an example to others — to take a few risks and change. As I reported in the last issue, Branch 93-New York is approaching our five-year reorganization anniversary! - Lynn Zalokar lzalokar@yahoo.com *KSKJ-Kranjsko Slovenska Katoliška Jednota (American Slovenian Catholic Union) SNPJ-Slovenska Narodna Podporna Jednota (Slovene National Benefit Society) Lynn Zalokar Branch 93 Jaz sem trta in moj oče je vinogradnik. I am the vine and my father is the keeper of the vineyard. When I look into my children’s eyes, I see Terezija Blatnik who over 120 years ago watched her brothers go off to America to a city they had never heard of, Cleveland. They left a farm in Gradenc near Žužemberk, devastated by a disease of their grape vines. She was also left to take care of her parents. She married Ivan Vidmar and they took over that farm and they started to have children. To her great sorrow, the first six children all died in infancy. But rather than curse God, she and her husband went into their fields and built a shrine to our Blessed Mother; they then tore down their old house and built a new one a few meters away. There, she bore three children all of whom lived. When I look into my children’s eyes, I see Terezija’s daughter-in-law, Marija Turk who came from Vrh which is on the neighboring hill right across the valley from Gradenc. Marija and her husband had ten children and she taught all of them the equality of all people. When the cigani, the gypsies, came into their village, she did not bolt her doors and windows to keep them from stealing their food. No, instead she made sure she had extra loaves of bread baked to share with them. So respected were she and her husband that they carried many ciganski babies to their baptism in Žužemberk. When I look into my children’s eyes, 1 see Jožefa Zupan from from Št. Janž in the Dolenjska region. She watched in horror as first her husband was sent off to fight in the Austrian Army in WWI and then, her only son. After the war, her son was drafted into the new Yugoslav army. She had enough of war and armies and decided to go to America to get away from all this tragedy. She dared her husband and son to follow. Her son did but her husband did not. She came here to Chicago to start a new life and outlived her husband and two other husbands. When I look into my children’s eyes, I see Francka Močnik from Kamnik. As a young girl, to relieve the burden on her family, she went to Ljubljana to work as a kelnarca, a waitress, in the restaurants and saloons. In her worker’s book, we can read that she was pridna, poštena, redna in pripravna vse narediti. She was good, honest, came to work regularly and prepared to do even the most common work. Francka met a miner, Jože Ambrož from Zagorje pri Savi which is south of Celje in the Štajerska region They had two Great grandmother Ambrož with daughters at home and one °f her daughters in West • . , c . . Frankfort, Illinois (southern then migrated first to . 6 , , Illinois ,1920’s Bavaria, and then to Indiana and Southern Illinois, to the coal mining regions. Great grandmother Ambrož (left) with her parents and her brother before she was married, late 1800's or possibility early 1900’s. They were from Kamnik. When I look into my children’s eyes, I see Francka’s oldest daughter Frančiška. She married Ivan Kerbavac in Southern Illinois and then watched as he left her for long periods of time so that he could work as a coal mining union organizer in Indiana, Illinois, Colorado, New Mexico and Wyoming. She never could have brought up her son without the help of her parents. Frančiška also experienced the horror of war as she watched her only child go off and fight for the US Navy in the South Pacific. But with her prayers, he came home safely and married a Slovenian girl. When I look into my children’s eyes, I see Ivana Ves from Mengeš. Ivana permitted her daughter, Ivanka to leave Mengeš when only a teenager. (I worry about my teenage daughter driving to the local mall!) The younger Ivanka left from Trst and came to her mother’s sister here in Chicago near St. Stephen Church. There she eventually married Frank Zupančič. When I look into my children’s eyes, I see Ivanka’s daughter, Jean Zupančič. She taught that girl a love for Slovenian music and that girl, when she was a teenager, went to sing in the Slovenian Church Choir at St. Stephen, and when that girl got married, she taught her own daughters a love for singing and encouraged her youngest one to sing in the same Slovenian Church Choir. If she had not done that, I might never have had a chance to look into my own children’s eyes. When I look into my children’s eyes, I see Ivana Krulčič from Koper who married Ivan Kerbavac from Ročko Polje which is in Istria but just south of the Slovenian border. She taught her son, Ivan, that no matter what the Italians said, they were Slovenian. When I look into my children’s eyes, I see my grandfather’s mother, Ivanka Pemuš from Tolmin. Ivanka had her oldest son Nace, go off to the Soška Fronta in WWI and was killed by a mortar attack on St. Gabrijel, the next hill over from where the Franciscans have their monastery in Kostanjevica. She bore that loss and then prepared her next son to take over the family farm. She did this by infusing in her two remaining children a deep devotion to the Mother Mary at Brezje. That was passed down to two succeeding generations. When I look into my children’s eyes I see Ivanka’s daughter-in-law, Ivanka Kokalj from Zalog near Tržič. She married Ivan Ovsenik from Predoslje by Kranj and watched her husband get involved in politics, then the Domobranci. She watched her husband get arrested by the Gestapo and imprisoned at Ljubelj. She watched her husband leave, along with her oldest daughter. She did not curse God either. She taught her children that all this is in God’s hands When I look into my children’s eyes, I see Ivanka’s daughter, Iva, at 14 and 15 years of age delivering messages all across the Gorenjska region for her father and the Domobranska command. Who among the Germans would suspect that such a young girl would risk carrying messages? These are all the women that I see when I look into my children’s eyes. They taught their children and grandchildren the faith that we now hold ourselves. So, today, look into your own children’s eyes and tell them who you see. 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Kreativ, Rogaška Slatina Shop securely on-line at www.HomeFromSlovenia.com Or call (203) 775-0853, or email lnfo@HomeFromSlovenia.com for our Free Catalog Branch Reports Poročila Podružnic BRANCH 1 - Sheboygan, Wisconsin At the April 23 meeting we were privileged and honored by the attendance of three special guests. Mary Turvey, Scholarship Director spoke on the restoration of old photographs and maintenance of new photos. Betty Ann Kolesari and Denise Bartlett, National SWUA officers spoke welcomed praise of Branch 1. Our “Member of the Year” dinner was held on May 25. Congratulations to all members of Branch 1 who were indeed the “Members of the Year.” All worked diligently with energy and enthusiasm to make our Brat Fry and Bingo in February so very successful. Our Vice-President, Mary Jo Grabner, composed an outstanding statement to a special member, President Aggie Gruenke, who has done wonders to make Branch 1 the success it is today. Our evening began with the invocation by Fr. Glenn Powers, Spiritual Director. Dinner followed and a discussion about the State Convention to be held September 10, which will be hosted by Branch 43, Milwaukee. Discussion included our transportation, booklet ad and patrons. The prizes received as winner of the SWUA membership drive 2005 were given as door prizes. Everybody loves a door prize! Fr. Glenn was given two books on Slovenia as a birthday gift. What better way for him to absorb more of Slovenian culture? Red carnations were distributed to all members upon leaving. Watch the SS. Cyril and Methodius Church bulletin for the next meeting date. Respectively submitted, ANGIE FRITZ BRANCH 2 - Chicago, Illinois 80th Year 1926-2006from Slovenia to America St Stephen Church (Chicago) Where It All Began God Bless all