| SVU |
CZECHOSLOVAK SOCIETY OF ARTS AND SCIENCES |
The 21st SVU World Congress
Remarks by SVU President
Miloslav Rechcigl
at the Opening of SVU World Congress
University of West Bohemia, Plzen, 24 June 2002
Excellencies, Magnifinces, Spectabiles,
Distinguished Guests:
I should like to join Chancellor Vostracky and Lord Mayor Sneberger in welcoming you to
our Congress and to thank the former speakers for their kind words.
It is now my great pleasure, in my capacity as President of the Czechoslovak Society of
Arts and Sciences, or SVU, as it is generally known, to open this historic Congress in
Plzen. Those of you who are not familiar with the acronym SVU, it stands for the Czech or
Slovak name of our Society, Spolecnost pro vedy a umeni or Spolocnost pro vedy a umenia.
This is our 21st World Congress since the inception of the Society in the US Capital,
Washington, DC, in 1958.
We have specifically selected the West Bohemian Metropolis for its site because of the
City's rich historic traditions, its important place in the Czech. economy, the location
of the famed Skoda Works and the Pilsner Urquell, and above all - the city's truly
pro-American spirit which in 1945 witnessed the arrival of General Patton's troops ready
to conquer the Nazi occupiers. Beyond that, we were offered and received here first-class
cooperation from our Plzen coâ??organizers, the University of West Bohemia and the City
of Plzen. My gratitude to Chancellor Vostracky and Mayor Lord Sneberger.
I would like to use this opportunity to also express my sincere appreciation and thanks to
Dr. Ivo Budil, Dean of the Faculty of Humanities of the West Bohemian University and Dr.
Boris Kreuzberg, Dean of the Medical School of Charles University in Plzen under whose
direction most of the logistical and program work was done. Let them stand up and let's
give them deserving applause.
I normally, on occasions like this, proceed to tell the audience who we are, what we stand
for and what have we have accomplished. However, since I will address this very subject at
our Plenary session this afternoon, I will reserve my words for that time. Let me only say
that SVU represents the cream of the crop of the Czech and Slovak intelligentsia worldwide
with chapters in places like Washington, DC, Chicago, New York. Boston, Los Angeles, San
Francisco, Cleveland, Pittsburgh, College Station and Austin, TX, Lincoln, NE, Toronto,
Montreal, Ottawa, Edmonton, Vancouver, Melbourne, Sydney, Perth, Wellington, Tokyo, Japan,
Pretoria, South Africa, Munich, London, Stuttgart, Basel-Bern-Zurich, Vienna, Prague,
Brno, Plzen, Bratislava, Kosice, and Presov.
Although the Society is nonpolitical in nature, it has always been in the forefront when
the question of human rights was at stake or when democracy was threatened. The
restoration of civil society in our old homeland belongs to our top priorities. Resurgence
of communism and the low turnout in your last elections gives us some concern. Despite the
individualistic character of Czech people, we are hopeful that the Czech nation will rise
again behind a united national program based on democratic tradition, morality and vision
for a bright future. I can assure you that SVU will do its part toward this end.
In my concluding remarks, I would like to again thank the University of West Bohemia and
the City of Plzen for hosting this event and the organizers for
putting together such an impressive program as well as to wish everyone a very enjoyable
time.
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