http://www.croatia.org/crown en-us http://www.croatia.org/crown N/A letters@croatia.org Wed, 22 Apr 2026 17:34:54 +0000 20 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/11456/1/Josip-Joe-Mikulec-1887-1933-back-home-in-Croatia.html darko@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach and Darko �ubrini�) Sun, 20 Jul 2025 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/11442/1/Tomislav-Gavranic-1937-2025-Croatian-doctor-of-Aboriginal-Health-in-Australia.html Tomislav Gavraniæ, born in Croatia on the island of Korèula (in the town of Blato), was very passionate, loyal and dedicated to the Aboriginal people which we all know. This was shown in both his private and working life. He was honoured whilst working in Gove to be initiated into the Marika Clan in Yirrkala. His aboriginal family kept in contact and they would come to visit, where many a story was told around a very multicultural table. We provide a text written by Mrs. Tuga Tarle, in Croatian. It was a part of her PhD thesis, and included into her very interesting monograph published in 2024 in Zagreb. darko@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach and Darko �ubrini�) Sat, 29 Mar 2025 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/11393/1/Miljenko-quotMikequot-Grgich-1923-2023-quotThe-King-of-Chardonnayquot.html With profound sadness, we announce the passing of Miljenko "Mike" Grgich, a name synonymous with innovation, excellence, and pioneering spirit in the world of winemaking. Mike's enduring legacy extends far beyond his remarkable wines; it encompasses his dedication to sustainability, his mentorship of future winemakers, and his unwavering commitment to his Croatian heritage. His Chardonnay was chosen in 1973 for a blind tasting in Paris, in celebration of the U.S. bicentennial. The results shocked the world when Mike's Chardonnay was named the top wine in Paris. darko@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach and Darko �ubrini�) Thu, 14 Dec 2023 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/11391/1/Vukovar-road-to-recovery.html We provide an audio presentation "Vukovar road to recovery" by Thomas Burns. We also provide a description of the drama in the Vukovar Hospital by the end of 1991, when its director was late Dr. Vesna Bosanac (on the photo). Dr. Vesna Bosanac sent numerous messages during several months of Serbian attacks on the city, asking for help. We also add a video-film "Operation Storm" produced by Nikola Knez. Another video contains a song Croatia written and composed by Dr. Drago ©tambuk in 1991, musically arranged by Arsen Dediæ. darko@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach and Darko �ubrini�) Sat, 11 Nov 2023 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/11368/1/Miroslav-Blazevic-1935-2023-legendary-Croatian-football-trainer.html Miroslav Æiro Bla¾eviæ was a legendary trainer of Croatian football representation. Under his leadership, it won sensational thrid place at the 1998 FIFA World Championship in Paris. Due to his leadership, Croatian football representation became universaly known. Under his baton, his team was composed of world class sportsmen such as Davor ©uker, Zvonimir Boban, Slaven Biliæ, Robert Jarni, Robert Prosineèki, Igor ©timac, and others. His successor Zlatko Daliæ, also born in BiH, considers himself to be a student of Æiro Bla¾eviæ. darko@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach and Darko �ubrini�) Thu, 09 Feb 2023 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/11332/1/Keiko-Mitani-Japanese-expert-in-Croatian-Glagolitic-literature-passed-away-in-2022.html Keiko Mitani, professor at the University of Tokyo, one of greatest Slavists in Japan, passed away in January 2022. She earned her PhD at the University of Zagreb, under supervision of Professor Stjepan Damjanoviæ (of the Croatian Academy of Sciences and Arts). She was president of the Japan-Croatian Friendship Society in Tokyo. In 2017, she participated at the international conference "The Phenomenon of the Glagolitic Script", organized in the cities of Biograd and Zadar on Croatian coast. She also wrote a manual in Japanese for learning Croatian, as well as a Croatian-Japanese dictionary. darko@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach and Darko �ubrini�) Sun, 27 Feb 2022 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/11290/1/Irena-Vrkljan-1930-2021-istaknuta-hrvatska-knjievnica-u-Berlinu.html Hrvatska knji¾evnica i prevoditeljica Irena Vrkljan, dopisna èlanica Hrvatske akademije znanosti i umjetnosti (HAZU), preminula je u utorak u Zagrebu u 91. godini, izvijestila je Akademija. Studirala je arheologiju i germanistiku na Filozofskom fakultetu u Zagrebu te re¾iju na Akademiji za film i televiziju u Berlinu. Bila je urednica televizijske emisije "Portreti i susreti" (1960. - 1971.), za koju je napisala sedamdesetak scenarija. ®ivjela je i radila u Berlinu kao profesionalna knji¾evnica i prevoditeljica, a 2014. vratila se u Zagreb. darko@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach and Darko �ubrini�) Thu, 25 Mar 2021 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/11285/1/Titanic-shipwreck-and-84-Croatian-saviors-out-of-300-on-Carpathia-ship.html The best known shipwreck in history is that of Titanic in 1912. Another ship called Carpathia, connecting Rijeka in Croatia and New York came to its rescue. Eighty four out of 300 members of the crew of Carpathia were of Croatian origin (i.e., nearly one quarter). We now know many more details about them and about the drama of saving the lives of the Titanic passangers. Duration of the corresponding film shot in Croatia's capital Zagreb is 47 min. A Croatian lady Marija Bartowski from the city of Osijek was on Carpathia, and her diary contains many details arround the Titanic shipwreck. On Titanic itself, there were 30 Croatian passangers, out of which 15 perished. All of their names are known. darko@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach and Darko �ubrini�) Sun, 14 Feb 2021 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/11283/1/Andro-Mikelic-1956-2020-distinguished-Croatian-mathematician-in-France.html Andro Mikeliæ's very great scientific talent earned him deserved awards: he was a corresponding member of the Croatian Academy of Sciences and Arts since 2014, he received the InterPore Procter and Gamble Award for Porous Media Research in 2012, after being awarded the W. Romberg Guest Professorship of the University of Heidelberg in 2011. He had collaborations with researchers from all over the world: from France, from the United States, the Netherlands, Germany, Italy, and of course, from his native Croatia. darko@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach and Darko �ubrini�) Sun, 31 Jan 2021 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/11278/1/Josip-Sersic-1948-2020-expert-in-Croatian-Austrian-connections.html Hrvatski centar gradi¹æanskih Hrvata u Beèu poslao je tu¾nu obavijest o smrti dr. Josipa Ser¹iæa u kojoj stoji: ÀžNa ©tefanje, 26. prosinca 2020. g. je preminuo dr. Josip Ser¹iæ (71), rodom s otoka Krka, a u Beèu posebno poznat i cijenjen kao polihistor, jezikoslovac i prije svega struènjak za noviju povijest gradi¹æanskih Hrvata. Izuzetno je aktivno i uvijek mjerodavno sudjelovao u dru¹tvenom ¾ivotu hrvatskih zajednica i udruga u Beèu. Posebno je bio vezan uz Hrvatski centar, gdje je bio i sudionik znanstvenog simpozija '400 godina Hrvata u Beèu' 2009. godine. Pet godina kasnije, 2014. objavio je zajedno s Mihaelom Ellenbogenom iznimno va¾nu knjigu 'Kroatisches Wien / Hrvatski Beè'. darko@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach and Darko �ubrini�) Fri, 08 Jan 2021 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/11277/1/Maxo-Vanka-film-to-be-made--American-Sistine-Chapel.html Society to Preserve the Millvale Murals of Maxo Vanka has the following mission: to conserve and protect for permanent public exhibition the nationally recognized Maxo Vanka Murals within St. Nicholas Croatian Catholic Church in Pittsburgh, enabling the immigrant artist's "gift to America" to serve as an enduring catalyst for community engagement and education, inspire social and cultural dialogue, celebrate diversity, and forge connections through reflections on the extraordinary American experience. Murals by Maxo Vanka are not just Croatian cultural heritage. Unique. One and only. The planned film should have been done 50 years ago. darko@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach and Darko �ubrini�) Mon, 07 Dec 2020 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/11253/1/Damjan-Rodin-1910-1968-Croatian-priest-in-Brasil-founder-of-Vila-Croacia-in-Rio-de-Janeiro.html Damjan Rodin was one of the first Croatian priests to move to Brazil after the Second World War, where he organised the religious and community life of the ethnic Croatian community in Sao Paulo. In Rio de Janeiro he continued his important work for Croatians and Brazilians. He was born in the ©ibenik hinterland (in the town of Prviæ Luka on the island of Prviæ) and moved to Brazil in 1947, working as parish priest in Sao Paulo. He raised a favela in Rio de Janeiro now known as Vila Croacia, part of the Senador Camara district. darko@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach and Darko �ubrini�) Fri, 11 Sep 2020 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/11263/1/Japan-remembering-Vladimir-Devide-1925-2010-Croatian-haiku-poet-and-mathematician.html Mihovil Rismondo, Croatian painter from the city of Split (age 71), painted twelve canvases inspired by haiku poetry, under the auspices of Japanese Embassy in Croatia and the Tourist Association of the city of Zagreb. In this way, ten years since the death of Vladimir Devide have been marked, a well known Croatian haiku and mathematician. He was the greatest promoter of Japanese culture in Croatia. For his contributions in popularization of Japanese culture he was awarded the prestigious Japanese Order of the Sacred Treasure - Konsanto Zuihosho. darko@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach and Darko �ubrini�) Wed, 09 Sep 2020 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/11217/1/David-Byler-1946-2020-was-8th-generation-Croatian-American-and-permanent-correspondent-of-the-CROWN.html David Byler (1946-2020) served as a Lutheran Pastor as well as a permanent correspondent of the Croatian World Network - CROWN. Being an eighth generation Croatian-American, he has contributed in the past years some extremely interesting and insghtful articles to our readers. His wisdom, knowledge, passion and perserverence will be missed by us all. He is listed among twenty greatest Croatian Americans in the USA. David liked to be nicknamed Slavonac (Slavonia is a historical region on the North of Croatia). We express our sincere condolences to his family. darko@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach and Darko �ubrini�) Wed, 15 Apr 2020 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/11182/1/Vladimir-Novak-Croatians-in-America-fascinating-photomonograph-published-in-2018.html  Vladimir Novak (1928-2016) darko@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach and Darko �ubrini�) Sun, 27 Oct 2019 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/11152/1/Michael-J-Novosel-of-Croatian-origin-recipient-of-the-Medal-of-Honor-for-saving-5589-wounded-people.html During the Vietnam war, Novosel flew 2,543 missions and extracted 5,589 wounded personnel, among them his own son Michael J. Novosel Jr. The following week, Michael Jr. returned the favor by extracting his father after he was shot down. On the morning of October 2, 1969, Novosel set out to evacuate a group of South Vietnamese soldiers who were surrounded by several thousand North Vietnamese light infantry near the Cambodian border. Radio communication was lost and the soldiers had expended their ammunition. Without air cover or fire support, Novosel flew at low altitude under continuous enemy fire... He completed 15 hazardous extractions, was wounded in a barrage of enemy fire, and momentarily lost control of his helicopter, but when it was over, he had rescued 29 men. darko@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach and Darko �ubrini�) Sun, 05 May 2019 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/11099/1/Oliver-Dragojevic-1947-2018-distinguished-Croatian-pop-musician-and-composer.html Except in Croatia, he had concerts at Olympia in Paris, Carnegie Hall in New York, Pearl Theatre in Las Vegas, Royal Albert Hall in London, Konzerthaus in Vienna, Opera House in Sydney. Umra je Oliver. Zamuèa je ra¹pavi glas koji smo svi volili. Michael Bolton iz Vela Luke. Zamuèala je Dalmacija, zamuèali smo smi mi koji smo uz njegove pisme ¾ivili. Resli, jubili, pivali, gu¹tali, sièali se, sanjali. ... Ne znan kako vaman, ali meni je ona najtipiènija slika Dalmacije zalaz sunca iza otoka, bonaca, i zvuk èetverotaktnog motora na trabukulu negdi u kanalu. A najtipièniji glas Dalmacije voljene je Oliver. Bog ga blagoslovija! Maja. Written by Maja Cioni (b. Buliæ), Paris. darko@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach and Darko �ubrini�) Sun, 29 Jul 2018 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/11094/1/Dragutin-Surbek-1946-2018-legendary-Croatian-table-tennis-warrior.html Dragutin ©urbek, nicknamed ©urba in Croatia, and Surbeka in China, has won hundreds of table tennis tournaments, from Tokyo and Beijing to Zagreb (37 medals from European and world championships!). In China he was treated as table tennis God. He has founded a very nice Table Tennis Academy in the city of Zagreb, bearing his name. In 1992, during the Olympic Games in Barcelona, he was the oldest sprtsman, than at the age of 46. darko.zubrinic@gmail.com (Darko �ubrini�) Sun, 15 Jul 2018 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/11078/1/Louis-Zorich-the-USA-veteran-stage-actor-has-died-in-New-York-in-2018-at-the-age-of-93.html Louis Zorich was born on February 12, 1924 and died on January 30, 2018. He was an American actor. He is perhaps best known to television audiences for his portrayal of Paul Reiser's father, Burt Buchman, on the NBC series Mad About You. He played the role from 1993 to 1999. Zorich was born in Chicago, Illinois, the son of Croatian immigrants Anna (nee Gledi) and Christ Zorich. He was Broadway veteran and the husband of Oscar winner Olympia Dukakis, he also starred on TV's 'Brooklyn Bridge.' darko@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach and Darko �ubrini�) Tue, 12 Jun 2018 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/11077/1/Stjepan-Radic-1871-1928-a-great-Croatian-politician-humanist-and-martyr.html In 2018 we commemorate a tragic death of Stjepan Radiæ, one of the greatest Croatian politicians and humanists in history (on the photo with his grandchildren), assassinated in 1928 in the Belgrade Parliament. We provide an articl written by Dr. Ante Cuvalo, an information about a new street in the Prague bearing his name (and his wife Marija was a Czech schoolteacher), as well as an article about him written by a Danish writer Karin Michaelis, who used to know his family in person. We conclude the article with a very interesting article of Stjepan Radiæ about the Russian Branch of the noble Croatian family of Jelaèiæ. darko@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach and Darko �ubrini�) Tue, 05 Jun 2018 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/11071/1/Ratimir-Mocnaj-1935-2018-deserving-member-of-AMCA-Quebec-and-of-the-CROWN-family-passed-away.html Born and educated in Zagreb, Croatia, Ratimir Mocnaj enjoyed a long and successful career as a chemical engineer first in Germany, and then his second home, Canada. He was a deserving member of the AMCA Quebec (AMCA = Almae Matris Croaticae Alumni) in Canada, as well as of the CROWN (Croatian World Network), where he served as a moderator of the Croatian World Calendar web iste, initiated by Nenad Bach. He will be greatly missed by his wife, Ana, children, Mark (Maa), Christine (Sylvain), granddaughter Sophie, his step-granddaughter Elisabeth (Anthony), and many friends and extended family. darko@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach and Darko �ubrini�) Wed, 25 Apr 2018 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/11033/1/Mladen-Ibler-1937-2017-distinguished-Croatian-medical-scientist-and-diplomat.html Dr. Mladen Ibler, born in Zagreb, besides his native Croatian, spoke English, Danish, German and Russian. He organized Croatian workshops at the International Peace and Understanding Conference in Copenhagen (1989) and Vienna (1991) and lectured at the same conference in Copenhagen (1994). As the president of the Croatian Cultural Association in Denmark, he worked on the international recognition of Croatia and the establishment of political and diplomatic relations between those two countries. He was Honorary Consul of Croatia to Denmark 1994, as well as ambassador to Sweden, Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia and Finland domiciled in Stockholm in 1996. From 1999 till 2005 he was ambassador of Croatia to Australia and New Zealand, with residency in Canberra. darko@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach and Darko �ubrini�) Fri, 01 Dec 2017 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/11032/1/Slobodan-Praljak-1945-2017-the-truth-about-Croatia-and-Bosnia-Herzegovina.html On the photo Slobodan Praljak 1945-2017, portrayed by Ante Gotovina. Slobodan Praljak is holder of three academic titles - in Electrical Engineering, in Humanities (Sociology and Philosophy) and from Theatre and Film Academy, all of them from the University of Zagreb. On Carla del Ponte: "If I, by any chance, Slobodan Praljak, had written or said such qualification [see in the article], no matter when, in any form whatsoever, in relation to any nation or group during the war in the territories of the former Yugoslavia, I would have been sentenced to 5 years of prison for it only." darko.zubrinic@gmail.com (Darko �ubrini�) Wed, 29 Nov 2017 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/10960/1/Jean-Lunt-Marinovic-has-published-One-Day-in-May-8211-Bleiburg-1945.html The author's mission in 'One Day in May – Bleiburg 1945' is to provide an up-to-date narrative of events known as the 'Bleiburg Tragedy'.  Written in the English language, this 314 page book focuses on the negotiations at the Bleiburg castle, includes maps and photographs, and provides answers to important questions using numerous sources, including British, American and Croatian. The author, Jean Lunt Marinovic, is of British background, has published over 100 articles in the Croatian-Australian media and has been active in the Croatian community since the 1980s. violicalvert@optusnet.com.au (Violi Calvert) Sat, 11 Feb 2017 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/10923/1/Vukovar-1991---2016-and-music-inspired-by-the-destiny-of-the-Baroque-city-on-Danube-river.html Twenty five years have passed since the 1991 Vukovar tragedy. We provide several music expressions inspired by the events which marked Croatian contemporary history, as well as that of contemporary Europe. Among others, we provide music by Nenad Bach, Tomislav Ivèiæ (on the photo), Veritas aeterna, Dalmatino, Klapa Adriaticum, Buco, Miroslav ©tivèiæ and others. darko.zubrinic@gmail.com (Darko �ubrini�) Sat, 19 Nov 2016 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/10910/1/Stanko-Bilinskis-rhombic-dodecahedron-discovered-in-Croatia-in-1960-and-nicely-described-by-Matt-Parker-.html Academician Stanko Bilinski 1909-1998, was distinguished Croatian mathematician, an expert in the field of Geometry. In 1960, he discovered the rhombic dodecahedron. A consequence of results from his PhD dissertation defended in 1944 (published in 1948, both at the University of Zagreb) is that there are precisely 14 semiregular (Archemidian) polyhedra. His results are cited and discussed by distinguished geometers like Coxeter, Grünbaum, Miyazaki, Tekada, and others. In May 2016, Matt Parker from the University of London (Queen Mary) created a very interesting and entertaining video in Dubrovnik, dealing with this nice geometric object. darko.zubrinic@gmail.com (Darko �ubrini�) Sat, 15 Oct 2016 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/10852/1/Sibe-Mardesic-1927-2016-distinguished-Croatian-mathematician-and-Fellow-of-the-AMS.html Professor Sibe Marde¹iæ: "I have been very devoted and faithful to Mathematics in Zagreb. I dedicated approximately equal shares of my time and energy to research, teaching and organization. I tried to transfer to Zagreb good things that I saw at other more developed places. I paid particular attention to teaching at the graduate level." Professor Sibe Marde¹iæ is a member of the Croatian Academy of Sciences and a Fellow of the prestigious American Mathemacial Society. He had over 260 lectures at conferences and universities in 20 countries. Besides his native Croatian, he fluently spoke six languages. We provide an interesting interview with him conducted by Professor James Keesling, USA. darko@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach and Darko �ubrini�) Sat, 18 Jun 2016 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/10833/1/Branko-Leskovar-1930-2016-distinguished-Croatian-American-expert-in-Electrical-Engineering--Electronics.html Dr Branko Leskovar, born in Croatia's capital Zagreb, earned his PhD in Electrical Engineering from the University of Zagreb. Since 1965 he worked atthe  Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory at the University of California, Berkeley. His work in resolution studies of electro-optical devices has had profound benefits on development and manufacturing of new devices with significantly improved characteristics. These methods have been accepted world-wide by government and industrial laboratories. Upon retirement, he served as Scientific Advisor to numerous universities and US government agencies. He was a fellow of IEEE and Sigma Xi societies. darko@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach and Darko �ubrini�) Fri, 22 Apr 2016 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/10820/1/Vladimir-Novak-1928-2016-distinguished-Croatian-American-photographer.html Vladimir Novak, distinguished Croatian-American photographer, born in the city of Vara¾din in 1928, died in Croatia's capital Zagreb in 2016. He will be remembered for his extremely interesting photos dealing with the work and life Croatian emigrants in the USA. Some of his photo-testimonials can be seen on the web pages of the CROWN, as well as on related web pages. Vi¹nja Stare¹ina, in her important documentary film "Narodni neprijatelj" (People's Enemy), released in 2015, among seven short biographies described also that of Vladimir Novak. darko@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach and Darko �ubrini�) Tue, 22 Mar 2016 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/10811/1/Umro-je-Dr-Slobodan-Lang-smrt-koja-nas-moralno-obvezuje-na-gradnju-mira-i-einjenje-dobra.html Umro je ... hrvatski domoljub i nacionalist, ®idov i Hrvat, ¹tovatelj i sljedbenik ideja i vjere Isusa Krista, hrabar èovjek u ratu, spasitelj brojnih ljudskih ¾ivota, idejni zaèetnik humanitarnih konvoja "Libertas" (uz Branku ©eparoviæ) i "Bijeli put" (s Hermanom Vuku¹iæem), odan suprug i bri¾an i nje¾an otac i djed, sin velikog znanstvenika i plemenitog èovjeka dr. Rikarda Langa ... Ni¹ta od onog ¹to je bio Slobodan Lang nije nikada pre¹utio i zatajio i zato bi nas njegova smrt mogla potaknuti na gradnju mira i èinjenje dobra. (Prof.dr. Slaven Letica) slaven1947@gmail.com (Prof.Dr. Slaven Letica) Tue, 23 Feb 2016 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/10783/1/Bernard-Luketich-1931-2015-president-of-Croatian-Fraternal-Union-in-the-USA-during-37-years.html Bernard Luketich was instrumental in the organization of the National Federation of Croatian Americans (NFCA) when a strong need existed for unifying all Croatians living in the United States. He was the recipient of numerous citations and prestigious awards from the Croatian government, was honored as Man of the Year by the United CFU Four County Lodges, CFU Scholarship Foundation Inc., the Fraternal Societies of Greater Pittsburgh and several other fraternal organizations, including John Jordan Upchurch Award for distinguished leadership and service to the fraternal benefit system. He liked to play tamburitza, Croatian national instrument. darko@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach and Darko �ubrini�) Wed, 30 Dec 2015 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/10666/1/Mirogoj-Cemetery-in-Croatias-capital-Zagreb-through-the-lens-of-Nikola-Piasevoli.html Mirogoj is one of the most beautiful city cemeteries in Europe. It has been designed by Austrian architect Herman Bollé, starting from 1879 to 1929 when it was completed. Many famous Croatians are burried there. Furthermore, with its pleasant atmosphere and numerous high quality works of art, it is a nice place for rest and meditation. All the photos have been taken by Mr. Nikola Piasevoli from Zagreb. With this presentation we wish all the readers of the CROWN and their families a happy Easter. nikola@piasevoli.com (Nikola Piasevoli) Fri, 03 Apr 2015 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/10661/1/Danny-Schechter-1942---2015-journalist-documentary-filmmaker-social-justice-activist-and-media-critic.html By definition Danny was a journalist, documentary filmmaker, social justice activist and media critic, but that would be a reduction and simplification of what Danny real was and is. The man who understood the world affairs; talks one minute to the president of a country and the next minute talks to a group of elementary school kids. Only highly intelligent and highly compassionate people can do that. Danny did and could work for major networks as a highly paid producer. By being and staying as an independent journalist, Danny chose truth vs comfort. Only rare birds put such value on truth. letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sat, 21 Mar 2015 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/10642/1/Michael-Bilandic-mayor-of-Chicago-1977-1979-proud-of-his-Croatian-heritage.html Michael Bilandic was born in 1923 in Chicago, Illinois and was one of four children born of his Croatian immigrant parents. His father was from a village near Sinj, Croatia and his mother was from the island of Brac, also in Croatia. In 1977 he was elected as Chicago’s 40th mayor until 1979. He was devoted to his family, faithful to his church, and proud of his Croatian heritage. He was presented the Vinodol Code Award in recognition of his outstanding contribution to the administration of justice in Illinois. darko.zubrinic@gmail.com (Darko �ubrini�) Mon, 19 Jan 2015 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/10634/1/Franjo-Dugan-playing-organs-in-Zagreb-during-the-first-public-registration-of-a-gramophone-record-in-Europe.html The first remote public registration of a gramophone record in continental Europe was successfully organized in Croatia's capital Zagreb, 1927. It was the third such registration in the world, after the USA, New York in 1925 and GB, London in 1926. The concert of Croatian Christmas carols with Franjo Dugan as the organist in the Zagreb Cathedral (stuffed with 2000 worshippers who were singing), had been registered for the Edison - Bell - Penkala Co. in Zagreb. We mention in passing that Penkala was a famous Croatian inventor, known among others for his "chemical pen", named as penkala in his honor. darko.zubrinic@gmail.com (Darko �ubrini�) Sat, 27 Dec 2014 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/10631/1/Mia-Slavenska-Croatian-American-ballerina-broadcast-premiere-quotMia-a-Dancers-Journeyquot.html "Mia, a dancer's journey" aired November 20th on PBS SoCaL in Southern California and received great ratings and great reviews in the press! Viewers can catch an encore of the film on PBS SoCaL, Thursday, January 29, 2015 at 9 pm! In February, the film will be released to PBS stations across the country and millions of Americans will have access to this film on television. This is the first time a film like this about a Croatian American ballerina has been distributed nationally on Public Television and we are very happy about this accomplishment. Adding to the excitement, the film will have a film festival premiere at the Lincoln Center in New York in January, 2015. darko@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach and Darko �ubrini�) Sun, 30 Nov 2014 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/10556/1/Ivan-Bjelovucic-the-first-in-history-to-fly-over-the-Alps-in-1913.html One of the greatest successes of Ivan Bjelovuèiæ (1889 – 1949) was achieved on 25 January 1913 when, as a French pilot, he managed to fly over the Alps between Brigue and Domodossola in 26 minutes and thus become the first pilot in the history who did it. Born in Peru, on his father's side he was a descendant from the family of sea captains from Janjina, Pelje¹ac peninsula in Croatia. Recently a postage stamp was issued in his honor in Croatia in 100,000 copies. marinko.frka@gmail.com (Mauricij Frka-Pete�i�) Fri, 02 May 2014 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/10533/1/Vinko-Coce-1954-2013-Croatian-tenor-and-klapa-singer-from-the-city-of-Trogir.html Vinko Coce is a distingushed Croatian pop and klapa singer, known for his numerous unforgettable songs like "Vilo moja“ (My Fairy), „Ribari“ (Mariners), or „Mirno spavaj ru¾o moja“ (Sleep peacefully my rose). He is known for his numerous humanitarian concerts, in particular during the 1990s. Among his memorable appearances are the concerts at the grand stadium in the city of Split. We invite You to listen to his singing. darko.zubrinic@gmail.com (Darko �ubrini�) Tue, 11 Mar 2014 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/10524/1/Mike-Stepovic-the-Last-Territorial-Governor-of-Alaska-dies-on-14-February-2014-in-San-Diego.html Former Governor Mike Stepovich was the last Territorial Governor and the last surviving Territorial Governor of Alaska when he died in San Diego on Friday the 14th of February 2014. Mike Stepovich is survived by six daughters Antonia Gore, Nada Stockton, Maria Greulich, Laura Tramonte, Andrea McGill and Melissa Cook; seven sons Michael, Peter, Christopher, Dominic, Theodore, Nicholas and James; thirty-seven grandchildren, ten great-grandchildren; two half sisters, Nada Houston and Ellen Burdette; and two half-brothers, Michael and Alexander Stepovich. slavonac46@gmail.com (David Byler) Sat, 22 Feb 2014 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/10513/1/Karlo-J-Mirth-1917-2013-distinguished-Croatian-writer-and--lifetime-president-of-Croatian-Academy-of-America.html Karlo Mirth was born in Otoèac in Croatian region of Lika, where also Nikola Tesla was born. He studied Forestry and Civil Engineering at the University of Zagreb. Forced to leave Croatia after 1945, he studied  Journalism at the University of Rome. He later studied at the Universities of Barcelona and Madrid, and the Library Sciences at Columbia University. Karlo Mirth was a prolific writer of many articles related to Croatian culture and history. He was very active in Croatian Academy of America, and in 2013 published his autobiographical book ®ivot u emigraciji (Life as an Emigree). darko.zubrinic@gmail.com (Darko �ubrini�) Sun, 02 Feb 2014 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/10509/1/Milan-Horvat-1919-2014-distinguished-Croatian-conductor-collaborated-with-worlds-most-famous-orchestras.html For five years, from 1951 to 1956, maestro Milan Horvat was chief conductor of the National Symphony Orchestra in Dublin. Than in 1969 up to 1975 he led the newly formed Symphony Orchestra ORF in Vienna. He was an honorary conductor of the Lausanne Chamber Orchestra. He collaborated with the greatest soloists of the world such as Mstislav Rostropovich, David Oistrakh, Yehudi Menuhin, Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli, etc. He taught at the University of Graz in Austria, where his star pupil was Fabio Luisi, now music director of the Zurich Opera. The key to his vitality was, as he put it, his "hunger for music". darko@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach and Darko �ubrini�) Fri, 24 Jan 2014 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/10495/1/Bijeli-Put---White-Path-10-26-December-1993-the-greatest-humanitarian-action-in-European-History.html Dr. Slobodan Lang is one of initators of White Path / Bijeli Put humanitarian project. Bijeli Put 1993 is the greatest humanitarian project in European History. It is the first and only successful joint humanitarian project of Catholic Christians and Muslims. In December 2013 the 20 years since the White Path has been solmenly marked in the building of the Council of the City of Zagreb. darko.zubrinic@gmail.com (Darko �ubrini�) Wed, 11 Dec 2013 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/10484/1/Ivana-Kuncs-new-sophisticated-CD-entitled-KUNC-PLAYS-KUNC-dedicated-to-her-father-Bozidar.html   We are very pleased to announce Ivana Kunc's new and very sophisticated musical project on CD entitled KUNC PLAYS KUNC, dedicated to her father Bo¾idar Kunc, distinguished Croatian pianist and composer, who spent the last fourteen years of his life in the United States. His beloved and noble wife DeElda Kunc b. Fiebelkorn, a gifted poetess, passed away in 2013. darko@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach and Darko �ubrini�) Wed, 20 Nov 2013 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/10483/1/Vukovar-is-an-indelible-part-of-European-and-World-History.html In this article we have collected some of the songs and verses dedicated to the tragic destiny of the city of Vukovar and its citizens. The destiny of numerous victims is still not known. This Baroque city on the Danube river was savagely destroyed in 1991. darko.zubrinic@gmail.com (Darko �ubrini�) Mon, 18 Nov 2013 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/10443/1/Carmen-Verlichak-Croatian-Argentinean-writer-published-a-monograph-El-Cardenal-Stepinac-in-Buenos-Aires-2013.html In 2013 Carmen Verlichak, Croatian-Argentiean writer living in Buenos Aires, wrote a monograph about Blessed Cardinal dr. Alojzije Stepinac 1898-1960, entitled El Cardenal Stepinac. It has been published by the Krivodol Press in Argentinean's capital. This is the first monograph in Castellano about this important historical and religious figure published in South America. In 1998 Cardinal Alojzije Stepinac was beatified by Pope John Paul II in Marija Bistrica, during his second Apostolic visit to Croatia. darko.zubrinic@gmail.com (Darko �ubrini�) Sun, 28 Jul 2013 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/10439/1/Fr-Ante-Gabric-SJ---An-Apostle-of-the-Sundarbans-Croatian-missionary-in-Bengal-India.html Many among those who worked and lived with Fr. Ante continue to give witness to the holiness of this great missionary they knew, and some are convinced that âGod visited us in the form of Fr. Ante Gabricâ. The work started by Fr. Ante and other missionaries is being continued today among the Santals, who are much more deserving and are still in the periphery, but witnessing to the faith by their lives. The Calcutta Jesuit province while thanking the Lord for giving a worthy and zealous missionary to Bengal thank also the Croatian Province and the people Croatia for their continued prayerful support for the ever growing mission today. The article was written by Fr. Irudaya Jothi SJ of the Calcutta Jesuit Province. jothisj@gmail.com (Fr. Irudaya Jothi SJ) Sun, 07 Jul 2013 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/10429/1/Drazen-Petrovic-1964-1993-distinguished-Croatian-basketball-player-and-the-greatest-European-player-of-all-times.html Dra¾en Petroviæ initially achieved success playing professional basketball for Croatian clubs ©ibenka and Cibona, and in Europe (Real Madrid in Spain) in the 1980s before joining the American NBA in 1989. In 1993 Dra¾en died in a car accident at the age of 28. Petroviæ earned two silver medals and one bronze in Olympic basketball, a gold and a bronze in the FIBA World Championship, and a gold and a bronze in the FIBA European Championship. He earned four Euroscar Awards, and was named Mr. Europa in basketball twice. At the Olympic Games in 1992, he was the leader of the Croatian basketball team, which won all games except the final against the USA. darko.zubrinic@gmail.com (Darko �ubrini�) Mon, 24 Jun 2013 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/10427/1/A-famous-Croatian-Professor-Balthazar-shown-by-Google-on-its-front-page-on-June-21st-2013.html Professor Balthazar is probably the most famous Croatian professor in the world, a popular figure of cartoon movies, familiar to millions of children throughout the world. It has been created in 1967, that is, 46 years ago, by Zlatko Grgiæ, a member of the lagendary Zagreb School of Animated Film. On June 21st 2013 Google placed the professor on its front page. Professor Balthazar was equally popular among children fourty years ago, as is today. darko@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach and Darko �ubrini�) Sat, 22 Jun 2013 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/10424/1/Joseph-Thomas-Rukavina-1922-2013-Croatian-humanitarian-and-Democratic--activist-in-the-USA.html Joseph Thomas Rukavina, 91 years old of White Bear Lake, MN died on June 10, 2013 at Southview Acres Health Care Center  in West St. Paul. Joe was a long time activist within the Democratic party and so proud of his work with three Croatian American groups:  Croatian Fraternal Union, MN Croatian Cultural Society and the National Federation of Croatian Americans (co-founder).  