PEACE CORPS AND SLOVAKIA: PARTNERS INTRANSFORMATIONA remarkable celebration of the work of the PeaceCorps in Slovakia, Slovakia's democratic transition and the role of volunteerism in building civil society took place May 23 at Peace Corps Headquarters. Friends of Slovakia, the Slovak Embassy and the Peace Corps sponsored two afternoon panel discussions and a festive evening reception at the Slovak Embassy. Attendees at both events included members of Friends of Slovakia, the diplomatic corps and former Peace Corps volunteers and staff who served in Slovakia. The panel discussions were moderated by Peace Corps Deputy Director Carrie Hessler-Radelet. Over 320 PCVs served in Slovakia from 1990-2002. ... HONORARY CONSUL AND HEALTHCARE PROFESSIONAL ROSS MARINERoss P. Marine has served as Honorary Consul of the Slovak Republic in the Midwestern Region since 2001. The Midwest Region includes Arkansas, Iowa, Kansas,Missouri, Nebraska and Oklahoma. He and his wife, Barbara, reside in Kansas City,Missouri as do their two adult children and three grandchildren. ... WILLIAM TUCKER RECEIVES DUTCH ROYAL DECORATIONAt the May 6 Netherland-America Foundation Awards dinner in Washington, D.C. William Tucker, Vice Chairman and President of Friends of Slovakia,was presented with the Order of Orange-Nassau, with the rank of Officer (a level above Knight) by the Dutch Ambassador,Her Excellency Renee Jones-Bos as the representative of Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands. ... FOS HOSTS LUNCH FOR SLOVAK STATE SECRETARY OF DEFENSEOn March 31, Friends of Slovakia hosted a luncheon at the Washington Golf&Country Club for Robert Ondrejcsak, the Slovak State Secretary for Defense, who was visiting Washington, DC for meetings at the Pentagon. State Secretary Ondrejcsak was accompanied on his visit by Jaroslav Nad, the General Director of Defense Policy and International Affairs, Chief of Staff Vladimir Tarasovic and Lt. Col. Christopher Burelli, Air Attache,US Embassy Bratislava. ... FOS SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM SUPPORTS SUMMER STUDY PROGRAMFriends of Slovakia welcomes three Slovak Scholars who are studying at Washington, DC's Georgetown University this summer. On June 15, they were honored at a garden reception hosted by Juraj and Julie Slavik. Attending were representatives ofTheFund for American Studies, the Slovak - American Foundation, the Slovak Embassy staff and FOS board members. ... NATIONAL CZECH AND SLOVAK MUSEUM AND LIBRARY HISTORY AND CULTURE CONFERENCE
The 20th Century in Retrospect - MARCH2011Amid myriad plans to move its museum building across the street, the staff of the National Czech and Slovak Museum and Library (NCSML) organized its sixth and final conference in the series "The 20th Century in Retrospect." This historically and intellectually rich series attracted blue ribbon speakers from both the United States and the Czech and Slovak Republics. The series provided a rich portrait of how, following World War I, the new nation of Czechoslovakia came into being and became a model of a democratic society; how it fell on very hard times following the Munich Agreement, with the Nazi occupation of the Czech lands during World War II, and the formation of a separate Slovak government which allied itself with many policies of the Third Reich. The post-war years saw the re-unification of the country and the establishment of a communist government that lasted until 1989. ... PROFILE: WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA SLOVAK CULTURAL ASSOCIATIONThe Western Pennsylvania Slovak Cultural Association (WPSCA) is a non-profit organization that brings together a number of Slovak fraternal society branches and other groups to provide a rich array of programs to serve the large Slovak-American community in the greater Pittsburgh area. WPSCA is also an organizationa lmember and an active and strong supporter of the Friends of Slovakia. ... 