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Official Organ Of The Slavonic Benevolent Order Of The State Of Texas, Founded 1897 HUMANITY
BENEVOLENCE
BROTHERHOOD
Postmaster: Please Send Form 3579 to: SUPREME LODGE, SPJST, P.O. Box 100, Temple, Texas 76501 USPS — 658480 VOLUME 67 NUMBER 31 AUGUST 1, 1979 SIIIMSEEZHCISS
FROM THE EDITOR'S DESK Some weeks ago your editor received a correspondence from SL SecretaryTreasurer Leonard Mikeska stating that the SL officers and directors plus employees would honor Sister Irma Klinkovsky on her faithful service at our Supreme Lodge office for 20 years with a noon luncheon Monday, July 16th (that was the first day of the SL Quarterly meeting when the directors were all there) and he requested your editor's presence. We arranged our schedule so we could be present while Sister Sefcik stayed at the office and, after the luncheon, visited at the SL while the directors did their semi-annual auditing. Frankly speaking, we all in our SPJST should feel proud of anyone serving our Society faithfully for that long a period of time and while we are on that subject there was another, young lady present there who has been honored for 20 years of service some years ago; she has served our Society for about 27 years! Her name is Sister Dorothy Tomag ek. We are publishing a picture of both of these faithful employees in this issue. (More pictures will follow in future issues). Soon after Brother Mikeska's letter we received another from SL President Nick A. Morris stating that Tuesday night, July 17th the SL was giving a "surprise" honor to Brother Leonard Mikeska on his twenty years of service and asking us to attend; we did that also since we can make a roundtrip to Temple and back to West on one tankful of gasoline. Sister Irma knew about her luncheon, however, Brother Mikeska was really surprised.
L to R: Sister Irma Klinkovsky, and Sister Dorothy Tomagek. Both occasions were very enjoyable and, speaking for our entire membership, your editor can certainly say: We appreciate you and wish you the best in your future! A tribute from SL President Morris to Brother Mikeska follows: TRIBUTE TO LEONARD D. MIKESKA Leonard started working part time for the former and late treasurer of the Supreme Lodge, Bro. Joseph J. Koliha, Jr., about the middle of February 1959 because his first check was dated February 26, 1959 in the amount of Sq. On July 1, 1959, he started full time under Bro. Koliha, being paid once a
month, as was the practice in those days. His last salary check before joining the service was dated September 27, 1961. He served until August of 1962. His first 'salary check after coming back from the service was dated August 29, 1962. Leonard continued to work for Bro. Koliha until Bro. Koliha's retirement in the 1968 convention in Dallas. In that convention he was elected treasurer of the Supreme Lodge, succeeding Bro. Koliha. In 1972 the offices of secretary and treasurer were combined and Leonard was elected to the new post of secretary-treasurer in that convention and of course, has been serving in that capacity since that time. We also acknowledge the support, moral and otherwise that his wife Dorothy gave him these last 20 years. Leonard and Dorothy have two children, Mark and Denise. A few personal observations: My memory goes back to the days when, as editor, when visiting with the Home Office in the previous office building, I would always find Leonard very dutifully seated at a typewriter in a cubicle about 6 x 6 ft. taking care of the typing ,and clerical work for Bro. Koliha. Although Bro. Leonard started working in the office and the SPJST some four years before I was appointed, and subsequently elected, editor of the Vestnik, we do share a common distinction and pride of both having been elected to our Supreme Lodge offices and positions in the same convention - Dallas in 1968. Incidentally, Leonard was also one of the secretaries at that convention.