those young ladies who gave many hours working very hard through obstacles from many places. Difficult as it was history was born; a place for the Slovenian immigrant women. On Sunday, May 21st, Branch 2 honored all 80+-year members as “Members of the Year”. There were 63 members honored. We all assembled in St. Stephen Church. Helen Cukale crowned the Blessed Mother. Our junior members: Brittany and Rachel Swicionis and Kelly and Catlyn Dore carried flowers and placed them into a vase by the statue of our Blessed Mother. Father Blase celebrated Mass. We sang “Češčena si Mariija” and our voices harmonized beautifully, we could almost hear those voices of long ago (or maybe they were singing with us). A catered dinner followed with live entertainment by Paul. The 80-year members wore their corsages with pride, made by member Joe Worth. Everyone received a live flower as a remembrance of the occasion. A $500.00 donation was given to the National Heritage Museum in the honor of our 80+ year members. We left with a good feeling that we were part of history of this great organization. Our condolences to the families who have lost love ones: Shirley Melissa who was an officer of Branch 2, Secretary of our bowling league, and Vice President of the Sports Club and very active with Zveza died. Adeline Dolence Parziole, condolence to her husband Tony. Dan Bell (our long distance member in Arizona) to his wife Elaine and children. Gloria Schiffler on the loss of her brother John Gradishar. Holly Jorgensen on the loss of her mother, Adeline Bovdik. (Adeline was very active with our Sports Club and bowling league. Please remember them in your prayers. Don’t forget our Picnic on July 16th in Lemont. Mass is at 11:00 a.m. and lunch is on the hill. Games & Raffles can be enjoyed by all. Happy birthday-America July 4,h - 230 years young. How lucky we are to be Americans. Thanks to all our Service men and women who have kept us safe. God bless you all. Love, DAISY BRANCH 5 - Indianapolis, Indiana Greetings, we had a wonderful showing at our May meeting and it was a great response to our raffle. I want to thank all of our guests who attended the pitch-in, especially those who became new members of Branch 5! We are a fun group! Big thanks to SueAnn Yovanovich for arranging things with Father John and Father Bob so that we had May Crowning at our Memorial Mass. It made the Mass very meaningful to us all! Lord knows I was praying very hard to Mary so I would not fall off that ladder when I crowned her, and I know Mary and Karen were praying they would not Branch 5 officers at have to catch me! Let’s do May Crowning - 2006 this again next year! Some notes about our members: Nancy Kronoshek became grandma again, husband Dave retired and they moved back to Kansas. Sarah Williams is planning her wedding, Martina Findley is looking at a career in law enforcement and past SWUA Scholarship winner Betsy Fon Walker is a designer at Reese Custom Cabinets. Mary Fon and her three children, Steve, Larry and Linda are planning a three-week visit to family in Slovenia in July. Safe and wonderful summer to all who plan to travel! Would anyone be interested in old (1950s-1970s) copies of Ave Maria, Kolendar, and assorted magazines and books, mostly printed in Slovenian? I acquired a box that previously belonged to one of our former members and recently spent an afternoon sorting through the box. What fun it was looking at the pictures and articles, but mostly wishing that I could read Slovenian and enjoy the articles! I want to thank all members for continuing to keep in touch with your Slovenian roots. We have such a small community, and are now into our third and fourth generations. Our main link together is Holy Trinity Slovenian Catholic Church, and this year being the 100th year celebration of our parish it is the perfect time to rejoin the parish and get involved in the many exciting things going on. What a wonderful Mass the Centennial Committee planned, and the dinner afterwards was a wonderful blend of good food and good friends! It was great to see former classmates and families. Let’s make this yearlong celebration a great one! Have a safe and memory filled summer. As always, please keep our sick and deceased members in your prayers, along with the many servicemen and women who are overseas. Keep cool! PHYLLIS BRANCH 10 - Cleveland, Ohio Hi Ladies, We are all looking forward to warmer days and hope to enjoy some sunshine. All the members of the Branch 10 are being honored as Members of the Year. I’ll call and let you know what day we will celebrate this affair. If you need more information call me, (216) 451 -1876. On a sad note we lost a very important member, Bea Zimmerman. We extend our deepest sympathy to the Baraga and Zimmerman families. My granddaughter Colleen Collins is in the army and presently serving in Iraq. May God protect her and hope she will return back home soon. Our member Danielle Susel is in a nursing home in Madison, Ohio. Please pray for her, thanks. Ann Stefantic is also coming along and so is Lucy Romik. Wishing everyone a Happy Fourth of July and hoping to have more news. STEPHANIE SEGULIN BRANCH 12 - Milwaukee, Wisconsin Hello from Branch 12, the host lodge of the Wisconsin State Convention. But first and foremost we want to WELCOME three new members to our branch, Tom and Camille Kegel and Rose Ulma. We were most pleased to have them as guests and once they attended our meeting, they joined our group and we couldn’t be happier. Our May Member of the Year Awards Dinner took place on May 18th and we honored our long time member of 57 years, Rose Luebke, who truly deserved the nomination. Virginia Strukel prepared a marvelous dinner and topped it off with her famous apple strudel, which of course, was relished by all. Rose Luebke is the ideal member that all branches appreciate. She is gracious, always eager to help wherever needed, and she does it with a smile on her face. She is also on our Convention Committee for this year’s State Convention. We were pleased to have her husband Roy at her side and her daughter Pat, who filled out an application. Welcome Pat. Notice to all Wisconsin SWUA members and from neighboring states. If you are in the neighborhood on September 10,2006; take note and get your groups together. We are counting on you. All events of the Convention will be held at Sacred Heart of Jesus Parish, 917 N 49th Street in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, which is one half block North of West Wells Street. Breakfast and business meeting in the school hall at 9:30 a.m. Mass is at noon (the USPEH Chorus will honor us with their presence and voices at the mass). Dinner will follow Mass and a program and entertainment will conclude in afternoon. Our guest speaker is Dr. Zvone Zigon, Consulate General of the Republic of Slovenia and we promise a very enjoyable occasion. Tickets are $17.50 and include all festivities. All Slovenians are invited to attend. All Wisconsin Slovenian Branches have tickets but if you have not attended your branch meetings, please contact me at 414-541-5116, or send your check payable to SWUA Branch 12,2159 S 93rd St, Milwaukee, WI, 53227 and I would be most happy to send you as many tickets as you need. Since the dinner is being prepared by our own cooks, we must have a count before the dinner so no tickets at the door. Come join us on the 10th of September FRAN REMSHAK BRANCH 13 - San Francisco, California Greetings from the West Coast. We have several lovely events coming up this year. Our “Hello to Summer” pot luck luncheon being one. We really look forward to this, because we don’t meet in July or August. Also, our “Tribute Branch 5 officers (left to right) Karen Zarich, Phyllis Fon and Mary Dragan to All Our Members” will be a banquet at Caesar’s restaurant. Ceta Zagar’s daughter, Alex Prieto gave birth to a baby boy May 18th, welcome, Joseph Salvador. Stanka Pecavar’s son John, married his beautiful bride, Nada, in an absolutely glorious wedding. It was a perfect day. Nada’s parents came from Slovenia for the wedding. Congratulations. Our President, Louise Petrusich became a great grandmother when