2ND ANNUAL SLOVAK-AMERICAN DINNEROn Wednesday November 10, 2010 Friends of Slovakia (FOS) and the Slovak Embassy co-hosted the second annual Slovak-American Awards Dinner at the Washington Golf & Country Club in Arlington, Virginia. The dinner was attended by approximately 220 guests including Slovak Prime Minister Iveta Radicová, who also gave the evening's keynote address. Other dignitaries at the event included Slovak Ambassador Peter Burian, Slovak State Secretary of Foreign Affairs Mr. Milan Jezovica and Ambassador Daniel Fried, the Obama Administration's Special Envoy to oversee the closure of the Guantanamo Bay detention camp. ... NEW BOOKS ON SLOVAKIADr. Pavol Demes recently published a book in English and Slovak on Slovak- American relations entitled "Friend- Partner-Ally: The Story of the Slovak -American Relationship from the Velvet Revolution to This Day." It is dedicated to Madeleine Albright for her assistance to the democratic transition of Czechoslovakia and its successor states and to Friends of Slovakia members Oliver Gunovsky and Monika Rokus for their grass roots diplomacy in welcoming Slovaks to Washington. The book is viewable in pdf format on the TASR website. ... Prime Minister Radicová Gives Czech & Slovak Freedom LectureSlovakia has made much progress in its transition from part of a socialist, pro-Soviet republic to an independent, democratic nation, but there remains much hard work ahead. That was the theme of remarks by Prime Minister Iveta Radicová at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars on November 10, 2010. Her lecture was part of the Wilson Center's Director's Forum series. It was the 11th Annual Czech and Slovak Freedom Lecture sponsored by Friends of Slovakia (FOS), the American Friends of the Czech Republic (AFoCR) and the Slovak and Czech Embassies. It was attended by an overflow audience of members of FOS and AFoCR, US and foreign government representatives, Washington think tank members and the members of the press. The Prime Minister's remarks were live webcast and later televised by MHz Networks. ... AMB.THEODORE SEDGWICK'S LETTER TO FOSI thoroughly enjoyed visiting with your board when I was back in DC in November. I hope your board members and supporters will check in with us at the embassy whenever you come through town. Ambassador Ted Russell asked me to write a few words on my views on current US-Slovak relations. From where I sit as U.S. Ambassador to Slovakia, our relations could not be stronger. ... SLOVAK ATLANTIC COMMISSION INITIATIVEAmbassador Rastislav Kacer, former Slovak Ambassador to Washington and member of the FOS Advisory Board is President and founding member of the Slovak Atlantic Commission (SAC). The SAC, in cooperation with the Slovak Foreign Affairs Ministry, NATO and the European Commission since 2005 has organized an annual high level foreign policy and security conference for Central Europe. Its September 13-14 conference in Bratislava last year hosted 50 distinguished speakers, including the Slovak, Czech and Hungarian Foreign Ministers, and featured seven panels with topics ranging from the new strategic concept of NATO, the newly energized Visegrad Four, and Eastern Europe and the Eastern Partnership. The next GLOBSEC Conference will take place in March 2011. Summaries of proceedings from these important conferences are available on the GLOBSEC website. ... National Czech & Slovak Museum Breaks Ground on New BuildingOn the painfully cold afternoon of December, 15, 2010, over 100 people cheered as 14 silver shovels and one golden pickaxe were wielded to officially break ground and commemorate the start of construction of a new museum and library. The building will replace the flood damaged home of the National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library (NCSML) in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. "What an overwhelming feeling to be standing here on the very ground where we faced the destruction of our museum in 2008," said Sue Olson, chair of the NCSML Board of Directors. "I can see, clearly and with confidence, a world-class museum and library right here opening in 2012." ... In Memoriam: EDWARD KESHOCKDr. Edward Keshock, the Honorary Consul of the Slovak Republic for the State of Ohio since 1999, died suddenly on Dec. 9, 2010. In the past 20 years he served as president of the Cleveland-Bratislava Sister Cities organization. He worked tirelessly welcoming ambassadors and consuls, members of Parliament, cabinet ministers, and figures from the fields of education, music and art. In 1995 he co-hosted a 35-member delegation from Slovakia at the White House Conference on Trade and Investment. He participated in many cultural programs that furthered greater understanding between Ohio and Slovakia. He enjoyed a long and satisfying career in mechanical engineering. He taught for more than 30 years at Cleveland State University and served as chairperson of its Mechanical Engineering Department. In 2003 he was awarded a Fulbright Research Scholar appointment and used it to do research and present seminars at Russian and Siberian scientific institutes. He also received various visiting professorships and research appointments in China, Taiwan, Saudi Arabia, Slovakia, Poland and the