ˇ ´ VESTNIK SPJST HERALD
Volume 110 Number 11
Benevolence ★ Humanity ★ Brotherhood
June 13, 2022
ISSN —07458800
Smiling Faces at National Polka Festival in Ennis Megan Ohnheiser • Lodge 185, New Braunfels 2022 Flag Day Essay Contest Winner
Congratulations to Megan Ohnheiser, age 15, of Lodge 185, New Braunfels for submitting the winning essay, “What Red, White, and Blue Means To Me” in SPJST’s 2022 Flag Day Contest. Megan is also the 2021-2022 SPJST State Queen. For her efforts, Megan will receive a $100 gift card. Thanks to all SPJST youth for participating in this year’s contest. Participants’ names are listed on page 28.
What Red, White, and Blue Means To Me
May Top SPJST Sales Agents: Certificates Issued and Annualized Premium 1st - Certificates Issued 1st - Annualized Premium $500 Award
Kattia Lange Lodge 92 Fort Worth District Three
2nd - Certificates Issued 3rd - Certificates Issued 4th - Certificates Issued 3rd - Annualized Premium 2nd - Annualized Premium 4th - Annualized Premium $100 Award $100 Award $100 Award
Janice Jahns Lodge 88 Houston District Five
Julian Guedea Lodge 219 El Paso District Four
Carolyn Beseda, FIC Lodge 88 Houston District Five
According to custom and tradition, red signifies hardiness and valor. White is the symbol of innocence and purity. Blue represents vigilance, perseverance, and justice. Did our founders know these things when they designed the flag that would represent our country, or did they simply repeat the colors in the flag of the mother country, the Union Jack of England? It doesn’t really matter how it came to be. What matters is that these colors have come to be synonymous with freedom. When I hear the words, “red, white, and blue,” or see the American flag, I feel pride and patriotism. I feel blessed to live in America. The last two years have been challenging for our country. We are dealing with a pandemic, a decline in the economy, a surge at the southern border, issues in our schools, and many other
difficult situations. As a people of diverse opinions, Americans often find that solving our problems is a contentious endeavor. However, life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, those original objectives expressed by our forefathers, are still the goals of Americans today. We must find ways to come together and figure out how to correct our course and solve our most pressing problems. People with different ideas and methods must come together, treat each other with respect, allow every point of view to be expressed, and listen. We must communicate and develop creative approaches in building our solutions, so that they are universally acceptable. We are all Americans and even though as individuals we represent a mosaic of diversity, we have one thing in common. We are all citizens of that great nation that George Washington called, “ . . . the last great experiment for
Continued on Page 27.
; / ; / ; / ; / ; Inside This Week’s Vestnik ; / ; / ; / ; / ; Readers Write ......................................3 Interest Rates.......................................3 Important Dates ...................................3 Executive Committee Minutes ...........4 Insurance Sales Updates....................7 Lodge Section......................................8
Job Postings.................................19-20 Youth Section ....................................26 In Memoriam ......................................30 Czech Culture ....................................33 Advertisements .................................37 Lodge Calendar .................................38
Page 13
Lodge 40 El CampoHillje hosts dance for 120th anniversary
Dekuji from Hrusky
Page 21
Congratulations, Class of 2022 Grads!
Pages 22-25