granddaughter, Stephanie Creager gave birth to Brysen Creager. Much happiness to all. He was bom on March 20. On a very sad note, we lost two wonderful members recently. Mary Frances Coppinger passed away March 20th. Mary was a long time member of 62 years. Her daughters are members of Branch 13. Our prayers go out to Mary Jo Kahn, Patty Coppinger-Griffm and Gail Coppinger-Hilton. Eleanor Hnilo passed away on February 14th. This active lady is very much missed in many volunteer groups. Our sympathy and prayers go out to her daughters. Our June meeting, will celebrate our 50 year members, who will receive 50 year pins. Karen Pera joined as a junior member in 1952. Maijorie Schleiger, “Mother of the Year” in 1988, joined as a junior member in 1952. Sophie Troya, “Mother of the Year” in 1989 joined in 1952. Sophie now lives in Scottsdale, Arizona. Carol Goergen joined as junior member in 1955. Her mother is Sophie Troya. She lives in Rancho Santa Fe, California. We have so many birthdays in July and August; I can’t list everyone, due to space. Just know that you are wished a very Happy Birthday, and another beautiful year. Dear, long time member, Anna Nanut has moved to Mission Carmichael—3630 Mission Ave., Carmichael, California 95608. Send a note, and say hello. I have to comment again on the cover of Zaija (May-June). It was one of the most beautiful I’ve seen. Keep up the great work. Have a fun, and safe summer. See you in September, at our meeting. You will enjoy it, and have a great lunch too. It is nice to know that when you help someone up a hill, you’re a little nearer the top yourself. BEVERLY JACKSON BRANCH 14 - Euclid, Ohio Branch 14 had another lovely Mother’s Day dinner at the Slovenian Society Home on May 2. Sophie Mazi outdid herself again by preparing a delicious meal, which included everything from liver dumpling soup to strudel for dessert. All our diets were forgotten for the day. Over 70 members and friends attended the dinner, as usual, the Pryatels and Stupicas reserved long tables for their families. It is so nice to see families that enjoy being together when in this day and age so many families are families in name only. Each table had a beautiful ceramic centerpiece filled with live plants. These were raffled off along with the lovely prizes donated by the attendees. The raffle is always one of the highlights of the evening. This dinner along with our Christmas dinner could never happen without the efforts of two of our members, President Diane Varney and Stana Grill. Diane does all the planning and organizing; and Stana makes phone calls, takes reservations and assigns all the seating which is a monumental task. We cannot thank them enough for all their work. There is sad news to report. One of our 70-year members, Marie Kuchta, died in May at the age of 89. Condolences to her family. So I don’t forget this time - our CHRISTMAS dinner will be the first Tuesday of December, December 5th, same time, and same place. Save the date. Stana will be contacting you. We hope that everyone has a beautiful and blessed summer. PATRICIA BUDZILEK BRANCH 16- South Chicago, Illinois We had a very nice turnout for our Marija Pomagai service and coffee after. Our sincere thanks to Vida Kumse, Ralph Caruso and Rose Tomasich for setting up the Shrine. Also helping were Gladys Buck and Marjorie Mitchell. Vida used many of her Slovenian artifacts. It was Beautiful. Thank you Vida. Also Vida, Gladys and Rosemary Petrich for wearing their Narodna Nošas and taking up the gifts. Fr. Kiley, have you been taking Slovenian pronunciation lessons? You did well. It was a beautiful service. We are happy to have you home recuperating. Thank you to the ladies from Branch 16 who set the tables (Tina Sertich, Mary Jane Strus and myself) with the KSKJ place mats and place settings, Betty Krcmaric (KSKJ) for picking up the sweet rolls, and Sharon Oberman (KSKJ) for picking up the napkins, plates, etc. We had a special treat homemade potica made by our male member Victor j. Sebahar, Jr. in return for a personal favor. Hope you are enjoying singing about Marička. Glad I was able to help. Thanks again so much. Also Jim Rossi, Lenny Marino, Ralph Caruso for setting up the tables and chairs, Jim for making the coffee and Jim and Lenny for the clean up. August 15, will mark the 35th Anniversary of the dedication of the Maria Pomagaj, Our Lady of Brezje’s Chapel, by Bishop Držečnik of Maribor, Slovenia, at the Basilica, the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington D.C. It was a day never to be forgotten. Hostesses for June - Tina Sertich, Vida Kumse and Lena Amicarelli. Next meeting September - Have an enjoyable summer. SYLVIA SPRETNJAK (773) 375-2278 On May 16, we had a wonderful turnout at our banquet, celebrating Jean Herbst, our “Member of the Year.” Jean is our financial secretary and treasurer. Lillian Cepon and her co-worker put on a delicious meal. Father Tom Paul, our spiritual advisor gave a short talk on Our Lady of Brezje. Jerry Zupančič sang the “Ave Maria.” Then we joined in singing ‘Češčena si Marija.’ Entertainment before the meal was by John Chumovic and Marty Mavec. They played some lively renditions of the polka and some waltzes on their button-boxes. The ‘Too Loud Polka Band’ entertained us during and after the meal. Jean thanks everyone for their outpouring of well wishes and gifts. We want to acknowledge and give gratitude to Fr. Jim Radek, Pastor of St. Joseph Church. He really supported the SWUA and is a member. And you may recall we selected him as our Honorary Mayor in 2005 for our Grape Harvest Dance. He had accomplished the major task of renovating historical St. Joseph’s Church, which looks just beautiful. Fr. Jim helped us celebrate St. Joseph’s Centennial. We will surely miss him! Come to the SWUA Museum and then visit our beautiful church, which is across the street. We extend get-well wishes to Jo Lustik and Jenny Kochevar. Our prayers and condolences go out to Darlene Marquardt on the death of her mother, Mary Ann Chumovic, and to the Lukančič family on the death of their sister Emma. Congratulations to James and Patsy Policandriotes on their 50th anniversary which they celebrated in June. To Marianne Wolf who is the author of a photographic essay titled JOLIET. It is about schools, fraternal organizations, bakeries, taverns, railroads, politics and the Slovenian Women’s Union of America. Also included are weddings, family reunions, high school graduations and other celebrations. It is available at the museum. It would be a nice addition to every home to read about our heritage. The “Singing Slovenes” from Minnesota will have a Polka Mass at 4:00 p.m. at St. Joseph’s Church on Saturday, August 12. Entertainment and refreshments will follow at St. Joseph’s Park. A day hemmed in by prayer is less likely to ravel" SISTER MARLENE AMBROSE, O.S.F. BRANCH 24 - LaSalle, Illinois Dober dan! Twenty-eight members enjoyed our annual Spring Luncheon at Mario’s Maples on May 18,h. As usual, everyone present enjoyed the company of each other and the delicious food and several members were the lucky winners of fresh summer flowers. Plans for our annual summer picnic were discussed along with several, important, upcoming dates, such as the various picnics held at Lemont. Those events are always pleasant and special because so many SWUA members attend and we have t h e Branch 24 dessert table for May Luncheon opportunity to renew old friendships and acquaintances and make new ones. The Mass is usually held in the Grotto - a beautiful setting! Attending Mass there always puts a warm spot in my heart because my father, Louis Ahcin, along with several other men from our parish (St. Roch’s), helped build the Grotto in the late 30’s early 40’s. Josephine Foley, who turned 90 on May 2, was among many that enjoyed the Polka Mass held on May 20th at St. Thomas More Church in Dalzell, of which her brother, Fr. Bernard Horzen is pastor. Their nephew, Jimmy Horzen of Orlando, Florida did a fantastic job as a one-man band. Toes were tappin’ in church and there was plenty of dancing following Mass and a chicken dinner. Father Bernard sang a short medley of