United Kingdom. Edward's final kindness was the gift of sight as an eye donor, thus benefiting two recipients. He is survived by his wife of 51 years, Mary Jo Keshock, three children and a large extended family. ... In Memoriam: OLGA GALLIK McCLUREOlga Gallik McClure, a devoted Friend of Slovakia, died in September aged 87. Mrs. McClure was the daughter of Slovak immigrants and the first of her three siblings to graduate from Cornell University. She worked in an amazing variety of jobs, but her work as assistant to diplomats in the Polish, French and Korean embassies may have been what led her to apply to the CIA. However, by the time the security check was completed, she had married Brooks McClure, a Washington journalist who was joining the State Department. A dual career was not possible in the ?50s. So Mrs. McClure became a Foreign Service wife, serving her country in Europe and the Middle and Far East. After her husband's retirement from government, they lived in Washington, and she was active in Slovak and Czech societies. Aware of the popularity of the English language in Slovakia and the limited supply of English materials to use in teaching, in 2002 Mrs. McClure provided 20-year subscriptions to National Geographic magazine to 26 schools and libraries across the country. For this project the Slovak government awarded Mr. and Mrs. McClure its presidential medal. ... 2010 FOS Slovak ScholarsOn June 6, Alexander Platzne and Michal Demo, the two 2010 FOS Slovak Scholars, began their studies and internships at the Engalitcheff Institute on Comparative Political and Economic Systems (ICPES) and the Institute on Business and Government Affairs (IBGA) at Georgetown University. Both students received a scholarship from FOS to attend the program. ... Profile: Slovak Gymnastic Union Sokol of the USA - SokolUSAThe Slovak Gymnastic Union Sokol of the USA is one of the major Slovak American fraternal organizations in the United States and for more than a century has provided insurance products while supporting many activities for its members and the Slovak- American community at large. In 1962, the organization adopted a new name: SokolUSA. It is headquartered in East Orange, NJ. ... Wall Of Honor UpdateWhile the exact date is to be decided soon, this fall FOS will recognize the 2009 and 2010 donors of Wall of Honor plaques installed on the wall in the garden of the Slovak Embassy. ... Oral History Project of National Czech & Slovak MuseumThe National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library is launching a major new project to record the stories of émigrés from communist-era Czechoslovakia who settled in Chicago, Washington D.C. and Cleveland. These stories are personal,but help explain monumental political and cultural shifts that occurred during the 20th Century. In what we believe is the first project of its kind, we aim to gather the personal accounts, family sagas and community histories of Czech and Slovak Americans in order to preserve them for future generations. The success of this project depends on strong participation from people like you! ... FOS Hosts Defense Minister BaskaFriends of Slovakia hosted Slovak Defense Minister Jaroslav Baska and Chief of Defense Staff Gen. Lubomir Bulik at a working lunch with defense industry firms interested in increasing business ties with Slovakia. Participants included a number of executives from BAE Systems and General Dynamics. Minister Baska explained Slovakia's long range defense policy and described current budgetary constraints. He expressed an interest in hearing proposals which would contribute to Slovakia's defense posture. ... Slovak Government Names New Honorary ConsulMartin Valko, an immigration attorney in Dallas and Fort Worth, was recently appointed Slovak Honorary Consul for Texas. This is the 11th Slovak Honorary Consulate currently in the United States. There are 25 honorary consulates located in Dallas. At age 36, Martin is the youngest of the 148 Slovak honorary consuls in the world who serve 83 countries. Mr. Valko is acquainted with diplomatic responsibilities since his father served as Ambassador for the Slovak Republic to several countries. Born in Levoca, Martin came to the United States in 1991. He is now a partner in the law firm of Chavez & Valko. Martin is fluent in Slovak, Czech and English and conversant in Russian. ... Slovak Elections Bring Return of Center RightBy Sharon FisherSlovakia's parliamentary elections on 12 June brought the unexpected victory of four center-right parties. While outgoing Prime Minister Robert Fico's left-leaning Smer-Social