SVU in Statu Nascendi

Miloslav Rechcigl, Jr., Rockville, MD

As the Czechoslovak Society of Arts and Sciences (SVU) gets ready to commemorate the fiftieth anniversary of its existence, it is timely and appropriate to recall its formative years and how it all began.1

The idea to organize the Czechoslovak scholars, scientists and artists abroad did not obviously originate in the mind ofonly one individual. It most certainly must have occurred to a number of people who were displaced in various parts of theglobe, after being forced to escape from the Communist Czechoslovakia, including Professor Hlavatý,2 as related in Jaroslav Nĕmec’s reminiscences.3

Nevertheless, it is a fact that it was primarily due, thanks to the diligent work and perseverance of one particular individual, Dr. Jaroslav Nĕmec,4 that the idea was actually realized. The rationale for the establishment of organizationof Czechoslovak intellectuals abroad was provided by Nĕmec inhis historical article of reminiscences in Zprávy SVU.5

1 Based, in part, on the author’s just released monograph, On Behalf of their Homeland: Fifty Years of SVU. Boulder, CO: East European Monographsand New York: Columbia University Press, 2008.

2 ? Václav Hlavatý (1894-1969), a noted Czech mathematician; in the US; he held the position of full professor at Indiana University in Bloomington.

3 ? Jaroslav Nĕmec, Zprávy SVU, vol. 9, No. 4 (July-August 1987), pp. 6-10 (see specifically p. 8).

4 ? Jaroslav Nĕmec (1910-1992), lawyer and librarian, living in Washington, DC.

5 ? Jaroslav Nĕmec, Zprávy SVU, op. cit.

Early Discussions

I heard from Jaroš, as he liked to be called, that he alreadydiscussed this matter in 1954, with his friend Dr. Václav Mostecký,6 who, just as Nĕmec, resided in the US National Capital, Washington, DC. I should point out that there were two other individuals, besides Nĕmec and Mostecký, who were involved in the initial discussion of the planned society, namely Jaroslav Polach7 and Branislav Štefánek,8 but the former subsequently excused himself, because of the pressure of his job,9 and with respect to the latter, I could never discern the nature of his involvement.

What Nĕmec and Mostecký, actually, had in mind was organizingthe younger generation of refugees who were contemplating entering scientific careers in the US. No thought was given to artists, at that time. They thought of establishing a periodical in English in which the members of the planned organization would publish their works. In that way, the newly established society would aid the students in getting ahead, while, at the same time, would inform the English public of these rising future scholars. This Society was alsoto assist its members by providing personal references and byassisting them in seeking employment. Inasmuch as they felt

6 ? Václav Mostecký (1919-2004), lawyer and librarian, living in Washington, DC at that time.

7 ? Jaroslav G. Polach (1914-1993), lawyer and economist by training, who, from 1952 until 1961, worked for the American centralintelligence service.

8 ? Branislav Štefánek (1923-1973), journalist with Radio Free Europe, Munich Germany; he was a native of Slovakia9 ? Polach focused his energies for a while on the new Washington DC Local Chapter but soon also left it. Later on, for unknown reasons, he completely dissociated himself from SVU, until I brought him back in 1974, when I became SVU President.

that covering all scientific disciplines in one organization would not be manageable, they decided to focus on social sciences only, i.e., anthropology, economics, philology, history, education, law, psychology and sociology.

Nĕmec and Mostecký had, in fact, drafted invitation letters already in 1955 which they intended to send out to the respective Czechs, Slovaks and Ruthenians abroad.

Their recruitment letter, however, was never sent out becausethey were concerned that the undersigned were known only to anarrow circle of individuals, fearing that without the support of the leading scholars and scientists of Czechoslovak descent would end with fiasco. Thus the idea was tabled for a time, waiting for a more opportune moment.

Realization of the Idea

The opportunity presented itself when the Czechoslovak National Council of America (CNCA) established a new chapter in Washington, DC and when Nĕmec became its chairman. Mostecký, under Nĕmec’s influence,accepted the responsibility for heading the Chapter’s newly established Study Section. Nĕmec and Mostecký thought that with these structures they may finally be able to realize their dream to organize Czechoslovak scientists abroad. By holding offices in the largest Czechoslovak organization in the US, they were certain that their proposal would now be taken more seriously.