He was honored with awards from both the Republic of Croatia and The White House for his outstanding humanitarian work during the 1990s war in Croatia and in Bosnia-Herzegovina.  He was a founding member of St. Pius X Church in White Bear Lake and was active there  for 59 years. darko@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach and Darko �ubrini�) Wed, 19 Jun 2013 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/10406/1/General-Dr-Ivan-Prodan-1927-2013-founder-of-Croatian-Veteran-Association-in-1990.html Primarius Dr. Ivan Prodan, Croatian general, was the first president of the Croatian Veteran Association, founded in 1990. Since 1993 this association was a full member of the World Veteran Federation (WVF) with its seat in Paris. Furthermore, Dr. Prodan was the first Croatian to have been elected as a member of the Permanent committee of the WVF. Croatian Veterans gave an important contribution to the defense of sovreignity of the Republic of Croatia. darko@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach and Darko �ubrini�) Tue, 14 May 2013 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/10402/1/Adam-Eterovich-1931-2013-distinguished-researcher-of-the-history-and-culture-of-Croatian-diaspora-in-the-USA.html Adam Eterovich's studies of Croatian diaspora in the USA are inavoidable for understanding the contribution Croatians to the history of the USA. He has accumulated and published a list of several hundred thosanad of names of Croatian Americans. On his well known web-site www.croatians.com Mr. Eterovich has selected dozens of interesting biographies, some of which left indelible mark in the history of the USA, like Nikola Tesla (the father of three-phase system in world's electrical engineering), Anthony Lucas (or Antun Luèiæ, a father of world's petroleum engineering), Mario Puretiæ (Puratiæ, important inventor in fishing industry), etc. etc. darko.zubrinic@gmail.com (Darko �ubrini�) Thu, 02 May 2013 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/10397/1/Margaret-Thatcher-1925-2013-It-is-a-great-pleasure-to-speak-to-you-here-in-the-ancient-capital-of-your-beautiful-country.html Margaret Thatcher passed away on 8 April 2013. One of her greatest achievements came when she was no longer Prime Minister. She came out in support of recognising and arming Croatia in 1991 when Serbia had invaded and she did the same for Bosnia-Hercegovina when Belgrade turned its aggression onto that country. In so doing she helped focus international onto who was the aggressor. She played her role in combating the return of genocide to Europe. (Brian Gallagher, London) darko.zubrinic@gmail.com (Darko �ubrini�) Tue, 09 Apr 2013 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/10393/1/Ferdinand-Kulmer-1925-1998-distinguished-Croatian-painter-author-of-Croatia-Phoenix-series--in-1991.html According to Mr. Ante Glibota, distinguished Art Historian, a Croatian living in Paris and Shanghai, nobody in the contemporary history of Croatian art has so successfuly and convincingly described the drama of the creation of the Republic of Croatia, as Ferdinand Kulmer. Ferdinand Kulmer was a witness of the drama, which he superbly described in his paintings, and announced the victory in a series called Croatia Phoenix already in 1991. Born in France, Kulmer was a descendant of Croatian nobility, sharing the destiny of all Croatians. His works of art are described in several representative monographs written by Ante Glibota. darko.zubrinic@gmail.com (Darko �ubrini�) Sat, 30 Mar 2013 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/10392/1/Happy-Easter-from-distinguished-Croatian-painter-Zdenka-Sertic-1899-1986.html Zdenka Sertiæ 1899-1986 studied painting in Zagreb, Berlin and Paris, and specialized in drawings related to Croatian folklore. From 1939 to 1941 directed the Ethnographic Museum in Zagreb. She painted some of the most beautiful Croatian postage stamps, and participated in exhibitions in Paris, Leipzig, Barcelona, Berlin, Kopenhagen, Haag and Bruxelles. She also painted several beautiful Easter greeting cards, that we show in this article. According to Dr. Vedran Deletis, NY, "Croatian glagolitic Lenten chants retrace a venerable and direct link to our ancestors, our roots, and our religious belief. Born out of Middle Ages, they continue to extend an unbroken tradition of Croatian history..." darko.zubrinic@gmail.com (Darko �ubrini�) Wed, 27 Mar 2013 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/10356/1/Jacob-Jake-Matijevic-1947-2012-NASA-engineer-of-Croatian-origin-father-of-Curiosity-rover-on-Mars.html  Jacob (Richard) Matijevic, also known as "Jake" Matijevic, (3 November 1947 - 20 August 2012) was an American NASA engineer of Croatian origin who worked on Mars Exploration Rovers. Dr. Matijevic, PhD in Mathematics from the University of Chicago, was involved in developing the "Sojourner", "Spirit", "Opportunity" and "Curiosity" rovers. For his contributions to the rover projects, NASA named several landmarks (including "Matijevic Hill" and "Jake Matijevic" rock) for him on the planet Mars. darko@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach and Darko �ubrini�) Sun, 30 Dec 2012 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/10291/1/Kathy-Wilkes-Dr-Honoris-Causa-of-the-University-of-Zagreb-2001.html Dr. Katheleen Wilkes (1946-2003), during her speech at the University of Zagreb in 2001: A charming thought to start a rather depressing talk. Johann Gottfried von Herder, in 1791: “How wonderfully has Nature separated nations, not only by woods and mountains, seas and deserts, rivers and climates, but most particularly by languages, inclinations and characters, so that the work of subjugating despotism might be rendered more difficult...” darko_zubrinic@yahoo.com (Prof.Dr. Darko Zubrinic) Wed, 04 Jul 2012 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/10279/1/Thomas-Crowley-1949-1995-Irish-hero-of-Croatian-defense-1991-1995.html Thomas Crawley (1949-1995) arrived to Croatia in 1991, where he participated in its defense. He tragically died in 1995 at the age of 46. He was a Major of Croatian Army. Commemorative Mass in his honor has been organized in the city of Split on 10th June 2012 in the Cathedral of St. Dujam. His earthy remains are buried in the Split cemetery. Thomas Crowley is not only the son of Ireland, but also the son of Croatia. darko@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach and Darko �ubrini�) Sun, 10 Jun 2012 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/10255/1/The-Society-to-Preserve-the-Millvale-Murals-of-Croatian-painter-Maxo-Vanka.html  Maxo Vanka's murals for Millvale's Croatian Church of St. Nicholas are a unique contribution to the American mural movement of the 1930s and 1940s. The Society to Preserve the Millvale Murals of Maxo Vanka is a nonprofit public supported historic art preservation organization. Vanka's work touches upon common themes of his era, including family, labor, and war, but with a focus upon the disenfranchised and the dispossessed. darko_zubrinic@yahoo.com (Prof.Dr. Darko Zubrinic) Sun, 06 May 2012 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/10253/1/Mia-Slavenska-1916-2002-Croatian-ballerina-one-of-the-greatest.html   Mia Èorak Slavenska, born in Croatia, a child star at 4 in Croatia's capital Zagreb, became a solo dancer at 12, prima ballerina at Croatian National Theatre in Zagreb at 18, starred as prima ballerina of the Ballet Russe in Paris, Ballet Theatre, London Festival Ballet. Organized her first ballet company at 12. With Slavenska-Franklin Ballet, created dance history with the ballet A Streetcar Named Desire. Mia was fluent in five languages. She also starred in the prize-winning French film, Ballerina (in French La Mort du Cygne), considered one of the best ballet films ever made. darko_zubrinic@yahoo.com (Prof.Dr. Darko Zubrinic) Wed, 25 Apr 2012 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/10241/1/Ljubica-Stefan-1921-2002-Croatian-Righteous-courageous-historian-and-publicist.html With this article we commemorate 10 years since the death of Ljubica ©tefan, distinguished Croatian intellectual, exceptionally courageous historian and publicist, recipient of the medal of Righteous among the Nations from Yad Vashem. On 17 March 2012 the Holy Mass has been served in her memory by Rev. Josip Kuhtiæ in the Zagreb Cathedral, assisted by Mons. Dr. Juraj Batelja. She risked her life living in Belgrade until 1992,  and publishing her books in Zagreb under several pseudonims during the Serbian aggression on Croatia and BiH (Bosnia and Herzegovina). In 1992 she left Belgrade leaving there literally all her property. The Prize of Ljubica ©tefan has been established in her honour in Zagreb in  2009 for exceptional publicist and scientific work. darko_zubrinic@yahoo.com (Prof.Dr. Darko Zubrinic) Fri, 16 Mar 2012 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/10235/1/The-Righteous-Road-of-Stepinac---film-by-Jakov-Sedlar-produced-by-FILMIND-Tel-Aviv.html Important testimonies of Amiel Schromony (1917-2009), Dan Baran and others about blessed cardinal Alojzije Stepinac (1898-1960) in a film by Jakov Sedlar. Text written by Rev. ®ivko Kustiæ, narrated by Rick Alerson,  produced by Ron Assouline, Jakov Sedlar and Igor Prizmiæ, executive producers Dominik Sedlar and Stephen Ollendorf. Digital postproduction by FILMIND - Tel Aviv, 2009. Available on YouTube since February 2012. darko_zubrinic@yahoo.com (Prof.Dr. Darko Zubrinic) Mon, 27 Feb 2012 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/10218/1/William-Feller-distinguished-Croatian-American-mathematician---first-monograph.html William Feller 1906-1970 was born in Croatia's capital Zagreb, where he studied mathematics, professor of mathematics at Princeton Univeristy since 1950. Feller is one of the founders of Probability Theory as a scientific discipline, and best known for his two volume monograph An Introduction to Probability Theory and Its Applications, which is considered as one of the finest mathematical textbooks of the 20th century. A bilingual Croatian-English monograph has been published in Zagreb in 2011, written by Darko ®ubriniæ, dedicated to the life and work of William Feller. letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Mon, 09 Jan 2012 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/10201/1/VUKOVAR-1991---2011-CRIME-WITHOUT-PUNISHMENT---ZLOEIN-BEZ-KAZNE.html Remember Vukovar! darko@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach and Darko �ubrini�) Fri, 18 Nov 2011 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/10199/1/Dinko-Fio-1924-2011-distinguished-Croatian-composer-and-conductor-died-at-the-age-of-87.html Dinko Fio ostvario je i obiman skladateljski opus na temeljima tradicijske glazbe, a neke njegove pjesme toliko su povezane s tradicijom da ih se èesto smatra izvornim napjevima. Njegov autorski opus objavljen je u jedanaest zbirki i na tridesetak diskografskih izdanja. Kao melograf i obraðivaè spasio je od zaborava neke od najljep¹ih narodnih napjeva iz Dalmacije, zapisao ih te priredio za izvedbe dalmatinskih klapa i zborova. darko_zubrinic@yahoo.com (Prof.Dr. Darko Zubrinic) Wed, 16 Nov 2011 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/10186/1/Ljubo-Stipisic-Delmata-1938-2011-distinguished-composer-and-proponent-of-Croatian-music-and-spirituality.html Ljubo Stipi¹iæ Delmata's personality contains a multitude of traits: composer, poet, melodiographer, painter, producer, conductor of a-capella ensembles, etc. Maestro Delmata has been honored numerous prestigious music awards including several lifetime achievement awards. His work is of immeasurable musicological and cultural importance, especially for preservation and strengthening of the identity of  Croatia. Maestro Ljubo Stipi¹iæ died on October 9th 2011 at the age of 74. darko@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach and Darko �ubrini�) Mon, 10 Oct 2011 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/10152/1/Gordan-Lederer-Croatian-cameraman-and-reporter-killed-during-Serbian-aggression-on-Croatia-in-1991.html A letter from Gordan Lederer's mother: I hereby announce publicly that my son GORDAN LEDERER was treacherrously murdered on 9th August 1991, by a mercenary gang of Chetniks while holding a camera in his hand, and that, thanks to the Chetnik collaborator, General Raseta, he was denied any chance of survival. Gordan Lederer's mother, Vlasta Lederer, Ph.D., consultant, spec. anaesthesiology and reanimatology. Published in Vjesnik, Zagreb 14th August 1991. With this article we mark 20 years since the tragic death of our friend Gordan on 10th August 1991. Seventeen Croatian newspaperman and cameraman have been assassinated during the Serbian 1991-1995 aggression on Croatia. darko_zubrinic@yahoo.com (Prof.Dr. Darko Zubrinic) Wed, 10 Aug 2011 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/10137/1/Branko-Fucic-1920-1999-representative-collection-of-conference-papers-published-about-his-life-and-work.html  Sixty three conference papers from the International Scholarly Seminar on the Life and Work of Academician Branko Fuèiæ (1920-1999) have been published in 2011 in voluminous, representative monograph comprising 844 pp. Branko Fuèiæ was distinguished expert in Croatian Glagolitic Script, in the history of Croatian church art, in particular for the area of Istria, dr. honoris causa in theology, and recipient of Herder's prize in Vienna. The monograph has been edited by dr. Tomislav Galoviæ of the Faculty of Arts and Letters, University of Zagreb. darko_zubrinic@yahoo.com (Prof.Dr. Darko Zubrinic) Sat, 02 Jul 2011 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/10097/1/Iva-Eaeija-1953-2011.html Iva Èaèija, djevojaèko prezime Vidiæ, roð. 19.01.1953. u Sinju, kao èlan stare sinjske obitelji Vidiæ, podrijetlom sa Èitluka. iznenadno preminula, od posljedica mo¾danog udara, dana 29. o¾ujka 2011.g. Iva je bila prekrasna osoba, puna zivotne mudrosti, veselja, razumijevanja prema bliznjima, duhovita...nematerijalna. Supruga poznatog Hrvatskog skladatelja Mojimira Èaèije. letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Thu, 31 Mar 2011 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/10081/1/Mate-Ujevic-1901-1967-the-founder-and-editor-in-chief-of-Croatian-Encyclopaedia.html Dr. Mate Ujeviæ was the greatest Croatian lexicographer of the 20th century. The first volume of Croatian Encyclopaedia was published on 10 February 1941. Five volumes were published until 1945, out of 12 planned volumes. He was editor in chief of The Martitime Encyclopaedia published in 1954 in eight volumes. Dr. Ujeviæ was posthumosly honoured by the title of righteous among the nations by Yad Vashem. ibirtic@gmail.com (Iva Ujevi� Birti� and Darko �ubrini�) Mon, 21 Feb 2011 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/10072/1/Dr-Kathleen-V-Wilkes-1946-2003-devoted-her-life-to-the-victory-of-Croatia.html Dr. Kathleen Vaughan Wilkes was a distinguished British humanist, professor of philosophy at the University of Oxford, and also taught at the Inter-University Centre in Dubrovnik, Croatia. During the Serbian siege of the City in 1991 and 1992, she was spreading the truth about its merciless destruction. Dr. Wilkes wrote on Dec 26, 1991: "Dubrovnik... there is still no water or electricity, scant food, no glass in the windows, temperature at freezing point..." darko_zubrinic@yahoo.com (Prof.Dr. Darko Zubrinic) Fri, 11 Feb 2011 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/10035/1/Carla-Martinis-1922-2010-Croatian-opera-star-in-Vienna.html   Dragica Martinis (January 19, 1922 - October 8, 2010), better kown as Carla Martinis, was born in  Croatia in a small village of Danèuloviæi in the region of ®umberak west of Zagreb, near the town of So¹ice. An Austrian newpapers proclaimed her to be an "acoustic miracle". Herbert von Karajan chose her to have the role of Aida in 1951 for the solemn concert organized on the occasion of 50 years since the death of Giuseppe Verdi. darko_zubrinic@yahoo.com (Prof.Dr. Darko Zubrinic) Mon, 15 Nov 2010 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/10032/1/Michael-McAdams-1947-2010-historian-and-sincere-Croatian-friend.html C. Michael McAdams (1947-2010) is best known for his important monograph Hrvatska - mit i istina (Croatia Myth & Reality), published in Croatian, Swedish, Danish, Spanish (2 editions), and English (3 editions). Other translations are planned. We invite you to read an article by Croatian historian Dr. Ante Èuvalo written in memory of Michael McAdams. cuvalo@gmail.com (Dr. Ante �uvalo) Sat, 13 Nov 2010 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/10015/1/Marko-Brekoviae-1942-2010-a-founder-of-Dubravacki-trubaduri.html After a long and difficult illness, Marko Bre¹koviæ passed on August 29th, 2010 at the age of 69. Together with Ðelo Jusiæ, Luciano Capurso, Hamo Hajdarhod¾iæ, Bobo Berdoviæ and Ladislav Padjen, he helped form the legendary group Dubrovaèki trubaduri. He will be buried on September 1, 2010 at Bonino cemetery in Dubrovnik. stecak@sbcglobal.net (Marko Pulji�) Tue, 31 Aug 2010 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/10008/1/Zvonimir-Atletic-photographs-inspired-by-Mother-Teresa.html On the occasion of 100 years since the birth of Mother Teresa, Croatian photographer Zvonimir Atletiæ has an exhibition of photographs inspired by her missionary work. The exibition will take place in The Memorial House of Mother Teresa in Skopje, capital of Macedonia, August 26, 2010, at 8.00 pm.  Photo of Mother Teresa on the left by Zvonimir Atletiæ, Zagreb, Croatia. darko_zubrinic@yahoo.com (Prof.Dr. Darko Zubrinic) Fri, 20 Aug 2010 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/10003/1/George-Jure-Prpic-1920-2009-Croatian-American-historian.html Dr. Jure Prpiæ, Professor Emeritus of History, John Carroll University,  Cleveland USA, authored numerous books, booklets and articles. He wrote many articles in various Croatian immigrant publications., and deserves a special place in the history of the Association for Croatian Studies. Besides being one of its founders (1977), for quite a long time he was its main pillar and promoter. He was truly a gentle soul, a genuinely good person. darko_zubrinic@yahoo.com (Prof.Dr. Darko Zubrinic) Sat, 07 Aug 2010 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/9901/1/Ljeposlav-Perinic-1922-2005-the-King-of-Dolls.html The King of Dolls Ljeposlav Periniæ 1922-2005 was born in the city of Split, Croatia. After 1945 he lived in Argentina. His collection comprises dolls in national costumes donated by kings, queens, presidents, first ladies and prime ministers from about 120 countries. The collection is kept in Ethnographic Museum in Croatia's capital Zagreb. On the photo is the proud King with the dolls from Pakistan and India donated by Benazir Bhutto and Indira Gandhi. darko_zubrinic@yahoo.com (Prof.Dr. Darko Zubrinic) Wed, 16 Dec 2009 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/9859/1/Ivanka-Bubalo-from-Bosnian-Posavina-and-her-white-shirt.html Ivanka Bubalo, Croatian newspaper-woman, shared the martyrdom of exiled Croats from Bosanska Posavina, reporting about their difficulties in her numerous articles and radio reports. She is a strong representative of what we believe could be called the Croatian spirituality. A monograph "Bijela ko¹uljica Ivanke Bubalo" has been issued by the Plehan Society and Glas koncila in Zagreb. darko_zubrinic@yahoo.com (Prof.Dr. Darko Zubrinic) Sat, 05 Sep 2009 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/9853/1/-In-Memoriam-Virgilije-Nevjestiae-1935---2009.html Virgilije Nevjestiæ was a poet and an artist of rich, surreal and poetic expressions.  He was born in the village of Kolo near Tomislavgrad (BiH) in 1935 and moved to Paris in 1968, where he built a respectible artistic career. He died on August 24th 2009, after a long and difficult illness at La Tourelle hospital in the Parisian suburb of L'Hay-les-Roses, where he had been since September of last year. MBrkanovic@t-online.de (Mirna Brkanovic) Tue, 25 Aug 2009 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/9843/1/Ivan-Vucetic-dactiloscopy-exhibition-in-Milan-Italy-in-July-2009.html An important exhibition dedicated to Ivan Juan Vuèetiæ, founder of scientific dactiloscopy - identification by fingerprints, has been organized in Milan from July 8-20 2009, in the representative building of Palazzo Triennale  It was conceived by Ljerka Galic from the Croatian Hertage Foundation in Zagreb, who opened the exhibition in the presence of Consul General of Argentina, Consul General of Croatia, representatives of Italian State Police and other guests. darko_zubrinic@yahoo.com (Prof.Dr. Darko Zubrinic) Mon, 10 Aug 2009 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/9836/1/Bozidar-Finka-1925-1999-distinguished-Croatian-linguist.html Bo¾idar Finka 1925-1999 was distignuished Croatian linguist, a member of Croatian Academy of Sciences and Arts. This article has been published on the occasion of 10th year anniversary of his death. He is one of the authors of the Croatian orthography prepared in  1971. jasna.finka@zg.t-com.hr (Jasna Finka, prof.) Fri, 17 Jul 2009 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/9795/1/Joseph-Haydn-Austrian-and-Croatian-composer-died-200-years-ago.html Joseph Haydn (1732-1809), a famous Austrian and Croatian composer, died 200 years ago, May 31. He was born in a Croatian ethnic enclave in Burgenland (Gradi¹æe) in Austria. Joseph Haydn composed a lovely melody which is based on a very old Croatian folk song. He named it Volkslied (Folk song), and later it became the Austrian national anthem. This melody is the contemporary German national anthem that everybody knows. darko_zubrinic@yahoo.com (Prof.Dr. Darko Zubrinic) Fri, 22 May 2009 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/9748/1/Josip-Mikulec-tireless-world-hiker-hundred-years-ago.html  Very brave Croatian adventurer Josip Mikulec set out to circumnavigate the globe on foot in the span of five years.  With the start of this journey in Croatia's capital Zagreb he became a perpetual wanderer.  Mostly hiking, he traveled the world some 28 years and achieved a degree of fame for having collected more than 30,000 autographs of world-famous people.  cuvalo@gmail.com (Dr. Ante �uvalo) Wed, 18 Mar 2009 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/9710/1/Vladimir-Kristl-filmmaker-and-artist-from-Croatia.html Vladimir "Vlado" Kristl (24 January 1923 – 7 July 2004) was a filmmaker and artist from Zagreb, Croatia, best known for his celebrated animations and short films. Kristl first came to international prominence for his formally challenging and rigous animations, particularly Don Kihot. The film is a "graphical and abstract masterpiece which went beyond all existing conventions" darko_zubrinic@yahoo.com (Prof.Dr. Darko Zubrinic) Sun, 01 Mar 2009 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/9733/1/Pliva-In-Memoriam-ili-Kuda-quotplivaquot-na-Hrvatski-brod.html Povijest Plive zapoèinje otvaranjem vrata dionièarskog dru¹tva i tvornice "Ka¹tel" u Karlovcu 1921.g. Prvi je predsjednik odbora prof. dr. Gustav Janaèek. Ovaj tekst je geneza jedne Hrvatske prièe,  da se  ne bi ponovila. Kuda "pliva" na¹ Hrvatski brod. Mo¾emo li bolje? Odgovor znamo, ali tko ima petlje odraditi to s integritetom,  po¹tenjem i znanjem? Ima nas samo se tek povezujemo. doroteja.kirhmajer@zg.t-com.hr (Doroteja Kirhmajer Vuj�i�, mr. sci.) Thu, 26 Feb 2009 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/9722/1/International-conference-dedicated-to-the-memory-of-Branko-Fucic.html Branko Fuèiæ (1920-1999) is a distinguished historian of Croatian art and investigator of Croatian Glagolitic monuments. His work is especially important for Istrian peninsula. A three day international conference was superbly organized in Malinska on the island of Krk dedicated to the study of his life and work. More than 70 scientists have participated from seven countries: Croatia, Slovenia, Austria, Germany, Czech Republic, Russia, and Bulgaria. darko_zubrinic@yahoo.com (Prof.Dr. Darko Zubrinic) Sat, 07 Feb 2009 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/9712/1/In-Memoriam-Paul-Unger-a-great-friend-of-Croatia.html Paul A. Unger's small idea to help his beloved wife's Croatian homeland acquire a better understanding of democracy kept getting bigger until it became a truss on the bridge of people linking Cleveland with the world. Unger died Friday at the age of 94. frankmustac@yahoo.com (Frank Mustac) Thu, 29 Jan 2009 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/9672/1/Zlata-Bartl-Croatian-inventor-of-Vegeta-died.html Zlata Bartl (1920-2008) is known as inventor of Vegeta, an original, natural, and universal condiment of unique taste. Vegeta was created in 1958 in Podravka company in the town of Koprivnica, Croatia, and is used in over 40 countries. It is one of the most popular of European condiments. darko_zubrinic@yahoo.com (Prof.Dr. Darko Zubrinic) Sun, 14 Dec 2008 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/9658/1/Lavoslav-Ruzicka-Croatian-Nobel-Prize-winner-from-Vukovar.html Lavoslav Leopold Ru¾ièka (1887-1976) is one among three Croatian winners of the Nobel Prize. Born in the town of Vukovar, he obtained the Nobel Prize for chemistry while working et ETH, Zurich, Switzerland. In Vukovar the home of his birth has been renovated in 2007 from the 1991 destruction, now known as the Ru¾ièka House. darko_zubrinic@yahoo.com (Prof.Dr. Darko Zubrinic) Tue, 18 Nov 2008 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/9657/1/Dr-Slaven-Letica-Vukovar-ili-hrvatska-knjiga-postanka-Gdje-zlo-ne-otima-NADU.html Ovo je osvrt dr. Slavena Letice na pad Vukovara kroz dva èlanka, jedan iz 1991. i drugi iz 2008. Naslovi èlanaka su "Vukovar ili hrvatska knjiga postanka" i "Vukovarski pouèak ili Odva¾nost hrvatske nade". slaven1947@gmail.com (Prof.Dr. Slaven Letica) Mon, 17 Nov 2008 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/9656/1/Dr-Drago-Stambuk-Speech-at-the-Holy-Mass-for-Vukovar-Victims-Tokyo-2008.html Dr. Drago ©tambuk in his speech in Tokyo at the Holy Mass for Vukovar Victims, November 16th 2008, said that "... Vukovar's treatment by the Serbian forces onslaught from August to November 1991, when up to 15,000 missiles would fall daily on this beautiful baroque town, turned its citizens into martyrs and town into a waste land. The lives of the inhabitants were conducted inside cellars..." darko_zubrinic@yahoo.com (Prof.Dr. Darko Zubrinic) Sun, 16 Nov 2008 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/9653/1/Croatian-Heroes-Kata-oljiae-legendary-Croatian-mother-died.html Kata ©oljiæ, considered as a hero of Homeland War, lost her four sons who defended Croatia in 1990s during the Battle for Vukovar. She was seeking the remains of her children for twelve years, and the last one was found in 2003. During the Second World War she lost her four brothers. Kata ©oljiæ died in 2008 in Zagreb, at the age of  87. darko_zubrinic@yahoo.com (Prof.Dr. Darko Zubrinic) Mon, 10 Nov 2008 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/9639/1/Ante-Gabric-the-Saint-of-Sundarban-in-India.html  Fr. Ante Gabriæ (Metkoviæ, Croatia 1915 - Bengal, 1988) lived like a  Bengali, and he worked tirelessly for the spiritual development of  the Bengali community in India. People in Bengal consider Fr. Gabriæ should be beatified like mother Teresa and all the people are praying for for this. He was very much related to Blessed Mother Teresa of Kolkata  and they worked hand in hand. nema@nema.in (Fr. Sylvester Xavier) Mon, 20 Oct 2008 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/9622/1/Croatian-Heroes-Dr-Juraj-Njavro-legendary-surgeon-at-the-Vukovar-Hospital-died.html  Dr. Juraj Njavro (1938-2008) was a legendary Croatian surgeon at the Vukovar Hospital in 1991, during one of the most dramatic events in the history of Croatia. He was known as exceptionally pleasant and tolerant person. He wrote a book about his internment after the Serbian occupation of the city of Vukovar. darko_zubrinic@yahoo.com (Prof.Dr. Darko Zubrinic) Mon, 22 Sep 2008 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/9618/1/Croatian-Heroes-Heroes-of-Vukovar-TV-serial-by-Eduard--Dominik-Galic-part-3.html  Little groups of people had been organizing the defense, and soon volunteers have joined. Graduates, peasants and shoemakers became warriors. Heroes of Vukovar TV serial by Eduard & Dominik Galic proceeds with its third episode on Croatian Television: 3. Yellow Ants and Desert Rats -  Friday 19.09.2008 20.10. On the left Blago Zadro, a legendary Croatian defender. dominik.galic@missart.hr (Dominik Gali�, producer) Mon, 15 Sep 2008 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/9615/1/Dino-Dvornik-1964---2008.html  Dino was full of life, each time I saw him, always showed a lot of respect, because among us who deeply love music there's no holding, there's no faking. We know who is good in few seconds. And Dino was very good. I always enjoyed your closeness, honesty and classy behavior. Elegant, eloquent, respectful, funny, intelligently inquisitive, witty and kind. Svje¾i vihor. letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Mon, 08 Sep 2008 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/9603/1/Croatian-Heroes-Pavo-Urban-defended-Dubrovnik-with-his-camera.html Pavo Urban was a young photographer. He lost his life in 1991 during Serbian and Montenegrin shelling and bombing of the city of Dubrovnik with his photo camera in hands. His last photos are taken literally a few seconds before his tragic death. His photos reveal subtle spirituality of a young soul. Great talent. darko_zubrinic@yahoo.com (Prof.Dr. Darko Zubrinic) Wed, 06 Aug 2008 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/9602/1/Croatian-Heroes-Dubrovnik-defenders-in-1991.html Dubrovnik is one of the most beautiful mediaveal cities in the world. Its flag is unique by its inscritpion LIBERTAS, that is, Freedom. We want to remind the reader on the dramatic days in 1991 when the City was mercelesly bombed and shelled during the Serbian agression on Croatia. We also present the Memorial Room of Dubrovnik Defendres. darko_zubrinic@yahoo.com (Prof.Dr. Darko Zubrinic) Tue, 05 Aug 2008 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/9601/1/Marin-Drzic-1508-1567-a-famous-Croatian-Renaissance-playwright.html Marin Dr¾iæ, a famous Croatian Renaissance playwright, was born five hundred years ago, in 1508. His native city of Dubrovnik and the whole of Croatia celebrate this year dedicated to his memory by a series of events and publications. Marin Dr¾iæ is one of the pillars of Croatian literary tradition, preceding that of Shakespeare and Moliére by more than half a century. darko_zubrinic@yahoo.com (Prof.Dr. Darko Zubrinic) Tue, 05 Aug 2008 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/9595/1/Andrija-Stampar-Croatian-scientist-father-of-the-World-Health-Organization.html Andrija ©tampar (1888-1958), Croatian scientist and professor at the University of Zagreb, is the father of the World Health Organization, founded 60 years ago. He introduced the public health service in China in 1930s, where he spent three years as a specialist and representative of the then League of Nations. darko_zubrinic@yahoo.com (Prof.Dr. Darko Zubrinic) Wed, 30 Jul 2008 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/9589/1/Stjepan-Radiae-1871-1928-The-Russian-branch-of-our-Jelacics.html Stjepan Radiæ is one of the greatest Croatian personalities of the 20th century. We present his article dealing with a branch of the Croatian noble family of Jelaèiæ in Russia and their contribution to the Russian culture. With this article we mark 80 years from his tragic destiny. darko_zubrinic@yahoo.com (Prof.Dr. Darko Zubrinic) Mon, 14 Jul 2008 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/9570/1/Drazen-Petrovic-a-famous-Croatian-basketball-player-left-us-15-years-ago.html Dra¾en Petroviæ, a famous Croatian basketball player, died on June 1993, ie 15 years ago. With all the problems going on in Croatia back then, Dra¾en gave all of Croatia the joy of Basketball to alleviate their pains. His very nice monument can be seen in front of the Olympic Museum in Lausanne, Switzerland. ipuscenik@yahoo.com (Ivan Pu��enik) Sat, 21 Jun 2008 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/9562/1/Azra-Ljumanoviae-little-known-Croatian-sprituality.html Azra Kristina Ljumanoviæ (1958-1998) is one of the symbols of Croatian spirituality. Working as a school-teacher, she left deep and indelible traces on her pupils and contemporaries with her beautiful songs, poetry and inspiring Christian messages. mario.essert@inet.hr (Prof. Dr. Mario Essert) Tue, 10 Jun 2008 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/9551/1/Draen-Vrdoljak-1951---2008.html   Nakon duge i te¹ke bolesti u 57. godini ¾ivota napustio nas je Dra¾en Vrdoljak. Bio je prava glazbena enciklopedija. Pouzdan i po¹ten prema meni, rado je podijelio i radost i tugu i pikantnost i humor kako osobnog tako i poslovnog okru¾ja. I miss you already. letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Fri, 09 May 2008 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/9531/1/Leo-Majich-in-memoriam-1925---2008.html Leo Anthony Majich, age 82, was born July 17, 1925 in Los Angeles and died April 10, 2008 in Pasadena after a brief illness. He was a founding member of the Croatian American Association as well as the National Federation of Croatian Americans, serving several terms as its Western Region vice-president. c.mateo@verizon.net (Martin Cvjetkovi�) Fri, 18 Apr 2008 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/9517/1/Boris-Dvornik---in-memoriam-to-outstanding-Croatian-actor-1939-2008.html Boris Dvornik was an amusing man, and he was very emotional; a man who was able to feel the sufferings and destinies of others. That was visible even while he was acting. That's the charisma that glows around him - a mix of warmth and authority. matko@matkojelavic.com (Matko Jelavi�) Tue, 01 Apr 2008 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/9472/1/NFCA-is-Saddened-by-the-Passing-of-Congressman-Tom-Lantos-of-California.html   Tom Lantos was a friend to the Republic of Croatia and to the Croatian American Community.  