Democracy (Smer-SD) won a plurality, with 62 seats in the 150-member parliament, the party was unable to form a government. Indeed, Smer-SD's only viable partner was the Slovak National Party (SNS), which won just nine seats. In contrast, four center-right parties?the Slovak Democratic and Christian Union-Democratic Party (SDKU-DS), Freedom and Solidarity (SaS), Christian Democratic Movement (KDH), and Most-Hid [Bridge]?gained a combined 79 seats, giving them a slim majority. All four refused to negotiate with Smer-SD. Thus, a new center-right cabinet will be formed, with SDKU-DS election leader Iveta Radicova set to become the country's first female prime minister. ... Slovak Government Honors Distinguished ExpatriatesThe Slovak government has created a new award, "Goodwill Envoy", to honor Slovak citizens who have gained world-wide recognition for their body of work. Foreign Minister Miroslav Lajcak presented the first honorees with their awards on March 20, 2010 at the ministry. ... Theodore Sedgwick Ambassador to the Slovak RepublicTheodore Sedgwick is a business executive with experience in the publishing and timber industries. He founded Pasha Publications, a specialty publisher focused on energy, defense and environment markets, and served as its chief executive for 20 years. More recently, he founded Io Energy, an online energy information company covering the natural gas, coal and electricity industries. He was president of Red Hills Lumber Co., a producer of pine flooring. Prior to his appointment as Ambassador, Mr. Sedgwick served on a number of private company boards, including Inside Higher Ed, Atlantic Information Ser vices, and Washington Business Information Inc. ... Iveta Radicová Takes Charge of New Center-Right Coalition in SlovakiaIveta Radicová, deputy chairman of the Slovak Democratic and Christian Union/Democratic Party (SDKÚ/DS), became Slovakia's first female prime minister on July 8, 2010. Ms. Radicová, a sociologist-turned-politician who finished second in Slovakia's 2009 presidential election, presides over a coalition of four center-right parties that together hold 79 seats in the country's 150-seat parliament, the National Council. ... Gala Dinner Commemorating 20th Anniversary of the Velvet RevolutionOn Wednesday November 18,2009 Friends of Slovakia (FOS) and the Slovak Embassy co-hosted a very special black-tie gala dinner at the Washington Golf & Country Club commemorating the 20th anniversary of the Velvet Revolution. The dinner was attended by approximately 220 guests including Slovak Foreign Minister Miroslav Lajcak, Slovak Ambassador Peter Burian and Representatives Joe Sestak, John Mica and Joe Wilson. ... President Nominates Theodore Sedgwick as Ambassador to SlovakiaMr. Sedgwick graduated with honors from Harvard College, where he majored in Ottoman History. He has been an active volunteer for a number of cultural institutions, and has served on the boards of the Folger Shakespeare Library, the Shakespeare Theater Company of Washington, DC, and the Gennadius Library in Athens, Greece. He has also served on the boards of a number of land preservation organizations, including the Civil War Preservation Trust, which he chaired, the Wetlands America Trust, and the Land Trust Alliance where he is a national council member. He is also a member of a various business organizations, including the Chief Executives Organization, an international business organization for global leaders. He is married to Kate Watt Sedgwick, a public health specialist with a Masters degree in Public Health from Harvard University. They have two daughters and two grandchildren. ... Topolanek to Speak at Czech & Slovak Freedom LectureFriends of Slovakia together with the American Friends of the Czech Republic and the Slovak and Czech Embassies are sponsoring the 10th annual Czech and Slovak Freedom Lecture on Wednesday, December 9. The distinguished speaker will be the former Prime Minister of the Czech Republic and the leader of the Civic Democratic Party, Mirek Topolanek. His topic is "Commemorating the 20th Anniversary of the Velvet Revolution." ... Memories of SlovakiaOnly a few words; paintings will tell a story. About 30 of them. They found their way to America through varied means, times and people. Some were slipped into the New World surreptitiously, others were sent by relatives to keep alive memories of a distant land. Slovak paintings also traversed great distances over the centuries.From nationally colored romanticism of Peter Michal Bohun to the avant garde expressions of such towering figures as Hloznik or Bazovsky. The