Without further ado, under Nĕmec’s guidance, Mostecký presented their plan at the CNCA Congress, held in Washington on May 3, 1957. The CNCA leadership approved the idea in principle and gave the Study Section the responsibility of preparing a detailed proposal for the establishment of “Společnost pro vĕdy a umĕní” (SVU) (Czechoslovak Society of Arts and Sciences). The first task was to gather addresses of Czechoslovak university professors

and other scientific and cultural workers. It is noteworthy that the effort was not limited only to America but the organizers encompassed the whole world, where the Czechoslovak refugees were scattered. It should also be pointed out that in this effort, they broadened the scope andbegan gathering information not only in the area of sciences but covered the other major professions, including the artists.

Although the organizers were convinced of the correctness of their approach, they wanted, nevertheless, to check it first against the opinion of selected Czechoslovak intellectuals abroad. Consequently, some forty persons were contacted in November 1957 regarding this. Most answers already began coming early in December and the rest of the responses came in January 1958, with only a few stragglers in subsequent months. Statistically, thirty-eight replies were positive, ofwhich 26 were accompanied with enthusiastic commentary. Onlyone person sent in a negative reply, stating that “you don’t have any money and consequently you won’t accomplish anything.”

To be sure, all the individuals contacted were leading Czechoslovak intellectuals abroad who were well known. Most of them had established professional careers already in Czechoslovakia, although several younger persons were also contacted who began establishing successful careers abroad.

They included such people as Dr. Vladislav Brdlík, former professor of the Czech Technical University in Prague, Dr. Vratislav Bušek, former professor, dean and rector of Comenius University in Bratislava, Dr. Milič Čapek, professorat Carleton College in Northfield, MN, Dr. Václav Hlavatý, former professor of Charles University, later at Indiana University in Bloomington, piano virtuoso Rudolf Firkušný, Ivan Herben, former editor of Svobodné slovo, later associated with Radio Free Europe, Dr. Karel Boleslav Jirák, noted music composer and conductor, Dr. František Král, former professor and dean of the Veterinary University in Brno,

Rafael Kubelík, world renown composer and former conductor ofthe Czech Philharmonic, Dr. Jozef Lettrich, Slovak attorney and politician, later VP of the Council of Free Czechoslovakia, Dr. Otakar Machotka, former professor of Charles University, Dr. Victor Mamatey, professor at Florida State University in Tallahassee, Dr. František Munk, professor at Reed College in Portland, Dr. Jiří Nehnĕvajsa, at that time, professor at Columbia University, Jarmila Novotná, famous opera singer with the Metropolitan Opera in New York, Dr. Jan Maria Novotný, former professor of Prague Business College, Dr. Joseph S. Rouček, professor at University of Bridgeport, CT, Dr. René Wellek, professor at Yale University, etc.

Many of them sent lengthy commentary, excerpts of which were reprinted in the Zprávy SVU. 10 It is of interest to quote from some of the received comments:

10 Jaroslav Nĕmec, Zprávy SVU, vol. 29, No. 2 (March-April 1987),pp. 5-9.

Prof. Dr. Vladislav Brdlík: Your planned society will fulfill the felt need - uniting the Czechoslovak intelligentsia. Don’t get side-tract with unimportant issues. Get going! We’ll all help without unimportant debates.

Rudolf Firkušný: I agree with your proposal and welcomeevery initiative to support and organize scientists, writers and artists of the Czechoslovak origin.

Ivan Herben: I am certainly in favor and agree without reservations with your proposal. I will gladly become amember and if accepted, an active member, indeed..

Prof. Dr. Václav Hlavatý: I wholeheartedly congratulateyou on the splendid idea. I personally strode for similar thing but the timing was not right. I will fully support the project with all my strength.

Prof. Dr. František Král: I wholeheartedly welcome yourefforts to organize scientific workers and artists of Czechoslovak origin and the friends of the Czechoslovakarts and sciences. I agree to include my name among thepersons who support the project.

Rafael Kubelík: I wish to be part of your effort – in the mission of intellectuals and artists abroad: to propagate and maintain the old democratic culture of Czechs and Slovaks and continuously remind the world ofit. It seems to me that in the stage of cold war the word should be given to Czechoslovak scientists and artists whose goal is to maintain in the sub-conscienceof the free world the free Czechoslovak cultural tradition from the time of the Masaryk Republic.