He was a progressive leader for democratic change around the world and a steadfast supporter of the expansion of human rights for all people. NFCA's President, Mr. Ed Andrus, called on Congressman Lantos in his office when the NFCA was actively campaigning for Croatian Caucus. foleycoinc@earthlink.net (Joe Foley) Tue, 12 Feb 2008 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/9426/1/Dr-Drago-tambuk-Speech-in-Hiroshima-for-the-Vukovar-victims.html The speech of the Ambassador of the Republic of Croatia to Japan Dr. Drago ©tambuk during the Holy Mass for Vukovar's victims now available in Croatian and English. "...Vukovar is a canopy of celestial bodies, frozen in our mind, evoking earthly shortcomings, calling for a higher destiny..." darko_zubrinic@yahoo.com (Prof.Dr. Darko Zubrinic) Thu, 10 Jan 2008 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/9411/1/In-Loving-Memory-of-Joseph-Turkaly-1924-2007.html The Turkaly Art Gallery provides a beautiful collection of works of art of Josip Turkalj, outstanding Croatian artist in the USA. In 1999 he received the "Presidential Award for the Advancement of Croatian Culture", an award bestowed on him by the Government of Croatia. darko_zubrinic@yahoo.com (Prof.Dr. Darko Zubrinic) Sun, 30 Dec 2007 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/9394/1/Hiroshima-2007-requiem-Mass-for-the-victims-of-the-Vukovar-tragedy.html The requiem Mass was said by Hiroshima Bishop Misue Joseph Atsumi with the Croatian Ambassador to Japan, Drago ©tambuk. "Vukovar je umro da bi Hrvatska ¾ivjela. Preobrazio je suze u zvijezde, prostrijelne rane u snopove svjetlosti, mrtve u anðele. Vukovar je svod nebesnika, zaustavljenih u na¹em sjeæanju, podsjetnik na zemaljske nedostatnosti i zazivatelj vi¹e sudbine." letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Wed, 19 Dec 2007 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/9381/1/Jerry-Ricks-in-memoriam-1940---2007.html American blues guitarist "Philadelphia" Jerry Ricks, who mastered the sound of the 1930s' Delta Blues, died in a clinic in Croatia on Monday. He was 67. He and his wife, Nancy, moved to Croatia this year after performing a concert in the country. letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Wed, 12 Dec 2007 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/9373/1/Valentine-Ivankovic-in-memoriam-1925---2007.html Valentine (Val) was born in Sarajevo, Bosnia & Herzegovina of Croatian parents, Andrijia and Jaka. He was among the few survivors of the post WWII massacre at Bleiburg. To escape communism, he eventually fled his homeland to Rome, Italy. c.mateo@verizon.net (Martin Cvjetkovi�) Wed, 05 Dec 2007 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/9363/1/Radovan-Grgec-outstanding-Croatian-intellectual-and-humanist-passed-away.html Radovan Grgec (1929-2007), president of the Croatian Literary Society of St. Jerome (Hrvatsko knji¾evno dru¹tvo Sv. Jeronima), Zagreb, one of the founders and editor in chief of the "Maruliæ" journal, and wonderful person, died in Zagreb. His name is well known among many Croats throughout the world. darko_zubrinic@yahoo.com (Prof.Dr. Darko Zubrinic) Sun, 02 Dec 2007 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/9355/1/Rudolf-Blazevich-in-memoriam-1925---2007.html Rudolf Blazevich, long time resident of San Pedro, USA died on Nov. 19, 2007. Rudolf was the father of John Z. Blazevich, CEO and founder of Contessa Premium Foods. Rudolf was born on March 23, 1925 to Manda and Stanko Blazevic in Mostar, B-H. He was blessed with an infectious sense of humor, good looks, and a determination to make the most of what life has to offer. c.mateo@verizon.net (Martin Cvjetkovi�) Mon, 26 Nov 2007 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/9333/1/50-years-ago-today-on-November-3rd-1957-Laika-by-Marilyn-Cvitanic.html Fifty years ago today the USSR launched Sputnik 2. On board was a live dog named Laika. The point was to prove that a dog, and eventually a human being, could survive in space. Sputnik 2 was equipped with life support systems and enough food and water for ten days. The mission yielded very little useful scientific information. mcvitanic@nyc.rr.com (Marilyn Cvitanic) Sun, 04 Nov 2007 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/9280/1/Vukovar-Croatian-Baroque-city-on-the-Danube-river.html Vukovar is reviving from ashes. Many of its wounds have been cured, but a lots remains to be done in the future. Of course, its extremely difficult past will not be forgotten. One of the symbols of the city is Sini¹a Glava¹eviæ (1960-1991), Croatian writer and newspaperman. darko_zubrinic@yahoo.com (Prof.Dr. Darko Zubrinic) Wed, 24 Oct 2007 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/9306/1/Toe-Proeski-1981---2007-In-Memoriam-Too-good-too-young-too-soon-too-sad.html The talented boy from Krusevo - Tose Proeski, one of the best Macedonian vocalists ever, was born on 25 January 1981 in Prilep. Prior to his death, he was a student at the final year of the Skopje Music Academy, at the solo singing department. A personal friend, who loved Croatia and Croatians loved him back. letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Tue, 16 Oct 2007 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/9265/1/Josip-Turkalj-1924-2007-a-renowned-Croatian-American-artist-died.html   On July 3, 2007, a renowned Croatian American artist, Josip Turkalj, died at his home in Cleveland Heights, Ohio. Besides being an exceptional husband and father to six sons, he was a brilliant sculptor, educator, wonderful man, and a friend to many of us. cuvalo@gmail.com (Dr. Ante �uvalo) Wed, 19 Sep 2007 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/9263/1/Ovo-nije-kraj---In-Memoriam-for-Croatian-Firemen.html                                                          letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Mon, 17 Sep 2007 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/9260/1/Efforts-to-build-the-Church-of-Croatian-Martyrs-in-Udbina.html In September 9th, 2007 an invitation has been sent by Croatian Bishops from Udbina to continue with efforts to build the Church of Croatian Martyrs. The manifestation has been accompanied with a rich spiritual and cultural program. darko_zubrinic@yahoo.com (Prof.Dr. Darko Zubrinic) Sat, 15 Sep 2007 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/9251/1/Some-can-sing-opera-Luciano-Pavarotti-was-an-opera-1935---2007.html   No one could inhabit those acrobatic melodies and words like him. He lived the songs, his opera was a great mash of joy and sadness; surreal and earthy at the same time; a great volcano of a man who sang fire but spilled over with a love of life in all its complexity, a great and generous friend letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Fri, 07 Sep 2007 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/9246/1/Day-of-Mourning-in-Croatia.html In the aftermath of the deaths of firemen on Kornati, the Croatian government declared Monday, September 3, Day of Mourning.   letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sun, 02 Sep 2007 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/9244/1/Patriarch-of-the-Nobilo-wine-family-dies-at-94.html   Mr Nick Nobilo (left), who established the House of Nobilo wine label, died late on Wednesday night at a private hospital in Henderson, Auckland, with his family at his bedside. letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Fri, 31 Aug 2007 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/9217/1/The-biggest-known-post-WWII-execution-site-in-Europe.html In 1995, Serbian troops massacred 8,000 Muslims at Srebrenica in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The Tezno grave in Slovenia (near Maribor) was found in 1999 during highway construction, with the number of post-WWII victims exceeding even that of Srebrenica. brigall@yahoo.co.uk (Brian Gallagher) Fri, 17 Aug 2007 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/9216/1/Nela-Erinik-a-Croatian-actress-and-entertainer-died.html   Nakon kratke bolesti u Voloskom  umrla je 14. kolovoza 2007. u 84. godini Nela Er¾i¹nik, hrvatska glumica, estradna umjetnica i najveæa komièarka hrvatske scene. letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Wed, 15 Aug 2007 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/9199/1/Rudolf-Arapoviae-1937---2007-In-Memoriam.html   Rudolf Arapoviæ of blessed memory died on August 3, 2007.  He was an active parishioner of the Croatian Catholic Mission of St. Blaise in Washington, D.C., from its founding until his return to Croatia in 1997. We shall miss you very much! May God grant you eternal rest! miroslav.vuko1@zg.htnet.hr (Miro and Peggy Vuko) Thu, 09 Aug 2007 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/9132/1/Umro-kipar-Josip-Turkalj-1924-2007.html     letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sun, 08 Jul 2007 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/9069/1/Umro-Andjelko-Vuckovic-alkarska-legenda.html letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Tue, 12 Jun 2007 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/9033/1/Ivica-Raean-1944---2007.html   Croatia's former prime minister Ivica Racan has died. He was 63. He passed away in hospital on Sunday morning after kidney cancer discovered in February spread to his brain. As head of the Croatian Communist Party in 1990, Racan allowed the country's first free elections. letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sun, 29 Apr 2007 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8900/1/Andrija-Mohorovieiae-and-his-MOHO-discontinuity-of-the-Earth.html Among scientists studying seismology the famous Moho layer (or Moho discontinuity) of the Earth is well known. It was named after the great Croatian geophysicist Andrija Mohorovièiæ (1857-1936), professor at the University of Zagreb. His discovery was essential for understanding the inner structure of the Earth and the behavior of seismic waves. This is one of the greatest achievements in the history of Croatian science.   darko_zubrinic@yahoo.com (Prof.Dr. Darko Zubrinic) Wed, 17 Jan 2007 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8889/1/Otto-Lang-1908-2006-Northwest-icon-founded-first-ski-school-at-Mount-Rainier.html   Otto Lang, a skiing pioneer and filmmaker, was a Northwest icon who had few equals in elegance, work ethic and zest for life. Lang, who touched the lives of neophyte skiers and Hollywood stars alike, died at his West Seattle home at the age of 98. olujanovine@hotmail.com (Tomislav Kapular) Tue, 09 Jan 2007 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8887/1/Ivan-Illich-1926-2002.html Ivan Illich, was one of the world's great thinkers, a polymath whose output covered vast terrains. He worked in 10 languages; he was a jet-age ascetic with few possessions; he explored Asia and South America on foot; and his obligations to his many collaborators led to a constant criss-crossing of the globe in the last two decades. olujanovine@hotmail.com (Tomislav Kapular) Tue, 09 Jan 2007 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8812/1/Albert-Einsteins-protest-against-the-murder-of-Milan-Sufflay-in-Zagreb-in-1931.html 75 years since an appeal of Albert Einstein and Heinrich Mann to the League of Nations against the murder of Croatian scholar Dr Milan Sufflay in Croatian captial Zagreb in 1931 at the age of 52   darko_zubrinic@yahoo.com (Prof.Dr. Darko Zubrinic) Mon, 13 Nov 2006 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8640/1/Umro-Dr-ivko-Anton-Strika-1931---2006.html Dr. ®ivko Anton Strika, 75 godina star internist i gastroenterolog, preminuo je u èetvrtak 31-og kolovoza 2006, poslije kratke bolesti u ©ibenskoj bolnici.   vnazor@yahoo.com (Vedran Joseph Nazor) Fri, 01 Sep 2006 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8544/1/E-Zeljka-Suncica-Matutinovic-PhD-1966---2006.html Zeljka Suncica Matutinovic, Ph.D. 1966 - 2006     Zeljka (Suncica) Matutinovic died Sunday, July 2, on Martha’s Vineyard. She was 41. While vacationing on Martha's Vineyard, she was in a traffic accident and was reported dead at the Martha's Vineyard Hospital shortly after. She is survived by her parents, Zeljko and Katarina Matutinovic, of Zagreb, Croatia. Zeljka, a native of Croatia, was a beloved friend to many, and a highly accomplished professional. She earned a PhD degree in Electrical Engineering from Princeton University and had started her career at McKinsey & Company. She established a career in investment banking working at Credit Suisse First Boston, International Real Returns LLC, and most recently, Jerusalem Venture Partners. Since 2005, Ms. Matutinovic had been working to build her own investment firm. Zeljka will be remembered for her sharp mind, generous heart and the vibrant love of life. Her interests extended far beyond the business world and included skiing, sailing and biking. She also took pleasure in opera and art. Zeljka's bright smile was matched by her warmth and infectious enthusiasm. She will be sorely missed by her family and friends.   The memorial mass will be held on Tuesday, July 18th at 7PM at the St. Cyril & Methodius Catholic Church at 502 W 41st Street in New York City. Moped death mars 4th   Zeljka Matutinovic and Josko Silobrcic pose at their friend Diana Larson's wedding last month in New York City. Photo courtesy of Diana Larson New York woman was here on vacation By Aubrey Gibavic - July 6, 2006 Zeljka Matutinovic, a venture capitalist from New York City, died Sunday when the moped she was operating crashed into a utility pole near Deep Bottom Pond in West Tisbury. Her passenger, Josko Silobrcic, 46, of Swampscott, was seriously injured. Ms. Matutinovic, 41, a native of Croatia, became a United States citizen just months before traveling to Martha's Vineyard with her boyfriend for a holiday weekend getaway, according to Diana Larson of New York City, a close friend who was left devastated by the news. "She was just in my wedding a few weeks ago," said Ms. Larson. "She had hundreds of friends all over the world." Ms. Matutinovic was driving up-Island with Mr. Silobrcic when their moped veered off Edgartown-West Tisbury Road, according to West Tisbury Police Chief Beth Toomey. Chief Toomey said officers spoke with a witness who "saw them go off the road out of the corner of their eye. That is why we are able to say there were no other cars or anything around." Ms. Matutinovic was pronounced dead at Martha's Vineyard Hospital shortly after the 2:30 pm crash, and Mr. Silobrcic was flown to Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston. Yesterday he was in the trauma unit under intensive care. Edgartown, Chilmark and Massachusetts State Police assisted at the scene. The moped was rented from Sun 'n Fun in Oak Bluffs. Owner Don Gregory said in the 28 years he has rented scooters there has never been a fatality. "People keep saying 'it's not your fault,' but I keep feeling that if I didn't rent it to her, she wouldn't be dead," Mr. Gregory said. Ms. Larson said that Ms. Matutinovic came to the United States in 1989 and received her PhD in engineering from Princeton University. In addition to being a successful businesswoman, Ms. Larson said her friend was athletic and enjoyed skiing, sailing, and biking. Ms. Matutinovic also took pleasure in opera and art. She had been dating Mr. Silobrcic, a medical consultant, for some time. Ms. Larson said that Mr. Silobrcic had visited the Island before and wanted to bring Ms. Matutinovic for the weekend. "Zeljka was a brilliant and beautiful person, and a loving and kind friend," Ms. Larson wrote in an e-mail Tuesday to The Times. "She will be sorely missed by the many people whose lives she touched. She loved life, and should have had more of it." http://www.mvtimes.com/news/2006/07/06/moped_death.php   letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Thu, 13 Jul 2006 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/8545/1/EH-Ivan-Nogalo-1950-2006.html Ivan Nogalo 1950-2006     U Clevelandu (SAD), u petak 7. srpnja 2006., u 56. godini zivota preminuo g. Ivan Nogalo, jedan od osniva a Hrvatskoga bloka i lan Glavnog odbora stranke. Detaljne informacije o posljednjem ispraaju g. Nogala objavit emo naknadno. Ivan Nogalo Slivno, 3. IX. 1950. - Cleveland, 7. VII. 2006. Roen 3. rujna 1950. u Slivnu, Imotski. Ozenjen, otac dvojice odraslih sinova. Osnovnu skolu zavrsio u Slivnu, a Srednju ekonomsku u Vukovaru. Od godine 1968. zivi u Clevelandu, SAD. lan HDZ-a od godine 1989. do 14. rujna 2002., do osnivanja Hrvatskoga bloka iji je osniva . Obnasao duznost predsjednika Koordinacije HDZ-a do godine 1998. Od godine 1981. privatni poduzetnik. lan Glavnoga odbora Hrvatskoga bloka. Guest Book for Ivan Nogalo Please visit the Guest Book for Ivan Nogalo. http://www.legacy.com/Link.asp?Id=GB18384254X  Click on the above link or cut and paste the url into your browser's address bar. http://www.hrvatski-blok.hr/default.aspx?clanak=2760   letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sat, 08 Jul 2006 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6480/1/E-Ski-legend-and-Film-Producer-Otto-Lang-dies.html ÂOtto Lang 1908-2006Otto Lang shows off his circa-1940 skiing style.The former director of the Sun Valley Ski School died Monday. He was 98.ÂThe following concerning Washington State ski instructor Otto Lang, born in Zenica, Bosnia and Herzegovina, of a Croat mother and Austrian father.John KraljicOtto Lang, 1908-2006: Northwest icon founded first ski school at Mount RainierThursday, February 2, 2006By DEBERA CARLTON HARRELLP-I REPORTEROtto Lang, a skiing pioneer and filmmaker, was a Northwest icon who had few equals in elegance, work ethic and zest for life.Lang, who touched the lives of neophyte skiers and Hollywood stars alike, died Monday at his West Seattle home at the age of 98. He had been suffering from heart disease.Lang, who was born in Bosnia and spent part of his childhood in Austria, pioneered skiing in the United States, bringing European cache and technique to the United States in the 1930s. He founded the first ski school at Mount Rainier in 1937 and directed Sun Valley's ski school before and after World War II. Then he launched a successful career as a Hollywood filmmaker.He also became an accomplished photographer, woodworker and writer. He wrote ski columns for the Seattle P-I and two books."He was an unbelievable human being," said skiing filmmaker and longtime friend Warren Miller. "He is the last of the old Austrian ski instructors; it is the absolute end of an era."Miller also called Lang a "Renaissance man.""Otto was successful at multiple careers and always kept his mind active," Miller said. "He was a great athlete, yet he'd always wear a cravat or necktie; he dressed to the nines. But he was always gracious."Gerard Schwarz, music director for the Seattle Symphony and a friend of Lang's, said in a statement Wednesday that tonight's previously scheduled performance of Mozart's C Minor Mass will be dedicated to Lang, "a dear friend to our orchestra ... (and) a continual inspiration to us all in so many ways."Lang was born in 1908 in the small village of Zenica, Bosnia, to an Austrian father and Croatian mother. It was the year Bosnia became part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. After World War I, the family left for Salzburg, Austria. Otto, then 10, found his first pair of skis -- Austrian army surplus from the war -- for 10 cents, friends said. The young Lang became smitten with skiing, proving adept as a racer and jumper. He was hired in 1929 by Hannes Schneider, considered the father of modern skiing, to teach at the famed Austrian ski area, St. Anton am Arlberg. Lang brought the so-called Arlberg turning technique to the United States, revolutionizing a sport that had no chair lifts, no groomed runs and long, tough-turning skis.In the winter of 1937, Lang opened the first official North American branch of the Hannes Schneider Ski School on Mount Rainier. He opened two more Schneider schools at Mount Baker and Mount Hood in the winter of 1937-38.One of his best-known pupils was Gretchen Kunigk of Tacoma, who later won an Olympic gold medal for the United States in 1948 under her married name, Gretchen Fraser.In 1939, Mr. Lang joined the Sun Valley Ski School, becoming its executive director from 1941 to 1942 before the Idaho resort closed because of World War II. Mr. Lang resumed his position in 1946 when the resort reopened, remaining until 1950.One of his Sun Valley students was Hollywood film producer Darryl Zanuck, who asked him to direct the ski-action sequences for the movie "Sun Valley Serenade," starring ice skater Sonia Henje.That work led to a job as an assistant director at 20th Century Fox, where he directed and produced dozens of films and TV shows. He shot all over the world and worked with some of the biggest entertainment names of the time, earning four Academy Award nominations for short subjects and documentaries.He also wrote two books, the autobiographical "Bird of Passage" and "Around the World in 90 Years," a travel-photography memoir.But he never lost his love for skiing and participated in the sport into his 90s.Seattle skier Debbie Armstrong, who won a gold medal in the 1984 Olympics in Sarajevo, near where Lang was born, had a special bond with Lang. Both shared a love of Bosnia, a passion for skiing and a grounded, clear-eyed approach to life.In an article published last fall in The Professional Skier magazine, Armstrong wrote about contacting her friend Lang in early 2005 after doctors ordered her off the slopes after a medical ordeal that nearly killed her. "I learned how Otto is viewed in West Seattle," Armstrong wrote. "He is a celebrity! (A word he detests, by the way. He sees himself as a very ordinary guy.)"Lang is survived by his companion of more than 20 years, June Campbell, and two sons -- Peter Lang of Santa Rosa, Calif., and Mark Lang of Coronado, Calif. His wife, Sinclair Gannon, preceded him in death.SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCERhttp://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/257952_langobit02.htmlP-I reporter Debera Carlton Harrell can be reached at 206-448-8326 ordeberaharrell@seattlepi.com .--------------------------------------------------------------------------------Ski legend Otto Lang diesBy Karen BossickFor The Times-NewsSUN VALLEY -- Former Sun Valley Ski School Director Otto Lang died early Monday, a little more than a week after he celebrated his 98th birthday.Longtime friend Susan Moffett of Seattle said Lang had a heart attack in his sleep at his Seattle home and never woke up."He was doing fine to the very end -- able to go to lunch and give an interview to my husband, Dave, right up to the very end," Moffett said.Lang was a good friend of Sun Valley Resort owners Carol and Earl Holding. In fact, Carol mentioned Sunday afternoon during a community-wide tribute to the Holdings that Lang had called and expressed regrets that he couldn't make it to Sun Valley for the celebration.He was, however, present when Carol Holding threw a party celebrating the opening of her Dollar Mountain Lodge in December 2004.The Bosnian-born Lang opened America's first ski school in 1935 at Mt. Rainier.He visited Sun Valley in 1937 at the invitation of Nelson Rockefeller and was asked to join Sun Valley's ski school in 1939. He happily accepted, becoming instructor to such celebrities as Groucho Marx, Gary Cooper and Gerald Ford.And, in 1941, he became the ski school's director when Friedl Pfeifer was arrested on suspicion of being a spy for the Germans, a charge that was later dropped.It was one of his students, Twentieth Century-Fox studio head Darryl Zanuck, who started him on a Hollywood career that resulted in four Academy Award nominations.He directed the skiing sequences in the ski film classic "Sun Valley Serenade." And he made several ski movies, including "Ski Flight," which premiered at Radio City Music Hall in New York in 1938.Following World War II, Lang became a full-time Hollywood director, directing such TV series as "The Man from U.N.C.L.E." as well as episodes of such shows as "Bat Masterson," "The Rifleman," and "Sea Hunt."He was a producer for such films as "Tora! Tora! Tora!" and "Call Northside 777" and assistant director on such films as "Viva Las Vegas," "Love Is a Many Splendored Thing," "Call Me Mister" and "The Ox-Bow Incident." http://www.magicvalley.com/articles/2006/02/03/news_localstate/news_local_state.1.txt letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sun, 12 Feb 2006 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6482/1/E-Milan-Zudic-83.html ÂMilan Zudic Mr. Zudic died Dec. 27, 2005, at his residence.Funeral services for Milan Zudic, 83, of Euclid, will be 9:30 a.m. Saturday at St. Christine Catholic Church, 840 E. 222 St., in Euclid.Milan ZudicFuneral services for Milan Zudic, 83, of Euclid, will be 9:30 a.m. Saturday at St. Christine Catholic Church, 840 E. 222 St., in Euclid. Mr. Zudic died Dec. 27, 2005, at his residence.Born July 27, 1922, in Croatia, he had lived in Cleveland before moving to Euclid 30 years ago.He came to the United States in 1967, from Croatia. He was a hard worker, honest, loyal and firm in his beliefs.Mr. Zudic retired from Cleveland Twist Drill, where he had worked as a mason/machinist.Survivors are his wife, Ana; son, Mirko (Ann) of Euclid; daughters, Maria Kobal of Euclid and Nevia Avzlahar of Wickliffe; grandchildren, Alex (Heidi) Kobal, Erik (Nadia) Kobal, Michael Zudic, Michelle Zudic and Daniel Zudic; great-grandson, Joseph Kobal; brother, Joe Zudic of Canada; sister, Stefi Rosen of Australia; and many brothers-in-law, sisters-in-law, cousins, nieces, nephews, great-nieces and nephews. His brother, Zeljko Zudic; sister, Maria Zudic; and son-in-law, Drago Avzlahar, are deceased. Friends may call 2 to 5 and 7 to 9 p.m. Friday at the DeJohn-Flynn-Mylott Funeral Home of Willoughby Hills, 28890 Chardon Road, (between Bishop Road and Route 91). Burial will be in All Souls Cemetery in Chardon Township. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests contributions be made to Hospice of the Western Reserve, 300 E. 185th St., Cleveland 44119, or the charity of your choice.Directions online at www.DeJohnFuneral.com. http://www.news-herald.com/site/news.cfm?BRD=1698&dept_id=21847&newsid=15830851&PAG=461&rfi=9News-Herald serving northeast Ohio letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Tue, 03 Jan 2006 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6481/1/E-Vjekoslav-Mihic-75-of-Timberlake.html Vjekoslav Mihic Obituaries08/21/2005Funeral services for Vjekoslav Mihic, 75, of Timberlake, will be 11 a.m. Tuesday at the Monreal Funeral Home, 35400 Curtis Blvd., Eastlake. Vjekoslav MihicFuneral services for Vjekoslav Mihic, 75, of Timberlake, will be 11 a.m. Tuesday at the Monreal Funeral Home, 35400 Curtis Blvd., Eastlake.Born March 30, 1930, in Zagreb, Croatia, he lived in Euclid before moving to Timberlake 30 years ago.Survivors are his wife of 31 years, Elinor (Reed); son, John; sister, Ana (Josip) Svircevic; niece, Tia Svircevic; nephew, Daniel Svircevic; and many cousins living in Croatia.He was preceded in death by his parents, Ivan and Ecija Mihic.Friends may call 2 to 4 and 6 to 8 p.m. Monday at the funeral home. Burial will be in All Souls Cemetery, Chardon Township. Online at www.monreal.com. http://www.news-herald.com/site/news.cfm?BRD=1698&dept_id=21847&newsid=15071355&PAG=461&rfi=9  letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Tue, 03 Jan 2006 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6483/1/E-In-Memoriam---Francis-Violich.html ÂFrancis Violich, emeritus professor of city planning and landscape architecture, diesBy Kathleen Maclay, Media Relations | 07 September 2005BERKELEY - Francis Violich, professor emeritus in city and regional planning and in landscape architecture at the University of California, Berkeley, and a founder of the Telesis Group, which lent a progressive status to city planning in the Bay Area, died Aug. 21 of natural causes at his home in Berkeley. He was 94.Francis ViolichBorn to Croatian parents in San Francisco in 1911, Violich grew up in a home a few hundred feet to the south of Golden Gate Park and credited his interest in landscape architecture to his mother's passion for gardening and her affinity for the environment.He graduated from UC Berkeley in 1934 with a bachelor's degree in landscape architecture. Two years later, he was awarded a Heller Charitable & Educational Fund fellowship for graduate studies in city planning at Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where he learned how to design urban places to resolve social inequality.Violich conducted study tours in Europe, Yugoslavia and Latin America that he said helped him establish a multi-cultural approach to his professional practice, teaching, research and community activities.In 1941, he joined the landscape architecture and city and regional planning faculties at UC Berkeley. He served as chair of the department of landscape architecture and environmental planning from 1962-1964.In the late '40s and 1950s, Violich helped found Telesis, which the American Planning Association has lauded as the "first volunteer-based group to bring multiple fields together successfully in a comprehensive approach to environmental development in a regional context." The association awarded Telesis national historical landmark status.Telesis also laid the groundwork for the establishment of UC Berkeley's city and regional planning department in 1948 and the formation 10 years later of the College of Environmental Design, which included the departments of city and regional planning, visual studies, landscape architecture and architecture.Violich published his first book, "Cities of Latin America: Planning and Housing in the South," in 1944. It was considered the first comprehensive work on planning and housing in Latin America and, after its publication, Violich was invited by what became the Organization of American States to start an exchange program on urban planning in the region.His second book, "Urban Planning for Latin America: The Challenge for Metropolitan Growth," was co-written with Robert Daughters, the head of the urban development section at the Inter-American Bank in Washington, D.C. It was published in 1987 and drew upon decades of their work applying American methods to the needs of Latin American cities as they evolved into vast metropolitan regions.When Violich retired from UC Berkeley in 1976, Donald Foley, then chair of the city and regional planning department, recognized his contribution to promoting interest in Latin American planning and his influence on the character of urban planning and environmental design. Foley also noted Violich's effectiveness in attracting and advising Latin American students to the College of Environmental Design.Violich served as a planning consultant to Sao Paulo and Caracas and as an adviser to educational programs in Venezuela and Chile and to the Peace Corps, Pan American Union, Ford Foundation and other groups interested in urban planning in Latin America."Throughout all of this," Foley said, "Francis Violich has brought an intense commitment: a persistent belief that we can improve the environment around us and that we can improve the environmental design processes by which we intervene."In Violich's 1998 book, "The Bridge to Dalmatia: A Search for the Meaning of Place," he examined post-war reconstruction, environmental eco-history, planning of urban areas in Croatia, and particularly the environmental cultural identity of people along Croatia's Dalmatian coast."The concept of the bridge, in my mind," he wrote, "applies to the foreign people who come to the U.S. and bring us their cultural concepts and in that way both enrich and take away from the Anglo-Saxon culture which is more materialistic and individualist, breaking up families and shifting the economic gain into the hands of a few."Today, there is an active exchange program between the urban planning departments at UC Berkeley and the University of Zagreb in Croatia, where Violich spent a year in 1979 on a Fulbright Fellowship. His earliest research in Dalmatia began in 1937.Violich launched the exchange program in 1996, contributing royalties from his Dalmatia book, and vowed to leave his Dalamatian research collection to UC Berkeley.Violich won several awards, including a National Planning Pioneer designation by the American Institute of Planners in 1992 and recognition in 1997 as co-founder of UC Berkeley's city and regional planning department. He was given a Distinguished Alumnus Award by the College of Environmental Design and its alumni in 1999 in recognition of his accomplishments.Violich placed in the finals of the Prix De Rome twice and was a member of the American Academy in Rome."Fran's life is a reminder that we stand on the shoulders of very special human beings," said Harrison Fraker, dean of the college.Violich is survived by his sister, Clementine Nelson of San Francisco, and by a brother, John Violich of Kentfield, Calif. He is also survived by three sons: Antonio Violich of Watsonville, Calif., Frano Violich of Boston and Mario Violich of Venice, Calif.; daughters, Carmen Violich-Goodin of Berkeley and Francesca Violich Arango of Coconut Grove, Fla.; and 13 grandchildren. Violich's wife, Mariantonia Sanabria Violich, died in 1989. The couple was married for 43 years.Memorial contributions can be made to the Francis Violich Dalmatian Fellowship Fund care of UC Berkeley's Department of City and Regional Planning at 228 Wurster Hall, Berkeley, Calif., 94720-1850, Attention: Malla Hadley, Management Services Officer.A campus memorial will be held at The Faculty Club on campus from 3-6 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 30. letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sat, 15 Oct 2005 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6484/1/E-Andronico-Luksic---Croatian-Billioner-Dies-at-78.html ÂAndronico Luksic - Croatian Billioner Dies at 78ÂÂAntofagasta billionaire dies at 78By Melanie Feisst (Filed: 20/08/2005)The Chilean billionaire Andronico Luksic, who founded the Antofagasta copper mining and rail empire, has died of cancer aged 78. Mr Luksic, whose family emigrated to Chile from Croatia after the First World War, took control of the company, then known as the Antofagasta (Chile) & Bolivia Railway Company, in 1980.He led it through a resurgence in international demand to enter the FTSE 100 at Â11.40 in March 2004. Since then its share price has risen 25pc, adding another 36 yesterday to reach Â14.26.Mr Luksic, who leaves a widow, Iris, and five children, last year was credited by Antofagasta director and friend Philip Adeane with turning the company from a Â100m business in 1980 to one worth more than Â2.4billion.The media-shy mogul, who had returned recently to Croatia to invest in a chain of war-affected hotels, was estimated to be worth Â1.6billion. He was chairman of Antofagasta group from 1982 until his retirement from the board last November, when he was succeeded by his youngest son Jean-Paul Luksic, the former chief executive.Mr Luksic senior also had interests in brewing, fishing and telecommunications.http://www.money.telegraph.co.uk/money/main.jhtml?xml=/money/2005/08/20/cnanto20.xml&menuId=242&sSheet=/money/2005/08/20/ixfrontcity.html letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sat, 20 Aug 2005 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6485/1/E-Elsie-Yuratovich-Led-effort-to-save-Croatian-church.html ÂElsie Yuratovich Led effort to save Croatian churchObituary: Elsie Yuratovich Friday, July 29, 2005By Patricia Lowry, Pittsburgh Post-GazetteIn her retirement, Elsie Yuratovich was driven by a singular mission: preserve the Croatian church and culture in which she had grown up. She still lived in her childhood home on East Ohio Street in the North Side, the house in which her grandfather had run a grocery store across from the railroad tracks and just down the street from St. Nicholas Church.When the Roman Catholic church was threatened with closure and demolition due to the planned Route 28 expansion, Ms. Yuratovich became its most ardent supporter, conducting public and private tours of the church, meeting with Pennsylvania Department of Transportation staffers and speaking at public hearings.She raised many people's awareness of the significance of the church, including that of City Council members, who designated it a city historic structure in 2001. PennDOT decided to re-route the road around the building and its hillside grotto. The diocese closed the church anyway in December, citing ongoing costs and maintenance problems, but formed a committee to examine the possibility of turning the church into a Croatian shrine.Ms. Yuratovich, who touched the hearts of many with her optimistic spirit and valiant efforts, died Wednesday at UPMC St. Margaret. She was 83.She had bounced back from a brutal beating during a May 2002 break-in and robbery at her home, which she believed she survived only by pretending to be dead. As word of her broken jaw and other injuries spread, her hospital room filled with flowers from PennDOT staffers, Mayor Tom Murphy and other well-wishers.Ms. Yuratovich, who sold jewelry in Horne's Downtown store for 35 years, was always stylishly dressed and coifed, even though it may have been a style from decades ago. Petite and trim, she probably hadn't changed a dress size in 60 years, and with her perfectly groomed hair, she sometimes looked like she'd stepped right out of the 1940s.She would apologize profusely for keeping you on the phone and then talk for another 20 minutes, always thanking you for your time. Her conversation was rambling and circuitous, but inevitably came back to the point she'd begun to make five minutes before.She had the most beautiful, ornate handwriting, the kind children aren't taught anymore and most adults don't have the time to perfect. In it, she wrote her memories of Mala Jaska -- Little Jaska (pronounced yuh-skuh) -- the name Croatian immigrants called their stretch of East Ohio Street.In Mala Jaska's turn-of-the-20th-century heyday, when Croatians were streaming into Allegheny City and Pittsburgh to work in tanneries, steel mills, pickle plants and other factories, many of those who settled on East Ohio came from the town of Jastrebarsko, nicknamed Jaska, about 20 miles southwest of Zagreb. Ms. Yuratovich's father emigrated from nearby Karlovac when he was 13.Although her mother died when she was 8 years old and she grew up in a neighborhood friendlier to industry than to children, Ms. Yuratovich never felt deprived."We always loved the railroad," she wrote. "When we were just toddlers, we were so delighted when our parents carried us to the window to watch the trains rumbling by. When we grew older, we would count every boxcar that went by, sometimes 100 or even more -- and some of us still do."At St. Nicholas' grade school, she learned to read, write and sing in Croatian, which helped make her a fitting representative of the culture and its church -- the first Croatian church in America.Two years ago, the nonprofit Preserve Croatian Heritage Foundation, established when the church was threatened with demolition, made Ms. Yuratovich the building's unofficial public relations person."This was not done through the diocese because we had no authority to do it," said co-chairman Robert Sladack. "We had a business card made up with a picture of the church on it and her home phone number. It says 'Elsie Yuratovich, public relations -- guided tours.' She was ecstatic."Throughout her struggle to keep the church open, she never lost faith in her religion or its clergy, and was elated when Bishop Donald Wuerl had his driver stop his car in the St. Patrick's Day parade so he could come out and greet her on the sidelines after she recovered from the beating.She is survived by two sisters, Florence Ziccarelli of Michigan and Margaret Donlan of Cheswick; and a brother, George, of the North Side. Visitation is from 7 to 9 p.m. tomorrow and noon to 9 p.m. Sunday at Sperling Funeral Home, 408 Cedar Ave., North Side. Bishop Wuerl and Croatian-born Father Gabriel Badurina will offer her funeral Mass at St. Paul Cathedral at 10 a.m. Monday.After the Mass, the funeral procession will return to the North Side and stop for two minutes in front of St. Nicholas Church."We will all say a silent thank-you prayer," Donlan said, "and remember the contributions of Elsie Yuratovich."