Changing to meet the needs of fraternalists.
"Joining Hands To Touch Lives-Fraternalism for the Family and Our Nation"
VESTNIK SPJST Herald 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 March 13, 1996 ISSN-07458800
VOLUME 84 NUMBER 11
An investment in tomorrow
ST- j ST accepts lead role in promoting tuition program. Texas State Comptroller John Sharp visited the SPJST Home Office in Temple last Wednesday, March 6, to present a print of the Placedo SPJST Hall to the SPJST Museum and to talk about the Texas Tomorrow Fund, a newly formed prepaid higher education tuition program. The lithoprint is the first in a limited edition of 1,000 signed and numbered prints by popular Texas artist Gordon Fowler. "This dance hall was just a few hundred yards from where I grew up in Placedo," said Sharp in making the presentation. "Back then my family and most everybody in the little community of Placed() went to the dance hall on Saturday night for fellowship and dancing. "And all the little Czech boys learned to dance with Czech boys, and all the little Czech girls learned how with Czech girls. But the prime function of an eightyear-old like me back then was to wail 'til all the grownups finished dancing and then take off our shoes and slide in our socks across the dance floor until the band started again and the grownups ran us off," he laughingly explained. "In 1995, I asked my friend Gordon
Fowler to paint a typical Saturday night at the Placedo SPJST Hall in the late 1950s when I was seven or eight years old," he said, adding, "I'm very proud of my Czech heritage." Accepting the portrait, on behalf of the SPJST, was Supreme Lodge President Howard Leshikar, who thanked Comptroller Sharp for remembering the SPJST and for joining with SPJST to promote the Texas Tomorrow Fund. "We put a lot of emphasis on raising funds for our scholarship program," President Leshikar explained. "The Texas Tomorrow Fund fits in very well with our campaign." Also in attendance for the presentation were SPJST District Directors, Home Office personnel, and representatives from the area media. Local dignitaries included Bell County Judge John Garth, Temple Mayor J.W. Perry, and Bell County Precinct Three Commissioner John Thomas, all who are SPJST members. Special guests included RVOS State President Glenn Hutka, SPJST State Queen Brandi Dum and her grandparents, Charles and Yvonne Garrett, (Continued on page three.)
Recalling Fond Memories
Texas State Comptroller John Sharp, right, presents limited edition print to SPJST Supreme Lodge President Howard Leshikar. The presentation was made in conjunction with the annoucement of the Texas Tomorow Fund, the state's new prepaid college tuition program.
Today's World Demands Services SPJST Can Provide help them to achieve their goals. Brother Dear Brothers and Sisters, Did you stop long enough this past Klinkovsky has done an outstanding job year to count your blessings? We hope keeping the lodges informed of fraternal so. We are truly blessed to live in a land activities across the state and motivating where war is not a daily threat, where participation. Speaking of participation—WOW-starvation is not a daily occurance, and where one can work to improve his life. another record-breaking year in our 100 Pennies Scholarship Drive! You, the After reviewing our 99-year fraternal members, and friends of our society, journey, I am pleased to report that we as members in the SPJST have been truly demonstrated a true fraternal spirit generously giving to our scholarship drive. blessed in many areas. More than $16,800 Article 37 of the was received in by-laws states that donations. This will the president is charged with workhelp many members ing with the lodges. offset their expenses Sometimes in our in college or technibusy lives, we forcal school. We will get the importance be asking local of our local lodges. lodge officers or district directors this While they bring money into the socispring to present ety and into the these scholarships to communities, they students at awards are more important assemblies and in preventing graduations across money from leaving the state. Thanks to the society through you in advance for the payment of your support Of our taxes. We continue young people. our tax-exempt staBarbara Howard Leshikar tus because we Wright-Rosenkranz, maintain lodges throughout the state. We my assistant, has done an outstanding job are tax-exempt because we operate a in overseeing the scholarship program democratic form of governance with the and in tracking and coordinating the power resting in the whole membership scholarship presentations through the and not in a small group. We are tax- lodges. Also, she has received many exempt because we do charitable and compliments on coordinating the Age 96 educational benefits for our members and presentation with the family and the discommunities. trict directors. I sincerely appreciate her This past year a total of 52 lodges initiative on these programs and all of the achieved one of the categories in the other projects that she coordinates. Lodge Recognition Program. Uniting Our youth department is proud to both the financial and fraternal obligaannounce a new event this March—a tions of our society into one program has statewide lock-in to be held in Temple. been very exciting for our members. It This will enable youth members from difhas revitalized the fraternal endeavors of ferent lodges to get acquainted and make our lodges and it has also given our soci- friends from across the state in a nonety a way to track our fraternal programs competitive atmosphere. Also, this year across the state helping to identify those we began a workshop for training our that are most successful. We know that youth officers in how to conduct business for any lodge to win one of the categories meetings to enable them to carry out their a lot of hard work has been done by the various responsibilities. Our other promembers. Our congratulations go out to grams, including the Leaders-in-Training all the lodge officers, sales representa- (LIT) and the District and State Youth tives, and members who worked together Achievement Days, were bigger than to achieve their lodge goals. ever. State Youth Director Joni Lange Also, we know that there were lodges and the District Youth Counselors have that fell short of making their goals. State done a fine job in directing the above proFraternal Coordinator Frank Klinkovsky grams plus the summer camps and other will be working with these lodges to outings. assist them in whatever way possible to (Continued on page three.)