Jarmila Novotná: I read your proposal indeed with greatest interest and feel that your plans are highly

praiseworthy... Such a project, I feel, should have thesupport of every Czechoslovakian.

Prof. Dr. Joseph S. Rouček: I shall be glad, of course,to join your effort to organize the scholars of the Czechoslovak background. You may use my name!

Jan Rubeš: I consider your step important, deserving support and also an activity that should bring practical results with the popularization and enhancement of the good name of Czechoslovakia.

Encouraged with such a response, the organizers went ahead with the recruitment of members, by sending out some 500 additional letters addressed to scholars, scientists, artists and students at universities. The response was so overwhelming that by May1958, the number of members exceeded the 200 mark.

Having relinquished his responsibilities as the head of the Washington chapter of CNCA, Nĕmec was able to take over the leadership of the Study Section, after Mostecký had to leave for personal reasons. In this capacity, he presented a detailed plan for organizing the new SVU at the subsequent CNCA Congress, held in Chicago in February 1958. Specifically, he proposed to form the Czechoslovak Society of Arts and Sciences in America, as an integral part of the CNCA structure. The CNCA approved the preliminary proposal and assigned to the Study Section the responsibility for its implementation.

The SVU Preparatory Council

The Study Section then proceeded to form the 14-member Preparatory Council which would take over its work and work out the necessary organizational details prior to convening the SVU General Assembly meeting. This was done through an election process in which 80% of signed members participated. The outcome of the election was as follows: Dr. Václav Hlavatý, chairman; andRafael Kubelík, Dr. Vratislav Bušek, Dr. Otakar Machotka, Dr. Eduard Táborský. Dr. František Schwarzenberg, Dr. Jiří Škvor, Dr.Ladislav Radimský, Dr. Václav Beneš, Dr. Vladislav Brdlík, Ivan Herben and Jarmila Novotná, members. They are listed in order of the votes they received. In addition to these members, the Study Section delegated three other individuals, namely Dr. Jaroslav Nĕmec, Dr. Oldřich Černý and Dr. Jaroslav Jíra.

Although the Study Section completed its assigned task, it still was responsible for all the administrative work until the meetingof the Council took place. In August 1958 the New York members of

the SVU Preparatory Council met with the representatives of the Study Section to discus the next steps. The meeting went well except for Dr. Ladislav Radimský’s11 refusal to take on the function of the SVU Secretary-General, as was recommended by the Washington people. The Study Section was well aware of the fact that the new Secretary-General will carry the major administrative load of the Society and as a consequence wanted todivide the post into two functions, General Secretary who would be responsible for the development of the Society and Organizational Secretary who would handle administrative matters,such as membership drive, bylaws, card catalogue, contact with members and local chapters, etc. The Washingtonians had preference to having one Secretary General only, the idea of which prevailed.

On September 17, 1958, the Study Section met for the purpose of preparing the program of the upcoming “Charter” meeting of the SVU Preparatory Council. On the 18th of October the SVU made its first appearance in public at the Jan Masaryk Club in Chicago, where Professor Václav Hlavatý, the newly elected head of the SVUPreparatory Council spoke, followed by Dr. Nĕmec. Both presentations were well received.

The Charter Meeting

The Charter meeting of the Council was held in New York on October 24, 1958. This was a memorable meeting which gave the Society an organizational basis, and which implemented decentralization functions and clarified the goals and by electing regional secretaries and committees it laid the foundation for the actual work.12

11 ? Ladislav Radimský (1896-1970), former Czechoslovak diplomat andnoted writer.

The functions were divided as follows: Rafael Kubelík13 and Dr. Vratislav Bušek14 were elected the first and the second Vice Presidents, respectively; Dr. Jaroslav Nĕmec, Secretary-General and Oldřich Černý,15 Treasurer. Several members were without any specific functions, i.e., Dr. Otakar Machotka, Dr. Edward Táborský, Dr. František Schwarzenberg, Dr. Jiří Škvor, Dr. Ladislav Radimský, Dr. Václav Beneš, Dr. Ing. Vladislav Brdlík, Jarmila Novotná and Dr. Jaroslav Jíra. There were also two alternates, namely Dr. Viktor S. Mamatey and Marie Provazníková.

