"CHANGING TO MEET THE CHANGING NEEDS OF FRATERNALISTS"
VESTNIK SPJST Herald
"Joining Hands To Touch Lives-Fraternalism for the Family and Our Nation"
Official Organ Of The Slavonic Benevolent Order of the State of Texas, Founded 1897 HUMANITY
BENEVOLENCE
BROTHERHOOD
Postmaster: Please Send Form 3579 to: SUPREME LODGE, SPJST, P. 0. Box 100, Temple, Texas 76503 August 25, 1993 ISSN-07458800 VOLUME 81 NUMBER 32
SPJST 's rising stars shine in Temple King John and Queen Valerie to reign over 1993-1994 Royalty Court Something about the SPJST State Royalty contest generates a certain amount of electricity. You can see it in the faces of the contestants and you can sense it in the crowd. Call it tension, call it concentration; whatever you call it, it's there—and it doesn't let up until the new king and queen are crowned. And that's the way it was on August 14 at SPJST Lodge No. 47, Seaton as Valerie Roye, 14, of Lodge 30, Talton and John Burl, i4, of Lodge 142, Houston were crowned king, and queen of the 1931994 SPJST State Royalty Court. Valerie, who attends El Campo School, is the daughter of Brother Bobby :7; Y!. SH-2r Anita Rove T
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. JoAnn The 993-I 094 SPJST State Duke is Leslie Watkins, son of Sister Dottie Watkins of Pasadena, Texas and the
SPJST State Duchess is Cr y stal Roye, sister of the queen. The king and queen are selected on the basis of a three-minute speech during which they are scored on the speech content, their delivery and overall poise. As Supreme Lodge President Howard Leshikar pointed out during his introductions, all of the individuals who make up
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Crowning achievement—pictured, from le , Valerie Roye, King John Burl and Duke Leslie NIT kins. the 1993-1994 SPJST Royalty Court are winners in their own right, having been selected to represent their respective districts as kings and queens. The next day, more than 250 young people representing SPJST youth clubs from all over the state participated in the
1993 Merit Point Scholarship
Snook senior awarded mu-4point scholarship Rebekah Marie See, a member of the Lod ge 9, Snook Youth Club is the recipient of the 1993 SPJST State Merit Point Scholarship. She is the daughter of John and Dorothy See of Somerville, Texas. The $1,000 scholarship was awarded during Youth Achievement Day activities at the on Sunday, August 15 at the Mayborn Center in Temple. Teens from each district with the most youth merit points over the last three years„ were eligible to compete for the scholarship. As part of the competition, each teen submitted a 1,000-word essay. The winner was selected b y a panel of judges using the following criteria: Neatness: 15%; Content: 50%; and Mechanics (grammar, spelling, sentence structure): 35%. Rebekah's winning essay, printed in its entirety, follows:
"Learning to cope with criticism the right way can give you a more positive attitude to improve yourself. In turn, this leads to better and better achievements throughout your life . . . In general there are two kinds of people who make mistakes: those who won't admit them and those who call them experience. Coping wit criticism gives you experience.— Roye Look around you ladies and gentlemen, this is our future and what a holds for tomorrow EucTvone here today at Y.A.D. will not conic out a winner, but (.7'eryone here is •involved Each year I try to participate in something whether it some and or a talent. I : rut I • 7 not give up. are persistent. We d retreat to a cozy 2rner; it v no good to sit on the and watch, you have to take the A initiative to get out and participate. This is what you call "building character. After a recent basketball game, Charles Barkley of the Phoenix- Suns was quoted as saying, 'Sometimes it's not about wining or losing. its about giving the best that you can,' and that really inspired me to always give 100 percent at everything I do." —John Burl.
SPJST- YESTERDAY'S DREAM, TODAY'S REALITY AND TOMORROW'S HOPE by Rebekah Marie See From dreams come hope. From hope comes reality. It was the dream of a better way of life that led our forefathers to leave their homeland and come to America. Even though they left their home country, they still wanted to retain their heritage. Part of the fulfillment of this dream was in the establishment of the SPJST organization. They established this organization to instill fraternalism in its membership through brotherly love, friendship and good will to all mankind. Upon arrival in America, our Czech ancestors had a dream—it was to continue in fraternalism, benevolence, and love. Webster's New World Dictionary defines fraternalism as "of or character-
Crysia Roye, Queen
SPJST State Youth Achievement Day held at the Mayborn Convention Center in Temple. Results and photos from that competition begin on page 16. The following are excerpts from the winning royalty contest speeches deliv• ered b y Valerie Roye and John Buri:
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on December 28, 1896 in the Fayette istic of brothers; brotherly;" benevolence County Courthouse was the meeting that as "an inclination to do good; kindlipreceded the First Convention. In June, ness" and love as "an unse:fish loyal 1897, the $ST (Shvanska Podporujici concern for the good of another. 7 This is Jednota Statu exactly what our Texas) met for their past generations wanted for themfirst convention in LaGrange. Records selves and for the indicate there were future. 17 lodges, which However, these represented some dreams did not 866 charter membegin with our present SPJST. The bers at that first convention. Some beginning of .the fraternal system for of the members the United States included membership from the Texas goes bad.: to October 1868, Cech Society and but records clearly the C.S.P.S. Many show that Czech joined for the morfraternal organizatuary benefits being tions had their offered by SPJST. The initial beginnings in 1850 in New York. Rebekah See receives congratula- convention was Groups such as the tions from Supreme Lodge President incorporated for "Cech Society" and Howard Leshikar. benevolent, charitathe ble and educational "C.S:RS" (Cesko-Skovanska Podporujici Spolecservice. and for the protection of women and children of deceased members. In nost) served as the first organized fraternal organizations of Czechs in America. conventions that followed, the members The first meeting of 25 Czech-Texans (Continued on page 12)