changes were not only formal reflections of the artistic tendencies of the times. They were often artistic manifestos that expressed philosophical differences and longings that could be spoken only in this decoded language. ... Velvet Revolution Remembered at the Heritage FoundationIf you missed the November 18 Heritage Foundation event on the 20th Anniversary of the Velvet Revolution, the following is a link that should enable you to view the webcast of the event: http://www.heritage.org/press/events/ev111809b.cfm ... Visit of the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Slovak Republic to Washington, D.C.Miroslav Lajcák, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Slovak Republic, visited Washington D.C. on May 7, 2009. During this successful visit Minister Lajcák held talks with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, National Security Adviser to the President, Gen. James Jones and Under Secretary of Defense for Policy, Michéle Flournoy. ... Kubis Cites Major Progress in Slovakia's Relationships in NATO and EUSlovak Foreign Minister Jan Kubis delivered the annual Czech and Slovak Freedom Lecture in Washington, DC on Nov. 21, 2008. His speech was co-sponsored by FOS, AFoCR and the Slovak and Czech Embassies. It was well attended by FOS and AFoCR members, US government and Washington diplomatic corps representatives as well as representatives of Washington think tanks, the business community and non-governmental organizations. After reminding the audience of recent Slovak history and its emergence "on an independent path of continuing transformation to an open democratic society and socially-oriented market economy", Minister Kubis stated: "Slovakia and the USA enjoy excellent bilateral relations." He thanked FOS for its efforts to help achieve this, particularly in the area of the visa waiver program. ... Honorary Consuls MeetAll 12 Slovak honorary consuls in the United States held a conference at the Slovak Embassy in Washington D.C. The two-day session included speakers from the U.S. Commerce Department, Slovak Ministry of Economy, Slovak Commercial and Economic Section from New York, U.S. Department for Homeland Security and several staff members from the Slovak Embassy. The Consuls were informed how to better represent Slovakia in the fields of culture, education and economy. Ambassador Peter Burian hosted a reception for the group at his residence. ... Slovak Consul in Florida an Academic LeaderDr. Cecilia Rokusek is the new Slovak honorary consul for Florida. In that capacity she has been focusing on business, cultural and educational opportunities between Florida and Slovakia. A South Dakota native, she has served for 32 years in higher education as a teacher, scholar and administrator. At the same time she has maintained contact with her Czech heritage and is fluent in both the Czech and Slovak languages. ... New Board MembersFrederick N. Frank, Esquire serves as a Director of the Czech-Slovak American Enterprise Fund (CSAEF), having been nominated to the post by President Clinton in 1998. ... Slovak Government Offers Scholarship For Slovak Living AbroadApplication dedline is May 30, 2009Friends of Slovakia (FOS) is one of the eligible organizations for endorsing applicants for a Government Scholarship Program sponsored by the Ministry of Education of the Slovak Republic. The details of the scholarship program can be downloaded in a MS Word document format: ... Slovakia in 2008by Sharon FisherOverall, the year 2008 was a positive one for Slovakia, particularly on the economic front, as the approval of Eurozone membership brought added stability to the country. Despite the global slowdown, the Slovak economy performed relatively well, benefiting from reform measures taken by the 2002-06 cabinet. Several foreign investors ramped up production, while falling unemployment and rising wages drove household demand. ... FOS Awards Medals at DinnerHonoring Slovak-AmericansFOS Chairman Joe Senko and his wife Albina organized the fourth biennial Testimonial Awards Dinner of the Western Pennsylvania Slovak Cultural Association in Pittsburgh on September 14. The distinguished Slovak Americans honored for their contributions to Western Pennsylvania during this event were Frederick N. Frank, Director of the Slovak American Enterprise Fund, Gregory C. Fajt, Governor Rendell?s Chief of Staff, The Most Reverend David A. Zubik, Bishop of Pittsburgh, David G. Blazek, National President of the National Slovak Society and Rudy and Sue Ondrejco of the Pittsburgh Slovakians and the Western Pennsylvania Radio Hour. ... |