ÂPatricia Lowry can be reached at plowry@post-gazette.com or 412-263-1590.ÂSource: http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/05210/545453.stm  letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sat, 30 Jul 2005 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6486/1/E-Croatian-Waterpolo-legend-Dr-Zdravko-Jezic-passed-away.html ÂCroatian Waterpolo legend Dr. Zdravko Jezic passed away Umro Dr Zdravko Jezic, vrhunski hrvatski vaterpolist svih vremenaOn June 19, after a long battle with cancer, Dr. Zdravko Jezic passed away at his home in Long Island, New York. He was one of the world's best water polo players, participating in the 1952, 1956 and 1960 Olympic Games. Friends and family called him "Pusko."In Helsinki, at the age of 21, Pusko carried the Yugoslav flag at the opening ceremony. He returned with the first of two silver medals and was elected team captain. This was the beginning of a great tradition that continued long after Pusko retired from sports - his team Mladost Zagreb haswon seven European championships, the most for any water polo club.Pusko was the first man to play in 100 international matches. During the LosAngeles Games in 1984, he was the first Yugoslav player to be inducted into the International Swimming Hall of Fame in Fort Lauderdale. His legacy was celebrated in 2002 with the President of Croatia, at a dinner celebrating 50years of Olympic success - only the Hungarians have won more medals in waterpolo.This week Long Island will host a FINA water polo tournament and Croatia's team will play against four top nations. This is in preparation for the World Championships in Montreal and there should be a moment of silence honoring Pusko. I've decided to bring my mother and meet with the new generation of players and coaches. I suggested the USA - Croatia match this Friday.In September the Jezic family will travel to Zagreb and celebrate the life of a great man with his closest friends. We hope that Ratko and other water polo legends will attend. As a Croatian-American fan, Pusko attended the Olympics Games in 1972, 1984, 1988 and 1996. He loved the game of water poloand his legacy was very real. This is a tremendous loss for my family and we'll need your friendship during this difficult time. letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Fri, 22 Jul 2005 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6488/1/E-Umro-Petar-Sarcevic-prvi-veleposlanik-u-SADu.html ÂUmro prvi Hrvatski veleposlanik u Sjedinjenim Drzavama Petar SarcevicRIJEKA – Prvi hrvatski veleposlanik u Sjedinjenim Drzavama Petar Sarcevic, koji je tu duznost obnasao od 1992. do 1996. godine, umro je u subotu u Zagrebu u 64. godini, objavilo je jucer Ministarstvo vanjskih poslova i europskih integracija. Prof. dr. Petar Sarcevic roÄ'en je 26. travnja 1941. godine u Subotici. Diplomirao je na Pravnom fakultetu u Zagrebu 1965. godine, a postdiplomski studij prava, podrucje europskih gospodarskih integracija, zavrsio je na Europa Institute Sveucilista u Amsterdamu 1968. godine. Na Sveucilistu u Mainzu, doktorirao je 1973. godine, 1977. godine postaje docent za meÄ'unarodno privatno pravo za Pravnom fakultetu u Rijeci, a 1981. godine izabran je za redovitog profesora na Pravnom fakultetu u Rijeci. Od 1986. do 1988. godine dekan je Pravnog fakulteta u Rijeci, a od 1989. do 1991. godine rektor je Sveucilista u Rijeci. Sarcevic je bio osnivac, direktor tecaja te predavac za meÄ'unarodno trgovacko pravo na MeÄ'usveucilisnom centru u Dubrovniku. Bio je profesor gost na pravnim fakultetima u Austriji, Belgiji i SAD-u. Od 1989. do 1994. direktor je za znanstveni rad u Association Internationale des Sciences Juridique sa sjedistem u Parizu. Clan je brojnih nacionalnih i meÄ'unarodnih strukovnih udruga te ravnatelj Centra za poredbeno zakonodavstvo Pravnog fakulteta Sveucilista u Rijeci. Objavio je brojne znanstvene radove u domacim i stranim casopisima i zbornicima na engleskom, njemackom, francuskom i kineskom jeziku. Urednik je sedam knjiga objavljenih na engleskom jeziku. Prof. dr. Petar Sarcevic pozvan je zbog svojeg znanja i ugleda u hrvatsku diplomaciju 1992. godine, a obnasao je duznost prvoga veleposlanika Republike Hrvatske u SAD-u od 1992. do 1996. godine. Za svojega mandata postavio je cvrste temelje hrvatske diplomacije, sudjelovao u izgradnji zgrade prvog hrvatskog veleposlanstva te uspostavio mnoge vazne veze koje spajaju Hrvatsku i SAD. Drugi veleposlanicki mandat Sarcevic je proveo kao veleposlanik u Svicarskoj i Lihtenstajnu.  letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Tue, 05 Jul 2005 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6487/1/E-George-Mikan-the-best-basketball-player-in-the-USA.html ÂGeorge Mikan the best basketball player in the USAÂÂGeorge Mikan (1924-2005), born in a Croatian family in Illinois (his both parents are from Vivodina near Karlovac), was the best basketball player in the USA in 1944. He was the first dominant "big man" in NBA, known as the "Gentle Giant". He was also one of the most effective scorers of his time, avareging 22.6 points per game over his nine years long professional career, with the then record of 11,764 points. The Associated Press voted Mikan the greatest basketball player of the first half of the 20th century. When Mikan's LA Lakers came to Madison Square Garden, the marquee simply advertized "Tonight George Mikan versus the Knicks!". How basketball was played at that time, is indicated by the following: he lost four teeth (in his first professional game), had two broken legs, three broken fingers, broken wrist, broken nose and dozens of stitches. Even some NBA rules have been changed because of his superiority. George Mikan was named one of the NBA's 50 Greatest Players in 1996 (on the occasion of 50 years of NBA), played four NBA all-star games, and is in the Basketball Hall of Fame. http://www.croatianhistory.net/  letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Tue, 05 Jul 2005 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6489/1/E-Croatian---American-Basketball-Legend-George-Mikan-Dies.html ÂBasketball Legend Croatian - American, George Mikan DiesGeorge Mikan, who was born of Croatian immigrant parents in Joliet, Illinois, died yesterday, June 2, 2005. There have been countless tributes concerning him in the American press and television yesterday and this morning (though, unfortunately, I haven't seen any which mention his Croatian heritage).Mikan was one of the greatest NBA basketball players of all time and was the first person elected into the Basketball Hall of Fame.Below is an obituary which appeared in today's New York Times.John Kraljic****************************************************June 3, 2005George Mikan, 80, Dominant Basketball Center, DiesBy FRANK LITSKYGeorge Mikan, the Minneapolis Lakers center who was the first superstar in modern professional basketball and a player so big and so dominant that college and pro rules were changed in an effort to handcuff him, died Wednesday at a rehabilitation center in Scottsdale, Ariz. He was 80.His death was announced by his family, The Associated Press said. He had been treated for diabetes and kidney failure for several years.At 6 feet 10 inches and 245 pounds, Mikan was never as naturally smooth as latter-day basketball superstars like Michael Jordan or Magic Johnson. He grew up self-conscious and self-doubting and he wore eyeglasses on the court, but through relentless hard work he became the pro game's paramount inside player from 1946 to 1956. He led his teams to seven league championships in nine years, including five National Basketball Association titles with the Lakers, teaming up with fellow Hall of Famers Jim Pollard and Vern Mikkelsen and guard Slater Martin.Mikan's trademark was a sweeping hook shot with either hand. He was the N.B.A.'s scoring leader three times and finished with 11,764 career points during his two seasons in the National Basketball League and seven with the N.B.A. He averaged 22.6 points a game in an era of less-refined shooting and lower scores, and he was a rebounding power.The Associated Press named Mikan the best basketball player of the first half of the 20th century. He was named to the N.B.A.'s 50th anniversary 50-man all-time team and the National Invitation Tournament's all-time team, for taking DePaul University of Chicago to the 1945 championship."He literally carried the league," Bob Cousy, the Boston Celtics' Hall of Famer and the N.B.A.'s pre-eminent guard in its early years, told The Associated Press yesterday. "He gave us recognition and acceptance when we were at the bottom of the totem pole in professional sports."In 1959, Mikan became a member of the first group inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, Mass.Mikan sustained various injuries during his career including fractures of both legs, his left arch, right foot, nose, right wrist, thumb and three fingers, plus 166 stitches.Through it all, he prevailed, even when rules were introduced to limit his effectiveness. At DePaul, he once recalled: "We would set up a zone defense with four men around the key and I guarded the basket. When the other team took a shot, I'd just tap it out."To negate that, the National Collegiate Athletic Association banned goaltending in 1944.In the N.B.A., when his team had the ball, Mikan set up one step from the basket. The league countered during the 1951-52 season by widening the lane under the basket, where an offensive player could stay for only three seconds at a time, to 12 feet from 6 feet. But Mikan scored 61 points in a game that season against the Rochester Royals.In a November 1950 game, the Fort Wayne Pistons decided the only way they could beat Mikan and the Lakers was to hold onto the ball. They won, 19-18, the lowest-scoring game in N.B.A. history. In 1954, the N.B.A. introduced the present rule that required a team to shoot within 24 seconds of getting the ball.George Lawrence Mikan was born June 18, 1924, in Joliet, Ill. At his high school graduation he was 6 foot 8. He used to stoop to make himself look shorter."I became round-shouldered, ungainly and so filled with bitterness that my height nearly wrecked my life," he once said. "Later, I found that a tall man didn't have to accept clumsiness."While in high school, Mikan wanted to be a priest and for a time he studied in a Chicago seminary, leaving no time to play basketball. He did play during the summers on playgrounds and he wanted to go to Notre Dame, but the coach, George Keogan, rejected him for being clumsy.Mikan found a home at DePaul, where Coach Ray Meyer tried to rectify his clumsiness with an intensive training regimen. He skipped rope, shadowboxed and ran. The routine helped, and he became an All-American three times and the college player of the year twice.His first pro team was the 1946-47 Chicago American Gears of the N.B.L. After one season, he moved to the N.B.L.'s Lakers. One season after that, the Lakers and three other N.B.L. teams joined the new Basketball Association of America, which a year later became the N.B.A.Mikan so captured the public's imagination that the N.B.A. often sent him on the road a day before a game to drum up publicity for his next game.He was still in his prime when he retired at age 29 after the 1953-54 season, saying he wanted to spend more time with his family.Two seasons later, he returned, but was only a shadow of himself. He then retired as a player for good. He became the Lakers' coach in 1957, started the season, then quit with a 9-30 record.After basketball, he worked in Minneapolis as a corporate and real-estate lawyer. He bought and renovated buildings, owned a travel agency and ran for Congress as a Republican, losing in a close race.He was the first commissioner of the American Basketball Association, from 1967 to 1969. He lived in the Minneapolis suburb of Edina, Minn., and in Scottsdale.Mikan is survived by his wife, Patricia; his sons Larry, Terry, Patrick and Michael; and his daughters Trisha and Maureen, The Associated Press reported. His brother, Ed, who also played for DePaul and later in the N.B.A., died in 1999.Of all the tributes paid to Mikan during his career, perhaps the grandest came from the marquee outside the old Madison Square Garden. It read: letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Fri, 03 Jun 2005 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6490/1/E-Ljeposlav-Perinic-The-King-of-Dolls-died-on-March-19th-2005.html ÂLjeposlav Perinic, The King of Dolls died on March 19th, 2005Dear Nenad,I have sad news: The King of Dolls - mr LjeposlavPerinic - died in Buenos Aires on March 19th, 2005.My extensive presentation about this wonderful personis athttp://www.croatianhistory.net/etf/dolls.html prepared in four langugages: English, Spanish, Russianand Croatian. His daughter Mrs Teresa Perinic deBelofatto helped me very much.I met Mr. Ljeposlav Perinic in the summer 1999 inZagreb, after his friendly telephone call related tothe famous Croatian Glagolitic Texte du Sacre inFrance. I learned an unusual story about his uniquecollection of more than 350 dolls in national costumesfrom over 120 countries, from all five continents. Hisinvaluable collection contains dolls that he obtainedas gifts from dignitaries, Kings, Queens, Emperors,Empresses, Presidents, First Ladies, Prime Ministers,Governors, etc. Among them are Pope Paul VI (theVatican), Indira Gandhi (India), Carlos Menem(Argentina), G.A. Naser (Egypt), Grace Kelly (Monaco),Haile Selassie (Ethiopia), Farrah Diba Pahlavi - theFirst Lady of Iran, Benazir Bhutto (Pakistan), KonradAdenauer (Germany), Queen Sofia of Spain, Mao Tse Tung(China), Dalai Lama (Tibet in China), Enver Hoxha(Albania), Moise Chombe (Kongo), then MAHARADJAHIRADSA MAHENDRA BIKRAM JANG BAHADUR SHAHSHAMBAHER JANG DEVA (Nepal), Franjo Tudjman (Croatia), and many others. How did he collect his dolls? Well, he simply wrote,and asked for dolls in national costumes. However, thestory has deeper roots:www.croatianhistory.net/etf/dolls.html Many greetings from Zagreb,Darko Zubrinc letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Wed, 30 Mar 2005 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6491/1/H-Monsignor-Raymond-W-Stafford-Died.html ÂMonsignor Raymond W. Stafford DiedÂMonsignor Raymond W. Stafford, pastor of Most Precious Blood Catholic Church, in Astoria, New York, died unexpectedly in the early morning hours of March 20, 2005. The news of his death came as the parish prepared to commemorate the beginning of Holy Week, andhas left the parishioners deeply saddened. Monsignor Stafford served as pastor of Most Precious Blood for eleven years, and celebrated forty-five years of priesthood. Croats, who are an integral part of this multiethnic parish community, deeply mourn his loss. Monsignor Stafford was always very supportive of the Croatian community at Most Precious Blood. He was present at all Croatian functions that took place at the parish; he would come to say a prayer and give his blessing. As a pastor, he had a very good relationship with the Croatian bishop of Krk, who in the past has been responsible for the Croatian priests that serve at Most Precious Blood. He warmly welcomed visiting Croatian priests and bishops. The former bishop and now archbishop of Zagreb, Cardinal Bozanić visited the parish on a few occasions. Monsignor Stafford always concelebrated Masses with visiting Croatian bishops. In the past 10 years, the Croatian community has grown in number and spirit, in no small part due to Monsignor Staffordâs concern and support. He was a dedicated priest committed to the well being of his parish. His loss will be felt by the whole parish community. May God grant eternal rest onto his soul!  letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Wed, 23 Mar 2005 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6492/1/E-Petar-Radielovic-a-pillar-of-the-LA-community-passed-away.html ÂPetar RadielovicÂÂPetar Radielovic, a pillar of the Los AngelesCroatian community, passed away on Sunday, January 23, 2005.ÂCroatian National Association – Croatian National FoundationHrvatska Narodna Udruga – Hrvatska Narodna ZakladaP.O. Box 6591, Woodland Hills, CA 91365 USATel: (818) 610-3388 Fax: (818) 610-1023Funeral services will be held 10 AM Friday, January 28, 2005 at St. Anthony Croatian Catholic Church, 712 N. Grand Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90012.We will forward more information as we receive it.Our sincerest condolences to the Radielovic family. letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Thu, 27 Jan 2005 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6494/1/E-Stanislava-Rotkvic-MD-has-passed-away.html ÂStanislava Rotkvic M.D. has passed awayIt is with great sadness that I have been informed that Stanislava Rotkvic M.D. has passed away earlier this week. Funeral Mass will be held at 10:00 am Wednesday, December 29, 2004 atSt. John’s Church239 Anderson AvenueFairview NJ 07022Dr. Rotkvic originally a native of Croatia was retired. She leaves behind sister, nephew and a niece in Croatia. She was contributor to numerous charities. She was a Life Contributing member of The Croatian Academy of America and a former Executive Council member. letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sun, 02 Jan 2005 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6493/1/H-Preminuo-slikar-Josip-Generalic.html ÂPreminuo slikar Josip GeneralicSrijeda, 22. prosinca 2004. http://www.hrt.hr/vijesti/HRVATSKI slikar naivac Josip Generalic preminuo je jutros u koprivnickoj Opcoj bolnici, potvrdjeno je u toj bolnici. Josip Generalic rodjen je u Hlebinama 1936. Slikanjem se bavi od 1950., najprije pod utjecajem oca Ivana i Hlebinske skole, zatim od 1960. u njegove kompozicije prodiru nadrealni i dekorativni elementi. Zavrsio je Uciteljsku skolu u Krizevcima 1956., a diplomirao je na Visoj pedagoskoj skoli. Nakon 1973. gradi vlastit stil, temeljeci ga na ekspresivnosti i fantazmagoricnosti.Od 1977., u tzv. crnoj fazi, svojevrsnim verizmom slika svijet na rubu katastrofe. Autor je mnogih grafickih mapa, a radio je i scenografiju te prijedloske za tapiserije. Priredio je vise od stotinu samostalnih izlozaba u zemlji i inozemstvu i sudjelovao na vise od devet stotina skupnih izlozaba. Sudjelovao je na smotrama naivne umjetnosti u Bratislavi, Zagrebu, Muenchenu i Zuerichu. Hina letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sun, 02 Jan 2005 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6495/1/H-Dr-Ivo-Korsky-1918--2004.html ÂDr. Ivo Korsky (1918 -2004)ÂU Buenos Airesu je 12. prosinca umro dr. Ivo Korsky. Intelektualac, filozof. Istaknuti politicar. Urednik politickoga casopisa REPUBLIKA HRVATSKA. Predsjednik Hrvatske republikanske stranke (u RH registrirana pod imenom Hrvatska republikanska zajednica). Vitez.Misa zaduÅnica služit ce se u petak 17. prosinca, u 17,30 sati, u Palmoticevoj ulici u Zagrebu.(ra)  letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Tue, 14 Dec 2004 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6496/1/H-Kruno-Masina-1934-2004.html ÂKruno Masina (1934-2004)ÂPisu: Dr. Frank (Zeljko) Beluhan iFrano SorichU Tarpon Spring, malom turistickom mjestu sjeverno od St. Petersburga, na Floridi, Kruno je kao i obicno bio glasan u razgovoru s prijateljima na hrvatskom jeziku. Jedan gospodin ga je zaustavio: "Da li ste vi gospodin Kruno Masina?" "Da, to sam ja, gospodine". Na to ovaj kaze: "Slusao sam vas kroz niz godina na hrvatskom radiju u New Yorku, sada sam prepoznao vas glas, no nikada nisam imao priliku sresti vas sto mi je sada velika zadovoljstina. Cestitam vam na uspjesnom radu, koji je uvijek podizao duh nasih zemljaka i u najtezim trenutcima za Hrvatsku".Kruno je umro 18tog Studenog ove godine na putu iz jedne bolnice u druhu, iz Splita u Zadar, od zlocudnog raka, koji ga je ubijao kroz zadnjih nekoilko mjeseci.Kruno Masina je bio, nakon bijega iz komunizma, zatvora, tegoba izbjeglickog zivota po svijetu (Italija, Francuska, te konacno U.S.A.) preko 30 godina voditelj programa hrvatskog radija u New Yorku. Imao je dvije ljubavi u zivotu: jedna, njegova draga supruga Mira, s kojom je organizirao mnoge proteste Hrvata u New Yorku, Washingtonu i drugdje. Druga njegova ljubav je bila posvetiti sve slobodno vrijeme hrvatskoj ideji za samostalnost. Nikada nije imao materijalne koristi radeci na tom dugom i mukotrpnom putu. Kruno je bio niz godina "Vijecnik" u "Hrvatskom Vijecu", koje je jedna od najjacih organizacija Dijaspore, a cija je rijec cesto bila odlucujuca za probleme u Hrvatskoj. Ta organizacija je imala izuzetan utjecaj na upoznavanju americke javnosti i Administracije o dogadajima u nasoj Domaji, Hrvatskoj.Godine 1966. dosao je sa suprugom kao umirovljenik na Floridu, gdje se je ubrzo nasao u krugu svojih prijatelja Hrvata, a i mnogih mjestana njegovog dragog Preka iz otoka Ugljana. Tu je odmah, kao ugledan rodoljub, aktivirao se u hrvatske klubove, gdje je kao izvanredan govornik i voditelj ("Master of Ceremony") zagovarao hrvatsku ideju samostalnosti, cije je ostvarenje konacno i docekao! Priznanje za njegov dugogodisnji rad bilo mu je dato da bude voditelj programa prigodom posjeta Americi naseg Predsjednika Stjepana Mesica.Kruno i njegova draga supruga odlucili su vratiti se u Domovinu, u njihov voljeni rodni kraj, u Domovinu koja je sada slobodna, a kojoj su posvetili cijeli zivot. Nakon dolaska, kupili su dom u Zadru, koji gleda prema moru, sto je bio niihov zivotni san.Sudbina je, mozda, odredila da taj veliki/mali covjek dode umrijeti tamo, gdje mu je ljubav i srce bilo, u toj divnoj nasoj Hrvatskoj, na tom divnom nasem Jadranu. Mozda je tako bolje! letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Thu, 25 Nov 2004 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6498/1/E-In-Memoriam-Ana-Komadina-of-New-Mexico.html ÂAnn Komadina lived to teachÂFrom the October 16, 2004 issue of the Abluquerque Tribune. John Peter Kraljic, Esq.Ann Komadina lived to teachBy Jeff CommingsTribune ReporterTeaching was such a natural way of life for Ann Komadina that when she retired from Albuquerque Public Schools in 1977, she never thought it meant her mentoring days were over."She was a marvelous Spanish teacher for me," said her niece, Julie Weaks Gutierrez. "Whenever I had a difficult time, she would sit down and be my tutor."Komadina's brother and former student, Al Grubesic, said her desire to learn and pass on that knowledge to everyone made her a role model in the family."She was a very vibrant person," he said. "It was hard to keep up with her."Komadina, who died Sept. 23 at an undisclosed age, was born in Dawson, N.M., of Croatian parents.She majored in English and Spanish at the University of New Mexico. Though many would agree that the graduate degree in Spanish she earned at UNM would qualify her as a master of the language, Komadina still wanted to learn more. She continued her Spanish studies in Mexico, living with families there to better understand the cultures and language.She returned to New Mexico to teach English and Spanish at Albuquerque High School. She also directed plays for the junior and senior classes there for many years. One of her students was the late Kim Stanley, who became a star on Broadway and in movies."Every year at Albuquerque High, they would put on a Christmas cantata," said Weaks Gutierrez. "We waited anxiously for that show every year, and it was amazing that, given all the things she was already doing, that she pulled it off."Just when everyone thought her plate was full to overflowing, Komadina added Russian expertise to her rÃsumÃ, earning a master's degree in Russian from Indiana University at 45."She decided she just wanted another challenge," Grubesic said. "Even though Russia was at the time our enemy, she couldn't think of a better way to learn about the enemy than study their customs."She became the first Russian teacher in APS, teaching the language to students at Sandia, Valley, Highland and Albuquerque high schools. She continued to work in foreign languages as an administrator at APS until her retirement.After that, her family became her students."Teaching was her great love in life," Weaks Gutierrez said. "She was always trying out some new technique . . . on those of us who were the kids in the family.""One of the great things I remember most about my sister was she took two of my kids to Europe," Grubesic said. "That had a great effect on them because they came back with a great appreciation for the United States."Even in the time shortly before her death, Grubesic said his sister was eager to teach."We were in the car and she was telling (the kids), 'All right, I need to teach you how to say hello in four languages.' She was always in that mindset of wanting people to learn." letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Mon, 18 Oct 2004 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6497/1/E-John-Percic-March-24-1925---Oct-18-2004.html ÂJohn Percic March 24, 1925 - Oct. 18, 200410/20/2004 Funeral Mass for John Percic, 79, of Painesville Township, will be 10 a.m. Friday at St. Gabriel Church, 9925 Johnnycake Ridge Road, in Concord Township.John PercicFuneral Mass for John Percic, 79, of Painesville Township, will be 10 a.m. Friday at St. Gabriel Church, 9925 Johnnycake Ridge Road, in Concord Township. Mr. Percic died Oct. 18, 2004, at Metro General Hospital in Cleveland. He was born March 24, 1925, in St. Martin, Croatia.He was a member of St. Gabriel Church in Concord Township. Mr. Percic worked as a security guard at Lincoln Electric Company for 37 years, retiring in 1990. Survivors are his wife of 49 years, Theresa; daughters, Amy (Richard) Steele of Mentor, Josi (Tom) Zimmerman of Houston, Texas, and Rose (Vicki Sanelli) Percic of Highland Heights; four grandchildren; and three great-grandchildren. He is also survived my relatives in Croatia. Friends may call 4 to 8 p.m. Thursday at the Brunner Funeral Home and Cremation Service, 8466 Mentor Ave., in Mentor. Burial will be in All Souls Cemetery in Chardon Township. Online obituary at www.brunners.com. ©The News-Herald 2004 http://www.news-herald.com/site/news.cfm?BRD=1698&dept_id=21847&newsid=13174027&PAG=461&rfi=9 letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Mon, 18 Oct 2004 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6499/1/E-In-Memoriam---Anthony-Jurcan-of-Seattle.html ÂAnthony Jurcan treasured family, countryÂFrom the Oct. 10, 2004 edition of The Seattle Times. John Peter Kraljic, Esq .By Judy Chia Hui HsuTimes Snohomish County BureauThose who knew him describe Anthony Jerry Jurcan as a kind, honest family man.Mr. Jurcan died Oct. 4 of complications from pneumonia. He was 91 years old."He was always there for us," said his daughter, Jane Murray.Back in her days as a newlywed, she recalled, money was tight. "He had a sixth sense, and he'd give me 20 bucks," which helped a lot, she said."And he was that way with the grandkids, too," Murray added. Her father would slip them $10 bills.Born in Zlarin, Croatia, Mr. Jurcan moved to Zagreb, the country's capital, to learn his trade as a cabinetmaker when he was 14. For three years as an apprentice, he worked 10-hour days and six-day weeks.In 1936, after serving 18 months in the army, Mr. Jurcan could not find work; the economy was still reeling from the Great Depression. So when his father, who had left the country for America several years earlier, sent him a letter and a ticket, Mr. Jurcan decided to go.Soon after he arrived in the United States at the age of 23, he met his future wife, Annabelle. Mr. Jurcan had tuberculosis and landed in the hospital where she worked as a registered nurse. But he couldn't speak English, so using a Croatian-English dictionary, he wrote her a note asking if she'd like to teach him English."That was the come-on," his daughter said.The two were married for 48 years, until Annabelle died in 1989.Because Mr. Jurcan couldn't find work as a cabinetmaker in this country, his first job was as a fisherman. He joined his father, who was already working along the coasts of California, Washington and Alaska.But quickly Mr. Jurcan returned to his first love. A hard worker, he practiced his trade at a few cabinet shops until he got a job with the Bon MarchÃ. Mr. Jurcan worked for the department store for 33 years, building display cabinets by hand."It's very nice, fine furniture," his daughter said. "We have a whole household of tables, cabinets and chairs."Thirteen years ago, Mr. Jurcan married his daughter's neighbor, Harriet Mihara.Mr. Jurcan loved to tell stories. He liked fishing and being outdoors. "He even installed a hot tub in his back yard a few years ago," his daughter recalled.Mr. Jurcan was a member of Seattle's Croatian Fraternal Union Lodge 439 for 67 years.Richard Major, who knew Mr. Jurcan for about 40 years through the lodge, remembers his "genuine hospitality and conversations about his homeland and his life in America, which he loved deeply."Above all, Mr. Jurcan valued family and being together, his daughter said. "He enjoyed Christmas, Thanksgiving and tradition."His son Robert Jurcan said having his father to talk to is what he'll miss most."He was a man that seemed to have no faults," his son said. "Everybody that met him, even just one time, liked him."In addition to his wife, Mr. Jurcan is survived by two sons, Anthony Jr., of Bellevue, and Robert, of Sumner; daughter Jane Murray, of Seattle; four granddaughters; and a grandson.A memorial service will be held at 10 a.m. tomorrow at Greenwood Memorial Park and Funeral Home, 350 Monroe Ave. N.E., Renton. Donations to any charity may be made in his memory.Judy Chia Hui Hsu: 425-745-7809 or jhsu@seattletimes.com  letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Mon, 11 Oct 2004 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6500/1/E-Frank-Vuckovic-92-of-Las-Vegas-died-Tuesday.html ÂFrank Vuckovic 92, of Las Vegas diedFrank Vuckovic, 92, of Las Vegas died Tuesday in a local hospital. He was born Nov. 23, 1911, in Croatia. A resident for 20 years, he was a retired bakery owner/operator.He is survived by two sons, Frank Vuckovic of Las Vegas and Mark Vuckovic of Tuebingen, Germany; and four grandchildren. Visitation is scheduled one hour prior to an 11 a.m. service Saturday in the Shrine of the Most Holy Redeemer Catholic Church, 55 E. Reno Ave. Burial will follow at noon Saturday in Palm Valley View Memorial Park. Palm Mortuary, 7600 S. Eastern Ave., is handling arrangementshttp://www.lasvegassun.com/sunbin/stories/obits/2004/aug/26/517408261.html letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Thu, 26 Aug 2004 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6501/1/E-Richard-May-judge-in-Milosevic-trial-dies-at-65.html ÂRichard May, judge in Milosevic trial, dies at 65Posted on Mon, Jul. 05, 2004 By Marlise SimonsNEW YORK TIMESPARIS - Sir Richard May, a British judge who presided over the first two years of the war crimes trial of the former Yugoslav president, Slobodan Milosevic, before falling ill early this year, died Thursday at his home in Oxford, England. He was 65.He suffered from a brain tumor, friends of the family said.Sir Richard, a low-key barrister who received a knighthood a week before his death, joined the United Nations tribunal for the former Yugoslavia in 1997 and served on the bench in numerous cases. But he became best known as the judge in command of the complex Milosevic war crimes trial, the first of its kind for a modern head of state.High on the bench, in his crimson robe, peering over his glasses, he often had to engage in a test of wills with a defiant Milosevic.Sometimes prickly but mostly unperturbed, Sir Richard steered the proceedings that in the Milosevic case covered charges of war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide relating to the wars in Bosnia, Croatia and Kosovo of the 1990s. He regularly coaxed Milosevic, who has acted as his own lawyer, by prodding and prompting him on what questions to ask a witness.Two years into the trial, as a turning point approached and the prosecution was about to rest its case, Sir Richard's grave illness forced him to step down."The Milosevic trial is a defining moment in international law and Richard May made it into a professional trial, not just a performance," said Antoine Garapon, a former French judge who directs the Institute for Advanced Judicial Studies in Paris. "And he did the near-impossible, he managed to engage the obstinate Milosevic and pull him in."At a tribunal where the 16 judges come from many nations, different legal traditions and even from careers as diplomats and academics, Sir Richard stood out as an experienced and practical judge. Theodor Meron, the tribunal president, said that Sir Richard had made major contributions in developing rules of procedure and evidence in the new field of international human rights law that "significantly improved the work of the tribunal and will be of great value to all international criminal courts."Richard George May, who was born in London in 1939 and graduated from Cambridge University, gained his experience first as a criminal prosecutor, then as a junior circuit judge in Oxford. He briefly entered politics, serving on the Westminster City Council, where he became an advocate for homeless children and low-income housing. In 1979, he ran and lost as a Labor Party candidate for Parliament against Margaret Thatcher. She, of course, went on to become prime minister and he went back to the law.In The Hague, Sir Richard was widely liked and admired by his colleagues, who called him a fair, self-effacing, kind, accessible and a witty man who was a master of understatements. His wit was rarely visible in court, where he was careful of preserving decorum.Although he was eager to preside over the Milosevic case as a member of the three-judge panel, Sir Richard did not cherish the limelight that came with it. He would politely greet an approaching reporter, but never engage in conversation, let alone in interviews.Geoffrey Nice, the lead prosecutor in the Milosevic case , who said he had spent more than 500 days in court with Sir Richard in several trials, said he found the judge to be "a very generous and a very modest man, who never tried to grandstand or show off his great knowledge." Rather he said, Sir Richard used his knowledge to assist witnesses or defense counsel to move the proceedings along.He avoided confrontations with aggressive lawyers, but would not tolerate rudeness. He told one brazen Serb lawyer that "courtesy is common to all continents." But he usually chose to overlook the stridency of Milosevic, ignoring for example the fact that he refused to stand up when addressing the court and insisted on calling him "Mr. May"Sir Richard opposed strong pressure from the prosecution to impose a defense lawyer on Milosevic, which would have simplified and speeded up proceedings. He insisted that Milosevic's right to self-defense had to prevail. But he reined him in at times by cutting off his microphone, or, after one bout of scoffing at the court, by interrupting him with the words: "your views about the tribunal are completely irrelevant."Over time, the two men seemed to reach a kind of truce, as Milosevic mellowed and Sir Richard kept urging him to avoid irrelevancies and be a better advocate of his case. But he also let Milsosevic air his grievances against NATO for the bombing of Yugoslavia at points when it was not relevant.In the past year, it was Milosevic who missed many court days because of high blood pressure and heart disease. What was not known was that Sir Richard himself, who never missed a day in court, was already ill but seemed determined to hold out until a break in the trial