To make the job of Secretary-General easier, and to enhance the effectiveness of the membership drive, the territory of the US was divided into seven regions, each headed by regional secretaries. The latter were Dr. Vaclav Mostecký for Region I (ME, NH, CT, MA, RI, VT), editor Ivan Herben for Region II (NY, DE, NJ), Dr. Vojtech Andic for Region III (PA, VA, MD, WV, DC, MI, OH, IN, KY), Dr. Mojmir Povolný for Region IV (ND, SD, MN, WI, IA, NE), Dr. Joseph Čada for Region V (IL), Region VI, editorJosef Martínek for Region VII (AZ, NM. NE, CA, UT, CO), and Prof.Jan Zach for Region VIII (OR, WA, ID, MT, WY). There was no candidate for Region VI at that time.

Several advisory committees were appointed, including membership (Dr. Vratislav Bušek, chair), finances (Dr.František Schwarzenberg), bylaws and rules and procedures (Dr. Jaroslav Jíra), program (Dr. Ing. Vladislav Brdlík), publications (Dr.

12 Jaroslav Nĕmec, “Zpráva o vzniku a činnosti SVU (AVU) v r. 1958,” Washington, DC, 1958; Zprávy SVU – Special issue, p. 2.

13 Rafael Kubelík (1914-1996), noted Czech conductor and composer.14 Vratislav Bušek (1897-1978), professor of church law and former rector of Comenius University.

15 Oldřich Černý (1926-),living in Washington, DC at that time; he later moved to Switzerland.

Otakar Machotka) and biography and bibliography (Oldřich Černý).16

Looking at the elected roster of prestigious names, from the distance of years, one gets the distinct feeling that these earlyelections were primarily based on the popularity contests, in which people were selected primarily on their public image and celebrity status rather than on their management and organizational abilities, which really mattered most. Otherwise, I cannot imagine why Rafael Kubelík would have been elected the first Vice President, knowing too well that he could not, possibly, attend any of the Council meetings, not to speak about any other substantive involvement. There might have been, of course, other considerations, such as that the behind-the-scene leaders tried to make the Society more visible by having such people among the SVU officers and thus more acceptable in the public eye. In any case, with experience, they were gradually replaced by more appropriate and more effective officers.The principal outcome of the Charter meeting, apart from giving the newly established Society its organizational structure, was the clarification of the SVU mission and its aims, although the details had to await the issuance of the new SVU Bylaws.

The Charter meeting also decided to change the name of the organization to Academy of Arts and Sciences in America within the CNCA (“Akademie vĕd a umĕní v Americe při ČSNRA”17 - AVU) andapproved the principles of how the new bylaws were to be written.

Generally, it was contemplated that the new Academy would supportand provide incentive for scientific and artistic work, call

16 Zprávy SVU, vol. 2, No. 5 (May 1960), p. 34.

17 ČSNRA is a Czech acronym for the Czechoslovak National Council of America.

attention to gaps in knowledge and coordinate the work. The new organization was going to provide assistance to members with publication, lecture and promotional activities, preparation of concerts and exhibits, etc. It planned to function as a free, critical and objective organ to assure the highest quality of work, etc.

A new student fund was in preparation, as was a journalist section, and a pamphlet about the Academy was readied for print. Furthermore, at work were a new publication about the Czechoslovak scientists and artists, a working conference in Bloomington and perhaps a banquet in Washington, DC, and a monograph about Czechoslovak immigrants. The various advisory committees were at work to get things started by the beginning ofthe year 1959.

Following the executive work session, which was closed to the public, there was a public meeting during which the creation of the new Academy was ceremonially announced by reading the solemn program proclamation and during which the new officers were introduced. This was the first time the new Academy appeared in public as a live, vigorous new body.

The whole event evoked extraordinary interest, not only in the USbut also throughout the free world. The entire Czechoslovak democratic press abroad welcomed the new idea with pleasure and joy, the radio widely spread the word and positively commented onthe event and large number of inquiries began coming in.

At the start of the new year 1959, the regional secretaries begantheir work and at the same time it was decided to return to the original name “Společnost pro vĕdu a umĕní v Americe” (Czechoslovak Society for Arts and Sciences in America) or SVU, in short. In March, the editor Ivan Herben was named the SVU Press Secretary.

