Věstník (West, Tex.), Vol. 44, No. 28, Ed. 1 Wednesday, July 18, 1956 Page: 22 of 32
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Strana 22
i k ■
VĚSTNÍK — WFSTj TtnXAS Wednesday, Julý 18, 1958
SENÁTOR SVOBODA’S HAPPY JUBILEE
June 30th, 1956, is a golden letter day
for Mr. and Mrs. Frank Svoboda, Senior
Senátor of Cieveland, Ohio, was it marks
the GOth anniversary of tlieir wedding.
This rare anniversary of happy mar-
riáge is an occasion for great joy, deep
gratitude ,and gladness by the jubi-
larians and the members of the three
generations of their families, and a host
of personál friends in the old neighbor-
hcod of Broadway and Shaked Heights,
s among the political acquaintances and
lifelong bosom friends in the fraternal
and eivic cireles. The Honorable Sená-
tor has, intíeed, packed in his life of 81
years wonderful experiences that would
make a very interesting and fascinating
life story* truly suitable for publication
in our national magazines, including
čerta in TV programs.
Among the many points making his
life story inspiring, the most recent is
thé iast primary election of Ohio, in
which he received nomination, in špite
of the oppostion by the machine and of
his ádvanced age, competing with oth-
er cnndidat.es of well known status, ed-
ucation, and public influence. This Vic-
tory in the primary election is a crown-
ing glory of the Senátor of the four
score years, for it proves that he has
an ability of making and keeping friends
and gives to his followers a happy sat-
isfáction by his political aeumen and
integrity. This is an outstanding exam-
ple of a man who came to this: coun-
try as an immigrant boy at the age of
fourteen from his native Czechoslovakia
and successfully adjusted himself to the
condition of the city with a strong
Czech and Slavonic group that háve
eontrihuted to the development of the
splendid civic pride for which Cleve-
land is nationally known.
■ It was a “lucky stár" for young mi-
migrant boy, Frank Svoboda, to be-
come a devoted friend to his pastor,
Rev. Stephen Furdek, nationally known
scholar and leader of our people. Frank’s
willingness to assist Reverend Furdek
with his horné hand printing press, in-
troduced him to the printing trade and
finally into establishing a Czech daily
newspaper, “The Cieveland American.”
The very choice of the newspaper name
Tlso indicated Frank’s keen insight into
the situation and the purpose of his
publication, námely, to be an efficient
means in helping the Czech people, both
to adjust themselves to the American
conditions and to maintain their na-
tive cultural enrichment and sociál
amenities. This was in the first decade
of the twentieth century when the
Czech and Slovák people were arriving
annually in tens of thousancls, settling
mostly in the industrial centers, such
as Cieveland, Chicago, St. Louis, Cedar
Rapids, Detroit, Omaha, and Toledo.
The immigrant groups who came here
from Czechoslovakia in the seventies,
eighties, and nineties, settled mostly on
the farms where land. was stilí cheap in
the states of Nebraska, lowa, Texas,
Kansas and Wisconsin.
Always fascinating and adventurous,
newspaper editing and publishing was
all the more so in the cast of the for-
eign language group for pioneers to
'whom America* was the promised: land
with fabulous potentials and legendary
possibilities. In deed, to these people
with fired imagination and dynamic
ambition, the editor and publisher were
the most outstanding personalities in
the neighborhood from which they ex-
pected guidance, inspiration, patronage,
support, and consolation. He was to
them in civic affairs all that the priest
and minister is in a religious area. For
the publisher and editor, this situation
was most challenging and the enjoy-
ment of this public trust and prestige
was at times marked by disappoint-
ments to fill unending requests for help
and without materiál eompensation and
enjoyment of comforts. It is obvious
that under such circumstances, it was
impossible to please and satisfy re-
quests and demands made out of pro-
porticn and bounds with life realities
and possibilities as is but natural in
situations of any immigrant groups in-
adequately adjusted and reconciled and
Consolidated in their needs, resources,
and ambitions,
All of these were part of Frank Svo-
boda’s newspaper career, as he had on
many occasions, continued his publica-
tion by the “skin of his teeth,” strug-
gling with maintaining adequately
trained editors of conservative judg-
ment, for too many of them were on
the radical side. His publication enjoyed
the widest circulation of the Czech
Daily in Cieveland and was always con-
sidered equal to the other three in Chi-
cago-—“Národ,” “Svornost,” and “Hla-
satel.” At the right time, Frank Svo-
boda negotiated merger with the other
Cieveland Czech newspapers, “Novy
Svět,” which .still continued under its
own management.
The wonderful opportunities for šelf
development and training in making
public contacts and in knowledge. of
the gcvernment and politics were tre-
mendous openings to our jubilarians
and gave his native aptitudes, integrity,
and versatile personality a golden out-
let in the political career that has been
his the last twenty years. It was but
natural that his newspaper career
brought many contacts with leading
personalities of the great city of Cleve-
land as well as with the leaders of
Jzech and Slovák sociál and fraternal
?roups and political leaders, such as the
ate President Beneš and Masaryk. It
also offered great opportunities of tra-
cel here and aoioad and increased his
personál initiative and contacts with
the public in generál. Senátor Svoboda
was recently in the group of political
leaders, including United State Senátor
Roman Hruška (Neb.) and Abbot Am-
brose Ondrak, O.S.B., requesting that
United States Congress to také action
for the liberation of Joseph Beran,
Archbishcp of Prague.
To but a very few people comes such
distinction to enjoy the ílowering of all
his lifelong experiences and richness of
his personality at such an advanced age.
While all of his bosom friends, and they
were - a legion, with whom he grew up
and assoeiated and served their needs,
in their various walks of life and pro-
fession, F. Vlček, T. Jirousek, F. Šinde-
lář, J. Stybr, J. Sokol, J. Bartunek, and
r. Lisy, are now nearly all departed,
yet he, like the “last of the Mohieans,”
I enjoys an active public life and devo-
! hon to the members of his family—
l twn daughters, ELsie, married to Dr.
\/alaiian Mastný, and Mary, married to
Dr. Joseph Stocicek; two sons, Frank
Jr. and Robert, the architect.
It is, indeed, a joyous occasion that
comes but to a very few people and we
can fully appreciate the joy and glad-
ness that comes to Senátor and Mrs.
Frank Svoboda. Heartiest congratula-
tions!!! —Ernest Zixka
-)♦*♦(-
We Americans, proud of our heritage
oťten fail to recognize the need for
eternal vigilance in safeguarding the
rights of the individual. We are blind
to the fact that there are forces at
work that believe the statě should be-
come so powerful as to dictate the po-
litical and religious life and behavior
of the nation. Then, too, it much me
candidly admitted that to some extent
at least we háve become a nation of
outcasts, with individuals and groups
relegated to a nonacceptecí role build-
ing up resentments. The ill will may be
racial, religious, economic, or just per-
sonál. ,
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Valčík, Stephen. Věstník (West, Tex.), Vol. 44, No. 28, Ed. 1 Wednesday, July 18, 1956, newspaper, July 18, 1956; West, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth627107/m1/22/?q=%22~1%22~1&rotate=270: accessed July 16, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Slovanska Podporujici Jednota Statu Texas.