| SVU |
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CZECHOSLOVAK SOCIETY OF ARTS AND SCIENCES |
Reliving the New World Symphony
Impressions and Images from 2003 SVU Conference in Iowa
When I asked some of the participants of the SVU Conference to characterize it in a
few words, they usually responded with words like "Grand", "Smashing", "Most
interesting and enlightening", "Could not be better", "Uncommonly informative",
"Highly enjoyable", "Fun", "First rate", "Extremely well organized", etc. There
seemed to be consensus that it was the most enjoyable conference SVU ever had.
The conference was held on 26-28 June 2003 in Cedar Rapids, Iowa with the general
theme "The Czech and Slovak Presence in America: A Retrospective Look and Future
Perspectives". It was convened under the patronage of the Presidents of the Czech
and Slovak Republics, Vaclav Klaus and Rudolf Schuster, respectively, with the
participation of the representatives of Czech and Slovak Embassies in Washington,
DC.
It was organized by the SVU Executive Board with cooperation of the SVU Nebraska
Chapter, Coe College, National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library, Cedar Rapids
Convention and Visitors Bureau, Department of Languages and Literatures of the
University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Federation of Czech Groups of Cedar Rapids, Bily
Clocks Museum, St. Wenceslaus Heritage Society, St. Wenceslaus Parish and the
Spillville Historic Action Group.
Some people began arriving several days before the Conference. The first official
event took place on Wednesday night, June 15, with a reception at the National Czech
and Slovak Museum and Library, during which Director of the Museum, Gail Naughton,
dedicated a new hall bearing the name of Andrew Laska, a long-time SVU member. The
reception was concluded with a Czech bagpipe performance by Michael Cwach of the
University of South Dakota. Today, in Czech Republic, "Ceske dudy" is primarily
preserved by folk music enthusiasts in Southern and Western Bohemia and may be heard
in major festivals such as the one in Domazlice and Strakonice.
The ceremonial opening took place on Thursday morning, with the National Anthems,
sung by Anita Smisek. After the words of welcome by the Coe College VP for Student
Affairs, Mr. Louis Stark, the Conference was officially opened by Miloslav Rechcigl,
SVU President, followed by the greetings of Ambassador of the Czech Republic to the
US., H.E. Martin Palous and the Ambassador of the Slovak Republic to the US, H.E.
Martin Butora, the latter being represented by Miroslav Wlachovsky, Political
Counselor of the Slovak Embassy. Among other dignitaries who greeted the Conference
were Senator of the Czech Parliament, the Honorable Jaroslava Moserova and Director
of the Cultural Department for the Relations with Czechs Abroad of the Czech
Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Dr. Zdenek Lycka. The Lord Mayor of Cedar Rapids, the
Honorable Paul D. Pate, who was out of town, was represented by Doug Wagner.
The academic program immediately followed, with a break for lunch. Because of the
large number of papers given, four to five sessions were running simultaneously in
separate lecture halls. Each lecture hall was equipped with the state of the art
visual-video equipment, serviced by the Coe College students. Each session had
between 3-6 speakers and occasionally also a few discussants. In between the
sessions were 15-minute breaks during which "kolace", coffee and other refreshments
were served.
At 4 PM on the first day, sessions were interrupted so that the participants could
hear the welcome keynote address by Ambassador Martin Palous and the words of
welcome by the Coe College President James R. Phifer. After a short intermission
followed the SVU General Assembly meeting. In the evening, the guests were treated
to chuck wagon BBQ to the tune of an 11-piece popular Czech Plus Band of Cedar
Rapids. It did not take long before dancers appeared on the floor, including
Ambassador Palous.
The academic program continued on Friday from 8 AM until 6:15 PM. The Friday night
was the traditional SVU banquet during which SVU President presented several
citations and awards and a number of lucky attendees received a door prize donated
by various sponsors. The highly enjoyable evening was concluded with a sing-along,
led by Anita Smisek, as well as tunes of Michael Cwach's bagpipes.
It is beyond the scope of this article to dwell into the subject matter of the
various papers presented whose number well exceeded 150. Suffice it to say, that
they covered practically every aspect of immigration, settlement, life and
contributions of Czech and Slovak Americans. A number of sessions were devoted to
their contributions to North America and to the question of how to preserve their
cultural heritage. Other sessions dealt with the issues concerning the Czech and
Slovak Americans, the echoes of Czech and Slovak history and culture in America and
American culture in Czech and Slovak Republics, as well as with the relations with
the Czech and Slovak Republics.