as the prosecution ended its case. His last day in court, Jan. 28, he seemed distracted and tired, but kept prodding Milosevic as usual: "Just move on, let's not waste time," he said several times. Then as prosecutors and the accused squabbled, he said: "That all today. We have no further time." He picked up his binders and walked out for the last time.Sir Richard is survived by his wife Radmila May and their three children.http://www.contracostatimes.com/mld/cctimes/news/9083340.htm?1c letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Wed, 07 Jul 2004 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6502/1/G-Dr-CG-Stroehm---In-memoriam-A-Heart-for-Small-Peoples.html Dr CG Stroehm, a great friend of CroatiaDear Colleagues,Here is a nice piece- obituary- on Dr CG Stroehm, a great friend of Croatia -that appeared in the German daily die Welt, today. CG Stroehm was a great visionary; even Solshenytsin asked him for his views on communism. C. Stroehm passed away on May 14, 2004. According to my unconfirmed info, his funerals will be held in nearby Carinthia, Austria. regardsT. Sunichttp://www.welt.de/data/2004/05/18/279489.html?prx=1 Ein Herz f&uumlr die kleinen Nationen: Zum Tode von Carl Gustaf StrÃhm [PARA]Alexander Scholschenyzin hatte, kaum in Deutschland angekommen, den dringenden Wunsch, "den StrÃhm" zu sprechen. Schon damals, 1974, galt Carl Gustaf StrÃhm als glÃnzender Analytiker der VorgÃnge in der kommunistischen HemisphÃre, als ein Journalist, dem man mit der Formel von der Anerkennung der RealitÃten nicht imponieren konnte. Er buhlte nie um die Interview-Gunst der MÃchtigen von Prag bis Moskau, er suchte stattdessen, nicht ohne persÃnliches Risiko, das GesprÃch mit den Arbeitern, den Intellektuellen, den Dissidenten, den Menschen von "ganz unten". So blieb er resistent gegen&uumlber allen Einfl&uumlsterungen der Politiker: ein unbestechlicher Beobachter, gef&uumlrchtet in den Ãstlichen Schaltzentralen, geliebt von seinen Lesern und gelegentlich getadelt von Entspannungseuphorikern in deutschen Regierungskanzleien. [PARA]Der Sohn eines Baltendeutschen und einer Russin, 1930 in der estnischen Hauptstadt Reval (Tallinn) geboren, hatte ein Herz und auch den richtigen Blick f&uumlr die nationalen Minderheiten und die kleinen Nationen; er wusste, dass unter der T&uumlnche der kommunistischen Ideologie die VÃlker und Volksgruppen fortbestehen, mit all ihren historischen GrÃÃen und Belastungen, und konnte deshalb sehr fr&uumlh, anfangs noch belÃchelt, den Zerfall des Tito-Imperiums Jugoslawien voraussagen. [PARA]StrÃhms journalistisches Schl&uumlsselerlebnis war der Ungarn-Aufstand 1956, von dem er als junger Reporter berichtete. In T&uumlbingen promovierte er mit einer Arbeit &uumlber den russischen B&uumlrgerkrieg. Von 1966 bis 1972 arbeitete der Historiker und Slawist f&uumlr die Deutsche Welle, dann bis 1999 f&uumlr die WELT. "Der StrÃhm" wurde zum Inbegriff gediegener, furchtloser Ost- und S&uumldosteuropaberichterstattung. Dreisprachig aufgewachsen (Deutsch, Russisch, Estnisch), konnte er sich spÃter in fast allen osteuropÃischen Sprachen verstÃndigen. Kleine LÃnder wie Estland und Kroatien haben ihm hohe Orden verliehen. Am 14. Mai ist Carl Gustaf StrÃhm mit 74 Jahren in Wien gestorben. fac[NL][NL][PARA]Artikel erschienen am 18. Mai 2004 Artikel drucken (c) WELT.de 1995 - 2004   letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Tue, 18 May 2004 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6503/1/E-In-Memoriam---Zelco-Marvizi.html ÂZelco (Yaakov) Marvizi was born 25 years agoÂThe following article appeared in the Israeli daily H'aaretz concerning Zelco (Zeljko) Marvizi, who was half Croatian. He was one of 6 Israeli soldiers killed earlier this week in the Gaza Strip. John KraljicLast update - 01:51 12/05/2004His big dream was to join an elite unitBy Eli AshkenaziZelco (Yaakov) Marvizi was born 25 years ago on an island in the Adriatic Sea to a Jewish-Serbian mother and a Christian-Croatian father.When he was 10, his father died and Zelco, his mother, and sister, moved to Novisad in Serbia. After high school, Zelco studied physical education at Novisad University and later joined the Serbian army.At age 23, he came to Israel, where he joined the army and moved to Kibbutz Geva. There he met his "adoptive parents," Zeev and Vered Klein."Zelco had a lot of ambition," said Zeev Klein. He tried out for all the elite units but was not accepted, and he couldn't understand why." Eventually, Zelco was sent to medics' training, which was difficult for him because of his limited Hebrew. However, he finished with the help of friends.Zelco didn't give up on his dream of joining an elite unit. Tzvika Levi, the kibbutz movement's "father" of soldiers without families in Israel, spoke to the commander of the Givati Brigade about him and the latter authorized Zelco to join the engineering unit.Levi said Zelco called him last Tuesday and said: "Tzvika, if something happens to me, tell my girlfriend Maayan that I want to be buried in Jerusalem, the holy city. And if not in Jerusalem, then I want to be buried in Kibbutz Geva."w w w . h a a r e t z d a i l y . c o m letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Mon, 17 May 2004 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6507/1/E-Mom-mourns-her-fallen-son.html ÂFamilies tell of 2 Iraqi mob victimsThe slain security contractors were Army veterans from Ohio and Tennessee.By Connie Mabin | The Associated Press Posted April 2, 2004 Mom mourns her fallen sonApr 2, 2004 Two Army veterans, one from Ohio and one from Tennessee, were among four American contractors killed in Iraq, their bodies mutilated and dragged through the streets.Family members said Thursday that Jerko "Jerry" Zovko, 32, and Michael Teague, 38, died with two other civilians Wednesday after they were hit by rocket-propelled grenades in a rebel ambush. The victims worked for Blackwater Security Consulting, one of five subsidiaries of Blackwater USA based in North Carolina.Zovko's mother said she and her husband had suspected their son might be among the dead, but their fears were confirmed Thursday when the president of Blackwater USA knocked on their door."It was the hardest day of my life," Donna Zovko said during an interview in her suburban Cleveland home."Jerry was a man with a principle, an idea," his mother said. "He loved people. He wanted the world to be without borders, for everybody to be free and safe."Jerry Zovko joined the Army in 1991 at age 19. He spoke five languages fluently -- English, Croatian, Spanish, Russian and Arabic. He was a member of the 82nd Airborne Division at Fort Bragg in North Carolina, his brother Tom Zovko said.Zovko's family wouldn't say whether he was married or had children.Teague, of Clarksville, Tenn., was a 12-year Army veteran who earned a Bronze Star for service in Afghanistan and also served in Panama and Grenada, his wife, Rhonda, said in a prepared statement. She called her husband a "proud father, soldier and American.""I, his son Brandon and his friends and family will miss him without measure," her statement said.Teague had worked in the security business since he left the Army six years ago. He joined Blackwater Security two months ago, a Nashville television station reported.The names of the victims were not officially released because family members had yet to be notified, U.S. officials said.Privately owned Blackwater USA's range of paramilitary services include providing firearms and small-groups training facilities for Navy SEALs, police-department SWAT teams and former special-operations personnel.The company's security-consulting business connects former special-forces troops with jobs that may involve protecting people or places, or training foreign militaries.http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/local/lake/orl-asecohiovictim02040204apr02,0,5924823.story?coll=or  letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Fri, 02 Apr 2004 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6506/1/E-Zovko-always-wanted-to-save-the-world.html ÂÂPosted on Fri, Apr. 02, 2004 Zovko always wanted to save the worldMASON STOCKSTILLAssociated PressLOS ANGELES - After serving 12 years in the Navy, Scott Helvenston started a career as a fitness instructor and worked as trainer and stunt man for such movies as "Face/Off" and "G.I. Jane."He helped prepare actress Demi Moore for her role as the first woman to join the Navy SEALs in "G.I. Jane," and appeared on two reality series: "Man vs. Beast" and "Combat Missions."But after years out of the service, friends said they weren't surprised to learn the former SEAL had left the comfort of his life in California behind him and headed for Iraq."That's what, in a time of need, true American warriors like Scott would do," "Combat Missions" producer Mark Burnett said Thursday.Helvenston, 38, was among four American civilian contractors killed in Fallujah, Iraq, in an ambush on Wednesday, their charred bodies mutilated and dragged through the streets. The contractors were working for Blackwater Security Consulting when their vehicle was hit by rocket-propelled grenades.Two of the other victims have been identified as Jerko "Jerry" Zovko, 32, and Michael Teague, 38.Zovko always wanted to save the world, his mother said. He joined the Army at 19 and spoke five languages fluently - English, Croatian, Spanish, Russian and Arabic."Jerry was a man with a principle, an idea," his mother, Danica "Donna" Zovko said in Willoughby, Ohio. "He loved people. He wanted the world to be without borders, for everybody to be free and safe."Mrs. Zovko said she and her husband, Jozo, suspected their son was one of the dead late Wednesday evening because he had been working in Iraq. Their fears were confirmed early Thursday."He was the most self-motivated person," Zovko's brother Tom told ABC's "Good Morning America. "He grew up a skinny, little guy but wanted to be big, and he become big. He had desire and motivation and never gave up."Teague was a 12-year Army veteran who served in Afghanistan, Panama and Grenada, said his wife, Rhonda Teague. She said he received a bronze star for his service in Afghanistan.Rhonda Teague called her husband a "proud father, soldier and American.""I, his son Brandon and his friends and family will miss him without measure," her statement said.Teague, of Clarksville, Tenn., had worked in the security business since he left the Army six years ago, and joined Blackwater Security two months ago, WTVF-TV of Nashville reported.A friend, Sgt. John Ratliff, told CBS' "The Early Show" that Teague "told me to promise to take care of his wife and his son ... He knew it was rough over there.""In my opinion, Mike was caught in a situation to where he couldn't do anything for himself or his counterparts," Ratliff said. He said he knew his friend "would have done anything in his power" to save himself and the other three if it had been possible.Helvenston's fitness company, Amphibian Athletics, promised to bring a Navy SEAL-style workout to his customers. His wife, Tricia, appeared in some of the company's workout videos.Fred Atkinson, a neighbor of Helvenston's in Oceanside, said he was a devoted father to his children, Kyle and Kelsey, and often took them camping or surfing.The identity of the fourth victim was not immediately known. The names of the victims were not officially released because all family members had yet to be notified, U.S. officials said Thursday.Blackwater Security, based in Moyock, N.C., provides security training and guard services to customers around the world. President Gary Jackson and two other company leaders are former Navy SEAL commandos.A statement on the company's Web site said officials were grieving for the employees."Our tasks are dangerous, and while we feel sadness for our fallen colleagues, we also feel pride and satisfaction that we are making a difference for the people of Iraq."http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/news/world/8333366.htm letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Fri, 02 Apr 2004 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6504/1/E-Jerko-Jerry-Zovko-with-his-Motehr-Donna.html ÂDonna and Jerko "Jerry" ZovkoÂÂJerry Zovko poses with his mother, Donna, in this undated photo. Zovko, a northeast Ohio Army veteran, was one of the four American contract workers killed in Iraq Wednesday, March 31, 2004, their bodies dragged through the streets, family members said Thursday. The family of Jerry Zovko remembered him as a man who wanted to work for peace in the world. (AP Photo/Courtesy of the Zovko family)  letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Fri, 02 Apr 2004 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6505/1/E-Croatian-American-Killed-in-Falluja.html ÂCroatian American Killed in FallujaOne of the four people who were brutally killed in Falluja, Iraq was Croatian American Jerry Zovko from the Cleveland, Ohio area. A short announcement just made the wires.John Kraljic*************************************Ohio Civilian Killed In IraqApril 1, 2004An Ohio native was among the four civilians killed Wednesday in Iraq.Thirty-two-year-old Jerry Zovko grew up in Euclid. His parents now live in nearby Willoughby.Zovko's family says he was one of the four security contractors ambushed Wednesday by Iraqi rebels. The bodies were dragged through the streets and two of them were strung up from a bridge.Zovko's mother says her son was a former Army man who dedicated his life to making peace in the world.He left the Army in 2001 to work abroad for North Carolina's Blackwater Security Consulting.© Associated Press and Dispatch Productions, Inc., 2004. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Thu, 01 Apr 2004 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6508/1/E-Bozidar-Benc---Helped-Develop-Palm-Pilot.html ÂBozidar Benc - Helped Develop Palm Pilot1958-2004The following sorty appeared on the palminfocenter.com webstine concerning Bozidar Benc (misspelled in the title as Bodizar), one of the software developers for Palm Pilot. A profile concerning Benc can be found athttp://www.palmpowerenterprise.com/issuesprint/issue200105/profile.html Benc lived in Slavonski Brod. John Kraljic****************************************************************In Memory: Bodizar BencPosted By: PIC on Thursday, March 25, 2004 10:05:19 AMOne of the first and well known Palm OS developer, Bodizar Benc, has recently passed away.The news was posted on a messageboard, "It's with the greatest of regret that I pass on the sad news that Bozidar Benc passed away yesterday. As some of you may know he was involved in a serious car accident in early February. Hopes were high for a full recovery, but unfortunately his condition worsened and finally he succumbed to complications caused by the original injuries."Bozidar was 47 and is survived by his wife and two daughters. He lived in a small town east of Zagreb in Croatia. There is more about him in a recent interview.Bozidar was one of the original developers of Palm shareware. He has influenced a large number of current Palm OS developers and his titles were held in very high regard. He's best known for his suite of pop-up tools, LauncherIII and more recently LauncherX.For those who would like to send a note or contribution to Mrs. Benc in memory of her husband, the address is:Mrs. Bozidar BencBenc Software ProductionKosarevac 5235000 Slavonski Brod,CROATIAEditor's Note:How come that we didn't know of him when he was alive? The reason of CROWN existence is to find those precious pearls and put them on the necklace. Bozidar was 47 years old and belonged to the team that developed one of the most significant software today and where were we? And at the last meeting of Croatian community of larger New York I proposed Palm software as a base software for our community data base.Nenad Bach letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Thu, 25 Mar 2004 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6509/1/E-Ante-B-Sikic-brought-family-from-Croatia.html ÂAnte B. Sikic brought family from Croatia Insurance actuary was 84 By Rebecca GoodmanThe Cincinnati EnquirerMOUNT AIRY - In May 1945, Ante B. Sikic fled his home in Croatia just ahead of Tito's Communist army. After driving to Austria that day and sleeping in the car that night, he headed into the Alps to seek refuge with the English. It was the beginning of a path that would lead to Cincinnati, where Mr. Sikic - who held a Ph.D. in philosophy and mathematics from the University of Graz in Austria - lived happily for 48 years. Mr. Sikic died March 6 of heart failure at Mercy Franciscan Mount Airy. The Mount Airy resident was 84. A Catholic, he was a student at the University of Zagreb in Croatia when he left the city with an uncle who was a government official when they realized the Communists would soon take over. After spending the summer in a refugee camp in the mountains, Mr. Sikic went to the University of Graz seeking admission. He had left Croatia with his transcript from the University of Zagreb under his shirt and produced it for examination by the officials at Graz. They allowed him to enter the Ph.D. program. He paid the tuition by selling cigarettes from a large box he had received as a gift from a Croatian friend. Mr. Sikic found out that his girlfriend, Fedora, who had also left Croatia, was in Trieste, Italy. After exchanging letters, they decided to marry. The problem was that neither had papers that allowed them to cross the Austrian-Italian border legally. Undaunted, Mr. Sikic hiked across the Alps into Italy, married Fedora and walked back across with her into Austria. They made their home there and she helped with his dissertation. He graduated in 1947 and two years later - with a son and another child on the way - Mr. Sikic decided to remove his family from the chaos of post-war Europe. He registered with a refugee immigration organization. "He agreed to perform manual labor in any English-speaking country that could provide his family with a free, peaceful life," said his daughter, Yasna Sikic Hood of College Hill. They moved to Adelaide, Australia, where Mr. Sikic learned the carpentry trade and taught himself English. He was a carpenter in Australia for eight years, but longed to work as a mathematician. So in 1956, he moved his wife and three children to Cincinnati, where he was an actuary for the Union Central Life Insurance Co. for 28 years. He took the oath of allegiance and became a naturalized citizen in 1962. "Becoming an American citizen was one of the proudest moments of his life," his daughter said. "His adopted country provided a wonderful and successful life for his family." Mr. Sikic was a member of Little Flower Parish for 46 years. "He maintained an undying love for his homeland of Croatia and visited there every summer for the past 20 years," his daughter said. In addition to his daughter, survivors include his wife; two sons, Branimir of Stanford, Calif., and Adrian of College Hill; and eight grandchildren. The funeral has been held. Burial was at Spring Grove Cemetery. http://www.enquirer.com/editions/2004/03/24/loc_o.sikic.html  letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Wed, 24 Mar 2004 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6510/1/E-Bogdan-Jovicic---OlympicCollege-Basketball-Coach-Dies.html ÂBogdan Jovicic, 52The following obituary appeared in today's Poughkeepsie Journal from Poughkeepsie, New York.John KraljicSaturday, March 13, 2004Longtime official at Marist diesAdministrator was an ex-coachBy Kathianne BonielloPoughkeepsie JournalThe Marist College athletic community was in mourning Friday after a longtime staff member was found dead in his City of Poughkeepsie home.Bogdan Jovicic, 52, an assistant athletic director and former basketball coach, had worked at the Poughkeepsie college since at least the mid-1980s. He was described as a kind man who worked with many of the school's students.''He was really well-liked a great deal by all the members of my department and all the Marist athletes and all the students,'' said Marist Athletic Director Tim Murray, who added Jovicic was overseeing the college's recreational and intramural sports at the time of his death. ''He was a hard-working, caring person.''City of Poughkeepsie police are investigating the cause of Jovicic's death, Detective Lt. William Siegrist said. An autopsy is scheduled for 9 a.m. today.Police canvassed the quiet neighborhood on Clark Street Friday afternoon as drivers slowed down to stare at the home, where a crime scene unit van was parked in the driveway. The front yard and home were blocked off from the street by crime scene tape.Coached in OlympicsJovicic, a native of Croatia, spoke four languages and was the assistant coach for the 1984 Yugoslavian Olympic basketball team, according to his Marist biography. He worked with the Marist men's basketball team in the mid-1980s and served as an international recruiter.Jovicic joined the school's administration during the 1989-90 basketball season, Marist officials said.Marist men's basketball coach Dave Magarity worked with Jovicic and called him ''a terrific person.''(He was) just a very kind-hearted, caring man,'' Magarity said Friday. ''I just enjoyed being around him. He was a good guy, just a good, good guy.''Women's basketball coach Brian Giorgis said Jovicic was caring, quiet and reserved.''He went about his business in a very behind the scenes, quiet manner, but just very, very friendly,'' Giorgis said. ''He will be missed.''Journal staff writer Roderick Boone contributed to this report. letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sat, 13 Mar 2004 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6511/1/E-In-Memoriam---John-Kustich.html ÂJohn Michael "Gutch" KustichThe following appeared in today's Cleveland Plain Dealer. John KraljicJohn Kustich, starred at East Tech03/01/04Richard M. PeeryPlain Dealer ReporterIndependence- John Michael "Gutch" Kustich, a 12-letter athlete at EastTechnical High School during the 1940s, died Friday at Cleveland ClinicHospice.Kustich played on the football, basketball and baseball teams during hishigh school years. He graduated in 1946 and played minor league baseballfor a number of years. At 6 feet 4, he was tall for an athlete of hisera and was known as "Big Wheel."Kustich later was a supervisor at Republic Steel Corp. until he retiredin the 1980s. Then Kustich, who was of Croatian descent, and his wife,Caroline, visited Slovenia and Italy.Kustich, 75, was born in Cleveland. He played first base in theCleveland Indi ans farm sys tem. He en tered the Army and played on ateam with Hall of Fame great Willie Mays at Ft. Eustis, Va. After hisdischarge, Kustich played with the Brooklyn Dodgers farm team inHagerstown, Md., and the Boston Red Sox farm team in Morristown, Tenn.He kept his hand in athletics as a bowler with a 200 average. He alsovolunteered to help his son, John M. Jr., coach baseball at ClevelandCentral Catholic High School.Kustich lived in Garfield Heights for many years and more recently inIndependence.Besides his wife and son, who lives in Seven Hills, he is survived bydaughters, Linda O'Neill of Independence, Kathy Pruchnicki ofStrongsville and Karen of Cincinnati; four grandchildren, and twosisters.Services will be at 11 a.m. today at St Monica Catholic Church, 13623Rockside Rd., Garfield Heights.Ferfolia Funeral Home in Sagamore Hills handled arrangements.To reach this Plain Dealer reporter:dpeery@plaind.com, 216-999-4807 letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Thu, 04 Mar 2004 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6512/1/E-William-Sambrailo---California-Agricultural-Pioneer.html ÂWatsonville packaging pioneer William Sambrailo, 1927-2004The following story concerns Croatian-American William Sambrailo andappeared in the Santa Cruz Sentinel. John KraljicFebruary 4, 2004Watsonville packaging pioneer William Sambrailo, 1927-2004By DONNA JONESSentinel staff writerWilliam King Sambrailo, whose idea revolutionized the way berries andother agricultural products are packaged for market, died Saturday whileskiing in Jackson Hole, Wyo. He was 76.Sambrailo was chairman of the board of Sambrailo Packaging, aWatsonville-based company started by his father in 1923.A former cattle rancher and rodeo bull rider, he never lost his love foradventure or his passion for skiing."You never had to slow down for Bill," said Frank Capurro, a longtimeskiing buddy and business associate. "You had to catch up."Sambrailo was born in Watsonville and raised in a small house on LincolnStreet. His father was a Croatian immigrant, and his mother came from afamily that settled in Castroville after emigrating from Portugal in the1860s.He raised Hereford cattle and apples after the family purchased a ranchin Aromas in 1952, and entered the family packaging business after hisfather died in 1962, He was highly regarded as an innovator andsupporter of Pajaro Valley agriculture.Grower Nita Gizdich said she relied on Sambrailo and his company for 50years to provide packaging for her apples and berries."If you weren't sure what kind of box or container to buy, (he) wasthere for you," Gizdich said. "He would go to conventions and come backwith new ideas. (Sambrailo) was really for the farmer. To have somebodylike that, that's why our valley's so great today."Sambrailo developed the idea for clamshell packaging, the ubiquitousclear plastic containers used for berries and other produce, after hewas served lunch in a similar container, said Miles Reiter, chairman andchief executive officer of Driscoll Strawberry Associates Inc.In the late 1980s, raspberries were packaged in cardboard containers anda plastic cover held on with a rubber band. The packaging caused theberries to "squash and leak," limiting shelf life, Reiter said."The raspberry business wasn't going any further without new packaging,"Reiter said. Sambrailo's idea "made raspberries the No. 2 or 3 crop inthe county."He grew Sambrailo packaging as well, building facilities in Salinas,Santa Maria, Oxnard and in San Quintin, Baja California, Mexico, andemploying up to 250 people during the growing season.He was a founding director of the Pajaro Valley Bank, and served on theboard from 1983 to 1991. He remained a director with the new owner,First National Bank, until 2001.He contributed to numerous charities, including the Community Foundationof Santa Cruz County, St. Patrick's Church Building Fund, Moreland NotreDame School, St. Francis Central Coast High School, Mora High School,Watsonville Community Hospital Foundation and the American CancerSociety.Sambrailo also was remembered Tuesday for an adventurous streak thatsometimes got him in trouble. In 1974, while skiing in Canada, he gotcaught up in an avalanche and escaped by jettisoning his skis andjumping feet-first over an embankment. The same year he got trappedunder a raft during a river trip and nearly drowned. He attended the2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, and broke his ankle while doingsome skiing of his own on a mogul run. He recovered during the summerand strapped his skis back on when the new season started."He had a zest for life," said son Mark Sambrailo. "He didn't want toquit."He enjoyed biking, hang gliding, kayaking, stained-glass art, sculptureand hiking. He recently took up marathon walking, and finished first inhis age class in a South Carolina race a few months after a minor heartattack. He climbed Mount Kilimanjaro in 2000.His passion was skiing, and he didn't miss a season in 60 years. Hestarted in the sport when wood skis and cable bindings were the rule.More recently he used a mono-ski and a pair of twin tipped pocketrockets, a kind of ski favored by young riders who spend hours doingtricks in resort terrain parks filled with jumps and half-pipes.Capurro, who grows vegetables under the family business name, Topless,had accompanied Sambrailo to Jackson Hole. Though Capurro said he is"20-some years" younger than Sambrailo, he considered him a closefriend. His sense of fun and his upbeat outlook even made strangersgravitate toward him, Capurro said."He was 76 in age, and 36 in spirit and heart," he said.Contact Donna Jones at djones@santacruzsentinel.com .William K. SambrailoBORN: June 17, 1927, in Watsonville.DIED: January 31, 2004, in Jackson Hole, Wyo.EDUCATION: Graduated from Watsonville High School in 1945 and from SantaClara University in 1950.OCCUPATION: Board chairman, Sambrailo Packaging.SURVIVORS: Wife Eileen Sambrailo; stepmother Ruth Sambrailo; sons MarkSambrailo and Michael Sambrailo; daughter Judy Sambrailo; stepsons KevinBromber and Brian Bromber; and 10 grandchildren.SERVICES: 11 a.m. Friday at St. Patrick's Catholic Church, 721 Main St.,Watsonville. Friends may call 3-9 p.m. Thursday at Mehl's ColonialChapel, 222 E. Lake Ave., Watsonville.CONTRIBUTIONS: St. Francis Central Coast High School Foundation,Moreland Notre Dame School, Pajaro Valley Historical Association, TheJean & Ed Kelly Foundation, or charity of donor's choice. letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Wed, 04 Feb 2004 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6513/1/E-ITN-Reporter-Terry-Lloyd.html ÂTerry Lloyd 1953 -2003The following story appeared on the web site of ITN, the British TVnetwork, concerning Terry Lloyd who was killed in Iraq. As the storynotes, his work included reporting on mass graves found near Vukovar.A photo of Lloyd can be found at http://www.itv.com/news/1801667.html John KraljicHonour for ITN reporter killed in Iraq7.04PM, 23 Jan 2004ITN reporter Terry Lloyd, who was killed in the Iraq conflict, has beenawarded a posthumous honorary degree in recognition of his fearless warcoverage.Lloyd, who was shot dead at the age of 50 he drove towards Basra withhis ITN crew last March, was given an honorary doctorate of professionalpractice.The reporter's daughter Chelsey, 21, accepted the award from theUniversity of Derby at a ceremony in the city's Assembly Rooms.Lloyd, who was born and raised in the city, was ITN's longest servingcorrespondent and is believed to have died in a friendly fire incidenton March 22.The television news company said it has evidence that Mr Lloyd receivedsevere wounds from both Iraqi and US fire, and witness testimonyindicates he died while being transported from the scene to Basrahospital.Jennifer Fry, the university's Deputy Vice-Chancellor, told theceremony: "As one of the longest serving national televisioncorrespondents, Terry Lloyd earned many plaudits for his work at ITN."A truth-seeker and teller, he represented the highest standards injournalism and his tragic death in March last year was a loss mourned bymany."She said viewers will always remember the enduring images of his reportsof Saddam Hussein's gassing of 5,000 Kurds in Halabja, northern Iraq, in1988 and graphic dispatches in 1994 of the uncovering of the mass gravesof hundreds of slaughtered Croats, near Vukovar."Despite his achievements and throughout his career, he remained anordinary, down-to-earth man, without pretensions," said Mrs Fry."He was trusted and respected by camera crews whom he treated asfriends, he was held in high regard by fellow journalists who admiredhis courage and flair."Even though he was a great journalist, he remained a Derby lad thoughand through."Mr Lloyd's widow Lynn and son Oliver, 11, joined Chelsey at theceremony. letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Thu, 29 Jan 2004 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6514/1/E-Tom-Gersic---Fathers-Croatian-nut-bread.html ÂFather, husband looked after his familyTom GersicBy Jerry VondasTRIBUNE-REVIEWSunday, December 21, 2003 ÂAlthough Tom Gersic had the reputation of being a fine baker, it was at Christmas that his baked goods were most in demand. Jann Bernhardt recalled how, as children, she and her sister Jill White, along with a legion of relatives, looked forward to dining on their father'sCroatian nut bread. Tom Gersic's mother had brought the recipe with her when sheemigrated from Croatia, then a part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Thomas J. Gersic, of Etna, died on Friday, Dec. 19, 2003, in Concordia Lutheran Home, Cabot, Butler County. "In those days, our family Christmas dinners were well attended," Bernhardt said. "Dad had nine siblings, and they would take turns holding the Christmas dinners at their homes. "But no matter where the Christmas dinner was held, Dad always provided the Croatian nut bread," Bernhardt added. "And the recipe is still in our family today." Mr. Gersic was one of 10 children in the family of Thomas and Anna Petric Gersic. The elder Gersic, like many Croatian men, was recruited to come to the United States and work at the Spang, Chalfant & Co. plant in Etna. As a youngster, Tom Gersic left school at an early age, enlisted in the Navy and saw action during World War II. Mr. Gersic remained in the Navy after the end of the war, and after his discharge in 1955, he married Thelma Hahn, a woman from O'Hara. "Both Mom and Dad said it was love at first sight," Bernhardt recalled, "and they were devoted to each other up until the time Mom died in 1994." Bernhardt recalled that her father was so devoted to their mother that he opted to work two jobs so she could stay home and raise their daughters. Mr. Gersic's first job after his discharge and marriage was to dig graves at the old Etna Cemetery, which contains the graves of Civil War veterans. It was a job he kept through the years, even though he was employed for more than 30 years as a food processor for Armour Meat Co. on the North Side. "Many of the graves Dad dug, he did by hand," his daughter said. "Our father was an easy-going and a pleasant man to know and to talk with, but when it came to work, he was all work. "Dad wanted us to get a good education, and he was willing to work two jobs," his daughter said. "He worked the night shift at Armour and then dug graves during the daylight hours. He did it for years." Although Mr. Gersic enjoyed bowling, watching Westerns on TV and socializing with friends at the Sharpsburg Veterans of Foreign Wars post and the Jockey Club of Etna, he spent most of his time at home, where he and his wife continually busied themselves with chores around the house. "Dad had a garden, and he and Mom would process and can the vegetables that he grew," Bernhardt said. His daughter also recalled what it was like walking along the streets of Etna with her father. "Dad knew everyone," she said. "It took us a long time to walk along Butler Street. Dad had to stop and talk to almost everyone that went by."Mr. Gersic is survived by his daughters, Jann Bernhardt of Shaler and Jill White of Oakdale; granddaughters, Tammy Volpatti, Amanda Mennell and Nicole White; a brother, Raymond Gersic of Naperville, Ill.; and sisters Barbara Kiray of Greenfield and Mary Lou Robinson of Indiana Township. He was predeceased by his wife, Thelma; brothers, Michael and Steven Gersic; and sisters, Katherine Cvetic, Anne Profozich, Margaret Arzberger and Lily Barrett.Visitation is from 2 to 4 and 7 to 9 p.m. today and Monday at Worrell Funeral Home Inc., Main and Ninth Streets, Sharpsburg, where services will be held at 11 a.m. Tuesday, with the Rev. Herbert L. Schumm officiating. Interment will follow in Mt. Royal Cemetery, Shaler. Jerry Vondas can be reached at jvondas@tribweb.com or (412) 320-7823. Back to headlines http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/tribune-review/tribnorth/news/s_171100.html letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sun, 28 Dec 2003 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6515/1/E-Jerry-Blaskovichs-Tribute-to-Frank-McCloskey.html ÂTribute to Frank McCloskeyBy Jerry Blaskovich M.D.While the sentiments expressed by George Rudman[Croatian American Association's press release (5 November 2003)], on thedeath of Frank McCloskey is shared by all right thinking CroatianAmericans, Croatians in Croatia owe McCloskey a special debt and gratitude. Inthe context of the time when McCloskey became an activist for the victimsof genocide in Croatia, there was not a friendly advocate in the governments of the United States, Britain, and France for Croatia's fledging democracy.It was the time when the Yugoslav Army and its surrogate paramilitaryChetnik forces were running rampant in Croatia. The Western governmentsremained silent to the horrific methods used in this one sided conflict.McCloskey was the only public official who articulated that theSerbs/Yugoslavs were committing horrendous crimes. The only otherperson of political prominence who came out publicly about the Serbs'dastardly deeds was Margaret Thatcher. But she was out of office.Most significantly, it was a time when the governments of Britain, France and the United States were giving tacit approval and moral support to Yugoslavia's actions in Croatia. The United States' position was lead in part by the greed of Lawrence Eagleburger, Brent Scowcroft and Henry Kissinger. The world media followed the easiest path and disingenuously whatever was being put out by the Serbian propaganda machine. It was also a time when organized Croatian American organizations, except for the CAA, stood back and waited until the Croatia was officially recognized as an established state.Before CAA brought him into the conflict Frank McCloskey had no connection to Croats. He had simply had a personal look at the conflict and had the personal courage to express outrage about what he saw with his own eyes. His reaction would have been the same if he had seen the same bloody murder anywhere. He had that kind of decency.In several of my published Op-Ed pieces and book, "Anatomy of Deceit", I touched upon McCloskey's activities. The excerpts will provide an all too brief flavor to his humanism.