SVU, which was considered as an autonomous unit within the CNCA, was to manage its finances independently, although it had to sendits membership dues to CNCA in Chicago. From the total of $2 it would retain only a fourth. It was obvious to SVU leadership thatthis was not sustainable, considering that the membership dues were the only SVU income.

In the meantime, the Washington-based Study Section appointed Dr.Jaroslav Polach as its new head. The Section became, in effect, the first SVU working group, which subsequently changed its name to Washington DC Chapter,18 the first of the many local chapters to be established within SVU.

By September 1959, the SVU already had 300 members. In the same month, the SVU began publishing its newsletter Zprávy SVU, 19 under the capable editorship of Ivan Herben.20 While lots of activitieswere generated in Washington, DC, New York and Chicago, it becamesoon apparent that the other SVU centers did relatively little. This prompted Prof. Hlavatý to send out an urgent memorandum to the members of the Preparatory Council. Here are a few excerpts from his letter:

“....A lot is expected from our Preparatory Council, not only interms of establishing a firm organizational foundation for the Society, but also to stimulate the Society’s activities, generally. The membership hopes that the Council, through its

18 After Polach’s resignation, Dr. Ladislav K. Feierabend was elected Chapter’s chairman and Miloslav Rechcigl, Jr. as its Secretary.

19 As pointed out in Ivan Herben’s introductory editorial, the Society did not plan to publish a periodical but rather a newsletter, the linkamong the members, and the tie which will bind the members with their homeland.

20 Ivan Herben (1900-1968), noted Czech journalist, associated with Radio Free Europe in New York City; son of the well known writer and journalist Jan Herben.

work, enthusiasm and suitable action, will carry out, what until now, nobody succeeded in doing, especially in terms of actual results. Our intellectuals are generally known for their dilatoriness when it comes to the organizational work. This is understandable since the intellectuals normally focus primarily on their creative work. In the present situation, this tendency can be, however, harmful to our Society. It is necessary, at least at the beginning, to behave differently. The building of SVU is a test of character of Czech and Slovak intelligentsia. Itwill show how much real effort we are willing to devote to a great idea. This is also our last opportunity. As was rightly stated by one of our members, if we won’t be able to establish SVU, nobody else would accomplish anything else that would be worthwhile. The present status is unacceptable.”

His letter was quite effective and began bringing fruit in terms of the members’ productivity, even though it did not become discernable until the beginning of 1960.

SVU President played undoubtedly an important role in the Societybut, as was anticipated, the greatest load was on the shoulders of the Secretary-General Dr. Jaroslav Nĕmec. It was therefore, with reluctance, that Hlavatý accepted Nĕmec’s resignation from his post on October 15, 1959, because of the increased demands ofhis job at the National Library of Medicine.21

He was replaced by Dr. Rudolf Šturm,22 professor at Skidmore College, Saratoga Springs, NY. Sturm stayed in this role for about half a year until the time of the meeting of the SVU General Assembly in April 1960.

21 Zprávy SVU, vol. 1, No. 2 (October 1959), pp. 1-11. 22 Rudolf Šturm (1912-2000), professor of Italian and Slavic languages at Skidmore College, NY.

In November 1959, the Washington DC Chapter initiated its lectureseries,23 known as “The Idea of the Czechoslovak State during theYears of 1938-1948," with the lecture by Dr. Ladislav Feierarbend, while in Pittsburgh, PA24, Dr. Vojtech Andic25 organized a special lecture program, with the participation of Prof. Bušek , Dr. Nĕmec and Dr. Polach.

Within SVU, the major debate centered on the issue of membership categories, specifically whether there should be two or three, one being regular members, the second, associate members and the third, contributing members. By the end of 1959, the SVU had 325members and $700 in the bank.

The year 1960 was marked by increased activities. The Washington Chapter continued with its lecture series,26 while a new chapter was organized in Chicago. New York was also ready to establish their chapter. Czech and Slovak media began regularly publishing news about the SVU activities, on the basis of press releases provided by Ivan Herben and his Press service.