songs for everyone to enjoy and we all joined in. Our prayers and good wishes go out to Minnie Carter, who suffered a slight mishap and is on the mend, and Antonia Hoefferle, who will be 99 in December and is a resident of St. Joseph’s Nursing Home in Lacon, Illinois. Helen Millman, who visits Antonia regularly, tells us that she loves company and hearing about her old friends back home. Summer brings back some of my fondest memories: mostly pure white sheets flapping on the line and then smelling oh, so good when getting in bed; my mother’s canna lilies in full bloom and the wonderful zinnia’s she could grow; my dad’s garden, especially the tomatoes, green onions and lettuce. I’ve had good luck with the flowers, and one of our son’s has a nice garden, and I still hang out our sheets, often, weather permitting, in the winter. I guess these simple pleasures, which were instilled, continue to grow and remain dear. Such is our heritage; keep it growing and hold it dear. Enjoy the summer! Until next time, may your hearts be filled with peace and love. LORETTA STORY BRANCH 25 - Cleveland, Ohio Dober dan, sorry we haven’t had an article in the Zarja for the past several months, things went foul with my e-mail. We haven’t had any meeting lately. I understand our president, Fran Gazvoda, moved and I imagine she is busy getting settled in. Let’s hope things get better in the future. Our SWUA is getting ready for another outing at the SNPJ Farm in Kirtland. The date is October 1, 2006. There will be display tables, a Slovenian-Chinese auction (how cute) art guild display, and many other great items. There will be our great Slovenian food and a polka mass with the celebrant, Bishop A. Edward Pevec and the Joey Tomisch Orchestra. Sounds like a fun day! Hope to see you there! I will be leaving you with this saying since we will be with friends at the SNPJ Farm on October 1st. Making friends takes a moment, being friends take a lifetime and with all things are possible. Till we meet again. (se vidimo) Love, EMILEE BRANCH 32 - Euclid, Ohio Wednesday May 17th Branch 32 celebrated Mother’s Day at our meeting. Desserts, coffee and soft drinks along with flowers were shared by all in attendance. Membership rosters were distributed for all to check for accuracy and to contact those members who have not been in attendance at a meeting for any length of time. Discussion was started regarding the next SWUA convention in June 2007. We will select one delegate to represent our branch, however all members are welcome to attend. The Fall Festival will be at SNPJ in Kirtland. We are planning a basket for the auction. The June 21st meeting, the first day of summer, hosts our annual “picnic”. Congratulations to Elizabeth Penko on her Confirmation on May 10th at St Mary Church, Collinwood. Bishop Anthony Pilla presided in one of his last official duties prior to his retirement as the Head of the Cleveland Catholic Diocese. Good Health to those on the sick list. Happy Birthday to those celebrating in April, May and June. REPORTER BRANCH 35 - Aurora, Minnesota Well, you could certainly tell that the season had changed. Looking over the ladies sitting at the meeting resembled a lovely spring flower garden. The bright colors made you feel warm as well. We had a very productive meeting, going over the 2007 information on the 25lh National Convention and of course the 80th year celebration. We are excited and hope to bring a big group along. Dorothy Jamnick was our honored guest, “Member of the Year”, at our May 7th gathering. Forty-seven guests enjoyed a wonderful meal and the company of Dorothy’s many relatives and friends. Dorothy’s daughter flew in for the occasion and she is also a member of our branch, it was nice to see her again. Stanley Trost entertained us with dinner music. I had mixed emotions on the cancellation of the Heritage Festival. I felt we let our organization down but again I had to look at what 1 had to offer as far as help and donations. We have mostly elderly ladies and I could not ask them to go that far to participate. They give good help when we do our local events. In February I hosted an instructional class on making krofe at my home. We did a little taste of American, Italian and Slovenian foods at our different meals. We used Jean Korsman’s krofe recipe and I was very nervous because I had never tackled the real krofe, but have made raised donuts, long johns (gate) and bismarks with the jelly filling. I prayed for a success every step of the way. During our breaks we enjoyed a Slovenian History lesson from my husband and had maps spread out on the tables. Other breaks we watched the Video “Flo’s Kitchen”. This is a 2-hour video, which Frances Petrich of Willoughby, Ohio has produced. She demonstrates potica, strudel, štrukelj, pohanje and many other ethnic pastries. Flo is quite the “Kuharica”. I found her ad in the “Ameriška Domovina” Newspaper and the cost of the video is $29. You can order this by sending a check to: Florence Petrich, 38453 Wood Rd., Willoughby, Ohio, 44094-7604 or call her at 440-946-2803. What a nice gift for your children and grandchildren, weddings and birthdays. We practiced our Slovenian words and then put on Slovenian Folk CD’s and sang and had some good Slovenian vino to keep our voices strong. The krofe were a success, my husband said they were better than a bakery could make, so light and airy, we did not make a thousand of them but we would not have had a problem getting rid of them, I am sure. So, if you need to have some fun and Krofe that the class made not travel far, try one of these weekends with your friends and do not hesitate to use Jean’s recipe. Our next project will have to be potica. We call this our Slovenske Kuharice Vikend. Our next meeting will be held on Wednesday, August 9th at the Aurora Community center at Noon. Plans will be made and raffle tickets sold for the up-coming Minnesota State Convention to be held in Chisholm, Minnesota on September 10, 2006. Congratulations to all the honored “Members of the Year” and also to our Zarja Crew! Do drug čas, ostanite zdrave, ANITA VOVK, GOSPA@CPINTERNET.COM Anita Volk and Judy Labernik at “Slovenia Cooking Experience ” The fourth grade students of Mesabi East School did presentations of their cultural heritage. Students worked for several weeks doing research on the oldest immigrant of their respective families. Our junior member, Aubri Ribich, reported on her great-great grandmother, Johanna Ribich Sever, founder of Branch 39. Beginning with Johanna’s arrival in 1902 and after a series of interviews with various family members, Aubri presented a report on Johanna’s life and a history of Slovenia, dating to its 1991 independence. She brought Slovenian artifacts for display. Students were interested in the changes in Slovenia and the rich cultural heritage that came to the U.S. with the immigrants. They did presentations of several Western Europe nations and touched on the diversity of our “melting pot” here on the Iron Range. I took pictures and hope to have them for a future Zarja issue. These students are all “Living Their Legacy”. Twenty-five members and guests joined Carol Sherek in celebrating her “Member of the Year” honor with dinner at the El-Roy supper club, May 7th. She was presented with a corsage and a gift certificate. Some announcements were made and then we joined Carol in a sing-along while she entertained us on her button box. Response from the Absent Tea letters is good. The increased funds in our treasury enables us to successfully host our Minnesota Regional Convention in September of ’07. Branch meetings will resume with an August picnic at the Ribich home. Branch 35 is invited to join us. Members are planning to attend the Minnesota Regional Convention in Chisholm, September 10th. Tickets are available and will be distributed at our August picnic. Material is arriving about our 2007 Convention in Utica, Illinois. I hope everyone is getting “fired up” about attending. The National Committee is working hard organizing the event. Let’s “Live Our Legacy Together” in 2007. ROSEMARY (SERTICH) RIBICH rribich@lcp2.net 218-865-6600 BRANCH 40 - Lorain, Ohio