Frank Slezina - Southolm Angus
Mr. Frank Slezina of Coaldale, passed away peacefully at the Chinook Regional Hospital on Sunday, March 28, 2010 at the age of 87 years. Frank was born October 7, 1922 in Knezdub, Czech Republic. He moved to Canada in May of 1937 at the age of 15. He settled in rural Coaldale, Alberta where he launched his farming and ranching career in 1947. Frank built up the family business, later to be called Southolm Angus Ranch. In 50+ years, Frank developed an Angus herd that has influenced the beef cattle industry in more than 13 nations. Frank also was the first producer in the world to export purebred Angus breeding stock back to Scotland, where the breed originates. Along with his commitment to his business, Frank was an avid traveler, who loved to talk about the many people he met across the world. Frank married Angela in 1947 and went on to have 4 daughters and 2 sons. Later divorced, Frank spent the rest of his life with his partner, Jean Peake. Frank is predeceased by his son Kenneth Slezina and survived by his 5 children; Millie (John) Boake, Fran (Garry) Sartison, Gary (Dena) Slezina, Evelyn (Colin) Yackulic, Lonnie Slezina, as well as 9 grandchildren and 3 greatgrandchildren. Frank has said he has had a good life. He will be missed and will be remembered. A Funeral Service was held March 31, 2010 in Lethbridge, Alberta. e following is the commentary on Frank and Southolm Angus as appears in the book ‘Canadian Angus History Update’ written by Lloyd Pickard and published in 1985. In the beginning of the now internationally renowned Southolm herd provides on of the most inspiring factual annals in Canadian livestock history. Frank Slezina came fro Page 18
Spring Edition 2010*
Czechoslovakia when a young man, after acquiring part of the present location went heavily into the commercial cattle business for some fifteen years - a process of learning what is”under the hide” that has always been invaluable to many successful raisers of pedigreed livestock. Even to that time, Frank had studied the merits of Angus cattle which were highly distributed in the Coaldale area, and almost overnight decided to dispose of his fairly substantial commercial Hereford herd and replace with registered Angus, with those being obtained in groups and in rapid succession. The first of those were a group of seven heifers obtained from near-neighbor Alex Jamieson; all born in 1959 and sired by Bandolier of Altario 49, who had been a Calgary Bull Sale prizewinner, and sired by Dalrene Ere Bardolier 3rd who had brought much prominence to the Altario herd of Albert Murphy. The next were a group of eleven Aljon heifers born in 1960, bred by John Bartsch of Milo and all sired by Eileenmere of Aljon 33L -161 949- he by Eileenmere of Old Hermitage, the first of four Calgary Bull Sale Grand Champions sired by the famed Eileenmere 1514. Over a number of years, Southolm continued to purchase large groups of both males and females from Aljon Farms, and many of the finest Southolm producers today and for many years have shown Aljon Angus commencements. The same applied as well to a large heifer crop obtained from the ‘Miner’s Coulee’ herd of O.L. Wareburg at Aden. All of the latter females had been given the “Blackcap” family name even though a goodly number were of other families. That Frank Slezina moves into the business with intent to stay and progress, is recorded in Herd Books which show that Southolm Farms had upwards of sixty females in their pastures before the very first Southolm-bred productions were born!! That very first heifer calf bred at Southolm was named Black Bell of Southolm 5S -213618- and born May 6, 1961. If Southolm ever holds a Dispersal Sale, then May 6th of whatever year should be a date to seriously consider to commemorate the occasion! Frank Slezina registered only 14 animals during 1961 of which only three were homebred. Those were sired by Blackbird Lad of Highmount who was sired by the noted A.I. sire Blackbird Bandolier of Anoka 30th who also figures prominently in a number of herds from Ontario to B.C. Purchases made from the November 1, 1960 Heatherbrook/Gibson Sale have had far-reaching impact; so great that those in-calf females require mention, with those being; Pride of Heatherbrook 2J whose calf in-dam became the notorious ‘Canadian Hercules’, and she was also maternal granddam of Southolm Bar Lad 50D Angus World
who was Grand Champion and Supreme Champion Angus at the 1973 Royal Winter Fair. Barbara of Heatherbrook 1S became the dam of Southolm Marshall 65V who sired the very noted Deep Ridge Marshall 48B and many other sensational females for Southolm and Deep Ridge Ranch. Blackcap of Heatherbrook 60J founded the Henderson “Blackcap” strain at Southolm from whom ‘Junior’ and many Champions descend. Pride’s Evening Tinge Lass is the granddam of the Southolm Ankonian 80’66 who was Grand Champion Bull at 1968 P.N.E. and sire of Southolm Excel. Then there was Erica Pride Gib who founded the “Chieftain Erica” line at Southolm from whom have come such reputable sires as “Big Ben”, “Hercules 10th”, “Marshall Lad 57W”, “Bar Lad 14F” and many, many other Champions. Two other groups obtained in 1961 have had far-reaching impact as well, with those having been obtained in Montana. Six females including calves came from the Deep Canyon Ranch of Porter Fender, also six females plus three bulls from the FairView Ranch at Melville, Montana. While the DCR females had prominence in early-day Southolm Show accomplishments, none of their descendents were represented in the 1979 Southolm Cow Herd Dispersal. Not so however with the FairView group, for those included “Queen Mother of FV 27” and the super producing “Flora of FV 4th”. She became the foundress of the ‘Advie Flora’ strain at Southolm whose descendents over the years have been almost without parallel in accomplishments. The FairView additions were further added to as being a landmark selection, for it brought to Alberta the young bull, FV Marshall A 11 -210670- born March 30, 1960, and it is he who has become known as the modern-day foundation sire of ‘Marshall’ bloodlines in Canada. The blending that have brought about so many successes for Southolm Farms have been engineered by the two founding herdsires who arrived at Southolm within a few months of each other, those being Pride’s Walmere of Southolm 4S “Canadian Hercules”, and FV Marshall A 11. Each sire was used on daughters by the other, and sons, grandsons and great-grandsons have been used continuously in a line-breeding program which had been molded into a fast generation turnover. During the formative years, one of the first bulls bringing attention to Southolm - and near demise - was Marshall of Southolm 54U. He was a strong Junior Champion at the 1965 Calgary Bull Sale and also high gain Angus at that event. He sold for a good price to Montana buyer but was turned down for export for the stated reason of having “soft testicles”. Shortly thereafter “54U” was purchased by Lawrence Stone of