Volume 100 Number 38
ˇ ´ VESTNIK S P J S T Benevolence
H E R A L D
★ Humanity ISSN —07458800
★ Brotherhood
Recollections as an SPJST Youth
SPJST Heritage and Pride in Youth Bessie Petr—an SPJST Legacy
essie Petr started a youth club at Lodge 84, Dallas in 1952. After looking back in the books, Lodge 84 was the first youth club to ever organize and conduct their activities like the mother lodge. It all started under the thoughts of James J. Janousek who approached Bessie Petr and Sid Pokladnik to start a Teen Club. Bessie had asked James to enter an essay contest that SPJST was sponsoring. The essay topic was “What I Expect As A Youth From The SPJST.” James was stimulated from the Bessie’s leadership that he really wanted to help her start a club. He remembers working so hard on this essay that it inspired him to put everything that he wrote in his essay into action. In his essay, he described a youth club to meet just like the adults once a month with planned activities that would interest the teenagers. Some events would consist of going to dude ranches, learning the beseda dance, having bake sales, a king and queen contest as a fundraiser, and promoting insurance sales and membership. After he attended a mother lodge meeting in September, the lodge approved the group of teens to have their own club. They met the following Sunday for their first Charter meeting. James Janousek was elected as the president until the first election could be held. He took the $25 prize money from his winning essay to start the youth club’s treasury. Bessie was involved with the Boy Scouts at this time as well. She was involved with programs for the Scouts to
By James J. Janousek Lodge 84, Dallas
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ooking back, I see where the SPJST Youth Program had a tremendous impact on my life. I credit the SPJST Youth Program’s supportive network and opportunities for many of my adult career choices; abilities to take on greater challenges, as well as honing my interpersonal skills with others throughout my adult life. It began for me by participating in the youth programs for our moms and dads and grandparents, too, that were held at Easter, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, and Christmas times. I couldn’t sing or dance or play a musical instrument so I was always given a poem to recite. Sometimes the poem was in Czech. One thing is certain. I began to overcome my shyness to be comfortable speaking in public. In 1952, Sister Bessie Petr, our youth leader, appointed me to be the master of ceremonies for these youth programs. All of this led up to the summer of 1956, when I was starting my ninth grade in high school. Bessie called my mom asking if I would enter an essay contest, sponsored by the SPJST Supreme Lodge. The topic was “What I Expect As A Youth From The SPJST.” The prize for the winning essay was $25. I was certainly excited by the prospect of extra spending money I could have for buying whatever I wanted. In my essay, I wrote about fun things we kids could do, like outings to
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• SPJST Lodge 84, Dallas Teen Youth Club Charters Members • Front, seated, left to right, Teen Leader Bessie Petr, President James J. Janousek, Vice President Richard J. Sykora, Secretary Mary Ann Scrabanek, Treasurer Betty Jean Staglik, Reporter Jerry Ann Urban, and Assistant Teen Leader Estelle Smith. Center Row: George Nemec, Ronnie Stone, Karry O’Keefe, Joe Ondrusek, Pat Proza, Carole Nemec, Billy Skrabanek. Back: Phyllis Crane, Inez Beseda, Sue Haggerty, Cathey Adamcik, Bill Sill, Robert Sill, Mary Ellen Pekar, and Lodge 84 President Sid Pokladnik.
where people from SPJST kept saying that she needed to bring the same ideas to the lodge. Having a newborn, she really did not know if she could keep up with both groups. But, the more she got involved in SPJST, the more she began to grow with the club. Bessie felt like she was really blessed with a wonderful husband, Emil, who supported her work with SPJST. Emil would be at home with the younger children doing the homework and house chores while Bessie would be at the hall teaching beseda, decorating, or
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Interest Rates.......................................3 Important Dates ...................................3 Readers Write ......................................4 District News .......................................5 Czech Heritage Month Activity...........7 Lodge Section....................................12
September 26, 2012
working on programs with the youth. Bessie today knows that if she did not have that support, she would not have been as active as she has been for the past 60 years. The club put on programs at the lodge. She worked many hours with the youth practicing and decorating the stage. There were many times when Bessie would go and pick up several members—even in the snow—just so they could get the job done. She
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Inside This Week’s Vestnik
Reunions ............................................21 Youth Section.....................................24 In Memoriam ......................................25 Czech Culture ....................................26 Advertisements..................................29 Lodge Calendar .................................30
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Lodge 4 Hallettsville welcomes all to annual Family Day
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Lodge 48 Beyersville hosts annual fundraiser
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Lodge 255 Katy sales agent welcomes granddaughter