There is not much to write about this month. We have not held a meeting in several months. Please, ladies, try to attend the next one as scheduled. Also call me with your news. We have lost still another member. It saddens me to announce that I have lost my oldest and dearest friend, my sister Mary Bradish, who died on May 7th. Mary was born in Zaplana, Jugoslavia in 1917, just a few years before me. Our Dad left in 1921 to work in this country and our mother, Mary and I followed in 1928 and we all settled in Girard, Ohio. Our Mom taught us all the old Slovenian songs. Mary, our Dad and I sang these songs which we loved at many functions in Girard, Cleveland and other Slovenian communities in Ohio and Pennsylvania. We sang together as a family too, at every opportunity. What wonderful times we had! Mary’s beautiful clear soprano is now stilled. She and Ed Bradish were married on June 1, 1940, Ed died in 1999. Surviving them are 6 beautiful daughters, their husbands and 14 grandchildren and 4 greatgrandchildren. She had lived in Georgia until a year ago when she moved back to North Jackson, Ohio with her daughter and then into assisted living until February when she was stricken with pneumonia. She loved coming to our meetings when she visited me and loved getting the Zarja. Preceding her in death were our parents and two younger sisters, Vera Marsico and Josephine Robsel. Rest in peace my darling sister. Summer is upon us along with many picnics and other festivities sponsored by our various lodges and clubs. Please give them your support. You will admit that there’s nothing like the sound of a button box accordion filling the air on a sunny afternoon. Have a Safe Summer. Love, STEPHANIE POLUTNIK BRANCH 42 - Maple Heights, Ohio Our annual mass for living and deceased members held May 21st at St. Lawrence Church was reasonably well attended and the group that went to dinner after mass enjoyed a pleasant repast at Applebee’s in Seven Hills. As always, the May altar at St. Lawrence dedicated to our Blessed Mother was beautiful. We want to welcome to our branch, Lou Kastelic, husband of Betty Ann Kastelic, a long-time member. They reside in Silver Springs, Maryland, and once again the “power of the pen” by way of Zarja has played a role in new membership. Lou has told me that he devours each issue of Zarja and feels it keeps him connected to Maple Hts and his roots. I get the same feed-back from Nancy Lipnos Kish in Henderson, Nevada, who says she tries to beat her husband, Bill, to the mailbox when the Zarja is due. A few years ago I ran into Albie Hočevar Mohner who made a point of telling me that although she belongs to the SWUA branch in Fairport Harbor she always reads Branch 42’s report first because she recognizes all the names. As some of you may recall, Albie’s family was the Charles Hočevar family on Raymond Street in Maple Heights who lost sons, Tony and Laddie, as war casualties’ just weeks of each other. I always think of them on Memorial Day remembering how our neighborhood grieved their loss. We extend our sympathy to Terry Anzo on the loss of her father, Charles Domiano, who reached the grand age of 102. May he rest in peace. In lieu of a summer picnic members again approved having a luncheon at the Twinsburg Cracker Barrel (Rte. 480 and 82) on Wednesday, August 2nd at 11:00 am. Please call Marge or I to give us a head count, please make an effort to attend and don’t forget our next meeting at Maple Hts. Library on Saturday, August 12th at 11:00 am. Get well wishes to any ailing members. Adijo, LIL SADOWSKI 216-398-4367 LRSadow @aol.com BRANCH 43 - Milwaukee, Wisconsin Our special party honoring Tillie Kvedar as our “Member of the Year” was enjoyed by all that attended. We had a very happy honoree, two very proud daughters, two very proud grandchildren and host of friends and relatives who were part of this celebration. We all learned that Tillie’s hard work and family dedication made her a loved and cherished member of her family. We salute you, Tillie. Branch 43 s oldest and youngest members: Agnes Sagadin (age 92) and Karly Rose Bartels (age 3) We hope to see many of you at our September meeting which will take place on the fourth Wednesday (September 27, 2006). Please note that the new meeting place is the West Allis Library on W. National Avenue and So. 75th St. at noon. Please join us for lunch followed by the meeting. Have you circled September 10,h on your calendar? Branch 12 is working very hard to make the Wisconsin State Convention a success. All events, meeting. Mass and dinner will be under one roof. Sacred Heard Church on N. 49,h and W. Wells St. is the place. Join us on this special day. Our sincere sympathy is extended to the family of Lucy Kaczorek who passed away in May. Lucy was an active member of our branch for several years and enjoyed the events of our branch. May she rest in peace. I am sure that there are many of you who like to sing and would like to sing the songs of Slovenia. Join the Uspeh Chorus as they begin to prepare for their Annual Christmas Concert on December 17. The chorus will begin rehearsals on Wednesday, September 6, 2006, at St. John the Evangelist Church on So. 84th and W. Coldspring Rd, in Greenfield, Wisconsin. Rehearsals are held in the school music room. Please call me, Mici Bregant 414-543-6695 for information. Best wishes and big HELLO to all of our sick and shut ins. MICI BREGANT BRANCH 47 - Garfield Heights, Ohio Hi everyone. 22 members and guests attended our Mother’s Day Luncheon. We all had a very good time. Our next get together will be our Mass for Living and Deceased members on June 25th at 10:00 am at St. Lawrence Church. Our next meeting will be in September on the 10th, members will be notified where and when. Just a reminder about our Fall Festival which will be held on Octoberlst, at the SNPJ Farm out in Kirtland. Further information will be coming in future issues. Also our Ohio-Michigan Convention is on October 22nd with Mass at 10:00 am at St. Lawrence Church with meeting and luncheon to follow at the Slovenian National Home. Hope to see everyone there. Birthday wishes go out to all our July and August members. July: Mary Rose Kociancic, Mary Louise Kugel, Anthony Mezgec, Julia Mezgec, Courtney Mundson, Katelyn Mundson and Rhiannon Wallace. August: Judith Freeman, Jason Hall, Virginia Kemmerling, Hermine Mezgec, Rosalie Železnik and Emma Zupan. Best wishes to all. KATHERINE WALLACE BRANCH 50 - Euclid, Ohio A brief meeting was held on May 17"' among 38 members and friends celebrating our “Member of the Year,” Cookie Maxin. While accepting this honor, Cookie read a poem about “family” that was both cheerful and tearful, followed by a presentation by her 15-year-old nephew, Jordan Vecchione. Jordan is proud of his aunt Cookie, saying “she is smart, beautiful, talented, and makes everyone feel as important as we feel toward her”. Jordan mentioned that Cookie loves Disney World because it’s “magical, and Cookie brings magic into their lives every day\" He also presented her with flowers. We also welcomed members and special guest, Mary Miklavčič of Thompson, Ohio. Ann Orlikowski brought her friend Esther Kopaka. Esther and her husband Jordan Vecchione, giving a speech at the "Member of the Year” lunch. Sam are avid polka supporters and well known in the community as event volunteers. Branch member Carol Dickinson of Eagle (Boise), Idaho writes with sad news about the sudden and unexpected death of her brother, Robert Paik, in Los Angeles (age 65), of a brain hemorrhage. Carol’s mother, Jean Paik (age 93) of Omaha and Carol’s daughter, Jennifer Mann (also of Boise) are members of Branch 50. The late Bob Paik was well known in the Cleveland area as a guitarist with many polka bands (including an appearance with Frankie Yankovic on The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson). Bob lived in Los Angeles for the past forty years where he worked in advertising and sales. Mary Jo and Peter Rom’s granddaughter Katie Lynn Steiner graduates from Case Western Reserve University summa cum laude with a graduate scholarship to Williams College in Massachusetts where she will study