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Joining Hands To Touch Lives... . . . Fraternalism for the Family and Our Nation
Official Publication of the SPJST, originally chartered as the Slovanska Podporujici Jednota Statu Texas, in 1897
BROTHERHOOD
HUMANITY
BENEVOLENCE VOLUME 91 NUMBER 37
Insuring Enriching Lives
Postmaster: Please Send Form 3579 to: SPJST Home Office, P. 0. Box 100, Temple, Texas 76503 ISSN-07458800
September 24, 2003
Family Fun and Important SPJST Dates
Way Out West It was nothing but blue skies when Lodge 73, Seymour hosted the District Four Fall Meeting and Fun Day on Saturday, September 13, making it a great day for horseshoes. Pictured here, District Four President Dewyan Weise of Lodge 160, San Angelo, left, watches as SPJST District Four State Field Representative Billy Rollwitz of Lodge 49, Rowena throws for a ringer.
NFCA 117th annual meeting this week in Washington, D.C. The 117th National Fraternal Congress of America (NFCA) Annual Meeting will be held September 2427, 2003 at the Hilton Washington and Towers in Washington, D.C. Founded in 1886, the NFCA is the national trade association for the fraternal benefit system, providing an opportunity for each of its 78 member societies and 36 state fraternal congresses to work together to meet the challenges of a changing world. Annual meeting activities commence on Wednesday, with "A Capital Idea," a volunteer experience in Washington. Fraternalists will be demonstrating their commitment to volunteering through a partnership with Glories Happy Hats, a D.C.based not-for-profit that supports children suffering from serious illness, while bringing the fundamentals of service to young people. As part of this experience, attendees will travel to Children's National Medical Center where they will decorate Glories Hats for seriously ill children. In the atrium of the hospital, fraternalists will work
117th NFCA Annual Meeting September 24 -27>
September 24 - 27 National Fraternal Congress 117th Annual Meeting Washington, D.C. September 26 - 27 Lodge 29, Taylor Third Annual Barbecue Cookoff Lodge 196, Houston-West Anniversary September 28 Czech Heritage Month October SPJST 100 Pennies Scholarship Fund Drive Begins October 1 Lodge 24, Cyclone Czech Heritage Day October 4 Lodge 204, Stephenville No Tap Bowling Tournament October 4 at Lone Star Lanes in Stephenville Heritage Day/Czech Day at the State Fair October 5 Lodge 107, Floresville Peanut Brittle Making Day October 5 Floresville Peanut Festival October 10 -11 October 11 - 12 SPJST State Golf Tournament, Temple Columbus Day • SPJST Home Office Closed October 13 October 14 - 16 SPJST Supreme Lodge Meeting, Temple October 17 - 18 Texas Fraternal Congress, Houston Lodge 48, Beyersville Progressive 42 Tournament October 18 Lodge 88, Houston Youth Club Halloween Party October 18 District One Fall Meeting October 19 Lodge 35, Elk Turkey Dinner Fund Raiser October 19 Lodge 48, Beyersville 100th Anniversary October 19 Make a Difference Day October 25 Lodge 88, Houston Czech Day October 26 District Three Fall Meeting October 26 hosted by Lodge 154, Fort Worth
—SPJST-
pledges $400,000 to create Residency in College of Music at UNT
CEFT
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with patients and present these hats to all children experiencing hair loss due to medical treatment, burns or other illnesses. NFCA Annual Meeting general sessions on Thursday and Friday will address a range of fraternal and finance related topics. SPJST representatives scheduled to participate in the four-day annual meeting include Supreme Lodge President Howard Leshikar, Supreme Lodge Vice President Gene McBride, Supreme Lodge Secretary-Treasurer Lanita Anglin, District One Director Donnie Victorick, District Five Director Larry W. Pflughaupt and District Six Director Mike Ahlstrom. —SPJST-
The University of North Texas College of Music recently received a financial commitment of $400,000 from the Czech Educational Foundation of Texas (CEFT) to establish an annual CEF1' Residency in Czech Music and Culture. The residency will promote Czech music and culture in the state of Texas through the exchange of Czech artists and educators, the staging of festivals and colloquia of Czech Music and the mounting of Czech operas, as well as conducting outreach throughout Texas, particularly in Texas-Czech centers of population. UNT is the third major Texas university to receive significant funds from CEP T; in past years the foundation established the Texas Chair of Czech Studies at the University of Texas and the CEFT William J. Hlavinka Fellowship at Texas A&M University. "In choosing to expand our support to the realm of music, we realized there is no better place in Texas than the UNT College of Music," said James Bezdek, CEFT board member
and UNT alumnus and retired College of Education professor. The CEFT will begin its fund raising campaign October 25 when CEFT officers and directors will meet with UNT officials on the UNT campus, and members of CzechAmerican organizations from across Texas will be invited to tour and attend concerts. A preliminary gift of $20,000 was granted to celebrate CEFT's 50th anniversary in 2004 and formally initiated the fund raising campaign. The funds will finance the exchange of a Czech folk dance troupe, the Brnobased Mimi Fortunae Dance Company. The troupe will tour Texas, starting in Denton, accompanied by an instrumental ensemble comprised of UNT music students. Czech Ties The College of Music has a longstanding relationship with the Czech Republic. During the last 10 years, Thomas Sovik, associate professor of music, has led more than 20 student (Continued on page 9.)