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HUMANITY Postmaster: Please Send Form 3579 to: SPJST Home Office, P. 0. Box 100, Temple, Texas 76503
September 26, 2001
ISSN-07458800
VOLUME 89 NUMBER 37
1
Family Fun and Important SPJST Dates Barbecue Cook-Off at Lodge 29, Taylor Fish Fry at Lodge 49, Rowena Hamburger Social for Lodge 151, Wharton (See Lodge Letters Section for Details.) Czech Heritage Month in Texas October SPJST 100 Pennies Scholarship Fund Drive Begins October 1 District Four Family Fun Day at St. Ambrose Hall, October 6 hosted by Lodge 160, San Angelo SPJST Home Office Closed October 8 October 9-11 SPJST Supreme Lodge Meeting at the SPJST Home Office October 13 Peanut Festival - Lodge 107, Floresville Lickskillet Celebration - Fayetteville October 20 Czech Heritage Dayat Lodge 24, Cyclone October 20 Free Dance by Melodion Band from Czech Republic October 20 at Lodge 183, Arlington October 21 District One Fall Meeting at Lodge 17, New Tabor, hosted by Lodge 39, Bryan October 21 Turkey and Dressing Dinner at Lodge 35, Elk October 27 Make a Difference Day October 27 Progressive "42" Tournament at '..ocige 48, Beyersville October 28 District Three Fall Meeting at Lodge 25, Ennis October 28 District Six Fall Meeting at Lodge 40, El Campo-Hillje October 28 Lodge 88, Houston Czech Heritage Day —SPJST-
Sept. 28-29 Sept. 29 Sept. 30
Making Beautiful Music Lodge 172, Sales Representative Clarence Pert!, top left, displays one of his handmade violins to Kyle Closner of College Station at the September 8 Kolache Festival in Caldwell, Texas. Brother Pert!, who was set up in the Caldwell Bank building, has crafted approximately 20 violins and violas since retiring from Shell Oil in 1980 as an electrician. Many of his instruments have earned top honors in national artisan competitions. With each spruce or maple instrument taking between 200 and 300 hours to complete, it's a painstaking art form that remains a labor of love.
is that time again .. . Time to
get your big lodge events included on the SPJST 's 2002 Calendar!
As in past years, local lodges and districts are encouraged to post their major lodge events on the 2001 SPJST Calendar. Send your information to the Editor/ Director of Communication c/o SPJST Home Office, before September 29. You may also send your calendar dates, via E-mail to vanicek@spjst.com . Thank you!
Czech music DJ fills need for community Reprinted with the permission of The Dallas Morning News By Diane Jennings Staff Writer LA GRANGE, TEXAS — Drive down the road in this small Texas town on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays and you may hear the toe-tapping sounds of and accordion blaring a polka from the radio. And disc jockey Lee Roy Matocha chattering in Czech—Tex-Czech to be precise. The bilingual polka pundit who broadcasts every other afternoon on tiny radio station KVLG-AM, is one of a dwindling number of Czech language broadcasters on the air in this area that was heavily settled by Czech immigrants in the 19th century. "Up until right after the Second World War, Czech was extremely
common," said Dr. Woody Smith, executive director of the local Texas Czech Heritage and Cultural Center. "You would hear radio broadcasts all the time." Mr. Matocha, 69, speaks the language of his forefathers—with a Texas accent. He has never been to the Czech Republic but grew up speaking the language in the nearby town of Plum. "What you hear is what you get," he says of his accent. Dr. Smith says the Czech spoken in South-Central Texas "absolutely has its own flavor . . . they developed their own way of saying things and talking about them. It's Czech, but it's a variety." He estimates a million Texans claim Czech ancestry. He doesn't know how many speak the language, but he said it's not heard as often as in the past. The language is still popular
enough, however, to draw a loyal following for programs like Mr. Matocha's "Czech Hour." For some people, "it's almost like a religion," Dr. Smith said. "At a certain time your radio tunes to it." When station manager Ray Cerney moved to Texas from Minnesota four years ago, he was shocked that he couldn't understand the afternoon program except for occasional translations of commercials into English. "I could just imagine someone driving along the interstate and wondering 'what the heck is this?" Mr. Cerney said. Mr. Cerney, who coincidentally is of Czech ancestry but doesn't speak the language, says he planned to keep the program for a while and then "dump it." The station doesn't track program audiences, Mr. Cerney said, so he (Continued on page three.)
A member of SPJST Lodge 1, Fayetteville, Lee Roy Matocha's syndicated Czech music program can be heard on seven radio stations throughout Central and South-Central Texas.