art history. Prayers and get-well wishes are extended to treasurer, Fran Kajfez’s husband Matt in Lake West hospital (Mentor Ohio). Rose Mary Toth reminds us that June 27th, 2007 will mark the 80th anniversary of SWUA with the 25th National Convention to be held in Utica, Illinois. At a future meeting, Rose Mary will explain how to choose delegates for the convention. Our June 21st meeting will incorporate a picnic at Colby Park in Wickliffe, Ohio. A box lunch will be served. There are no meetings in July and August, however, we will meet on September 20, 2006 to finalize plans for our Branch 50 Slovene Festival to be held on October 1st at the SNPJ Farm in Kirtland, Ohio. ANNE TOMSICK 216-531-2745 ciavnow@, yahoo.com BRANCH 54 - Warren, Ohio Our branch enjoyed a lovely Mother-Daughter luncheon recently, and thanks to Louise Vett, Fran Sainato and yours truly for making the luncheon very special. We missed Elsie Shine, who had major surgery with complications and Vic Zuga, who is on continual oxygen and being assisted by caregivers. Congratulations to Virginia Shine’s granddaughter, Janet Hodemarcky, who graduated from Vanderbilt University with honors and to Anne O’Block’s granddaughter, Andrea Armeni, who was Valedictorian of her class at Liberty High School. She will be attending Youngstown State University in the fall. Visiting her mom, Vic Zuga for Mother’s Day, was Karen, of Washington D.C. Our daughter, Pat of South Carolina flew home and we had a lovely long weekend with her. She and our youngest son, Paul, did the cooking for my special day. We will have a meeting at my home in September, and I’ll be calling you. Enjoy the beautiful summer weather and safe traveling to all that have vacation plans. JOANNE PONIKVAR Greetings from Oglesby, the Gateway to Starved Rock. We recently lost our longtime member, Josephine Schmidt. Her mother was Josephine Livek, who was National President many years ago. Our sympathies go out to Jo’s family. We have a new and interesting feature at our meetings. Someone brings in an old picture of their ancestors and our president, Alice Ebner, tells some facts about them not using last names. The rest of us try to figure out whose parents and grandparents they are. Try it at your next meeting. It’s a lot of fun and makes us appreciate our heritage and all the sacrifices they made. We were surprised to find that the Easter Bunny, in the form of the Brownie troop (who uses our meeting room before us) left us colored eggs. Thank you Brownies. We ate them with our Zegen meal and refreshments, which included authentic Slovenian smoked sausage and potica. Ann Batty’s son Butch Claudnic made the sausage. He has the recipe and equipment from the old Kozel grocery store that was once in Oglesby. We celebrated our May dinner out at Delaney’s Restaurant with 20 members and guests present. A big hello is sent to our out-of-town and homebound members who cannot attend meetings. We appreciate you and are glad that we have the Zarja to stay in touch. Let us know if there is anything we can do for you. Best regards, BARBARA BRUCH 815-339-2714 barbarabruch@vahoo .com BRANCH 93 - New York City On Sunday, April 9, we met for our much-anticipated egg dying event. Five regular members and three guests attended, including Vesna’s friend and Sonja’s parents who were visiting from out of town. Vesna was kind enough to host this event in her home and Tea yet again displayed her skills while demonstrating a traditional Slovene Easter egg dying technique using herb leaves and red onion skins. We started with a beautiful and fragrant assortment of herbs, including basil, sage, rosemary and parsley, which per Tea’s instructions were to be submerged into a bowl of warm water, a number of brown eggs, a bunch of dark red onion skins and a pile of nylon pantyhose. The moistened herbs were applied to the eggs (the water helps the leaves stick to the eggs and form a design pattern) which were then tightly wrapped in pieces of pantyhose, with the ends tied with sewing thread for a secure fit. The challenge was getting the eggs into the pantyhose and tightening the thread without moving the leaves! The onion skins were placed in a large pot of water, with the addition of a little bit of vinegar, and brought to a boil. The prepared eggs were carefully placed in the pot. Once cooked, the eggs were removed, drained Branch 93 dyeing eggs of excess water, placed in cold water to help them cool, and eventually cut free of the pantyhose revealing beautiful red brown color acquired from the onion skins and a pattern of the herb leaves in the original color of the egg. The final step was polishing the eggs with olive oil, which brought out the lovely dark color and contrast of the leaf designs. We had a wonderful time working on the designs, in spite of the challenge of getting them to come out right in the end (it sounds easier than it actually is!), and chatting while waiting for the eggs to cook. Among other things Vesna pointed out a feature in one of the past issues of Gourmet Magazine on Slovenia and Farm Tourism, which included a few delicious recipes. VESNA STRASER BRANCH 99 - Lemont, Illinois Everyone who attended our “Member of the Year” party enjoyed the beautiful day. Marija Pomagaj Feast Day Mass. Josie Zudic chairman and participation by Dana Blase and her daughter, Emily, Diane Jacobson and her daughter, Nica, Linda Pecharich and her son, Luke, Suzy Rigler and her baby daughter Alenka, Theresa Schultz and her daughter, Olivia on the violin, Sonia Skiba, and Maria Sovan, plus the signing by Martha Pecharich’s guests, eight delightful Slovenians who, with our own church choir, Member of the Year, Fran Schultz (standing) with members of Branch 99: (left to right) Maria Petek, Ivanka Buh and Nandi Puc at the celebration in May. really enhanced this celebration. Fran Schultz was our wonderful celebrant this year. We must first thank everyone on the committee for preparing a beautiful setting for the delicious lunch prepared by Kevin Antich, the son of our member, Anne who was chairman of the party. Anne did a superb job and the food was delicious! Her diligent helpers were Jean Gale, Ivanka Buh and Kristina Sovan who took care of so many things at the hall. Martha Pecharich thoughtfully brought the singers to entertain us at the party. The generous members who brought delicious pastries were, Ivanka Buh , Paula Mavec, Maria Petek, Fran Schultz, Mihela Simrayh, Mara Martinčič, Mary Mavec and Maria Vlasich. Fran was happy to get a little package of Slovenian earth that the singers presented her as a remembrance from the homeland. And, then they led a sing-a-long. Again, congratulations to Fran, our great supporter, as was her mother, one of the finest ladies in SWUA, Frances Zibert. Reminder: Our next meeting is September 17th and please note the time and place: 1:00 p.m. at the Cultural Center Library. Potica school is September 30th at 8 a.m., Krofi school is October 14th at 1 p.m. and the Bunco Party is October 29th at 1 p.m. Thanks in advance for your help and attendance. CORINNE LESKOVAR BRANCH 102-Willard, Wisconsin Our last meeting was held April 30th; 12 members and 3 guests were present. Our next meeting will be September 16th at noon with potluck lunch. Pat Sixel was honored as “Member of the Year”. Her Grandmother Johanna Artac who was the founder of Branch 102 and her mother Jo Artac have also been honored as “Mother’s of the Year”. Pat has been a member for many years. Father Dick Bayuk spent time with his parents Ed and Jo Bayuk. He celebrated the Holy Saturday Mass at Holy Family. Father Dick was bom and raised in Willard and is a close friend of all of us. Our bake and plant sales were a great success! Many plants were brought in. Rose Pakiz was hospitalized for a short time but is doing fine now. Our prayers go out for Jean and Frank Govek. AGNES DEBEVEC 717-267 6764 Recruit...Recruit...Recruit Recruit your family and friends into the SWUA. Please see page 19 for an application or visit our web site at www.swua.org At our April meeting we welcomed new member Hedy Glenn of Reston, Virginia. Hedy is of Slovenian descent and graduated from college