On March 7, 1960 CNCA convened its Congress in Washington, DC to which Prof. Hlavatý delegated four SVU representatives, namely Dr. Bušek, Dr. Jíra,27 Dr. Nĕmec and Dr. Polach. Among other, they were instructed to inform the CNCA leadership of the SVU’s

23 Zprávy SVU, vol. 2, No. 1 (April 1960), pp. 24-25.

24 Zprávy SVU, vol. 1, No. 4 (December 1959), p. 27.

25 Vojtech E. Andic (1910-1976), professor of economics at Union University, Albany, NY, a native of Slovakia.

26 Zprávy SVU, vol. 2, No. 2 (February 1960), p. 10.

27 Jaroslav Jíra (1906-1983), lawyer and librarian, associated with theLibrary of Congress, Washington, DC; the drafter of the original SVU Bylaws.

decision not to pay any dues to CNCA.

The SVU delegation informed the Congress of the situation in SVU but did not have much luck in their stand regarding the nonpayment of dues to the parent organization. To make the matters worse, the Congress increased the amount of money a CNCA member had to pay for dues, which also included the SVU members. When Nĕmec asked to have the dues lowered for the SVU members, hewas largely ignored and the discussion ended by the CNCA President’s statement that “SVU members are expected to pay full membership dues like anybody else.” This was clearly unacceptable to SVU.

On March 26, a new SVU Chapter was established in New York.28 By this date, they claimed over 80 members and at their first meeting they already had an announced lecturer.

The SVU Preparatory Council had its last meeting on April 15, 1960. As of that date, based on the report of the new Secretary-General Rudolf Šturm, the Society had a total of 370 members, while the Treasury had $904.70 in assets. The Council discussed the draft Bylaws, prepared by the Bylaws Committee, chaired by Dr. Jíra, and prepared the agenda for the upcoming General Assembly meeting, scheduled for the next day.29

SVU General Assembly Meeting

As scheduled, on April 16, 1960 in New York City, Prof. Hlavatý called the first SVU General Assembly meeting to order, in which 69 members took part from the US and Canada, with several tens of guests. Among the official greeters was Prof. Zykmund

28 Zprávy SVU, vol. 2, No. 3 (March 1960), p. 40.

29 Zprávy SVU, vol. 2, No. 1 (January 1960), p 3.

Nagorski, representing the Polish Institute, Emilie Welclová, representing CNCA and Dr. Jiří Škvor, on behalf of the Czechoslovak Association of Canada.30

Following the reports of various officers, came the report of theTreasurer which was approved. Next point on the agenda was the discussion of the new Bylaws which were approved. There were several proposals for granting honorary membership, i.e., to Zdenĕk Nĕmeček (in memoriam), Dr. Jan Lowenbach, Josef Martínek and Albin Polášek, which were all approved.

Based on the new Bylaws, the Society has now become an independent organization and thus severed its ties with the CNCA,which was brought about by the shortsightedness of the CNCA leadership. Frankly, I was a bit concerned about the “marriage” between these two organizations, considering the nonpolitical character of SVU which was difficult to reconcile with the clearly political mission of CNCA.

During the elections, new officers were elected,31 based on the recommendations of the Nominations Committee. Professor Hlavatý was elected President, Professor Vratislav Bušek, Rafael Kubelík,and Dr. Felix Mikula,32 Vice Presidents; and Dr. Nĕmec, Secretary-General, Oldřich Černý, Treasurer and Ivan Herben, Press Secretary. In addition to the 7-member Executive Board, 32 members were elected to SVU Council, and 8 regional secretaries (4 for the US, 3 for Canada and 1 for Italy).33 General Assembly

30 Zprávy SVU, vol. 2, No. 5 (May 1960), p. 14.

31 Zprávy SVU, vol. 2, No. 6 (June 1960), p. 46.

32 Felix Mikula (1906-1979), the former aide to the Archbishop of Prague Josef Beran

33 Dr. V. E. Andic (Pittsburgh), Dr. Joseph Čada (Chicago), Dr. Velen Fanderlík (Western Canada), Dr. Mario Hikl (Toronto), Dr. Zdenĕk

also increased the membership dues to $5 34and in parting the members had the satisfaction that a firm foundation was laid for SVU and that the Society is on the right track.

SVU at Work

When the meetings were over, Jaroslav Nĕmec took over the agenda from Rudolf Sturm as the new Secretary-General.