On Saturday, those participants who signed up for the tour, had to get up early so
that they could get on the excursion bus which took us through the rolling Iowa
landscape to Spillville and the environs. Loren Horton, a noted historian of the
State Historical Society of Iowa, accompanied the tour, explaining everything about
all important sites along the way. It was a memorable day during which we saw the
famous Bily Brothers Clocks and Antonin Dvorak Museums, the St. Wenceslaus Church,
the awesome Czech cemetery with the famous Andera crosses, the Dvorak Monument and
the schoolhouse purported to be the oldest Czech Catholic parochial school building
in the US. This is also the building where Dvorak first performed his Opus 96 and
97. Senator "Jara" Moserova, who came with us on the tour, showed us her music
skills on the St. Wenceslaus Church organ on which Dvorak played during his 1893
memorable summer. At noon, lunch was served in the lunchroom of the new school,
prepared and served by the members of the St. Wenceslaus Heritage Society. Later the
official dedication of a historic Andera Cross on the grounds of the Museum, with
active participation of Michael Klimesh, Loren Horton, Mayor of the City, SVU
President and Zdenek Lycka, was held. Some of the visitors had the opportunity to
also see several other Czech settlements, including Ft. Atkinson and Protivin and
retraced the historic route of Antonin Dvorak to Spillville.
Going back, Loren Horton again accompanied the tour. After a dinner at Coe College,
visitors were treated to a special piano and clarinet recital of Vanhal, Dvorak and
Martinu works, performed by Bohumir Zvolanek, clarinet and Erik Entwistle, piano.
Sunday was devoted to sightseeing of Cedar Rapids and the old Bohemian settlements
in the vicinity. The bus first took us to the Czech Village for a walking tour of
this historic area, following which we stopped for lunch at Zindrick's or Sykora's
Café, now operated by SVU member John Rocarek who also donated many of the baked
goods at the breaks. Throughout the morning, Jan Stoffer Tursi, Educator and Program
Coordinator from the National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library was our able guide.
Mark Hunter, a historian of the Linn County History Center, accompanied us through
other areas of Cedar Rapids rich in Czech history and culture. We saw the
magnificent St. Wenceslaus Church established in 1873, the Czech National Cemetery
and the nearby communities of Ely and Solon. Ely was the home of the first Czech
Protestant Church in the US. In Solon, we viewed Sts. Peter and Paul Church and the
adjacent Bohemian cemetery, founded by the Czech settlers, in the second half of the
19th century. Here we were treated to Czech kolace and other goodies prepared for us
by the Czech parishioners.
The conference, in its totality, was an extraordinary event. In the opinion of many,
it was the pivotal event of the year for anyone interested in the thing Czech or
Slovak. The organizers prepared a truly outstanding program. Never before such a
comprehensive conference has been convened and so many experts on the subject and
different community leaders assembled, be it here or abroad. According to my count,
just about every state of the Union with significant Czech or Slovak population, was
represented, including: California, Colorado, District of Columbia, Florida,
Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota,
Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oregon,
Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Wisconsin, as well as Canada.
There must have been at least 10 participants from the Czech and Slovak Republics.
What was remarkable was the presence of many young people. In terms of various
organizations represented, I counted at least the following: American Czech & Slovak
Club of North Miami, American Friends of Czech Republic, American Sokol, Bohemian
Benevolent and Literary Association of New York, Bohemian Citizens' Benevolent
Society of Astoria, Czech Slovak Association of Canada, Czech and Slovak Heritage
Association of Maryland, Czech and Slovak Music Society, Czech and Slovak Society of
Oregon, Czech and Slovak Solidarity Council, Czech Heritage Foundation, Czechoslovak
Society of America (CSA), Czechoslovak Society of Arts and Sciences (SVU), Damska
Matice Skolska, Federation of Czech Groups of Cedar Rapids, Friends of Slovakia,
German Bohemian Heritage Society, Komensky Club, Matice Vyssiho Vzdelani, National
Czech & Slovak Museum & Library, Nebraska Czechs, Nebraska Czechs of York,
Spillville Historic Action Group, Slovak Institute, St. Wenceslaus Heritage Society,
Texas Czech Heritage & Cultural Center at La Grange and the Western Fraternal Life
Association (WFLA).
All in all, everything was perfect, including the weather. Everything was fantastic,
enjoyable, memorable, educational and relaxing. And above all, everyone was so
pleasant, friendly and hospitable. No single adjective or noun can express the
atmosphere and the prevailing mood. Those SVU members who did not attend cannot
imagine what they missed.
Thanks to all the organizers, especially Kacenka Oslzly, for the unforgettable days
which will forever stay in our memories.
Mila Rechcigl
SVU President
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