Czechoslovak Society of Arts and Sciences, until 1978 known as Czechoslovak Society of Arts and Sciences in America, is an international non-profit organization with the aim to connect people with interest in Czech and Slovak intellectual contributions all around the world, supporting cooperation in culture, sciences, and education.
The society was founded in
Washington DC in 1958
[U.S. Library of Congress: ''The Czechs in America'']
/ref> on the basis of the Washington DC local chapter of the Czechoslovak National Council of America (headquartered in Chicago), by Dr. Jaroslav Němec,[The Czechoslovak Documentation Center: ''Biographic Index'']
/ref> a lawyer and exiled chief military prosecutor, with significant support from Vlasta Vraz
Vlasta Adele Vraz (June 18, 1900 — August 22, 1989) was a Czech American relief worker, editor, and fundraiser. She was director of American Relief for Czechoslovakia, and president of the Czechoslovak National Council of America. In 1949 she wa ...
, president of the Czechoslovak National Council of America.
In the years 1961–1978, the society was registered as Czechoslovak Society of Arts and Sciences in America in the New York State. In November 1978, the society's head office was incorporated [District of Columbia, Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs: ''File Number 783908'' (1978).] in the nation's capital Washington DC, where it was incepted. In November 1978, also the society's official name was changed - it was shortened to Czechoslovak Society of Arts and Sciences, to reflect its international character and new local chapters being created also outside of the United States.
All operations of this organization are carried out by unpaid volunteers. From its inception, the society has been independent and non-partisan.
Founding personalities
Jaroslav Němec convinced world-renowned mathematician Václav Hlavatý
Václav Hlavatý (27 January 1894 – 11 January 1969) was a noted Czech-American mathematician, who wrote on the theory of relativity and corresponded extensively with Albert Einstein on the subject. In particular, Hlavatý solved some very diffi ...
to become the first president of the society. Němec became its first secretary general. In the years 1968–1970, Němec served as the society's president and in 1980–1985, he also edited the society's newsletter ''SVU NEWS / ZPRÁVY SVU''.
In the beginning, Němec was also able to get support for the project of creating this Society among known artists and writers: Jarmila Novotná, Rafael Kubelík, Rudolf Firkušný
Rudolf Firkušný (; 11 February 191219 July 1994) was a Moravians, Moravian-born, Moravian-American classical pianist.
Life
Born in Moravian town Napajedla, Firkušný started his musical studies with the composers Leoš Janáček and Josef ...
, Ladislav Radimský, and others. Among politicians, he got Ladislav Feierabend, Juraj Slávik, Jozef Lettrich, Arnošt Heidrich, Štefan Osuský
Štefan Osuský (31 March 1889 – 27 September 1973) was an Austro-Hungarian born Slovak lawyer, diplomat, politician and university professor.
Biography
Osuský was born in March 1889 in Brezová pod Bradlom, in the Nitra County of the A ...
. Among the founding members there were also Joseph Hašek (father of Eliska Haskova Coolidge
Eliska Haskova Coolidge or Eliska Hasek Coolidge (born Eliška Hašková; March 26, 1941) became Staff Assistant in the Kennedy White House in 1963. In 1964 she was asked by President Johnson to set up the Office of Presidential Messages of which ...
) and Francis Schwarzenberg.
Society's periodicals
The society publishes a quarterly newsletter ''SVU NEWS/ ZPRÁVY'', and an English scholarly journal ''KOSMAS''.
During the communist era in Czechoslovakia, the society published a Czech language and Slovak language literary and humanistic periodical: ''PROMĚNY - PREMENY/ METAMORPHOSES'' for nearly thirty years, which included articles by forbidden authors.
Conferences
The society held its First World Congress in Washington, D.C. in 1962. Since then, every even year, the society has convened a world congress. The program includes presentations of scholarly papers, discussion panels, concerts, artistic exhibits and social events. The society has established the practice of convening specialized conferences every other year, usually in between the World Congresses.
See also
* Václav Hlavatý
Václav Hlavatý (27 January 1894 – 11 January 1969) was a noted Czech-American mathematician, who wrote on the theory of relativity and corresponded extensively with Albert Einstein on the subject. In particular, Hlavatý solved some very diffi ...
References
External links
SVU Official Website
{{Authority control
1958 establishments in Washington, D.C.
History organizations based in the United States
Heritage organizations
International friendship associations
Ethnic studies organizations
Czech-American history
Czech-American culture in Washington, D.C.
Slovak-American history
Organizations established in 1958
Educational organizations based in the United States
Czechoslovakia–United States relations