By this time, the SVU Chapters in Washington and Chicago were winding up their activities, as the summer break was approaching.The Chicago Chapter came up with a new project to publish a collection of papers about the Czechoslovak sciences and culture.This first publication initiative unfortunately was not realized and the first SVU publication did not appear until a year later. The summer months were utilized for translating the SVU Bylaws which was required for the incorporation of the Society. Planningof the SVU future was in the hands of the Program Committee whichwas unfortunately idle. Consequently, Dr. Nĕmec had no choice butto take over this function.

Frankly, in these early days, all of the administrative and organizational work was really on the shoulders of Jaroslav Nĕmecwho spent practically all his free time on Society matters, and, of course, without any compensation. He had full support from hisfirst wife, Jarmila Nĕmcová (1914-1967), an elegant lady, who helped him socially, as they frequently had parties in their

Petrla (Montreal), Milan Vojtek (New York), Jan Zach (Oregon) and Pavel Želivam (Rome).

34 Actually, one of the reasons for raising the dues was the large costs of publishing Zprávy SVU which amounted to, with 10 issues a year, about $900 annually. Had the dues remained at the $2 per member, the Society would be in the red.

house, and moreover, many out-of-town visitors stayed with them in their spacious house on Park Road in the downtown Washington. He also received help from Dr. Bohuslav Horák, 35 who lived in their house on Park Road as a tenant. He was rather shy and preferred to stay in the background so as not to endanger his relatives in Czechoslovakia.

Václav Hlavatý=s role was largely ceremonial, nevertheless, an important one, as he represented SVU in public and frequently wascalled on to give speeches or participate in discussions on the aims of the Society. There were many doubters among the Czechoslovak exiles and some were rather negative, spreading rumors that Hlavatý was building up a political base for himself.The greatest opposition came from politicians,36 many of whom were associated with the Council of Free Czechoslovakia. With time, the seeming opposition began to subside and many of the previously opposed critics joined the Society, following the saying @if you cannot beat them, join them.@

Hlavatý had a great sense of humor and his talks were very entertaining. Although he professionally worked on rather complexand highly theoretical aspects of mathematics, he was able to present it in simple terms so that the listeners could follow himeven when he talked about the unified theory of relativity.

Ivan Herben was the third member of the Troika that ran the Society in the formative years. The newsletter Zprávy SVU, which heedited, was very influential and regularly read by members, as well as nonmembers, and were the major means of communication within and outside the Society.

35 Bohuslav Horák (1899-1976), journalist, living in Washington, DC; he was the widower of Dr. Milada Horáková whom the Communists sentenced to death.

36 Hlavatý used to be a member of the Chamber of Deputies of the Czechoslovak Parliament in the post War Czechoslovakia.

Both Hlavatý and Herben were very kind persons and I was on the best terms with them. They frequently visited Washington and I had ample opportunity to get to know them on a personalbasis. Herben had the custom of periodically sending out postcards to individual SVU members about whom he knew were professionally active, asking them to send him a couple of paragraphs about their work for the inclusion in his Zprávy SVU. This way, he always had plenty of material to write. No other editor who came after him used this technique, depending only on what the members themselves sent him. He liked wine and as he got older he frequently brought with hima jug of cheap Californian wine when he came visiting.

In January 1961, at the invitation of a number of Asian and European universities, Professor Hlavatý undertook a lecture tour around the world 37 which took him from California and Hawaii to Japan, Hong-Kong, Thailand, India, Israel, Italy, France, Belgium, England and Ireland. As was characteristic for him, Hlavatý always addressed the universities in the name of SVU and in his capacity as SVU President. He carried with him a Latin inscribed proclamation bearing the Society greetings to the learned institutions of higher learning. TheUniversity Chancellors customarily attached their seals and insignia to the document, as the sign of friendship and good will.38 This unique document is maintained in the archives ofthe Indiana University in Bloomington.

Hlavatý’s trip was not only a personal triumph for him but italso provided high visibility to SVU around the globe.39 Whenhe addressed the assembly of the French Academy of Sciences he greeted them in the name of SVU as SVU President. This was37 Zprávy SVU, vol. 3, No.1 (January 1961), p. 1.