==============================Anatomy of Deceit (Dunhill Publishing; New York ISBN0-935016-24-4).. . .The Vocin massacre, forensically, is the most extensively documented war atrocity of the conflict. United States Congressman McCloskey and Pat Mackley had been on a fact finding mission in the vicinity when they received reports about what had taken place in Vocin. Mackley immediately made arrangements to take them to the site. While the bodies were still warm, they were among the first to arrive on the scene.. . .After witnessing the ghastly aftermath of the slaughter, Mackley made arrangements to schedule a news conference for the next morning. Unable to sleep because of what he had witnessed, McCloskey woke Mackley after midnight. As the Washington Post reported, he told Mackley he was so shaken up he didn't wish to speak to the media. This just wasn't an issue he wanted to be involved in. Mackley said, "okay" and went back to sleep only to be awakened three more times by the distraught McCloskey. He said, "I don't want to talk about it, but I just can't get those faces out of my mind," recalls Mackley. "I watched himwrestle with the politics of it all that night. Ultimately, he decided he didn'tcare what the political implications were for him or anybody.His sense of humanity took over." Interestingly, Mark Dalmish, the CNN reporter in Zagreb refused to attend McCloskey's press conference because he didn't want togive the Congressman a "soapbox." As a result of his Vocin experience, CongressmanMcCloskey became the first person in American government circles to articulatethe situation in former Yugoslavia objectively. Although a Democrat, he becamethe voice of conscience in Congress where his humanistic stanceembarrassed the liberal wing of his party and finally stirred it into action.. . . McCloskey's moral stand may have been the trigger mechanism thatcaused President Clinton to violate the U.N. arms embargo to former Yugoslavia.. . .Witnesses [to the Vocin massacre] were questioned,along with several captured Serb soldiers who had been in Vocin during the slaughter. Congressman McCloskey was present at the interrogation of the soldiers. Aside from giving details about the slaughter, the Serb soldiers admitted to being members of Vojislav Seselj's infamous "White Eagles" and that they had been acting under direct orders from Belgrade... . . despite McCloskey presence and trustworthydocumentation furnished by European Community monitors and Helsinki Watch, somemedia accounts implied the massacre never happened; or that it was an act ofdisinformation planted by the Croats... . . A little over year after the horrific events atVukovar and Vocin took place, Dr. Snow, testifying before the House ForeignRelations Committee about the atrocities, brought tears to the usuallyjaded Washington audience. Congress members and the State Departmentreacted to his shocking testimony as if was a new revelation. Although thesebodies long ago had detailed information about atrocities, this was thefirst time they publicly noticed. Apparently Under Secretary of State LawrenceEagleburger had completely forgotten that immediately upon CongressmanMcCloskey's return to Washington from Vocin, McCloskey went directly toEagleburger and briefed him in great detail. Since then atrocities continuedunabated despite a number of congressional fact finding teams who hadbeen on the ground and gave unbiased reports and verification. Although thereports were public record, the media didn't consider them newsworthy enough to print.===========================================The Croatian VoicePublished July 29, 1993To Be or Not to be in BosniaBy Dr. Jerry BlaskovichThe surviving victims of Bosnia-Herzegovina received afalse glimmer of hope after President Bill Clinton announced he would useair power and lift the arms embargo. This hope faded when Cyrus Vance'sprotégé, Secretary of State Warren Christopher's unpersuasive argumentsfailed to sway the allies. How could Christopher be credible when he downgradedthe Serbian aggression as merely 'misbehaving'?`. . . `It would be comforting to think Clinton'sdecision was based upon his disgust with the UN inertia, European and Muslimcountries complacency, and his moral outrage.Or was Clinton moved by the embarrassment generatedwithin the liberal wing of his own Democratic Party, led by Congress whenFrank McCloskey saw the atrocities committed by the Serbs in both Croatia andBosnia? It is noteworthy to point out that Congressman McCloskey hasnot receive one cent in campaign contributions from anyone involved in theconflict and has no expatriate Yugoslavs in his congressional district. He is led by conscience--not politics. Would that be that leadersof all nations be so led.================================Long Beach Press-Telegram July 31, 1994No Surprises in BosniaWhen will we learn?Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me. Fool me three times, I'm the fool. That epitomizes our diplomatic fiascoes with the Serbs.It will be interesting to see how the leader of a liberal wing of the Democratic Party reacts. Congressman Frank McCloskeywas the first person in our government to articulate the situation informer Yugoslavia objectively. He is aware, despite the smoke andmirrors, that everything is still being orchestrated from Belgrade.====================Frank! Rest in Peace________________________________________________________________________Want to chat instantly with your online friends? Get the FREE Yahoo!Messenger http://mail.messenger.yahoo.co.uk letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Wed, 26 Nov 2003 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6517/1/E-CAA-Mourns-Passing-Of-Francis-Xavier-McCloskey.html ÂCAA Mourns Passing Of Francis Xavier McCloskey PRESS RELEASEFor Immediate ReleaseNovember 5, 2003Croatian American Association2000 Pennsylviania Avenue, NW, Box 287Washington, DC 20006Tel: 202-429- 5543The Board and Membership of the Croatian American Association mourns thepassing of former Congressman Francis Xavier McCloskey, one of the true heroes of CroatianIndependence. Accounts of Frank's death on Monday November 3, 2003, after a long battlewith cancer, were carried by the major newspapers throughout the Western World. The international pressrecalled him as an outspoken champion of Bosnia, and he certainly was. But even thatdescription understates Frank McCloskey's commitment to our Western ideal of freedom and the courage hedemonstrated as the first American politician to stand up against mass murder in Croatia and inBosnia-Herzegovina.The Washington Post came closest to getting it right. The Post obituary said that Frank was "anoutspoken advocate for ending war in the Balkans" and "was one of the first to call for air strikes againstSerbian positions". However, both The Washington Post and other publications omitted a crucial piece ofinformation: that the mild-mannered Frank McCloskey was also the very first member of Congresswilling to risk his own life in a combat zone so that he could verify with his own eyes that Serb forceswere slaughtering innocent civilians. It was a massacre at the small town of Vocin, and the memory ofthat particular act of genocide, that drove Frank McCloskey in his campaignto end the mass murder of innocent people in the wars in Croatia and Bosnia-Herzegovina.The Post obituary reported that a "1991 fact finding trip to Bosnia grabbedhis passion and attention". But that isn't correct. Vocin is in Croatia, and that is where the war wasin 1991, not in Bosnia-Herzegovina. The Croatian American Association convinced McCloskey to visitCroatia and the same organization sponsored the trip. Despite the threats and objections of theYugoslav lobby in Washington, Representative McCloskey decided to take that trip.On a Sunday morning in December 1991, McCloskey got into a car along withthe CAA's Dado Lozancic and J.P. Mackley and drove to Vocin and surrounding villages, where VojislavSeselj's withdrawing Chetniks had murdered 53 people, most of them elderly men and women.McCloskey had a close look at every mangled body. Some of them had been shot in head, others had beenburned to death, and at least one had been dismembered with a chainsaw. The first U.S. citizen to die inthe war was among the dead. Her name was Maria Skender and she was born in Erie, Pennsylvania. Someonehad buried an axe in her forehead.The next morning McCloskey held a press conference at the Hotel Intercontinental in Zagreb. There were only a small number of American reporters, and about the only coverage of note was in USA Today. Butthe story was big in Europe, especially in Germany. During the press conference McCloskey used the"G" word. He called the massacre at Vocin, and all the others that had happened in Croatia, genocide.He was the first to put it in that context and like a lot of other things McCloskey said and did, thereference to genocide caused considerable consternation at the State Department. In fact, State did notdecide to call these murders genocide until much later, after the deaths of a quarter million people in threecountries.It was after Vocin that McCloskey, who had never sought much nationalattention, became an outspoken critic of the Serbian campaign and of his colleagues in Washington whocontinued to insist the conflict in Croatia was only a "civil war", and something in which the U.S. had nobusiness interfering. McCloskey went immediately to Belgrade and accused Slobodan Milosevic of war crimes to his face. After that he went back to Washington, contacting State Department officials at thehighest levels to which he had access. He gave Deputy Secretary of State Lawrence Eagleberger a completebriefing, and wondered why nothing was done. When the same Serbian units that conducted themassacres in Croatia began tospread their grim work around Bosnia-Herzegovina, McCloskey went to have alook for himself.In 1992, after returning from his first trip to Mostar in Bosnia-Herzegovinaas a guest of CAA, McCloskey held a press conference at the Foreign Press Bureau at HotelSplit. In the presence of a State Department representative, a US Marine Corps officer, and members of theinternational press corps, McCloskey called for U.S. led NATO air strikes against Serbian positions inBosnia-Herzegovina as a way of ending the war.When it became clear to him that support would not be forthcoming fromeither his party or Administration leaders, McCloskey broke with the mainstream Democratic partyand made history by looking Warren Christopher in the eye during a hearing on the Balkans anddemanding the Secretary of State's resignation for his conduct of policy toward Bosnia-Herzegovina.In December 1993, at the request of Gojko Susak, the late Croatian Ministerof Defense, McCloskey went to Geneva and helped broker an uneasy peace between Croats and Muslimsfighting each other in Bosnia- Herzegovina. Once again, McCloskey was thefirst, but this time the State Department followed his lead and the peace became permanent.Sadly, when the Washington Accords were actually signed between Croats andMuslims during the Clinton White House in 1994, McCloskey was not invited. Undaunted, heelbowed his way into the Old Executive Office Building to witness the ceremony, and said afterwards thePresident had grudgingly acknowledged his presence.Part of the reason for his distance from his fellow Democrat may have had todo with the fact that McCloskey had handed President Bill Clinton his very first foreign policydefeat. But that particular battle was the beginning of a movement in Congress that transformed theBritish backed Clinton policy toward the Balkans. By continually drawing attention to "ethnic cleansing"in the villages and towns of ex-Yugoslavia, McCloskey managed to gain the support of a majority ofDemocrats who, on every issue but this one, remained loyal to the Administration's position on non-intervention.With the help of the CAA and others, McCloskey brokered a broad coalition ofDemocrats and Republicans who had listened to his daily calls from the floor of the U.S.House of Representatives to stop the genocide. They backed legislation called the McCloskey-Gilman bill,which was intended to lift the arms embargo first against Bosnia and then Croatia. Despite toughopposition, McCloskey-Gilman overwhelmingly passed the House of Representatives.In the U.S. Senate, McCloskey's bill was sponsored by Bob Dole, but it wasVice president Al Gore who cast the deciding vote and ended any chance the legislation would passduring that session of Congress.In 1995, however, when the bill gained the support of Ranking House MemberHenry Hyde, and Bob Dole in the Senate, Frank McCloskey's bill to lift the U.N. imposed armsembargo became law in the 105th Congress.Unfortunately, Frank McCloskey was not part of that Congress because he hadbeen voted out of office by people in southwest Indiana who could not locate Croatia orBosnia-Herzegovina, and really didn't care. Since he had followed his conscience and broken ranks with the Clinton White House and with Lee Hamilton and Birch Bayh in the Indiana Democratic party, Frank McCloskeyfailed to garner the support he needed to win a very close election.In 1994, not long before the elections, Frank McCloskey called HagueProsecutor Graham Blewitt into his office. In front of several witnesses, including Pulitzer Prize winningjournalist Roy Gutman, McCloskey handed Graham Blewitt the evidence collected by CAA on Vocin,which included postmortem photographs and personal statements from survivors, priests and doctors. Formany years after that McCloskey periodically asked the tribunal why nothing had been doneabout Vocin. Finally, when the ICTY indicted Milosevic, and then Seselj, Vocin was among the first cases in the indictments.McCloskey stood alone when he became the first member of Congress tocampaign against the genocide in disintegrating Yugoslavia. But before his career in Congress ended, hehad been joined by many other people of conscience, and their combined voices caused the ClintonAdministration to change its policy regarding the role the United States should play in the conflict betweenCroatia, Bosnia-Herzegovina and Serbia. McCloskey's passionate determination to put the United States on theright side in this conflict, and to compel the Administration to stand up against genocide, had made thedifference. In the end, the power of U.S. intervention that McCloskey had been calling for since 1991was initiated in 1995. The Clinton Administration began its quiet support of Croatian Operation Stormand started the bombing of Serb military targets around Sarajevo.Frank McCloskey was a devout Roman Catholic.Please remember to light a candle for him.Signed,George RudmanPresident, Croatian American Association letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Fri, 21 Nov 2003 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6516/1/E-Composer-Michael-Kamen-Dies.html ÂComposer Michael Kamen DiesMichael conducting in Italy 1995. Jovanotti, Bach, Meatloaf, Bolton, Zucchero, PavarottiÂMichael, wrote an orchestral arrangement for my song Can We Go Higher? that I performed in 1995 in Italy. The photo is performance of his song The Bridge on the same night. He was talented, charitable and very good natured. He died today in London. We who new him will miss him tremendously. Nenad Bach, New York Nov 18th 2003Kamen, was best known for his movie soundtracks as well as his work with bands such as Aerosmith and Pink Floyd, Eric Clapton, Bob Dylan, David Bowie...Oscar-nominated composer, conductor and arranger Michael Kamen died this morning (Nov. 18) after suffering from multiple sclerosis for several years, his agent said. He was 55. Further details were not immediately available. One of Hollywood's most successful composers, Kamen worked on music for the "Lethal Weapon" series and scored "Die Hard," among many other films. He was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 1996, but did not go public about the disease until late September. Kamen grew up in Queens, the son of liberal activists. In the late 1960s, he helped found the New York Rock'n'Roll Ensemble. In the 1970s, he scored ballets, served as musical director for David Bowie's Diamond Dogs tour and began writing scores for film. Although he began in Hollywood working on offbeat films like "Polyester" and "Brazil," he turned more mainstream in the 1980s, working on the "Lethal Weapon" series, "Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves," "Mr. Holland's Opus" and "X-Men," plus the HBO series "Band of Brothers." In 1999, Kamen conducted the San Francisco Orchestra as it backed hard rock act Metallica on its live "S&M" project. Recorded across two concerts that reworked the band's canon for symphonic arrangement, the resulting album peaked at No. 2 and has sold 2.6 million copies in the U.S., according to Nielsen SoundScan.COPYRIGHT: (c) Reuters 2003.Grammy-winning composer Michael Kamen dies at 55 in LondonBy ANTHONY BREZNICANAP Entertainment WriterLOS ANGELES -- Michael Kamen, the Grammy-winning and Oscar-nominated composer who fused hard-rock riffs with classical styling in albums for Pink Floyd and provided music for "Mr. Holland's Opus" and the "Lethal Weapon" and "Die Hard" movies," has died at age 55.He collapsed in his London home Tuesday from an apparent heart attack, according to his Los Angeles-based publicist, Jeff Sanderson.Kamen collaborated with a wide range of artists, from the London Philharmonic to Aerosmith, Metallica, Pink Floyd and jazz saxophonist David Sanborn.Although he was classically trained and studied oboe at New York's Julliard School, the composer's distinctive long, curly hair and beard made him look more like a heavy-metal guitarist than a classical conductor.He was known for combining those two sensibilities. Among his most famous collaborations was on the orchestral arrangements in Pink Floyd's 1979 album "The Wall." He also worked with the band on the albums "The Final Cut" and "The Division Bell."Kamen's most recent Grammy win came in 2001, which he shared with Metallica for best rock instrumental performance. He won for conducting the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra in the metal-rock band's song "The Call of Ktulu."He also had Grammy wins in 1996 for best instrumental arrangement with "An American Symphony," which he derived from his work on the Richard Dreyfuss musical drama "Mr. Holland's Opus." His first award was in 1992 for best pop instrumental performance for the theme music to "Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves."Dreyfuss portrayed a passionate teacher who sacrificed his own ambitions to engage the imagination of his students through music. Inspired by the hit movie, Kamen established the Mr. Holland's Opus Foundation in 1997 to raise money to make musical instruments available to the nation's children.He also worked with singer Bryan Adams to help craft the movie theme songs "(Everything I Do) I Do It For You" from "Robin Hood" and "Have You Ever Really Loved a Woman" from "Don Juan DeMarco." He received Oscar nominations for co-writing those songs.Kamen also worked with such pop, jazz and rock stars as Sting, Rod Stewart, David Bowie and Eric Clapton.Born in New York City in 1948, he said he learned to play piano at age 2 and later added the guitar, clarinet and oboe. Among his parents' friends were the musicians Huddie Ledbetter and Pete Seeger and he grew up listening to records of music by Bach and Gilbert and Sullivan.He played folk-blues in a jug band while simultaneously studying oboe at Julliard, and later experimented with techno, disco and rock while writing pure classical music for ballet performances.His first full film score was for the 1976 Sean Connery political thriller "The Next Man." Other movie credits include "Brazil," "Highlander," "Someone to Watch Over Me," the animated "The Iron Giant," the recent Western "Open Range" and the HBO miniseries "Band of Brothers." Two upcoming films include Meg Ryan's "Against the Ropes" and the comedy "First Daughter."Recently, he was also working on stage musicals based on "Mr. Holland's Opus" and "Don Juan DeMarco."Kamen is survived by his wife, Sandra Keenan-Kamen, two daughters, his father Saul Kamen and three brothers. Funeral services were unspecified Tuesday. Posted on Sat, Oct. 25, 2003 Composer Michael Kamen breaks his silence about MSBy Patrick GoldsteinLOS ANGELES TIMESHollywood is a town where everybody knows everybody else's business, from who's having an affair (and with whom) and where to go for the best Botox to who has the juice to get your kid into the most elite private school. But there is one last taboo in Hollywood: Being sick.Even now, no one knows for sure what mystery illness put Miramax's Harvey Weinstein into a hospital, keeping him out of action for several months in early 2000. When Steven Spielberg had one of his kidneys removed in February 2000, even industry insiders were kept in the dark. When Disney czar Michael Eisner had emergency quadruple bypass surgery in 1994, he registered at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center under an assumed name; when the news made the papers, Disney staffers took great pains to make Eisner look in control, telling reporters the boss was dictating instructions to his top lieutenants from his bed.For years, rumors swirled that Kathleen Turner was an alcoholic; it turned out she had rheumatoid arthritis. "But it seemed wiser to let people think I was drinking too much, rather than let them know I was ill," she told a reporter after the news was out. "In this business, they'll hire you if you drink, but take two steps back if you're ill."So it's not surprising that even though Michael Kamen, one of Hollywood's most successful composers, was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 1996, he didn't speak openly about the disease. In fact, Kamen didn't go public, or as he puts it, "come out of the closet," until last month, when he was awarded the Dorothy Corwin Spirit of Life Award at the annual Dinner of Champions fund-raising event benefiting the Southern California chapter of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society. MS is an inflammatory disease of the central nervous system that causes various disabilities, depending on the severity or progressive nature of the case.Falling ... and smilingKamen's reticence about the disease carried over to his private life as well. Even after the 55-year-old composer began using a hand-carved walking stick to get around, he still couldn't bring himself to tell his parents about the disease. Finally a friend convinced him to level with his father, an 87-year-old dentist who still lectures on dentistry for the aged."I needed to tell him," says Kamen, who lives in London with his wife and two daughters, but has a home in the San Fernando Valley. "I couldn't keep saying I was carrying a stick around because there was so much ice in England to fall on. It was a relief not to carry that burden around. Trust me, I've been there. The worst deception we have is self-deception."Sitting near a piano in his living room where he plays Bach concertos each morning, Kamen manages to punctuate his most serious remarks with an infectious grin. Even when Kamen took a tumble making his way up a series of steps at the MS dinner, he came up smiling. As his good friend, director Richard Donner, who caught him before he hit the floor, put it: "Even as he fell, he was smiling. It was like Michael was thinking, 'This is the funniest thing I've ever done, not the most tragic.'"Kamen grew up in Queens, N.Y., where his parents were liberal activists. His mother lost her teaching license during the height of the McCarthy era. His father knew Woody Guthrie and Leadbelly; Pete Seeger led the fireside sings at Kamen's summer camp.As a boy, he would visit his Aunt Anna's house on Manhattan's Riverside Drive, curling up in the corner by the piano -- the piano that sits in his living room here -- listening to her friends play in a string quartet. In the late 1960s, Kamen helped found the New York Rock 'n' Roll Ensemble. In the 1970s, he scored ballets, served as musical director for David Bowie's "Diamond Dogs" tour and began writing scores for film.'Gently flipping out'Although he began his Hollywood career working on such offbeat films as "Polyester" and "Brazil," he turned to more popular fare in the mid-1980s. He collaborated with Donner on the "Lethal Weapon" series, as well as scoring "Die Hard," "Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves," "Mr. Holland's Opus" and "X-Men," plus the HBO series "Band of Brothers."In 1996, visiting his parents in New York, he walked into a grocery store and found himself seeing black spots before his eyes. After he returned to London, he saw his doctor, who ran a battery of tests and then sent him to a neurologist. Riding in a taxi to the appointment, Kamen scanned his doctor's findings. One dryly worded phrase stopped him in his tracks: "Presumed diagnosis: MS." Kamen spent the rest of the taxi ride in something akin to an altered state."I sat there, assuming I was going to die," he recalls in a soft voice. "I was gently flipping out. I was totally unaware of how MS could be treated, unaware of the progressive nature of the disease. I just kept thinking that this death sentence had been pronounced on me."And then, somewhere before I got to the doctor's office, I decided -- (expletive) it, I'm going to live."Since then, Kamen has worked at managing the disease. He injects himself with Beta Seron and Avonex, drinks an experimental animal serum ("I call it my goat juice") and has abandoned red meat for a diet rich in fruit and vegetables. He also began a vigorous workout regime that helped him shed 40 pounds.Learning life's meaningThe weight loss was a double-edged sword. He felt better than ever, but his newly slenderized physique prompted other concerns.Donner met Kamen for dinner three years ago and couldn't help but notice his weight loss and the cane at his side. "I asked him, 'What the hell did you do?' And he told me he had MS," Donner recalls. "For me, it was like the world had stopped. But not for Michael. Even though there are moments where you see past his smile, Michael has never felt sorry for himself. Michael is always looking at the drink half-full. He's not a half-empty person."Kamen covers any pangs of suffering with a wry smile. At one point, recounting the time his daughter raced after him on Portobello Road in London to say that his idol, Bob Dylan, was on the phone, Kamen explains, "I ran all the way to the house, back in the days when I could run."The composer says he has no knowledge of having missed out on any jobs because of having MS. "If I lost one, I bet I got another one in return."His studio work has slowed in recent years. But he did the score for Kevin Costner's "Open Range," wrote the music for the opening ceremonies at the 2002 Winter Olympics and is now turning "Mr. Holland's Opus" into a Broadway musical. He's also collaborating on new projects with Dylan and Leonard Cohen.Kamen travels extensively and carries a workload most composers would envy, but he acknowledges that he sometimes feels a nagging sense of compressed time.He says he's also more direct with people. "I'm not always especially calm or kind, and I certainly don't mince words anymore. If someone doesn't deliver on what they've promised, I'm perfectly willing to say ..." He utters a profanity. "MS reminds you that life is really about your family and the people you have the pleasure to collaborate with." letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Tue, 18 Nov 2003 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6518/1/E-Croatian-Los-Angeles-Opera-founder-dies-at-61.html  LA Opera founding board member Tara Glynn Colburn dies at 61 ÂLOS ANGELES - Tara Glynn Colburn, a founding board member of the Los Angeles Opera and one of its major benefactors, has died. She was 61.Colburn died Friday of cancer in Geneva, Los Angeles Opera officials said.Born Tarasenka Pankiv in Zagreb, Croatia, she grew up in an artistic family. Her grandfather was director of the Conservatory of Zagreb, and her mother was a concert pianist who began teaching her daughter to play the piano at the age of 5.She fled Zagreb with her mother after her father was imprisoned and killed by Communists. She studied at Ursuline Convent in Germany. After living in Paris, she moved to Los Angeles and studied gem analysis and design.She was married and divorced twice. She also made several trips to India to photograph tribal people and staged six exhibitions of her photographs in India and Europe. Her photographic collection has been donated to the University of California, Los Angeles.Colburn underwrote the recent production of "The Barber of Seville" at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion and was a co-sponsor of the production of "Madama Butterfly" planned for next season.She supported the Long Beach Opera and the Salzburg Festival in Austria as a member of the board of the American Friends of Salzburg.She is survived by her son, Cyril Wohrer. letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Wed, 28 May 2003 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6519/1/E-In-Memoriam-Msgr-John-Antoncic.html  Monsignior John J. AntoncicBelow is an obtiuary of Monsignior John J. Antoncic. Though born in NewYork, his family hailed from Omisalj on Krk Island. Msgr. Antoncic wasbased at St. Mel's Parish, the parish next to mine, and he washighlyregarded in the community of northeast Queens.John KraljicMsgr. Antoncic Praised As a Leader of Priests Msgr. John J. Antoncic, pastor of St. Mel's parish, Flushing, and aleader in the Presbyteral Council and the former Priests' Senate, diedsuddenly May 1 of cardiac arrest at Booth Memorial Hospital, Flushing.He was 61 years old.Born in Manhattan, he attended St. Bartholomew's School, Elmhurst; PowerMemorial H.S., Manhattan; Cathedral College, Brooklyn, and ImmaculateConception Seminary, Huntington. He was ordained at St. JamesPro-Cathedral June 1, 1968. It was the only class ordained by AuxiliaryBishop John J. Boardman.He served as an assistant at St. Charles Borromeo, Brooklyn Heights,1968-77 and was part of a team ministry at St. Augustine, Park Slope,1977-83. He also served at St. Ephrem, Dyker Heights, 1983-85.He was pastor at three parishes: St. Vincent de Paul, Williamsburg,1985-89; Holy Child Jesus, Richmond Hill, 1989-2000, and St. Mel's sinceJune, 2000.Among the many diocesan agencies with which he was associated were thePriests' Senate, the Presbyteral Council, the Pastoral Council, ParishRenewal Committee, board of directors of Mercy Home, Northside SeniorCitizens' Center and the Richmond Hill Development Assn.Msgr. Antoncic was held in high respect by his brother priests, havingbeen elected president of the Priests' Senate from 1979 to 1985. He wasthe current executive secretary of the Presbyteral Council, a post heheld since 1985.For many years, he represented the diocesan priests at the nationalmeetings of the National Federation of Priests Council.Bishop Thomas V. Daily was the main concelebrant. He was joined on thealtar by Auxiliary Bishops Joseph M. Sullivan, Rene A. Valero andIgnatius A. Catanello and Bishop Paul Bootkoski of Metuchen, N.J.Special concelebrants included Msgrs. Otto L. Garcia, Andrew Vaccari,Martin P. Bannan, Peter Kane and Fathers Sean Ogle, the episcopal vicar;Thomas Doyle, William Dulaney, William Krlis, Marcello Latona, KevinMcBrien, Gregory Wielunski, and James Tugwood.In his homily, Father Lewis Maynard spoke about his friendship withMsgr. Antoncic that went back to their seminary days when they were inthe same support group."That support continued as priests as we continued to do that allthrough our priesthood."Father Maynard said that "It meant so much to him - this priesthood thatwe live and share together. How many of us were helped, comforted andconfronted by John to carry our crosses."He knew the importance of regular spiritual direction."Pointing out that Msgr Antoncic was "a good friend to so many of us,"Father Maynard recalled numerous phone calls from him when he would say,"Lew, let's get the guys together for a day of prayer at Precious BloodMonastery. Then afterwards, we all would have dinner together.""John had this joy, that deep down joy.... He prayed a lot... He read alot... He was solid, yet gentle and understanding."He loved being with his fellow priests and he loved being with his layfriends, both male and female."John worked hard in this diocese on many different and difficultcommittees," explained Father Maynard.Bishop's TributeBishop Daily said that Msgr. Antoncic "certainly made a great impact onall of us. He was a source of comfort and help to me, personally. He wasa great gift to the Church of Brooklyn and Queens."He wasn't a showy man, He was a pious man in the real sense of beingpious. He had a deep spiritual personality."SurvivorsMsgr. Antoncic is survived by his mother, Mary Mahoney of Sag Harbor,L.I.; his sister, Ann Schramek of Gilford, N.H., and brother, Thomas ofFarmington Hills, Mich.Burial was in St. Charles Cemetery, Farmingdale, L.I. letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Fri, 09 May 2003 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6520/1/E-A-boy-and-A-Veteran.html ÂA Croatian army veteran of the 1991 war in a wheelchair and aboy attend the funeral of Croatian Army Gen. Janko Bobetko at Zagreb's Mirogojcemetery Friday May 2, 2003. Wartime army chief Bobetko, hailed at home as ahero of Croatia's 1991 struggle for independence but charged with war crimes bya U.N. court, died Tuesday April 29. He was 84. (AP Photo/Hrvoje Knez) letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sun, 04 May 2003 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6521/1/HE-UMRO-JANKO-BOBETKO-Croatian-General-Died.html ÂCroatian General JankoBobetkoSijecanj 1919 -Travanj 2003ÂUMRO JANKO BOBETKOZAGREB, 29. travnja (Hina) - Umirovljeni stozerni general Janko Bobetko umro je u utorak u 11,55 sati u svojoj kuci u Zagrebu, priopcio je voditelj Bobetkova lijecnickog konzilija dr. Mijo Bergovec. Neposredni uzrok smrti bilo je zatajenje cirkulacijskog i respiratornog sustava. Unatoc poduzetim mjerama reanimacije smrt je nastupila u 11,55 sati, kaze se u priopcenju.ÂJanko Bobetko bio je antifasisticki borac u II. svjetskom ratu, zagovaratelj hrvatskih nacionalnih interesa u socijalistickoj Jugoslaviji, vojskovodja u samostalnoj Hrvatskoj 90-tih godina, a pred sam kraj zivota i haski optuzenik.ÂRodjen je 10. sijecnja 1919. u selu Crncu pokraj Siska. Partizanskom pokretu prikljucio se 1941. kao 21-godisnji student, a 30-tak godina kasnije prisilno je umirovljen kao general Jugoslavenske narodne armije (JNA) zbog sudjelovanja u Hrvatskom proljecu. Nakon osamostaljenja zemlje (1990.), prikljucio se Hrvatskoj vojsci s kojom je oslobadjao hrvatska podrucja od okupacije srpskih terorista i JNA.ÂPartizanskom ustanku na Banovini prikljucio se 1941. kad su mu ustase ubile oca i tri brata. Tada odlazi u sumu Brezovicu nadomak Sisku i postaje pripadnikom Prvoga sisackog partizanskog odreda - prve antifasisticke postrojbe u Europi.ÂGeneral Bobetko bio je jedini general HV-a koji se za II. svjetskog rata borio u partizanima, u cijim je redovima obnasao brojne vojne i politicke duznosti. Ratni put vodio ga je preko BiH i Crne Gore do Slovenije, gdje je kod Dravograda tesko ranjen.ÂPoslije rata je zavrsio Vojnu akademiju JNA u kojoj je onda obavljao visoke duznosti - od nacelnika politicke uprave ratne mornarice i sefa opskrbe do nacelnika stozera.ÂNacelnikom stozera i zamjenikom zapovjednika 5. vojne oblasti JNA (Hrvatska i Slovenija) u cinu general potpukovnika imenovan je 1966. Zbog zauzimanja za hrvatske nacionalne interese, prisilno je umirovljen 1972. s jos 19 hrvatskih generala. Od tada do nesto prije uspostave samostalne Hrvatske nije mogao javno istupati i djelovati.ÂU samostalnoj Hrvatskoj Bobetko se prikljucuje pokojnom predsjedniku Republike Franji Tudjmanu koji mu 10. travnja 1992. dodjeljuje cin generala zbora HV-a i imenuje zapovjednikom Juznog bojista. Zapovijedao je snagama koje su izvodile vojne operacije u podrucju Dubrovnika, Ploca i u dolini Neretve te oslobodile Dubrovnik i njegovo zaledje.