in Washington, DC before heading oversees for work. She has returned to the D.C. area and looks forward to joining us again. On June 4 we gathered for a farewell luncheon gathering for Helena Schweiger at the Pope John Paul II Cultural Center in Washington, DC following Slovenian Mass. On behalf of all the members of Branch 108 we congratulate her on completing a Ph.D. in Economics from the University of Maryland. We thank her for an informative presentation in September, 2004 on the topic of economic development in Slovenia, and all those wonderful Slovenian desserts she willingly took the time to make for special occasions. We wish her a wonderful summer vacation in Slovenia and best of luck as she begins her new career in London, England later this summer. On June 10 we had our annual Member Appreciation Slovenian Potluck Dinner celebration. This is when we bestow thanks on all members for their loyalty and dedication for the collective success of the entire branch. Thanks to all for bringing delectable Slovenian style dishes/ desserts to share. Congratulations to members who became new grandparents earlier this year; Ed Promozic on the birth of granddaughter Anna Marie and Stasha Seaton on the birth of grandson, Michael. We wish everyone a happy, restful summer. Our next luncheon meeting will be held Sunday, September 10 at 1:00 p.m. at the Hunan Restaurant in Olney, Maryland. REPORTER Cleveland area planning 2nd Slovenian Heritage Festival The members of the Cleveland area branches are planning our 2nd Slovenian Heritage Festival to honor our Slovenian heritage. This grand event will be held on Sunday, October 1, 2006 at the SNPJ Recreation Grounds on Heath Road in Kirtland, Ohio. The Grounds are located off of Route 6, three miles East of Route 306. The theme of the Festival is “Passing Our Slovenian Heritage on to the Younger Generations.” The members of the Slovenian Women’s Union of America have a long history of women dedicated to the enrichment and knowledge of our heritage to pass onto our future generations. Doors will open at 11:00 a.m. A Polka Mass will be held at 12:00 p.m. officiated by Bishop Pevec from the Borromeo Seminary. Music will be furnished by the Joey Tomsick Orchestra. Following Mass, we will have many different displays which will include: artwork from the Slovenian Art Guild, genealogy, SWUA Museum gift shop items, travel, entertainment, Polka Hall of Fame, delicious food, and more. One of the highlights again this year will be the Chinese Raffle of various gift baskets. A Basket of Slovenian items will be given as a door prize drawn on your entrance ticket. Advance ticket sales of $3.00 will be available from members or at the Polka Hall of Fame. The entrance fee at the gate will be $4.00. Children under 12 years of age are Kollander World Travel www.kollander-travel.com 971 E 185 St. 9 Wj iiinRr / / / V — M If we have missed anything you just have to come out and see for yourself. Plan to bring the entire family for an enjoyable Sunday afternoon. For more information, call Rose Mary Toth, Chair of the Festival Committee at 440.358.9141. Lill/// Hollander World Travel Remember www.swua.org Feature Branch: 108 - Olney, MD New Branch Encourages Unity Among All Interested Members Nearly three years ago, there was a stir of mixed emotions about the initiation of a SWUA branch in Maryland. A group of twelve prospective members met for their first meeting in November, 2003 to discuss the vision, mission and purpose of SWUA, elected officers and established Branch 108 - Olney, MD. Since then, the branch has more than tripled in size to over 60 members, drawing new members primarily from Maryland, as well as seven other states. Newfound friendships have flourished and we’ve learned just some of the many different ways people of Slovenian heritage proclaim their ethnicity. W,: Youth members Ayla Roda, Juliana Fitzsimmons and Brielle Roda posing with their masks Our members and friends of Branch 108 are made to feel like vital members by being invited to participate in events and to get involved; they are guest speakers and we strive to get to know them as individuals with their own story to tell about being Slovenian. Most SWUA members seem to have a passion for something Slovenian, so we encourage them to share their knowledge and interests. Since the inception of the branch, and presently we continue to regularly schedule member guest speakers on topics of their expertise/interest, such as: genealogical research, travel to Slovenia, economics/politics, poetry, art, music, literature, Slovenian holidays and folklore. We quickly learned to rely member expectations. Sponsoring a variety of events to meet the interests of individuals, families and children doesn't necessarily require hundreds of dollars and months of planning. Our activities have included: Slovenian Family Polka nights at Blob’s Park, Jessup, MD (2004 - 2005); marching in Slovenian costume in the annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade, Washingtonian Center, (2004 - 2006); Slovenian story recitations and singing at the International Book Festival, Gaithersburg, MD (2004); France Prešeren Kulturni Dan (2005); “Celebrating the Slovenian Heritage,” through folktales, holiday traditions, crafts and songs at the Olney Library held in (2005). e’ve been known to seize the moment and have well known guest speakers for impromptu visits. Dr. Matjaž Klemenčič, professor, University of Ljubljana just happened to be in town the day of the free library event and was invited to speak about holidays in Slovenia, and Mr. Evald Flisar, contemporary famous Slovenian author accepted an invitation to come to Maryland and speak about his life, travels, and published books and plays last spring, as he was in NYC for a few days during his US tour. Youth participants displaying their completed masks on one another for speakers, donations, branch wide fundraisers, creative ideas and more on how our goals could be accomplished in resourceful, frugal ways through dedication and commitment by sponsoring meaningful meetings/events related to being Slovenian by simultaneously helping the branch succeed to meet varying Once our branch became better established we decided to sponsor our largest and best attended event in February, 2006 - Pustna veselica, a Shrovetide masquerade festival which did take more planning and resources than our previous events. The children had fun making colorful masks and learning about the similarities and differences of Pust in Slovenia to Halloween here in America. Everyone enjoyed the music and food, especially the abundance of homemade Slovenian desserts. It was a pleasure to hear Mrs. Ivanka Antolin’s presentation about her reminiscence of Pust in Slovenia from her youth. What fun to hear a youthful interpretation of Pust as she described it, “with coal we accentuated our eyebrows; we used red paper to 2006front of parade line-up with SWUA banner: Nika Kovacic with umbrella, Thomas, Juliana, Matthew and Bernadette Fitzsimmons apply rouge to our faces and lips. Some more enterprising girls even put on their brother’s pants, smeared the mustaches under the upturned freckled noses, tied their hair in hard knots and put on an old military hat. It was very popluar to have men made up as women and vice versa. We also put on backwards the customaiy clothes just to be different than the usual and to remain unrecognized in the crowd. The well-known Carnival figure Kurant typically dressed in sheepskin and bells tied to his belt with a mask, horns, wings and a long red tongue used to make rounds in the villages around Ptuj, the oldest city in Slovenia. All this revelry ended at midnight of Tuesday. In some places the straw figure of Pust was taken outside of the village, burned on a bridge and thrown in the water. In other regions they carried the representation of Pust out of the village to bury it with all the sins and affronts that they suffered during the year. On Wednesday morning the people went to church and the priest marked theirforehead with ashes The time of fast and penance began. ” A pleasant surprise during the Pust program was the award of