ˇ ´ VESTNIK S P J S T
Volume 109 Number 6
Benevolence
H E R A L D
★ Humanity
★ Brotherhood
March 29, 2021
ISSN —07458 800
Supporting My Community, Thanks To SPJST SPJST congratulates Alvin Stasney of Lodge 91, San Jacinto who celebrated his 100th birthday on Saturday, January 2, 2021. Alvin resides in Crosby, Texas, and is a veteran of World War II. During the early months of 1944, Alvin served as navigator on a B-24 Liberator fourengine bomber. At that time of the air war over Europe, the loss rate for airmen was so high that it appeared Alvin Stasney of Lodge 91, San Jacinto celebrated statistically impossible his 100th birthday on Saturday, January 2, 2021, with to complete their re- wife Virginia, left, and children Rebecca, Laura, and quired 25 missions. Mark. Brother Stasney was recuperating in the hosFor example, upon pital from partial hip replacement surgery. He is the joining the 392nd last living crew member of the ‘Mairzy Doats,’ a World Bomb Group based in War II bomber crew. Wendling, England, Alvin’s first mission Alvin’s crew, who found themselves was to bomb a Messerschmitt facility alone over Berlin after being unaware (Nazi airplane manufacturing facility) this ‘maximum effort’ mission by the near Gotha, Germany. On that day, 20 U.S. 8th Air Force had been recalled. Following successful attacks on Gerpercent of the Liberators in his group were lost, and half of the planes that sur- man fighter manufacturing during February 1944, Berlin had now become the vived received battle damage. Alvin’s family graciously shared the ultimate target for the mighty U.S. 8th story of a mission that occurred on Army Air Force. Not only was it an imMarch 3, 1944. Although not very signif- portant strategic target, but Berlin offered icant in the history of the 392nd Bomb Group, it was an unforgettable day for Continued on Page 14.
Congratulations to Lodge 20, Granger Youth Club member Sterling Cavanaugh Marshall! Sterling was recently inducted into the National Junior Honor Society at Academy Middle School. The NJHS application asked for the student’s involvement in community service projects within the past two years. “Thanks to SPJST,” Sterling says, “it was almost too many to list. SPJST has taught me how to support my community with various service projects. Thank you, SPJST, for playing such an important role in my life.”
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Together, We’ll Get Through This
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“Our hall flooded from the winter storm,”says Lodge 81, Needville Youth Club member Amber Jones. “We will get through this together. While the hall is being repaired, we will continue to meet at the American Legion hall.”
( ( ( ( ( Inside This Week’s Věstník ( ( ( ( ( Important Dates ...................................3 Readers Write .....................................3 Interest Rates ......................................3 Supreme Lodge Meeting Minutes ......3 Fraternal News ....................................4 Lodge Section......................................5
Youth Section ....................................15 Věstník Project...................................17 In Memoriam ......................................18 Czech Culture ....................................18 Advertisements .................................21 Lodge Calendar .................................22
Lodge 88 Houston member achieves Grand Age of 96 Page 8
Lodge 40 El CampoHillje hosts strategic planning session Page 9
Lodge 106 La Grange member achieves Grand Age of 96 Page 11