ITESTNIKuit Aerath Official Organ Of The Slavonic Benevolent Order Of The State Of Texas, Pounded 1697 HUMANITY
BENEVOLENCE
BROTHERHOOD
Postmaster: Please Send Form 3579 to; SUPREME LODGE, SPJST, P.O. Box 100, Temple, Texas 76501 VOLUME 62 -- NO. 10 MARCH 6, 1974
FROM THE EDITOR'S DESK An inspiring occasion took place on the beautiful sunny Sunday afternoon of February 24, in our District II, Lodge No. 47, Seaton, located in Bell County, right in the heart of Central Texas. It was the annual ceremonial dinner held to honor those who had given much of their time and effort to make 1973 the most outstanding year, insurance-wise, that the SPJST has ever had. It has been known for several years that, whenever a district meets the quota assigned it by the Insurance Department, the producing sales representatives will be treated in some special way as a reward. The District II sales representatives were gathered together at Seaton Lodge 47 on this particular Sunday for that very purpose. Under Brother Lad Zatopek's supervision and planning, for the sixth consecutive year, the occasion has surpassed the previous one, and this year's celebration was certainly no exception. A social hour commenced the festivities, during which time Mr. Helmer Dahl of Hutto, provided beautiful tunes of yesterday and today on his Baldwin organ, adding much enj oyment to the gathering, with many of those present joining in a singsong to the nostalgic melodies. A delicious barbecued beef (with
THOUGHTS .... The best thing about free speech is knowing what you are going to talk about. Anyone who has a chip on his shoulder isn't chopping much wood. Good judgment comes from experience and experience comes from poor judgment. A pedestrian is a person whose wife has beaten him to the garage. By the time a man learns to read a woman like a book, he's too old to start a library. all the trimmings) dinner, plus as,sorted home-made kolache, was served to approximately one-hundred honorees and invited guests. After all the guests were recognized and before the awards were presented, Brother Zatopek said, "We are proud to present these awards to the many producing representatives becaluse never, since the inception of the SPJST, have we had a better year than the year 1973. Because of the determination and hard work of our SPJST sales representatives, we sold a total of $3,376,500 of life insurance and enrolled 1,044 members in our district! and we, including my wife and son, give our heart-felt thanks
to those of you who have made this possible." Following his remarks, the monetary (bonus) awards were distributed to the recipients by Brother Zatopek. The plaque awards were presented to the honorees by SFM Silas Smith, filling in for SL Vice President Joe B. Hejny who was unable to attend the ceremonial dinner. Prior to the highlight presentation, Brother Smith complimented and congratulated all the sales representatives for their faithful services rendered to the Society, especially to Brother Chester Shmoldas, our SPJST State Sales Champion for 1973, who excelled in his services by selling $1,026,500 of' life insurance and securing 396 members for Lodge 74 in Lovelady. After a few remarks in a joking display of his fine sportsmanship, Brother Shmoldas received a rousing round of applause and a standing ovation. Congratulations to Brother Chester Shmoldas and the other honorees of District II who again displayed much enthusiasm and produced such a large amount of insurance sales. SL President Nick Morris and Editor R. J. Sefaik, also spoke briefly, expressing their sentiments and complimenting the district for their numerous achievements. Ordinarily, some of us do not