ÂKrajem iste godine, 20. studenoga, imenovan je nacelnikom stozera HV-a, zamijenivsi na toj duznosti generala Antuna Tusa. Na toj je duznosti ostao do umirovljenja 15. srpnja 1995. Od te godine pa do kraja 1999. bio je zastupnik HDZ-a u Saboru.ÂUmirovljeni general Bobetko objavio je 1996. knjigu "Sve moje bitke" u kojoj je opisao dogadjaje iz nedavne hrvatske povijesti. U njoj je predocio dokumente i vojne zemljovide o vojno-policijskim akcijama "Cagalj" u bosanskohercegovackom zaledju juzne Hrvatske, "Tigar" (oslobadjanje Dubrovnika), "Maslenica", "Medacki dzep", "Bljesak" i "Oluja".Â"Imam cist obraz koji mi dopusta da iza sebe ostavim pisani trag u svemu sto sam radio i dovrsio kroza svoj vise od pet desetljeca dug vojni i politicki zivot", napisao je u toj knjizi. Haski sud optuzio ga je u rujnu lani po zapovjednoj i individualnoj odgovornosti za ratni zlocin pocinjen 1993. u akciji "Medacki dzep". General Bobetko tada je izjavio da u Haag ziv nece otici i odbio primiti optuznicu. (Hina) bcav/ssh sshRETIRED CROATIAN GENERAL JANKO BOBETKO DIESZAGREB, April 29 (Hina) - A retired Croatian General, Janko Bobetko, died at11.55 on Tuesday at his Zagreb home, Mijo Bergovec, head of a team of doctorsfollowing Bobetko's condition, said in a statement. #L#The cause of death was the failure of circulatory and respiratory systems.Despite attempts at resuscitation, the general died at 11.55, the statementsaid. HINA - http://www.hina.hr/ letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Tue, 29 Apr 2003 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6522/1/E-ZARKO-DOLINAR-1920-2003.html  ZARKO DOLINAR1920 2003In Memoriam by Tim Boggan, USATT Historian Dr. Zarko Dolinar who died Mar. 7, at 82, from prostrate cancer was often heard to say, in his definitive way,  Everything s in the genes. If so, he must have had some good ones, for in the mid-1950 s he would be one of the world s best players in 1954, with Vilim Harangozo, he became the World Doubles Champion; in 1955 he was World Singles runner-up to Toshiaki Tanaka. What a loss, lamented Marty Reisman, whose win over Zarko at the  49 World s didn t diminish for a moment his awe of the man.  He had such an aura about him, said Marty.  You felt an overwhelming presence there was table tennis magic in him. ÂI wish, like Marty, I d had the fun of seeing Zarko in action. But at least the English Table Tennis magazine gives us a late  40 s snapshot of him:  & large youngYugoslav (op-ed, at that time Croatia was a Republic in Yugoslavia), wielding an enormous lop-sided wooden-clacker bat with deadly affect, attacking with penholder grip and chopping with orthodox grip! Incongruously clad in tiny shorts and a green celluloid cap, he looked&  well, inimitable.ÂHe was a gentleman, this 1955 Yugoslav  Sportsman of the Year  and yet one of a kind. On the non-playing side of his racket he had a skull and crossbones, accompanied by the signatures of his world-class victims, or, rather, as Reisman puts it, his heroes, for he revered the players. Revered humanity, really, as his near unmatchable collection of autographs of well-known personages from politicians to pop artists would attest. There is something intriguing about the way a famous person writes his (her) name Zarko s collection will surely last for all time.In 1954 in Swaythling Cup play, Zarko had beaten World #3 Ivan Andreadis. So before he and Dick Miles went on court for Singles play, Dolinar, now playing with sponge, said drolly,  You might as well sign now, Dickie. But Miles beat him, and after the match kidded back,  Zarko, you want to sign my racket? Both Miles and Reisman stressed Zarko s warmth, his humor. And I echo them, for, years later, when Dolinar was the ITTF s Sport Science Committee Chair, I had occasion to have some late night drinks with him and others who d gathered round. Then because I found Zarko so personable, and so persistent, I managed to stay awake long enough to edit his late night Committee Report due in the morning.ÂAs we finally finished, I felt anew the imprint of his individuality, saw, on a page sure to be read by others, his name writ large an autograph, as it were, for the International World of Table Tennis to cherish. letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sun, 16 Mar 2003 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6523/1/E-Franciscan-Father-Jerko-Jerry-Caleta-dead-at-59.html ÂFranciscan Father Jerko (Jerry)Caleta deadTrogir, Croatia1944 - Victoria, Canada 2003Week of March 10, 2003Croation priest, patriot dead at 59"I will remember him as a good man who did a lot for the Croatian Catholic community."By RAMON GONZALEZWCR Staff WriterVancouver------------------------------------------------------------------------Franciscan Father Jerko (Jerry) Caleta, the first official pastor of the Edmonton Croatian Catholic community, will be remembered as a true spiritual and community leader.Â"He was the kind of priest who loved his Church, his Franciscan order and the Croatian people," said Franciscan Father Drago Gveric, pastor of Nativity of Mary Croatian Parish for the past five years. "His love was very concrete, more in doing than in preaching."ÂCaleta, the pastor of Croatian Catholics on Vancouver Island for the past 10 years, died of heart complications in Victoria Feb. 17. He was 59.ÂBorn in Trogir, Croatia, in 1944 and ordained in 1969, Caleta came to Edmonton in 1977 as the first priest for local Croatians. He had previously spent seven years in Winnipeg where he founded St. Nicholas Tavelich Parish.ÂDuring his stay in Edmonton from 1977 to 1985, Caleta organized the local Catholic community and led it in raising funds to build its own church, Nativity of Mary, in 1982. For the previous five years, the priest had celebrated Mass for Croatians at Sacred Heart Church.ÂHe loved his cultureA lover of Croatian culture, Caleta planned and organized the first Western Canadian Croatian Folklore Festival in 1978. The festival continues to this day and brings together hundreds of Croatian youth throughout Canada annually to celebrate their heritage and Catholic faith.Â"He was very dedicated to his Church and his community," Gveric said. "He was a good man and a good priest."ÂEdmonton parishioner Zvonco Zvonkovic, Caleta's friend since the early 1970s and one of his closest collaborators during the building of the church in the early 1980s, described the priest as "a happy man who made everyone feel happy."ÂA voice of powerCaleta enjoyed playing the piano, singing and speaking to his people. "He was a small guy, but he had a very, very heavy voice; the whole church would shake when he started talking," Zvonkovic recalled. "I will remember him as a good man who did a lot for the Croatian Catholic community."ÂAfter eight years in Edmonton, Caleta was transferred to Vancouver, where he led Immaculate Heart of Mary (Croatian) Parish for seven years.ÂThe last 10 years of his life, Caleta spent as pastor of the Croatian Parish of St. Leopold Mandic in Victoria. Despite his poor health, the priest also travelled all over Vancouver Island serving Croatian Catholics in the communities of Nanaimo, Port Alberni and Campbell River.Â"Even though he suffered greatly through his priestly life, Father Jerry radiated joy and cheerfulness," noted Gveric. "He never complained about his health."ÂGveric celebrated a Mass in memory of Caleta Feb. 28 at the Nativity of Mary Church, 10560-98 St.Â------------------------------------------------------------------------Copyright © 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002 -- Western Catholic Reporter------------------------------------------------------------------------The Mission of the Western Catholic Reporter is . . . .Â"To serve our readers by helping them deepen their faith through accurate information and reflective commentary on events and issues of concern to the church."Âhttp://www.wcr.ab.ca/news/2003/0310/caleta031003.shtml letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Tue, 11 Mar 2003 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6524/1/HE-UMRO-ZARKO-DOLINAR.html Âprof. dr. Zarko Dolinar3 ozujka 1920 - 9 ozujka2003Dragi prijatelji i poznanici,Napustio nas je nas Zarko u 82 godini zivota. I te kakvog zivota. Pajdas mogoca iz djetinjstva, a time postaje i moj pajdas, jer Zarko je mladji odnajmladjeg. Nekonformist prve klase. Covjek cije misli se tesko obuzdaju, aliinspiriraju. Analiticar, doktor nauka, vrhunski svjetski sportas, humanist,istrazitelj. Znatizeljan o svemu i svacemu. Kao danas se sjecam svih njegovihposjeta i razgovora. Od druzenja s John Lennonom do Mao Tze Tunga, Perona, iElizabeth Taylor, Frank Sinatre i svakog covjeka kojeg je sreo na vlaku iliautobusu. Nijagara informacija, entuzijazma. Jos jedan dokaz da mala zajednicakao Hrvatska nije mogla ni priblizno razumijeti, a kamo li doseci kapacitet ipotencijal takvog genija. Neorganiziranog i smusenog i briljantnog. Takvi ljuditrebaju strukturu podrske da im se osigura baza s koje mogu kreirati ono stodrugima ne pada na pamet. Kolekcionar od autograma svjetski poznatih ljudi,slika i novcanica do gacica Hollywoodskih zvijezda (osobno kolekcijoniranih). OdPicassa do susjeda amatera. Prijatelj Charlie Chaplina i da ne nabrajam. Prijedva mjeseca dobio sam njegove pozdrave preko Jasenka Houre (Prljavo Kazaliste)koji mu je i u rodu (sto sam tada doznao), ni ne sluteci da se nebumo visevidjeli. Steta sto Zarko nije napisao memoare. Njegove kratke razglednice i dugapisma puna metafora govore volumene. U njegovu cast , novi design CROWNa ceimati kategoriju Bolje Humor Nego Tumor umjesto Humor and Wisdom.Hrvatska je izgubila jednog od najboljih sinova.Danas tugujem. Sutra nastavljam s CROWNom. Zarko je bio jedan od briljantnijhljudi na CROWNu.Tvoj CaballeroNenad Bach, New York 9 Ozujka, 2003Dear friendsToday at age 82, Zarko Dolinar, left us. What a life ! My father's buddy fromchildhood and therefore my own buddy, because Zarko was youngest of all of us.First class nonconformist. Man who's thoughts was difficult to capture, but theyinspired. Analytic, doctor of science, world champion in table tennis, humanist,explorer. Curious about anything and everything. Like today, I remember all ourmeetings and long hours of conversation. Stories about his meetings with JohnLennon, Mao Tze Tung, Peron, Frank Sinatra, Elizabeth Taylor and anybody andeverybody whom he met at the train or bus station. Niagara Falls of informationand enthusiasm. One more proof that small communities like Croatia couldn't evencomprehend the potential of this genius. Unorganized, upset minded andbrilliant. Such people need structure of support which gives them basis fromwhich they can create something that others don't even think about. He collectedeverything , from autographs of famous people, paintings (he was himself verygood one), numismatics... to panties of famous Hollywood stars (personallycollected). From Picasso to the amateur neighbor. Charlie Chaplin's friend andthe list go on and on. Two months ago, I got personal greeting from him fromJasenko Houra (his cousin, I learned that, that day - from Prljavo Kazaliste -Rolling Stones of Croatia) not knowing that we'll not see each other again. Itis a tragedy that such a man didn't right an autobiography. His short postcardsand long letters, full of metaphors, speak volumes. The column BetterHumor Than Tumor was a quote from Zarko and in his honor and memory, on the newdesign, that will be the category on CROWN.ÂCroatia lost of one hers best son.Today I mourn. Tomorrow I will continue with CROWN. Zarko was one of thebrilliant CROWN subscribers.Your CaballeroNenad Bach, New York March 9, 2003UMRO ZARKO DOLINARÂOtisao veliki sportas i ljubitelj zivota Izvanserijski i iznimno uspjesan Zivot jednog od najvecih hrvatskih sportasa svih vremena prof. dr. Zarka Dolinara naglo je presjecen kratkom bolescu. U svicarskom Baselu 9. ozujka u 82. godini umro je nas proslavljeni stolnoteniski prvak. Kao 14-godisnjak Zarko se prihvatio ping-ponga nakon sto je na nogometu slomio nogu! Zbog toga je kod kuce bio prisiljen sjedeci igrati i to na stolu velicine 150 cm. Prvi njegov reket nije imao drsku, pa je Zarko podbocio drugu stranu reketa prstima i to je razlog sto se priklonio penholderu i tako igrao cijelog Zivota. U trezorima nase sportske povijesti ostat ce zabiljeZeno da je bio prvi Hrvat koji je osvojio medalju na Svjetskom prvenstvu (Kairo 1939.) i prvi hrvatski sportas uopce koji se okitio naslovom svjetskog prvaka! Zarko je ispunio vitrine vrijednim trofejima i nagradama s mnogih borilista, od prve nagrade broncane tintarnice do pehara i osam medalja sa svjetskih prvenstava. S partnerom Suboticaninom Vilimom Harangozom osvojio je Svjetsko prvenstvo 1954. u londoskom Wembleyu, i to je biser njegove karijere. Nanizao je jos 25 trofeja s medunarodnih natjecanja i turnira. S lakocom je igrao, nikad umoran ili iscrpljen, iako je nevjerojatno malo trenirao. U stolnoteniskoj areni lako ga se uocavalo onako snaznog i visokog s tradicionalnim zelenim sjenilom nabijenim na celo. Drzao se uza stol masuci sa svojim golemim reketom, daleko vecim od danasnjih uobicajenih reketa. Bio je majstor sjajnog refleksa i izvanredne anticipacije. Racionalni igrac, takticar velikog formata. U igri glavno mu je oruzje bilo snazan forhend-drajv, posebno paralele. Mogao je izvlaciti, dok nije dobio "zicer", pa bi onda raspalio lopticu po svim uglovima. Hazardnim udarcima zbunjivao je suparnike. Penholderasa Dolinara s pravom ubrajamo u pretece kasnijih tajfunskih napada Azijaca - Japanaca i Kineza. Zagreb je za rodenog Koprivnicanca postao i ostao grad njegove mladosti i grad najljepsih zivotnih trenutaka. Prof. dr. Zarko Dolinar bio je vrhunski sportas, ali i covjek snaznog intelekta, enciklopedijskog znanja, izuzetno elokventan sugovornik. Godinama se bavio znanstveno-istrazivackim radom. Njegovo ime imalo je tezinu u svjetskim znanstvenim krugovima. Humanist, vizionar, analiticar. Njegovu znatizelju, posebno posljednjih godina, privukla je genetika, ciji je vrstan poznavalac postao. Kao malo tko, imao je iznimno sirok dijapazon zanimanja... Tuzni smo i zalosni. Spusten je reket velikog majstora i neumornog globtrotera. S Dolinarom smo izgubili jednog od najvecih nasih sportasa, a njegovom smrcu mnogo je izgubio i svjetski i hrvatski stolni tenis.ÂZdenko UzorinacÂÂprof. dr. zarko dolinarrodio se u koprivnici 3.07.1920. godine od oca jakova i majke franjice.otac jakov bio je apelacioni sudac i ugledna javna licnost. majka franjicapotjece iz ugledne sportske obitelji fridrih koja je hrvatskom narodupodarila nekoliko izuzetnih sportasa i intelektualaca. diplomirao je naveterinarskom fakultetu u zagrebu 1948., gdje je i doktorirao s tezom osobitostiredukcije lisnjace (1959). od 1961. radi u zavodu za anatomiju medicinskogfakulteta u baselu. izvanredni je profesor medicinskog fakulteta(1969.-1985.), te predavac na stomatoloskom fakultetu (1978.-1983.) u baselu.dolinar je po svom predavackom opusu u neku ruku rekorder je je imao pravoexkatedralne nastave (venia docendi) na 5 fakulteta (humana medicina, veterina,stomatologija, farmacija, fakultet za sport i fizicku kulturu). uz anatomiju,bavio se istrazivanjima s podrucja histologije, patologije, embriologije igenetike, a znanstvene radove objavljivao u hrvatskim i strucnim inozemnimedicijama. sportsku karijeru zapoceo u novom sadu 1934., nastavio u ljubljani(1935.-1936.) i u zagrebu (otac je kao sudac cesto mjenjao mjestasluzbovanja). velik utjecaj na njegov odgoj imali su i salezijanci u ljubljani izagrebu (na kneziji) gdje je zarko uz vjeronauk ucio i prve udarce reketom.odusevljenje salezijancima i njihovom utemeljitelju, don boscu, drzi gajos danas. vec nakon mature seniorski je prvak jugoslavije u stolnom tenisu.prvi je hrvat koji je na svjetskom prevenstvu svih sportova osvojio tri medalje;broncanu, srebrnu (kairo, 1939.) i zlatnu (u igri parova s v. haranggozom 1954.u londonu). od 1939. clan je HASK-a, kojem donosi prvenstvo upojedinacnom natjecanju za hrvatski kup u bjelovaru 1941. iste godineosvojio je prvo mjesto i na medjunarodnom turniru u berlinu. Od 1941. do1945. visestruki je prvak NDH i reprezentativac u devet medjudrzavnih meceva (protivslovacke, madjarske, njemacke i rumunjske). jedan je od utemeljitelja prvesvjetske sportske federacije swaythling club international (stockholm,1967.) koja se bavi posrnulim sportskim sampionima. kao kolekcionar skupiobogatu zbirku umjetnickih predmeta, likovnih djela, te rukopisa i autograma(preko 7000). kolekcionarska strast proteze se na jos desetak raznih kolekcija.poznat je i njegov rad na humanitarnom polju. jos kao gimnazijalac spasavao jezidove za vrijeme progona u drugom svjetskom ratu, cime je odlikovan najvecimizraelskim priznanjem za nezidove; yad vashem. dobitnik je i povelje henryadunanta, utemeljitelja crvenog kriza. suosnivac je pri osnivanju hrvatskezaklade protiv raka u domovini i postaje predsjednik njezinog glavnog odbora(1970.). suosnivac je prvog ogranka matice hrvatske u svicarskoj i njezinpredsjednik (basel, 1967.), predsjednik, a potom i pocasni predsjednik HKZ-eu svicarskoj (1989.), te osnivac almae matris alumni croaticae AMACHbivsih sveucilistaraca (zürich 1989.). pocasni je gradjanin nekoliko gradova, auz aloisa mocka jedini pocasni gradjanin svog rodnog grada koprivnice.nekoliko klubova u svijetu, poglavice stolnoteniskih nosi njegovo ime. sretao sesa mnogim velikanima ovog stoljeca (glumci, sportasi, knjizevnici, slikari,disidenti, politicari...) a sudbinski je bio vezan za sva tri hrvatska nobelovca.s ivom andricem; dok je ovaj jos bio diplomat u berlinu, a s lavoslavomruzickom i vladimirom prelogom u svicarskoj. pogotovu je imao jedanprisan odnos s ovim potonjim, kojeg smatra svojim velikim uciteljem iprijateljem. iako je proputovao vise od 150 zemalja i nekoliko puta obletiocijelu kuglu zemaljsku i kretao se u najvisim krugovima, nikad nije zaboravljaoi "obicne" ljude. uvijek se odazivao na pozive kad god su mu totermini dozvoljavali i svojim prisustvom uveseljavao mnoge "feste".svojim snaznim i melodicnim glasom mnoge je podsjecao na vec zaboravljenehrvatske pjesme; stare paljetkove slagere, domobranske pjesme, bunjevacke, aogotovo pjesme iz doba banovine.Izvor: http://www.hrvati.ch/osobe/dolinar/dolinar.html letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Mon, 10 Mar 2003 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6525/1/E-Franjo-Glaser---In-Memoriam.html ÂMonday, 03 March 2003Franjo Glaser, widely regarded as one of Croatia's greatestgoalkeepers,Âdied on SaturdayÂaged 89.Respected manThe Osijek-born custodian was not only respected for his ability on thepitch but also for hisÂdignified bearing and sportsmanship. These traitsÂwereremembered during a minute's silence held before Sunday's match between NKDinamo Zagreb and NK Varteks.Early startGlaser's remarkable career took off when he made his debut for local teamNK Slavija at the age of 15. He then moved on to NK Hajduk Sarajevo andConcordia Zagreb before joining BSK from Belgrade during his military service.While there in the mid-1930s, Glaser won two Yugoslavian titles.Successful timeHe then moved on to Gradjanski Zagreb, the club now known as Dinamo, and enjoyedhis most successful period as a player. He won the Kingdom of Yugoslavia titlein 1937 and 1940 as well as the Croatian championship in 1943. In all, he played623 times for Gradjanski.International honoursAfter the conclusion of the second world war, Glaser helped FK Partizan win theYugoslavian title in 1947 before ending his playing days with NK Mornar Split,where he was also a coach, in 1949. Glaser played 35 times for Yugoslavia and afurther eleven times for Croatia during its independence in the 1940s.Coaching careerAs a coach, Glaser took charge of a number of clubs including Dinamo, NK Kvarner[now known as HNK Rijeka], NK Proleter [who became NK Osijek], NK TrešnjevkaZagreb, Austria FC Klagenfurt (today FC Kärnten), NK Velež Mostar and FKSartid Smederevo. He spent his final years at a retirement home in Zagreb.Edited for CROWN by Ivo Bach letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Thu, 06 Mar 2003 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6526/1/E-Andre-Mohorovicic---Croatias-prominent-architect-is-dead.html  Andre Mohorovičić1914-2002Croatia's prominent architect is deadÂWed Dec 18,10:35 AM ETZAGREB, Croatia - Andre Mohorovicic, Croatia's prominent architect whose work led to the discovery of the remnants of ancient cities across Croatia, has died, the Academy of Science and Arts announced Wednesday. He was 89.ÂMohorovicic died on Tuesday of a heart disease.ÂMohorovicic graduated at Zagreb's university and later specialized in architecture in the Czech Republic, Austria and Italy. He was the chief editor of Croatia's Encyclopedia of Arts.ÂHe wrote more than 100 books on the theory of architecture and urbanism, but he also led field studies resulting in thediscovery and preservation of ancient cities here. letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sun, 22 Dec 2002 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6527/1/E-First-Croatian-President-DR-FRANJO-TUDJMAN.html ÂMay 14, 1922 - Dec 10, 1999 First Croatian President DR. FRANJO TUDJMAN letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Tue, 10 Dec 2002 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6528/1/E-Edward-Moose-Cholak-Wrestling-Star-Engineer-Dies.html   Edward 'Moose' Cholak, wrestling star, engineer BY BRENDA WARNER ROTZOLL STAFF REPORTER November 1, 2002 Edward "Moose" Cholak became a wrestling star at Chicago Vocational High School and went on starring for 40 years as he took part in 8,000 matches, in 1963 becoming world champion. Variously called Moose, Golden Moose and Yukon Moose, he was a wrestling fixture across the Midwest and on television. The Calumet Beach Inn tavern he inherited from his father was a neighborhood fixture on the Southeast Side, where he was born. No, folks, he wasn't nicknamed Moose because he was born in Mooseville, Maine. There is no Mooseville in Maine, although there is a town named Caribou. His wife suspects wrestling promoters came up with that tale. One sure thing is that he always was a big moose of a guy. He stood 6 feet 2 inches and weighed 260 pounds when he was a tackle on coach Ivy Williamson's University of Wisconsin football teams in 1949 and 1950. A decade later he stood 6 feet 4 inches and weighed in at 360, telling sportswriters firmly, "Now this isn't fat, this is maturity." Mr. Cholak died early Thursday at St. Margaret's Hospital in Hammond, Ind., of pneumonia that developed after he suffered a stroke Oct. 22. He was 72. He grew up in a neighborhood full of people who, like his father, were of Croatian ancestry. He went to Chicago Vocational because he wanted to be an engineer. His college career was cut short by the Korean War, where he served as a Seabee--doing engineering--in the Navy. In 1952 he was All-Navy heavyweight champion in boxing and wrestling, the only time one man held both titles. In high school he was all-city wrestling champ, and he was an AAU amateur champion. He was in an amateur match while in the Navy when he was spotted by a Canadian-born Indian wrestler, Chief Don Eagle, who asked if he'd like to turn pro. As soon as Mr. Cholak got out of the Navy, Chief Don Eagle called him and his new career began. He wrestled in 8,000 matches between 1953 and 1987, an era when the sport evolved into television entertainment. In 1963 he won the International Wrestling Association championship in a match in Japan, defeating Rikidozan. He also worked for 20 years for the City of Chicago as an engineer, from 1976 to 1996, and whenever he wasn't wrestling at home or on the road, worked nights and weekends at the family bar until he sold it in 1980. That's where he met his wife of 45 years, Arlene. She and some of her high school friends had gone there for the Friday night fish fry, and he was just back from the Navy, helping his folks. They courted for five years and married in 1957. His last five years with the city he was on disability leave with a severe knee injury suffered when he fell over equipment on the job. Mr. Cholak was a wrestler with a college education and an inquiring mind. In the early 1960s he attended lectures on Zen Buddhism that Alan Watts delivered at the University of Chicago. Then he went to Lake Forest to hear novelist Aldous Huxley talk about visionary experience. He said Huxley had taken LSD and was hallucinating. Mr. Cholak went backstage and when Huxley learned he had heard Watts, made him sit down and they talked for an hour about Zen and Watts. Survivors in addition to his wife are a daughter, Kathleen Cholak, and a son, Steven. Visitation will be from 2 to 9 p.m. Sunday at the Elmwood Chapel, 11200 S. Ewing. Services will be at 10 a.m. Monday at Annunciata Church, 11128 Avenue G, with burial in St. Mary's Cemetery, Evergreen Park. letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sat, 02 Nov 2002 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6529/1/E-Sen-Wellstone-and-Tom-and-Martin-Rukavina.html Lawmaker the Wellstones were flying to console feels terrible Op-edThis is our own Steve Rukavina's family. Ourcondolences Steve to you and your family.NenadBachÂEditor-in-Chief &a friendBy The Associated PressEVELETH, Minn. - Sen. Paul Wellstone, his wife, daughter and aides were flying here Friday to pay respects to the relatives of Martin "Benny" Rukavina, a longtime Democratic activist and union member who died Tuesday.Relatives and friends who attended Rukavina's funeral learned a short time after it finished Friday afternoon that Wellstone's plane crashed just before it reached Eveleth."My family feels terrible about this," said Rukavina's son Thomas, a state representative.He said he was stunned by the news delivered at an already emotional time. "It's a sad day for Minnesota. A sad day for the people of Minnesota," Rukavina said. "I knew I was trying to bury my dad and my mind was occupied with that tragedy too."Later Friday, Rukavina went to the DFL campaign headquarters in Eveleth and spoke further about the Wellstones."Paul and Sheila really did love the Iron Range," he said. "I know he was going to get re-elected and work hard to make sure the injustices by corporate America would be addressed."Iron Rangers mourn 'our champion' Richard Meryhew and Randy FurstStar TribuneEVELETH, MINN. -- He wasn't one of them, but he might as well have been.From the moment Paul Wellstone set foot on the Iron Range in his first racefor U.S. Senate in 1990 to the morning he died in a wooded marsh southeastof town, the people of this region embraced him."When Paul ran his first campaign, he was just adopted as a Ranger," saidJim Gorski, a DFL party coordinator in Eveleth. "Everybody liked him. He wasa fighter for the person who carried the lunch pail. He was our champion."In the snow and drizzle of an overcast afternoon, the blue-collar miners andsteelworkers of the Iron Range mourned their loss of the U.S. senator whomthey viewed not only as their champion, but as their friend."It's just been a day of disbelief," said Jerry Fallos, who represents theformer union workers at the LTV steel plant, which shut down last year.Wellstone and his wife, Sheila, and daughter, Marcia Markuson, were amongeight people who died Friday when their plane crashed within 2 miles of theEveleth-Virginia Municipal Airport. They were on their way to a funeral forthe father of state Rep. Tom Rukavina, DFL-Virginia, a friend of Wellstone's.Rukavina said that he was unaware of the tragedy until the funeral forBennie Rukavina was over and he was waiting in a limousine to take thefamily to the cemetery for a private burial. The priest asked him to stepout of the limousine and told him that there had been a plane crash and thatWellstone might be aboard. "It's kind of surreal," Rukavina said Fridaynight.He said not only had his father, who had helped organize Iron Rangesteelworkers in the 1930s, died, but now Wellstone. "We lost two men ofintegrity," Rukavina said.News at the airportLisa Pattni, northern Minnesota director for the Wellstone campaign, hadgone to the airport to pick up the Wellstone party for the funeral. When twopolice cars showed up after a long wait, she knew something was wrong. "Iwas thinking someone had a heart attack on the plane," she said.It wasn't until a local fire chief and airport pilot who had flown over thecrash site told her what they had seen that she knew it was worse.She called a friend, Ann Olson, who also worked on the Wellstone campaign."She said, 'Start praying,' " Olson said. "I said 'Why?' She said 'There's aplane down and it's burning and we think it's theirs.' "Said Pattni, "We were hoping there was a chance that someone would come outof the plane, but the indications we got were it didn't look good."Not long after, she called Wellstone's campaign manager in St. Paul to givehim the bad news.Word quickly spread in the adjoining towns of Eveleth and Virginia, whichare about 175 miles from the Twin Cities. They talked about it at localbanks, at the coffee shops and down at J and M Mechanics, an auto repairshop in Eveleth."We can't replace Paul and Sheila," said Dennis Frazier, a social workerfrom nearby Zim, who had planned to help distribute Wellstone campaignliterature in Hibbing, Chisholm and Virginia this weekend.Larry Asbach, retired publisher of the Mesabi Daily News, was eating dinnerat the Sawmill Saloon in Virginia. "It's almost like hearing that Kennedywas assassinated," he said. "This is really Wellstone country up here. He'sbeen up here often."He came to Fourth of July parades and local high school graduations.He campaigned for local politicians and shook hands with local steelworkers.Along the way he won their trust, and their vote.Hugs, tears and pizzaFallos and about a dozen former LTV steelworkers had planned to put up about250 lawn signs for Wellstone this weekend. Friday night, they had planned towork the phones on the senator's behalf.But all that changed Friday morning.That he'd take time out of a tight and tense Senate campaign to attendBennie Rukavina's funeral was typical Wellstone."This probably wouldn't have happened to a less compassionate man," Fallossaid. "In the middle of a campaign, he took the time to attend the funeralof the father of one of his friends."By early afternoon, 35 to 40 people gathered at the DFL headquarters at theOld Rustic Rock restaurant in Eveleth to console one another and share intheir grief.They hugged, they cried, they tried to laugh. By late in the day, exhaustionset in, and the numbers dwindled.A single red rose was placed atop several pizza boxes, most of which stayedunopened.When prime-time TV news flashed scenes of a younger Wellstone campaigning in1990, they giggled.When the TV flashed footage of the senator next to his wife, they gasped andcried some more.With crumpled tissues, they wiped away tears. By late in the day, theyslowly made their way home.Fallos, of Gilbert, Minn., and Gorski were among the few to stay, answeringcalls and talking about better days.Fallos met Wellstone when LTV management announced in May 2000 that theplant was going to close. That afternoon, Wellstone called and talked withFallos on the phone.Two days later, Wellstone was on the Range talking to the workers whose jobs and incomes were in jeopardy."We spent a lot of time together," Fallos said. "Whenever he was in the area he'd call me to see what I was doing. Or he'd call me to see if I'd be interested in picking him up at the airport."Added Gorski, "He'll always be there for us. And he'll always be a Ranger." letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sat, 26 Oct 2002 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6531/1/E-Bruno-Planisek-Industrial-Designer-Dies.html Bruno Planisek, Industrial Designer, DiesÂZAGREB, Croatia (AP) -- Bruno Planinsek, one of Croatia's early industrial designers, has died. He was 72.Planinsek began designing industrial products in early 1950s and was one of Croatia's most prominent designers at the time.His coffee mixer, ``MAKI,'' designed in 1956, is among the holdings of the Museum of Modern Art in New York.Planinsek received several Croatian awards for his detergent boxes, lamps and interior designs. His designs also were presented across Europe at the time.The state-run news agency, HINA, reported that Planinsek died Sunday and was buried Friday. No cause of death was given. letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Fri, 25 Oct 2002 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6530/1/E-Senator-Wellstone-Dies-Enroute-to-a-Croatian-American-Funeral.html Sen. Wellstone Dies in Plane CrashÂBy THE ASSOCIATED PRESSEVELETH, Minn. (AP) -- Sen. Paul Wellstone, an outspoken liberal Democrat locked in a re-election battle considered key to control of the Senate, was killed in a plane crash Friday in northern Minnesota along with his wife, daughter and five others.The twin-engine private plane went down in freezing rain and light snow near the Eveleth-Virginia Municipal Airport, about 175 miles north of Minneapolis. The cause of the crash was under investigation.Wellstone, a 58-year-old former college professor and one of the foremost liberals on Capitol Hill, was on his way to the funeral of the father of a state lawmaker."It's just terrible. Say a prayer," said Lisa Pattni, an aide who was at the crash site.All eight people aboard the 11-seat King Air A-100 were killed, said Greg Martin, spokesman for the Federal Aviation Administration. Campaign officials confirmed the victims also included Wellstone's wife, Sheila, and daughter, Marcia; three campaign staff members; and two pilots.Wellstone's death just 11 days before Election Day threw the battle for the Senate into uncharted territory. Before Friday, Democrats held control by a single seat.State officials were researching whether Wellstone's name would remain on the ballot, or whether independent Gov. Jesse Ventura or state Democrats could appoint a replacement to serve in the upcoming lame-duck session of Congress between Election Day and the arrival of new members.Ventura declined comment on what he would do about the ballot, saying only that he would not appoint himself to serve the rest of Wellstone's term.State law allows the governor to fill a vacant Senate seat, but also allows a political party to appoint a replacement in the event of a death of a nominee. The name must be offered within seven days of the death and at least four days before an election.Shaken Democratic officials wouldn't immediately comment on possible replacements, though party spokesman Bill Amberg said he was confident the party would be allowed to offer a replacement. Rebecca Yanisch, the state trade commissioner who ran for Senate in 2000, indicated she might be interested.Two years ago, when Missouri Gov. Mel Carnahan was killed in a plane crash three weeks before Election Day while running for the Senate, his name remained on the ballot and beat Republican Sen. John Ashcroft.Carnahan's widow, Jean, was appointed to serve in his place and is now seeking election.Wellstone was up against Republican Norm Coleman, a former mayor of St. Paul and President Bush's choice to challenge the two-term incumbent.A Coleman spokesman, Ben Whitney, said Friday: "Our prayers are with the Wellstone family. That's all I'm going to say."Wellstone was flying to Virginia, Minn., to attend the funeral of Martin Rukavina, father of Minnesota state Sen. Tom Rukavina.The plane's pilots called the Eveleth-Virginia Municipal Airport to get clearance for landing when they were about seven miles out, and they reported no problems, said Gary Ulman, who was on duty at the small airport at the time.When the plane didn't land, Ulman said he took off in another plane to search for it. About two miles southeast of the airport, he saw smoke."The wreckage was scattered and fully engulfed in flames. Just looking at it, it would take a miracle to survive it," he said.Ventura said flags at state buildings would be flown at half-staff through Nov. 5. In Texas, Bush called Wellstone "a man of deep convictions.""He was a plainspoken fellow who did his best for his state and for his country," the president said. "May the good Lord bless those who grieve."Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle, D-S.D., called Wellstone the "soul of the Senate. He was one of the most noble and courageous men I have ever known."Before running for office, Wellstone was a professor and community organizer who fused the two passions in a course he taught at Carleton College in Northfield called "Social Movements and Grassroots Organizing."He stunned the political establishment by knocking off Republican Sen. Rudy Boschwitz with a longshot bid for office in 1990. Afterward, left-leaning Mother Jones magazine called him "the first 1960s radical elected to the U.S. Senate."Wellstone had pledged to stay for no more than two terms, but last year, he announced he would be running again. In February, he announced he had been diagnosed with a mild form of multiple sclerosis but he said it wouldn't stop his campaign."For me, no stress would be stress," Wellstone said at the time. "The stress of this campaign is what I want to do, to be perfectly honest. And the stress of being a senator is what I want to do."State Democratic Party chairman Mike Erlandson said Wellstone for years had been "the heartbeat" of the party."He took pride every day in fighting on behalf of the people of Minnesota," he said.Liberal to the end, Wellstone cast his vote earlier this month against legislation to authorize the use of force in Iraq -- the only Democrat in a competitive race to go against Bush on the issue.The Rev. Jesse Jackson and United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan both called Wellstone a champion of peace."He was a profoundly decent man, a man of principle, a man of conscience," Annan said."Wellstone stood up for the little guy," added AFL-CIO President John Sweeney. "He was tireless and unapologetic for championing the rights of working men and women -- even when he stood alone, and he often did."Wellstone also had two sons, David and Mark, and six grandchildren.The King Air turboprop was made by Raytheon Corp. with Pratt & Whitney engines, according to the Federal Aviation Administration. The owner was listed as Beech Transportation Inc. of Eden Prairie, Minn., and the plane had been leased by Wellstone. letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Fri, 25 Oct 2002 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6532/1/E-Mia-Slavenska-Croatian-American-Ballerina-Dies.html Mia Slavenska, 86, Celebrated Ballerina, Is DeadÂBy JACK ANDERSONMia Slavenska, a ballerina celebrated both for her authoritative techniqueand for her red-haired beauty, died on Saturday at a retirement center inLos Angeles where she had lived in recent years. She was 86.A glamorous dancer with a vivid stage presence, Ms. Slavenska was especiallyknown to American audiences as a ballerina with the Ballet Russe de MonteCarlo. She appeared with it at its New York debut in 1938 and danced coastto coast with it at various times in the 1940's and 50's. But she tookoccasional leaves from the Ballet Russe to head small touring groups of herown.Her repertory ranged from "Giselle," "Coppélia" and "Swan Lake" to20th-century ballets by Michel Fokine and Léonide Massine. A great virtuoso,she was praised for her energy, stamina and balance. But she always combinedphysical control with theatrical flair. Writing in The New York Times on May30, 1943, the dance critic John Martin praised Ms. Slavenska's "command oftechnique and taste" and remarked on her "personal beauty, which is nothingshort of spectacular."One of her most surprising roles was that of Blanche DuBois in "A StreetcarNamed Desire," the adaptation of Tennessee Williams's play that the moderndancer Valerie Bettis choreographed in 1952 for the Slavenska-FranklinBallet, a touring group established by Ms. Slavenska and Frederic Franklin,a colleague from the Ballet Russe. Audiences had long known that Ms.Slavenska was classically versatile. Here she proved authoritative in acontemporary idiom. Reviewing "Streetcar" in The Times on Dec. 9, 1952, Mr.Martin found fault with some of Bettis's choreography. Nevertheless, he saidthat "Miss Slavenska and Mr. Franklin play its chief roles with tremendous force."Born Mia Corakin in Brod-na Savi (renamed Slavonski Brod in 1934 by thegovernment of Yugoslavia) in Croatia, the ballerina, who adopted Slavenskaas a stage name, studied ballet with prominent teachers in Zagreb and Paris.In Vienna her teachers included Léopold Dubois who, she later recalled,taught her the meaning of classicism, and Gertrud Kraus, a pioneer ofCentral European modern dance. In New York she was greatly influenced byballet classes with Vincenzo Celli.Ms. Slavenska gave a complete evening of her own choreography in Zagreb in1928 at the age of 12. She was prima ballerina at the Zagreb NationalTheater from 1934 to 1936, and received international attention when sheperformed at the dance festival held in conjunction with the Berlin Olympicsof 1936. In 1937, she was one of the stars of "La Mort du Cygne," a film byJean Benoît-Lévy, released in America as "Ballerina."After joining the Ballet Russe in Europe in 1938, Ms. Slavenska traveledwith it to America, becoming a citizen in 1947. The previous year, she hadmarried Kurt Neumann, a political scientist. He died in 1983.Ms. Slavenska organized Ballet Variante, a touring group in 1947 and, withMr. Franklin, the Slavenska-Franklin Ballet, which toured in the early1950's. She also appeared with companies like American Ballet Theater, theMetropolitan Opera Ballet, the Chicago Opera Ballet and London FestivalBallet, and helped direct and advise several regional ballet troupes, amongthem the Forth Worth Ballet and the Louisville Ballet.She opened a New York studio in 1960 and, after moving to Los Angeles in1969, taught ballet at the University of California at Los Angeles and theCalifornia Institute of the Arts.Ms. Slavenska is survived by a daughter, Maria Ramas, of Culver City, Calif. letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Wed, 09 Oct 2002 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6533/1/E-Fra-Bono-Prcula---In-Memoriam.html Javljamo braci franjevacke provincije Presvetog Otkupitelja, rodbini, prijateljima i znancima da je u subotu, 13. srpnja 2002., u Klinickoj bolnici Firule u Splitu, u 68. godini zivota, 50. redovnistva i 42. svecenistva okrijepljen svetim sakramentima u Gospodinu preminuo Otac Fra BONE PRCELA, OFMSveta misa zadusnica slavit ce se u crkvi Gospe Sinjske u Sinju, u srijedu, 17. srpnja u 17 sati. Poslije svete mise obavit ce se pokop na groblju sv. Frane u Sinju.Pocivao u miru Bozjem!Braca franjevci Provincije Presvetog Otkupitelja - SplitIz mog osobnog iskustva, fra Bone je bio karakter, pravisvecenik i pravi covjek.We'll miss you!Nenad letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Mon, 15 Jul 2002 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6534/1/E-In-Memoriam-Mary-Saban-Parsons.html ÂÂÂMary Parsons served in U.S. NavyÂ"Her parents had known each other in Croatia. Her mother arrived in Northern California in 1913"ÂÂhttp://www.sacbee.com/content/news/story/1928394p-2066717c.htmlÂÂSacramento BeeÂObituary: Mary Parsons served in U.S. NavyÂBy Ted Bell -- Bee Staff WriterÂPublished 5:30 a.m. PST Saturday, March 23, 2002ÂBorn in the humble surroundings of a California mining town, Mary Saban Parsons served in the U.S. Navy, raised children, received a college degree late in life and, according to her friends, valued her origins.ÂÂShe died of heart disease Tuesday in a Roseville care center at age 87.ÂÂHer parents had known each other in Croatia. Her mother arrived in Northern California in 1913, four years after her father. He worked at the Mammoth copper mine.ÂÂMrs. Parsons was born in Kennett, near the Shasta County mine, which is now under the waters of Shasta Lake.ÂHer early life was a series of dirt-floor mining camps in Arizona, Nevada, Colorado and California.Â"She said it was a hard life but a good life," said her friend Rita Lind. "Her family was very close and there was a lot of love. She said her parents were always inviting other miners, especially those from the old country, to eat or stay with them.ÂÂ"They didn't have much but they shared all of it," said Lind.ÂÂAll the moving caused Mary to fall two years behind in school. Her mother finally put her foot down, saying that the girl needed to stay in one place long enough to catch up and start high school.ÂThe family moved to Sacramento where she attended St. Joseph's Academy. Her father commuted to mining jobs.ÂMrs. Parsons graduated in 1935 and went to work for the telephone company as a switchboard operator in Nevada City. When she got a job with the U.S. Forest Service in Nevada City she met a schoolteacher named Charles Parsons.ÂÂIn 1943 Mrs. Parsons joined the WAVES, serving at the 12th Naval District staff headquarters in San Francisco.ÂIt was quite an experience for a small-town girl in a big city during a war, said Lind.ÂÂ"She was the shy and quiet one. When the rest of the girls wanted to go into town and have some drinks, she'd be the one urging caution," Lind said. In 1944 she married Charles Parsons. She was discharged as a Yeoman Third Class in 1945.ÂÂThe couple moved to Auburn after the war where her husband taught and was an administrator for Placer schools and a junior college. In 1962 they moved to Roseville when Charles Parsons was appointed superintendent of the Roseville Joint High School District.ÂÂAfter their two daughters were grown, Mrs. Parsons attended Sierra College and in 1976 was awarded an associate of arts degree. She was 64 years old and, at that time, the oldest person to earn the AA degree from the college.ÂÂ"She was just the epitome of a good person," said Lind. "Everybody else came first. She was -- a lady."ÂÂLate in life, Mrs. Parsons was stricken with Alzheimer's disease, curtailing her contact with her close friends and her beloved Croatian cooking.ÂÂBesides her husband of 58 years, Mrs. Parsons is survived by her daughters, Pamela Mary Hughes, of Decatur, Ga., and Rebecca Sharon Andersen, of Oakland, and three grandchildren.ÂÂShe is also survived by Josianne Colin Desbos, an exchange student from France who stayed with the Parsons in 1963-64, and her "French grandchildren."ÂÂA funeral Mass will be celebrated at St. Canice Catholic Church, 317 Washington St., Nevada City, at 10:30 a.m. Monday.ÂÂThe family is asking that in lieu of flowers, contributions be made to the Alzheimer's Society or the Shriners Hospital for Children Northern California.ÂÂÂDistributed by www.CroatianWorld.net. This message is intended for Croatian Associations/Institutions and their Friends in Croatia and in the World. The opinions/articles expressed on this list do not reflect personal opinions of the moderator. If the reader of this message is not the intended recipient, please delete or destroy all copies of this communication and please, let us know! letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Sat, 23 Mar 2002 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6535/1/D-In-memoriam-Hans-Georg-Gadamer.html ÂAnmerkung. Hans-Georg Gadamer hat den kroatishen Philosphen Mathias FlaciusÂIllyricus / Matija Vlacic Ilirik (1520-1575) als einen Klassiker derÂHermeneutik anerkannt. Im zweiten Band seines Hauptwerks "Wahrheit undÂMethode", behandelt Gadamer Vlacics Hermeneutik sehr umfaenglich. VlacicsÂBegriff "scopus" ist einer der Grundbegriffe der Hermaneutik bei Gadamer (die LehreÂvom Auslegen und Verstehen). Vlacic war einer der einflussreichsten DenkerÂder propestantischen Bewegung, er hat ueber 250 Baende verfasst, und seinÂHauptwerk ist "Catalogus testium veritas" (1556). Vlacic stammte ausÂIstrien. Gadamer hat auch an den Universitaeten in den Vereinigten StaatenÂVortraegen / Vorlesungen gehalten. (ra)Â---------------------ÂÂ14.03.2002ÂÂDer letzte deutsche Denker in großer TraditionÂÂHans-Georg Gadamer begründete die philosophische Hermeneutik und war inÂseinen letzten Lebensjahrzehnten der "Nestor" der deutschen Gegenwartsphilosophie.ÂÂHans-Georg Gadamer war nicht nur der älteste, sondern auch imposantesteÂRepräsentant der Geisteswissenschaftler Deutschlands. Der Philosoph starbÂeinen Monat nach seinem 102. Geburtstag in Heidelberg.ÂDer am 11. Februar 1900 in Marburg geborene Sohn eines ChemieprofessorsÂdurchlebte das gesamte vergangene Jahrhundert, das er mit seinemÂumfangreichen Werk bereichert und mitgeprägt hat. Bis zu seinem Tod warÂGadamer ein hellwacher Kopf, dazu ein so kritischer wie souveränderÂBeobachter des Zeitgeschehens. Noch als Greis konnte der Schüler MartinÂHeideggers aus dem Stand und ohne jedes Konzept druckreif in freier RedeÂformulieren. In den letzten Jahren drängten sich geradezu die Nachgeborenen, um einÂInterview oder einfach nur ein Gespräch mit dem auch äußerlichÂbeeindruckenden weißhaarigen Herrn mit besten Manieren zu bekommen. DennÂallen war klar, dass ein Denker dieser Rangstufe, mit diesemÂenzyklopädischen Wissen und sich wie selbstverständlich in der großenÂTradition der deutschen Philosophiegeschichte bewegend, keinen NachfolgerÂhaben würde. Dabei ist der Ruhm erst spät in das lange Leben des schon 1968 von seinemÂHeidelberger Lehrstuhl abgetretenen Mannes gekommen: 1960 hatte Gadamer mitÂseinem Hauptwerk "Wahrheit und Methode" Weltgeltung erlangt. Fortan galt erÂals Begründer der zeitgenössischen "philosophischen Hermeneutik", der LehreÂvom Auslegen und Verstehen. Gadamer verstand den Menschen als ein auf VerstehenÂangelegtes Wesen, der die Erfahrung von Geschichte in Sinn umzuwandeln genötigt ist.ÂWer je diesen lebhaften Denker bei einer Vorlesung oder einem Vortrag beobachten konnte,Âsah einen Mann, der das Gespräch und das Wort über alles liebte.ÂÂDialogfähigkeit als Überlebensfrage der MenschheitÂÂFür den späten Gadamer war die Dialogverpflichtung des Menschen dieÂÜberlebensfrage der Menschheit überhaupt: "Die Hermeneutik kann ja besondersÂdies leisten: den Respekt vor dem anderen wieder zu begründen durch dieÂTatsache, dass man niemals für sich alleine alles sagen kann."ÂAls der bis zuletzt seine tägliche Weinration genießende Mann dieseÂErkenntnis eines langen Gelehrtendaseins formulierte, war er übrigensÂbereits 99 Jahre alt. "Zeuge des Jahrhunderts zu sein, ist eine große Last", meinte erÂdamals im Blick auf jenes 20. Jahrhundert, dessen Irrungen und Wirrungen auch GadamerÂnicht entkommen konnte. 1939 hatte der Philosoph einen Lehrstuhl in Leipzig erhalten,Âden er bis 1947 behielt. Im Hitler-Reich konzentrierte er sich auf sein Fachgebiet, inÂdem er mit einer von Heidegger abgenommenen Arbeit über die Ethik in derÂgriechischen Antike seine Professur begründet hatte.ÂUnter dem Motto "Auch das geht vorüber" überstand er die Diktatur ohneÂnachweisbare Verstrickung oder Widerstand. Gadamer sah sich selbst soÂbewusst wie bescheiden als deutschen Professor traditionellen Stils.ÂIn späten Jahren zum Nestor seiner Disziplin, ja zur geistigen Instanz zuÂwerden - das dürfte den persönlich bescheidenen, höchst unspektakulär inÂeinem Einfamilienhaus oberhalb von Heidelberg wohnenden Denker selbstÂverwundert haben. Doch er war ja nicht nur ein Philosoph, der kluge Bücher geschriebenÂhatte, sondern ein Meister deutscher Sprache, der nach dem Tod Ernst Jüngers nichtÂmehr seinesgleichen hatte. Die Muttersprache, sagte er, "prägt unsere Identität und istÂdurch nichts zu ersetzen." Auch Hans-Georg Gadamer ist nicht zu ersetzen.ÂSeine Werke werden bleiben, aber mehr noch die Erinnerung all derer, die ihnÂpersönlich hören und sehen konnten. Mit seinem Tod geht eine ganze Epoche deutscherÂGeistesgeschichte zu Ende. (ap/kas)ÂÂDistributed by www.CroatianWorld.net. This message is intended for Croatian Associations/Institutions and their Friends in Croatia and in the World. The opinions/articles expressed on this list do not reflect personal opinions of the moderator. If the reader of this message is not the intended recipient,Âplease delete or destroy all copies of this communication and please, let us know! letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Tue, 19 Mar 2002 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6536/1/H-IN-MEMORIAM-LJUBICA-STEFAN.html ÂUMRLA POVJESNICARKA LJUBICA STEFANÂÂZAGREB 18.ozujka 2002.ÂU zagrebackoj bolnici Sveti Duh jucer poslijepodne umrla je, nakon kratke iÂteske bolesti, hrvatska povjesnicarka Ljubica Stefan.Ânapisala je desetak knjiga, baveci se uglavnom genezom velikosrpske ideje,Âprikupljajuci po beogradskim arhivima i knjiznicama nepoznate dokumente oÂulozi Srbije u Drugom svjetskom ratu, Srpskoj pravoslavnoj crkvi (SPC),Âsrpskom antisemitizmu i nasiljem nad Albancima.ÂTakodjer je objavila i niz clanaka i podlistaka u tjedniku za kulturuÂHrvatsko slovo, u Vjesniku te Hrvatskom obzoru.ÂSinoc je u Zagrebu sastavljen i odbor za pripremu pokopa povjesnicarkeÂLjubice Stefan, a o danu pokopa javnost ce biti naknadno obavjestena. (H)ÂÂÂProf. Ljubica Stefan (r. 1921.g. u Prilepu)ÂDom umirovljenikaÂKlaiceva ul. 10 / soba 137 ; 10000ZagrebÂ-------------------------------------------------------ÂZIVOTOPIS :Âotac u I. svij. ratu kao pricuvni austrijski casnik zarobljen i prekoÂAlbanije odveden u logor u Italiju, odbio biti dobrovoljac srpske vojskeÂzato nakon povratka u Karlovacu nije mogao dobiti posao kao profesor naÂGimnaziji, pa po dekretu tadasnjeg Ministarstva prosvjete rasporedjen uÂPrilep, kasnije se vraca u Karlovac, a zatim ponovno seli u BeogradÂLjubica rodjena 1921.g. u Prilepu od roditelja Hrvata iz Karlovca, majka joj rano umireÂza vrijeme II. svij. rata boravi u Karlovcu kod strica, koji pomaze i zbrinjava zidovske obiteljiÂzapocinje studij slavistike u Zagrebu i zavrsava 1949.g. studij u BeograduÂgdje seli kod oca svucilisni je profesor na Saobracajnom fakultetu u Beogradu, gdje jeÂpredavala rusku terminologiju do mirovine u mirovini pise knjige kojima zeli posvjedociti povijesne istine 1989.g. izlazi joj prva knjiga u Sloveniji, ali ne pod njezinim imenom jer zivi u BeograduÂÂ1989.g. TRILOGIJA O ALBANCIMA,Â1991.g. izlazi MOZAIK IZDAJE ( izdanje pod imenom Tomislav Vukovic)Â1992.g. izlazi PREGLED SRPSKOG ANTISEMITIZMA (pod pseudonimom Edo Bojevic,Âizdanje PEGAZ, Zgb, Ilica 26)ÂÂ1992.g. radi sigurnosti hitno napusta Beograd, gdje ostavlja stan i svuÂimovinu, te dolazi bez icega 4.7.1992.g. u ZagrebÂ1992.g. pise Zidovskim organizacijama o pomoci njenog strica Zidovima, teÂdobiva izraelsku Povelju i medalju pravednika medju narodima, za strica LujoÂStefana i sebe osobno; posjecuje Izrael gdje osobno prima PoveljuÂ1996.g. izdaje pod svojim imenom na temelju prikupljene povijesne gradjeÂSRPSKA PRAVOSLAVNA CRKVA I FASIZAM;Â1998.g. STEPINAC I ZIDOVI (Croatiaprojekt)Â1999.g. ISTINOM I CINJENICAMA ZA HRVATSKU (Zaklada Hrvatskog slova)Â1999.g. MITOVI I ZATAJENA POVIJEST (Kresimir-SlovoM)Âu domoljubnoj namjeri podijelila je sve knjige koje je umjesto novcaÂdobivala kao kompenzaciju za autorske honorareÂdobila je mnogostruka obecanja od prosle vlasti za rjesavanje njezinogÂstambenog pitanja i socijalnog stanja, ali nista nije realiziranoÂzivjela u Zagrebu u Domu umirovljenika s mirovinom ( 1.300 kn), nedostatnomÂza pokrivanje troskova doma ( 2.300 kn)Âdo smrti pisala clanke u interesu hrvatske istineÂÂPrema zabiljeskama iz razgovora 12.rujna 2000.g.ÂDamir BorovcakÂÂ******************************************************************ÂÂFrom Vjesnik. John KraljicÂÂUmrla Ljubica Stefan, dobitnica priznanja »Pravednik medu narodima«ÂZAGREB, 18. ozujka - Nakon krace i teske bolesti u nedjelju popodne uÂzagrebackoj bolnici Sveti Duh umrla je hrvatska povjesnicarka i dobitnicaÂpriznanja izraelske drzave »Pravednik medu narodima« Ljubica Stefan. CijeliÂnjen plodni rad mozda se najbolje moze ilustrirati naslovom njene knjigeÂobjavljene 1999. godine »Istinom i cinjenicama za Hrvatsku«.ÂPisanom rijecju, knjigama i clancima, od kojih je mnoge objavila u Vjesniku,Âustrajno se borila protiv predrasuda i krivih interpretacija stvorenih uÂdijelu medunarodne javnosti o Hrvatima i njihovu pravu na samostalnu drzavu.ÂTako je ustrajno radila na otkrivanju cinjenica vezanih uz kardinalaÂStepinca i njegovu djelatnost u spasavanju Zidova uoci i tijekom DrugogÂsvjetskog rata sto se objavila u knjizi »Stepinac i Zidovi«. Na svijetloÂdana iznijela je i dokumente o susretu predstavnika Srpske pravoslavne crkveÂs njemackim vojnim vlastima kada su im iskazali lojalnost, a objavila je iÂdokument o apelu 500 najznacajnijih predstavnika srpskog naroda u kojem seÂSrbe poziva na suradnju s nacistima i borbu protiv komunista i Zidova.ÂLjubica Stefan rodena je 1921. u Prilepu, 1939. upisuje latinski iÂtalijanski na Filozofskom fakultetu u Zagrebu no studij prekida tijekomÂDrugog svjetskog rata. Diplomirala je 1949. slavistiku na FilozofskomÂfakultetu u Beogradu. Prve knjige objavila je bez imena (»Srbija iÂAlbanci«), a po dolasku u Zagreb 1992. objavljuje publikaciju o srpskomÂantisemitizmu i genocidu nad Zidovima. Godine 1998. pak objavljuje svogÂrad »Poslijeratni Titov logor Jasenovac 1945., 1947. i 1948. godina«.ÂBila je clanica saborske Komisije za utvrdivanje ratnih i poratnih zrtava teÂOdbora za ljudska prava povjerenstva za UNESCO Ministarstva vanjskih poslovaÂRH. Prilikom dodjele priznanja »Pravednik medu narodima« njoj i njenom ocuÂLuji Stefanu u Yad Vashemu u Jeruzalemu, na njen izricit zahtjev, prvi putÂbilo upisano ime Hrvatska umjesto dotadasnje Jugoslavije. Zbog osobitogÂdoprinosa razvitku i ugledu RH i dobrobiti njezinih gradana, tadasnji predsjednikÂTudman odlikovao ju je za Dan drzavnosti 1998. Redom hrvatskog pletera.ÂÂMarko BarisicÂÂDistributed by www.CroatianWorld.net. This message is intended for Croatian Associations/Institutions and their Friends in Croatia and in the World. The opinions/articles expressed on this list do not reflect personal opinions of the moderator. If the reader of this message is not the intended recipient,Âplease delete or destroy all copies of this communication and please, let us know! letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Mon, 18 Mar 2002 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6537/1/EH-Symbol-of-Resistance-to-Communism-Rock-of-Croatia-Dies.html Âhttp://www.zenit.org/english/visualizza.phtml?sid=17860ÂZENIT - The World Seen From RomeÂÂCardinal Kuharic, "Rock of Croatia," DiesÂSymbol of Resistance to Communism, and of Peace in Fratricidal WarÂÂVATICAN CITY, MARCH 11, 2002 (Zenit.org).- Cardinal Franjo Kuharic, archbishop emeritus of Zagreb, died this morning in the archdiocesan palace where he resided. He was 82.ÂÂAccording to an announcement by Archbishop Giulio Einaudi, the apostolic nuncio in Croatia, the cardinal died of cardiac arrest, although he had been ill for quite some time.ÂÂOn hearing the news, John Paul II sent a telegram to Archbishop Josip Bozanic of Zagreb, in which he expressed his "sorrow for the death of this dear and worthy pastor, who knew how to serve generously, wisely and loyally the people of God entrusted to his pastoral care."ÂÂThe Holy Father recalled that "both during the period of the Communist regime as well as during the recent and difficult period of national history," Cardinal Kuharic "committed himself with all his energies to the service of the defense of the liberty and dignity of the Croatian people, combining gentle charity with the authoritative firmness of the pastor responsible for his flock."ÂÂ"A man totally dedicated to the cause of the Gospel, he gave consistent witness of Christ, tirelessly infusing confidence and courage in the faithful during the harsh trials to which they were subjected in Croatian land," the Pontiff concluded.ÂÂFranjo Kuharic was born April 15, 1919, in the village of Pribic. He was ordained a priest in 1945 by then Archbishop Alojzije Stepinac.ÂÂPaul VI named Kuharic auxiliary bishop of Zagreb in 1964. He was promoted to archbishop in 1970, succeeding Cardinal Franjo Seper, who was appointed prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. John Paul II made Archbishop Kuharic a cardinal in 1983.ÂÂ"The rock of Croatia," as he was known, was president of the Yugoslavian bishops' conference for three terms. He was archbishop of Zagreb until July 5, 1997.ÂÂIn a letter sent to Archbishop Bozanic, Croatian President Stipe Mesic paid homage to the cardinal's work during the 1991-1995 war between Serbs and Croats.ÂÂ"He preached peace, reconciliation and rejected every spirit of vengeance and crime, guided by evangelical principles and the values of justice and liberty," the president stated.ÂÂCardinal Kuharic's funeral will be held Thursday morning in Zagreb's cathedral, where he will be buried. With his death, the College of Cardinals now has 177 members, including 129 electors under age 80.ÂÂÂPOGREBNI OBREDI ZA KARDINALA KUHARICAÂÂZAGREB, 12. ozujka (Hina) - Vjernici i postovatelji kardinalaÂKuharica mogu se pomoliti i od njega oprostiti do sutra u 17 sati uÂkapeli svetoga Stjepana u Nadbiskupskom dvoru u Zagrebu, gdje jeÂizlozeno njegovo tijelo, izvijestio je Odbor za pokop.ÂÂÂNakon toga uslijedit ce misa u zagrebackoj katedrali koju ceÂpredvoditi kardinal Vinko Puljic, nadbiskup vrhbosanski, uzÂsudjelovanje hrvatskih nadbiskupa i biskupa, crkvenih uglednika izÂinozemstva, kanonika, prebendara, svecenika i redovnikaÂzagrebacke nadbiskupije.ÂÂÂU cetvrtak, 14. ozujka, u 8,30 sati tijelo pokojnoga kardinala bitÂce izneseno iz kapele na trg ispred katedrale, gdje ce lijes sÂposmrtnim ostacima biti izlozen ispred oltara na kojem ce seÂsluziti misa zadusnica.ÂÂÂObred prijenosa kardinalova tijela predvodit ce pomocni biskupÂzagrebacki msgr. Josip Mrzljak, uz sudjelovanje kanonika,Âprebendara i bogoslova.ÂÂÂU 11 sati pocet ce misa zadusnica na trgu ispred katedrale koju ceÂpredvoditi izaslanik Svetoga Oca kardinal Joseph Tomko uzÂsudjelovanje nadbiskupa, biskupa, svecenika i vjernika.ÂÂÂPoslije mise na kojoj se ocekuje nekoliko desetaka tisuca vjernika,Âa koju ce izravno prenositi Hrvatska televizija, nakon oprostajnogÂgovora Josipa Bozanica, nadbiskupa zagrebackog i predsjednikaÂHrvatske biskupske konferencije, pokojnikovo ce se tijelo unijetiÂu katedralu i poloziti u grobnicu zagrebackih nadbiskupa i biskupaÂkoja se nalazi iza glavnoga oltara u zagrebackoj katedrali.ÂÂÂDistributed by www.CroatianWorld.net. This message is intended for Croatian Associations/Institutions and their Friends in Croatia and in the World. The opinions/articles expressed on this list do not reflect personal opinions of the moderator. If the reader of this message is not the intended recipient,Âplease delete or destroy all copies of this communication and please, let us know! letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Tue, 12 Mar 2002 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6539/1/H-Hommage-Matku-Peicu.html ÂÂHommage Matku PeicuÂÂPOZEGA, 9. veljace - Tocno 10. veljace 1923. godine u PozegiÂje rodjen Matko Peic, veliki zaljubljenik u Pozegu i VallisÂaureau, a ciji je stvaralacki opus od gimnazijskih dana uÂPozegi do smrti vezan velikim dijelom za rodni grad. IzaÂakademika Matka Peica jednoga iz plejade hrvatskih velikanaÂduha, slikara, povjesnicara umjetnosti i likovnog kriticaraÂostali su nezaobilazni putopisi, eseji, feljtoni i poezija, aÂnjegov hedonizam i kontemplacija ponajbolje su se pronasli uÂpoznatim Peicevim >SkitnjamaZa mene Pozega predstavlja najdublji inspirativniÂcinilac u mom radu i to kao slikara i kao knjizevnika. UÂPozegi sam stekao svoju metodu osnovanu na karakteristikamaÂpozeskog pejzaza letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Mon, 11 Mar 2002 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6538/1/H-UMRO-KARDINAL-FRANJO-KUHARIC.html ÂUMRO KARDINAL FRANJO KUHARICÂCardinal Franjo Kuharic DiedÂÂZAGREB, 11. ožujka (Hina) - U nadbiskupskom dvoru u Zagrebu ranoÂjutros u 83. godini preminuo je uzoriti kardinal i umirovljeni nadbiskupÂzagrebacki Franjo Kuharic, javila je Informativna katolicka agencija (IKA)ÂÂÂKardinal Kuharic roden je 15. travnja 1919. u Pribicu. Za svecenikaÂje zareden 1945., a pomocnim biskupom zagrebackim imenovan je 1964.Âkada je i zareden za biskupa. Nadbiskup zagrebacki postao je 1970.ÂÂÂPapa Ivan Pavao II. imenovao ga je kardinalom na konzistorijuÂ1983., a od 1997. kardinal Kuharic je umirovljen.ÂÂÂPogreb kardinala Franje Kuharica održat ce se u zagrebackojÂkatedrali u cetvrtak, 14. ožujka, u 11 sati.ÂÂÂDistributed by www.CroatianWorld.net. This message is intended for Croatian Associations Institutions and their Friends in Croatia and in the World. The opinions/articles expressed on this list do not reflect personal opinions of the moderator. If the reader of this message is not the intended recipient, please delete or destroy all copies of this communication and please, let us know! letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Mon, 11 Mar 2002 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6540/1/H-Kosta-Angeli-Radovani.html ÂKipar cije je djelo zalog modernostiÂZa modernu hrvatsku skulpturu Kosta Angeli Radovani postao jeÂzalog i jamstvo one stvaralacke etike koja se hrani nacelom:Âskulptura je prostor i forma, autor je trajanje i povijestÂÂZAGREB, 28. veljace - Jedan od najvecih kipara 20. stoljecaÂKosta Angeli Radovani umro je u Zagrebu 27. veljace u 86.Âgodini. Smrcu akademika Radovanija, Hrvatska akademijaÂznanosti i umjetnosti i Razred za likovne umjetnosti ostali suÂbez svog istaknutog clana, stoji u priopcenju HAZU.ÂKosta Angeli Radovani rodjen je 6. listopada 1916. u Londonu.ÂOsnovnu skolu i II. klasicnu gimnaziju polazio je u Zagrebu.ÂZavrsio je 1938. Akademiju likovnih umjetnosti Brera u MilanuÂ(prof. Francesco Messina) i specijalke za kiparstvo i grafikuÂna Akademiji za likovnu umjetnost u Zagrebu (prof. FranoÂKrsinic i prof. Tomislav Krizman). Angeli Radovani osnivaÂ1950. katedru kiparstva na Akademiji primijenjenih umjetnostiÂu Zagrebu gdje radi do njezina zatvaranja 1955. godine.ÂIzabran je 1977. za redovitog profesora kiparskog odjela naÂFakultetu likovnih umjetnosti u Sarajevu, gdje radi do 1987.ÂDjeluje kao profesor na poziv na Medjunarodnoj ljetnojÂakademiji u Salzburgu 1987., 1988. i 1991. godine.ÂIzlagao je 59 puta samostalno u zemlji i inozemstvu (Atena,ÂPrag, Tunis, Salzburg, Pordenone), a od 1940. vise od 600 putaÂna skupnim izlozbama od kojih je 50 reprezentativnogÂmedjunarodnog ili bijenalskog znacaja.ÂNakladni zavod »Naprijed« izdao mu je mapu grafike 1960. PrvuÂmonografiju o njegovu djelu napisao je Danijel DragojevicÂ1961. godine. Zagrebacka Moderna galerija priredila mu jeÂmonografsku izlozbu 1973. godine i izdala zajedno s GrafickimÂzavodom Hrvatske, monografiju o 40. obljetnici radaÂ(1939-1979). Autor monografije je Vladimir Malekovic. Galerije»La Sagittaria« u Pordenonu objavila mu je monografijuÂprigodom retrospektivne izlozbe za 50. obljetnicu radaÂ(1939-1989), a nakladni zavod »Naprijed« uvrstio mu je cetvrtuÂmonografiju 1989. u svoj program (tekst Igor Zidic). Za svojÂrad je nagradjivan 21 put. Godine 1987. dobio je Nagradu zaÂzivotno djelo »Vladimir Nazor«. Matica hrvatska objavila mu jeÂ1985. godine knjigu eseja »Kip bez grive« (1950-1982).ÂDjelo kipara Koste Angeli Radovanija neosporno je jedno doÂnajznacajnijih u nasoj likovnoj suvremenosti. Moze posluzitiÂkao svojevrstan orijentir izmedju raznih razdoblja i stilskihÂopredjeljenja, ali i kao vrijednosni cin provjere.ÂVjerujuci u temeljite izmjene koje donosi danasnja umjetnost,ÂAngeli Radovani nije vjerovao u potrebu potpuna unistenja»tradicionalne« forme da bi se na rusevinama omogucio zivotÂnovoj formi. Za razliku od svojih radikalnih suvremenika, onÂnije napustao tradiciju, nego ju je radikalno mijenjao. StogaÂje njegova zagrebacka izlozba ranih pedesetih godina znacilaÂonaj istinski »lom« u hrvatskoj skulpturi, premda je RadovaniÂjezik modernog kiparenja izlozio na »tradicionalnom« motivu.ÂNjegov logican i rijetko dosljedan razvojni put, njegovoÂizbjegavanje svake dopadljivosti i sladunjavosti, uÂinterpretaciji ljudskog tijela, koje je bilo i ostaje njegovoÂosnovno vrelo nadahnuca, cistoca njegove skulptorske forme iÂizvanredni instinkt za plasticne odnose i ritmove, osjecaj zaÂsinteticnu kiparsku viziju zenskoga tijela svedenog naÂsustinske elemente, gotovo na geometrijske oblike, u komeÂuvijek pulsiraju i drhte zivotni sokovi - samo su neki odÂvidova Radovanijeve umjetnosti, koje su osjetili i kritika iÂpublika dajuci mu uvijek visoko mjesto u nasim novijimÂumjetnickim zbivanjima.ÂSlicnih je karakteristika i povelik broj portreta. Oni su josÂocigledniji dokaz kako se kipar nije mogao zadovoljitiÂponavljanjem naucenih formula i stilskih konstanti, nego jeÂneprekidno trazio novi izazov u izravnoj i konkretnojÂopservaciji, za kojom bi slijedila uvijek nova oblikovnaÂrazrada.ÂZa modernu hrvatsku skulpturu Kosta Angeli Radovani postao jeÂzalog i jamstvo one stvaralacke etike koja se hrani nacelom:Âskulptura je prostor i forma, autor je trajanje i povijest.ÂOpus Koste Angelija Radovanija jedna je od najneospornijihÂcinjenica u poratnoj umjetnosti i kulturi, a obiljezivsi epohuÂsvojim djelom veliki je zalog nasem vremenu i buducojÂgeneraciji.(K. R./H) -- VjesnikÂÂÂDistributed by www.CroatianWorld.net. This message is intended for Croatian Associations/Institutions and their Friends in Croatia and in the World. The opinions/articles expressed on this list do not reflect personal opinions of the moderator. If the reader of this message is not the intended recipient,Âplease delete or destroy all copies of this communication and please, let us know! letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Fri, 01 Mar 2002 07:00:00 +0000 http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/6541/1/H-SJECANJE-NA-ProfANTUNA-HEKA.html   SJECANJE NA Prof.ANTUNA HEKA POCIVAJTE U MIRU UZ BOZJI BLAGOSLOV, Prof.HEK  Pise Mario Viscovich           Profesor Antun Hek,57-godisnji ravnatelj Pazinskog kolegija-klasicne gimnazije smrtno je stradao u prometnoj nesreci u nedjelju 24.veljace,oko 19.20 sati na cesti iz Novigrada za Pazin."Peugeot206"Pulske registracije koji je vozio prema Novigradu nasao se na krivoj strani ceste uz neprilagodjenu brzinu i udario u "Ford escort"kojim je upravljao Antun Hek.Nakon prvog udara,u "ford escort",koji nastavlja nekontroliranim kretanjem,udara i jos jedan auto"Renault laguna".Vozac"Ford escort"Antun Hek je poginuo,dok su jos trojica zadobili lakse ozljede.       "Istrani New Yorka,za Pazinski Kolegij"naslov je clanka u casopisu "Besida"iz Toronta prosinac1993,broj 7.        Uistinu bio je to veliki dogadjaj.        Vlc.Antun Hek,ravnatelj Pazinskog kolegija i direktor Karitasa za Istru,nalazio se u mjesecu studenom 1993 u SAD kao gost"Istrian American Charities Associasion",a sredisnji dogadjaj te posjete bio je dobrotvoran banket odrzan 14.studenog 1993 u dvorani Cristal Palace" u Astoriji.Pocasni gosti uz vlc.Heka bili su hrvatski ambasador u SAD dr.Petar Sarcevic i vlc.Anton Bozanic,svecenik u Astoriji.Cisti prihod tog banketa isao je u korist kolegija u Pazinu.        Tokom njegovog posjeta,posebno su prof.Heka ugostili istarski klubovi na podrucju New Yorka.        To je bio prvi posjet vlc.Heka SAD-u,i izjavio je da mu je tesko vjerovati da se sve to dogadja u New Yorku a ne negdje na Labinstini.        Za vrijieme boravka u SAD,vlc Hek je posjetio istarske klubove,biznise u vlasnistvu istrana,istarske obitelji,hrvatsku ambasadu u Washington DC,i neke americke katolicke skole.Posebno mu je bio dirljiv susret sa umjetnikom Josipom Crnoborijem.        Ovaj nezaboravni susret izmedju pozrtvovanog vlc.Heka iz Pazina,uspjesnog i dokazanog umjetnika Josipa Crnoborija,te iseljenih istrana,posebno Labinjana,u cilju obnove i sacuvanja Pazinskog kolegija,na ponos je Istrana u domovini,kao i svima nama istarskog porijekla,koji se nalazimo u dijaspori.        Obnova Pazinskog kolegija,izuzetno je vazan poduhvat, jer najbolji nacin ocuvanja jednog naroda ili njegovih posebnih grupacija je kroz ocuvanje jezika i kulture i kroz prernasanje istoga na nase mladje generacije.        Nedelja 21.studenog1993,bio je dan oprostaja za vlc.Heka.Tog jutra imao je ranu misu za nase iseljenike u New Jersey u crkvi st.John u Fairwiew,gdje je na sluzbi nas vlc.Belanich.Drugu je misu istog jutra odrzao u Astoriji,uz vlc.Anton Bozanica.        Posjet vlc.Heka i obnova Pazinskog kolegija,vazan je dogadjaj za sve hrvate,a narocito istrane,i evo tu ponavljam sam svoj citat iz 1993"Pazinski kolegij,kao prva katolicka skola te vrste u cjeloj Hrvatskoj,je obrazovna ustanova i povjesna cinjenica na koju trebamo svi biti ponosni i podrzavati obnovu iste,u svrhu buduceg uspjeha i usavrsavanja polaznika ove vazne obrazovne institucije.Nadajmo se,da ce nam ova obrazovna institucija iz sredisnje Istre,dati nase buduce uspjesne javne djelatnike u kulturnom,socijalnom,ekonomskom,vjerskom i politickom zivotu."        I nakon sedam dana medju nama,oprostili smo se sa covjekom,smirene naravi,uz malo rijeci,koji nije uvjeravao a bio je jako uvjerljiv.Njegova iskrenost i dobrota nas je uvjerila da je "dobar covjek"koji nam je i pozeljan i potreban u nasem drustvu.        I oprostili smo se.        Oprostili smo se da bismo bili i dalje u stalnom kontaktu.Uvjek je imao vremena da porazgovara sa nama na telefon,da nas primi u Pazinu u kolegiju,da nam da savjet kad smo to od njega trazili.        Klasicna gimnazija u Pazinu danas maturira stotine ucenika godisnje,posluje uspjesno,i uziva ugled u obrazovanju mladih.Plod je to nesebicnosti, truda i umjeca prof.Heka,njezinog ravnatelja,koji je u to ulozio puno ljubavi i paznje.        Danas smo jako ozalosceni,izgubili smo velikog istarskog intelektualca,ravnatelja, svecenika,covjeka koji je ostavio svoj utisak na mladez,crkvu,zajednicu,drzavu,a i na nas u dijaspori,i za to mu velika hvala.        Profesor Hek,neka Vas Bog blagoslovi i pocivajte u miru.   Distributed by www.CroatianWorld.net. This message is intended for Croatian Associations/Institutions and their Friends in Croatia and in the World. The opinions/articles expressed on this list do not reflect personal opinions of the moderator. If the reader of this message is not the intended recipient, please delete or destroy all copies of this communication and please, let us know!  letters@croatia.org (Nenad N. Bach) Wed, 27 Feb 2002 07:00:00 +0000