recognition and appreciation SWUA Branch 108 received from the Montgomery County Executive’s Office in Maryland for “representing Slovenian Americans in and around Montgomery County and for providing opportunities for all residents to learn and appreciate the diverse cultures in our community.” Like many areas throughout the United States, Montgomery County, MD has ethnic representation from all corners of the globe. With a relatively low representation of people of Slovenian descent living in and around Montgomery County, MD, it was truly an honor for all of us of Slovenian heritage to be proud of in being recognized for this award. Following the Pustna veselica, some friendly letters and e-mails were received: Mark Oven wrote, “Just wanted to say čestitam, and thanks for your hard work and good success in putting on the Pustna veselica. The kids enjoyed the time very much, and the adults were glad to have another excuse to say hello and chat for a bit.” Sam Lesjak wrote, “Thank you, we had a good time. Keep up the good work.” Anne Stratton wrote, “Thanks to all the 108 members for planning the celebration. The food was wonderful and the buttonbox music a real treat.” Fran Hrastar wrote, “What a great party last Saturday! Everyone seemed to have a good time and I was glad to have the chance to see some old friends. My family enjoyed it, too! Thanks for giving me a chance to play those old Slovenian tunes.” Our philosophy and mission is to encourage unity among all interested members, not considering any one person or family more important, or more valuable than another; we are one branch seeking to work together in celebration of our Slovenian heritage. To date, we haven’t selected a member of the year; however, since our inception, we have an annual Member Appreciation Slovenian Potluck dinner to highlight our shared success. With loyalty and support of members and their families, Branch 108 has increased its membership in 2005. Unique events have been coordinated through the officers and supported by members to stimulate interest within the Slovenian community and beyond. The feature story of Branch 108 is only one example of how a branch began; may it inspire others to take the risk of starting anew, or revitalizing existing branches throughout the United States to help better serve members in getting involved in celebrating their Slovenian heritage. - Bernadette Kovacic Fitzsimmons ENTERTAINING. With a touch of Slovenia Entering summer, I can’t help but to think back to the great Slovenian picnics of my youth and even now 1 look forward to these events. When a gentle breeze blows on a warm summer day, I dream of being at a large family gathering with the children running about playing, the men participating in an intense game of balinanje or horseshoes and the women getting set for the magnificent feast that is to be had by all. To me the first thing that announces a picnic is the smell of Slovenian fried chicken. This recipe was brought over by my mother from Slovenia which was handed down through many generations and is always a hit. Now, with a bounty of chicken you’ll need side dishes and in a picnic setting you’ll never miss with some good fresh coleslaw and green beans. Remember freshness it important, my grandmother Tangy Green Beans 3 bacon strips, diced 2 tablespoons sugar 2 tablespoons cider vinegar 4 tablespoons cold water, divided 1 pound fresh green beans always spoke of going to the market in Ljubljana for her fresh produce and herbs that were not grown on the family farm. Fortunately farmers markets are becoming very popular in most cities in the United States. For the grand finale of food, the dessert, 1 have decided on rhubarb pie since rhubarb is in season, a piece of rhubarb pie should be perfect (I like a little ice cream on top). Remember, at a picnic it’s important to have a simple manageable menu. Finally, I understand one of my fellow columnists has suggested a pig on a spit and I must agree it is a perfect picnic food and I promise to touch more on how to do it in an upcoming issue. Enjoy. - Jenka Slovenian Fried Chicken 3 '/2 pounds chicken pieces 1 gallon peanut oil 3 eggs, beaten 1 ‘/2 cup flour V-2. teaspoon salt Vi teaspoon pepper 2 cups bread crumbs, fresh Fresh Bread Crumbs: 2 loafs French bread, 14 inches long each. Slice and place in oven. Turn oven on to 200 degrees for 30 minutes. Turn oven off, leaving bread on oven overnight. Place bread in food processor and crush. Boil fresh green beans for 10 minutes, cool off in cold water, drain. In a skillet, cook bacon over medium heat until crisp. In a small bowl, combine sugar; stir in cider vinegar and 2 tablespoons water until smooth. Stir into skillet. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 1 minute. Add the cooked bacon mixture to green beans, toss to coat. Combine fresh bread crumbs, salt and pepper. Take three bowls and add flour to one, eggs in the second one and fresh bread crumb mixture in the third. Dip each chicken piece in first the flour then the eggs and last the fresh bread crumb mixture. Deep fry chicken in peanut oil, placing only a few pieces at a time so they do not touch turning occasionally until golden brown. Place fried chicken on a cookie sheet that has 3 slices of bread to soak up the oil. Place in oven to keep warm at 225 degrees for no longer than 1 hour. Looking for More Slovenian Recipes be sure to purchase one of our two cookbooks Women's Glory or More Pots and Pans by calling 815.727.1926 Cole Slaw 1 teaspoon salt !A teaspoon pepper /2 teaspoon dry mustard 1 teaspoon celery salt 2 tablespoon chopped pimento /2 teaspoon grated onion 3 tablespoons Mazola salad oil 1/3 cup vinegar 3 cups chopped cabbage % cup chopped green pepper Sliced stuffed olives Place ingredients in large bowl in order given. Mix well. Chill thoroughly. Garnish with sliced stuffed olives. Fresh herbs at the market in Ljubljana Slovenian Fried Chicken Place Setting for a Casual Picnic Take a white and a blue napkin and insert through a blue napkin ring. Take a fresh red carnation and also insert through the napkin ring. Use a white plate and a blue placemat. This is very simple and looks nice. Rhubarb Pie Crust for a double crust pie 4 cup rhubarb, cut up in small pieces % cup sugar 2 tablespoons tapioca 2 beaten eggs Mix rhubarb, sugar, tapioca and eggs together. Put into a crust with a little flour and sugar sprinkled in the bottom. Put other crust on top, slit. Sprinkle with sugar and bake at 400 degree until done (40 - 50 minutes). Should be put into a deep pie tin as it may boil over. Slovenian Consulate General 55 Public Square Suite 945 Cleveland, OH 44113 USA DS II 54 788: I 920063027 The Slovenian Culinary Society Presents the Krofi Pin and Charm The krofi are printed on metal and approximately 1 inch in size. The rich chocolate brown background clearly accentuates the “lightness and prominence” of this beautiful pastry. A gold border gives evidence to its distinction as a traditional Shrovetide food. The printed lapel pin has a military clutch; the charm has a jump ring for an attachment to a bracelet or necklace. The pin/charm has an epoxy finish. My son Tom Voelk, photojournalist from Seattle, photographed the krofi in my kitchen; the featured wooden plate was purchased in Ribnica, Slovenia from the well-known carver Marko Kozina. KROFI A VERY SPECIAL “SOUL FOOD’ Can be served anytime, BUT ALWAYS ON SHROVE TUESDAY Think ahead! Birthdays, Christmas, special events, a future bridal shower gift for daughter or granddaughters. r — — — — — SLOVENIAN CULINARY SOCIETY KROFI PIN/CHARM ORDER FORM Name: Branch # City: State: Zip: Telephone: E-Mail: Please place the number of Charms or Pins you are requesting on the line(s) below #__________________________________Charms #___________Pins REMIT $10 FOR EACH PIN OR CHARM ORDERED + $1 S&H To: Slovenian Heritage Museum 431 N Chicago St. Joliet, 1L 60432 The KROFI is being issued as a collector item by the Slovenian Heritage Museum AND IS A LIMITED EDITION ITEM. Questions? E-Mail Mary Lou: marvlou@swua.org Mary Lou: 715.372.8578 SWUA: 815.727.1926 I------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------