38 Zprávy SVU, vol. 3, No.10 (December 1961), pp. 105-106,

39 Zprávy SVU, vol. 3, No. 6 (June 1961), p. 49-50.

the first time the SVU name appeared on the international forum. His trip gave Professor Hlavatý also a splendid opportunity to meet with numerous Czechoslovak scientists andother intellectuals around the world, including Rome, Paris, Brussels and London and inform them about SVU mission and itsactivities.

In 1961, the organization was incorporated under the laws of the State of New York as a non-profit cultural organization and it assumed the name: Czechoslovak Society of Arts and Sciences in America, Inc. 40Although the Society maintained its headquarters in the United States, it was clearly an international organization from the start. The original concept of the Society of Czech and Slovak intelligentsia abroad soon also changed into an organization open to all intellectuals, regardless of national background, who were interested in the advancement of Czechoslovak scholarship.

In the spring of 1961, the Society also began preparing for its first Conference (later renamed Congress) which was to beheld in Washington during Easter. The Society’s image was further enhanced by the establishing new SVU Chapters, i.e., in Toronto and in Munich.

On April 29, 1961, the SVU Executive Board met in New York during which the theme for the upcoming Congress was debated.Discussed were also the publication opportunities, and in conclusion the Board decided to create a separate publicationcorporation,41 outside SVU, with the aim of finding financial

40 The suffix “in America” was not removed, until years later, when it became clear that SVU was becoming an international organization. By then, the original concept of the Society representing Czechoslovak intelligentsia abroad was also changed to an organization open to all interested persons, regardless of their ethnic background.

41 Zprávy SVU, vol. 3, No. 7 (September 1961), p.56.

support for publications. Shares in the amount of $25 were tobe offered. Toward this end, Dr. Bušek and Dr. John G. Lexa42 agreed to take the required legal steps. In August 1961 the Society issued its first publication, as a contribution towards the “Dvorak Year,” on the occasion of the composer’s 120th anniversary of his birth.43 It was a slender brochure of 31 pages, written by Professor Jirák.44

The proposed Arts & Sciences Publishing Corporation was generally well received among the members and, in a relatively short time, gathered several thousands of dollars.Unfortunately, because of some legal complications the efforthad to be terminated and the money returned.

By the fall,45 the Society had already some 600 members, and the activities of its local chapters were rapidly expanding. Among these, the most active appeared to be the Washington DCChapter, which, in addition to its regular lecture program, organized a special discussion panel regarding the SVU mission, and, beyond that, it carried the major burden for the logistics of the upcoming SVU Congress.

In November 1961 another SVU chapter was established, this time in Montreal, as a result of Prof. Hlavatý’s visit there.He was also an invited speaker in Toronto and Ottawa on October 28th during the commemoration of the Czechoslovak

42 John G. Lexa (1914-1977), lawyer, living in New York City; chairman of the SVU New York Chapter and later SVU Secretary-General.

43 Zprávy SVU, vol. 3, No. 7 (September 1961, p. 57.

44 Karel B. Jirák, Antonín Dvořák, 1841-1961. New York, NY, 1961.

45 Zprávy SVU, vol. 3, No. 8 (October 1961), p. 73.

National holiday and in addition appeared twice on the Canadian TV.46

On December 18, 1961 SVU General Assembly was convened in NewYork City.47 It was more or less a formality to satisfy the laws of the New York State in which SVU was incorporated.

The first few months of the year 1962 was devoted to the preparation of the First SVU Congress, which was to follow the General Assembly meeting, which Professor Hlavatý called for April 20, 1962. 48

The reputation of the Society was firmly established after its successful first Congress on April 20-22, 1962 in Washington, DC, which was attended by more than 200 scholars,scientists and artists from all over the world. Some sixty high quality papers were read at the meeting, the subject, ranging from history and arts to science and technology. I had the pleasure of preparing the program and editing the Congress Proceedings.49

The rest is history…

46 Zprávy SVU, vol.3, No. 9 (November 1961), p. 90.

47 Zprávy SVU, vol. 4, No. 1 January 1962), p. 6.

48 Zprávy SVU, vol. 4, No. 2 (February 1962), p. 9.

49 The Czechoslovak Contribution to World Culture. The Hague – London – Paris: Mouton & Co., 1964.