Executive Board Meeting - January 30, 1999

The Executive Board had its regular meeting on January 30, 1999 at Rechcigls' home in Rockville, MD. In addition to Board members, most of whom were present, editors of SVU periodicals, and all persons involved in the printing and distribution were also invited. There were  more than enough members present to form the quorum.

Because of pressing personal problems, J. P. Skalny had to submit his resignation. The Executive Board reluctantly accepted his resignation, expressing thanks for all the work he has done on behalf of the Society. In his place, the Board appointed, as the new Executive VP, Anton Novacky, Professor of Plant Pathology at the University of Missouri. Professor Novacky has had a long association with the Society, having held the position of Vice President in the past. 

Most of the meeting was devoted to the upcoming SVU Conference in Minnesota and the planned SVU World Congress in the year 2000.  The MN Conference will be held in Minneapolis, April 24-26, 1999, on the occasion of President Vaclav Havel's visit. As   reported elsewhere, the overall theme will be "Czech and Slovak America: Quo Vadis?" Prof. Josef Mestenhauser of the University of Minnesota is the Conference coordinator. Because of the enormous interest in various activities related to President Havel's visit, as well as other concurrent events in Minneapolis, hotel accommodations are getting scarce. For the SVU Conference participants the Society reserved a block of rooms at Day's Inn at reasonable prices. However, the number is limited. Pre-registrations are to be sent to Prof. Mestenhauser as soon as possible to assure that the participants bet included in major events. The conference which will take place on Saturday, April 24 and Sunday, April 25 will lead to ceremonial activities at the Macalaster College where President Havel will make a major address, followed by activities in which Czech and Slovak local communities will participate.

Rechcigl informed the Executive Board about the tentative program of the Conference which he has been working on with Prof. Mestenhauser. One large section will be devoted to Czech and Slovak Heritage in America, consisting of papers on history and cultural contributions of Czech and Slovak immigrant groups in various parts of the country, including IL, MD, MN, NY, OK, TX, OK, Canada, and elsewhere. Additional participants are being sought, especially from California. Another panel relates to the Relations with the Czech and Slovak Republics. Assurances have been received from the CR about the participation of the representatives of the Czech parliament and the senate. It is hoped that high-ranking government representatives will also participate. Efforts are made to involve the new Slovak Ambassador in the US. Another panel on Czech and Slovak Organizations in America will include respective presidents of these organizations. Business Quorum on Trade with the Czech and Slovak Republics will be comprised of leading businessmen and experts in the US and Canada, and the representatives from the Czech and Slovak Republics. There will be a special panel on human rights for which additional participants are sought. Other panels that are being planned are: Journalist Panel, Student Panel, Panel on Czech / Slovak Relations, etc.

Preparations are also on the way for the SVU World Congress in the year 2000. As was previously announced, it will take place August 9-14, 2000 in Washington, D.C.  The Washington, D.C. Chapter accepted the responsibility for local arrangements. VP Vera Borkovec will serve as coordinator.  The newly appointed Executive VP Anton Novacky was entrusted with the Program coordination. The overall theme of the Congress will be "Civil Society and Democracy into the 21st Century." Milton Cerny will organize the respective program concerning various aspects of the central theme. Dr. Zdenek David of the Wilson Foundation for Scholars was asked to organize panels dealing with reformation, Moravian Brethren and church history, in cooperation with the Wesley Seminary in Washington, DC. Vera Borkovec assumed responsibility for theater and related fields. Dagmar Hasalova White will organize music sessions and will assist in planning various cultural and social events during the Congress. Additional people will be appointed as the work progresses.

Part of the meeting was devoted to the SVU periodicals. The Executive Board was generally pleased with the improvements that have been made in Zpravy SVU and expressed their thanks and gratitude to Editor Andrej Elias, as well as to Petr Bisek who does the printing, and Zdenka and Maryna Vozarik who are responsible for distribution. With the newly established deadlines,  it was felt that there shouldn't be any delays in publishing various news items in a timely fashion.  During the discussion it was reemphasized that the postal regulations do not allow any advertising. Because of limited space, the Editor has to be selective and cannot publish everything  members send him. Furthermore, he should not publish items relating to non-paying members. There is no space for book reviews or for publishing poems. Emphasis  needs  to be put on news items that are of interest to members. Short paragraphs about the work of members are  encouraged, particularly with reference to their new books, works of art, appointment to new positions or prestigious advisory boards, and receipt of honors. Anything else is of lesser priority.   Discussion about Kosmas was necessarily limited due to the absence of the editors, and the fact that their reports were not received in time. Nevertheless, there was some discussion of the last issue of Kosmas which has just been published. There was a general feeling that the number of pages should be standardized, and kept at the level of earlier   issues, i.e., around 160 pages. The greater number of pages unnecessarily increases the cost of publishing, with the concomitant increase in postage and, extra cost of larger envelopes. Beyond that, the larger size also unnecessarily delays the publication schedule which is of great concern to the subscribers.

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