S P J S T
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January 15, 2014
Charles Mikeska Honored for Efforts Following West Explosion
Many unsung heroes emerged on the night of April 17, 2013, in West, Texas, and one of those was Charles Mikeska of SPJST Lodge 47, Seaton. As soon as Mikeska, who is assistant superintendent and chief financial officer for West Independent School District, received word about the tragic and fatal explosion at the West Fertilizer Plant, he spent the next 36 hours communicating with authorities and administrators to confirm none of his district employees were killed or injured in the blast. Mikeska’s work did not end there. The district’s operations center, including phones and computers, was destroyed. All but two of the district’s buses were totaled, and all of the district’s buildings except the elementary school were rendered uninhabitable. None of the students or district staff, including personnel inside buildings at the time of the explosion, were harmed. Mikeska, however, was determined to get the city’s children back to school and return a sense of normalcy to a town in devastation. He, along with the district superintendent
Charles Mikeska, right, is pictured with West ISD Superintendent Marty Crawford. Charles, a member of SPJST Lodge 47, Seaton, received an award recently for his efforts following the West plant explosion.
and other district officials, worked around the clock to coordinate with other local school districts and agencies for
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• • • Friendship 2013 December State Top Sales Producers • • •
Associate Agent
Loida Arellano
Lodge 97, Placedo District Six
Lodge 272, Del Rio District Four
Inside Th is Week’s Vestnik
In Memoriam ......................................26 Czech Culture ....................................28 Czech Cultural Calendar...................29 Advertisements .................................29 Lodge Calendar .................................30 Vestnik Valentines .............................32
Career Agent
Career Agent
Gay Revel, FIC
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Important Dates ...................................3 Interest Rates.......................................3 Friendship 2013 Updates....................4 SPJST Floats ...............................6-7,16 Lodge Section......................................8 Youth Section.....................................20
ISSN —07458800
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SPJST is proud to welcome Temple businessman and philanthropist Drayton McLane, Jr. as the keynote speaker at the 2013 SPJST Awards Banquet set for Saturday, January 25 at the Frank W. Mayborn Convention Center in Temple. The event begins at 1 p.m. and is expected to conclude by 6:30 p.m. following a catered barbecue dinner. Drayton McLane, Jr. serves as chairman of the McLane Group and is the former CEO of the Houston Astros Baseball Club. A native Texan, this acclaimed businessman, leader, and generous philanthropist, ensures the focus of all his endeavors is based upon strong Christian values and moral ethics.
★ Humanity
Insurance Issued
Businessman, Philanthropist Drayton McLane, Jr. to address members
Benevolence
H E R A L D
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Volume 102 Number 3
ˇ ´ VESTNIK
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Lodge 79 Corpus Christi donates handmade scarves
Ricky Rodriguez Lodge 155, Austin District Two
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Lodge 17 New Tabor member celebrates Big 4-0!
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Czech Heritage Museum, St. Nick fun