"CHANGING TO MEET THE CHANGING NEEDS OF FP TERNALISTS"
"Joining Hands To Touch Lives-Fraternalism for the Family and Our Nation"
IrESTNIK SPJST Herald 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. 0. Box 100, Temple, Texas 76503 ISSN-07458800 VOLUME 82 NUMBER 29
July 27, 1994
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13J-ST Sales Workshops Address Changing Customer Needs Throughout its existence, the SPJST has kept pace with the insurance and fiancial services industy. Pictured, at left, State Field Representative Jim Wiest instructs District Seven sales representatives in cusjtomer servicing techniques at a recent seminar in Floresville. Our fraternal Soicety is a growing living thing— constantly needing more and new members to thrive. Pictured at right, State Field Representative Helen Hegwood delivers instruction to sales representatives attending a recent sales class at Lodge 88, Houston. (More district sales class photos will be appearing in upcoming issues.)
Lodge 1, Fayetteville Plays Key Role in Addressing Needs of Community
The price is right—however ...
The hassles of owning castles Getting back your family country estate can be a headache by Gary Byrd Special from the Prague Post It's the stuff fairy tales are made of. On a 1991 trip to the former Czechoslovakia, George Homolka visited the castle in the Czech Moravian highlands that he and his parents fled after the communist coup in 1948. The government had chopped up the 23-room Zilmek Bi-ezina (Castle of the White Birch) into agricultural cooperative apartments. But through restitution, Homolka reclaimed his childhood home. He and his family moved back in. And they lived happily every after. Well, not quite. "I live in a terrible, dirty old castle, where washing dishes takes two hours," said Barbara Homolka, his American wife.
New Feature: "Spotlight on Our SPJST Staff" makes its appearance in this week's paper. See page three.
Most of the 2,000 castles and chateaux in the Czech Republic fell victim to Father Time under four decades of communism which denied funds to keep up most estates. Now, after the 1989 revolution, restitution is returning the dilapidated properties to their original owners, who are discovering that maintenance costs and the magnitude of necessary renovations are daunting. Most are looking to unload their property on a saturated sales market. "Most (real estate) agencies don't take castles because there are many castles on the market already and nobody is buying them," said Zdena Mikol gkova, a realestate agent with Ditex Realty. She said owners can turn them into hotels, but bank loans are difficult to get. And to restore a castle with modern amenities, renovations run 10 to 20 times the purchase price, agents said. The communists used many of the castles and thnky—similar to castles (Continued on page 10)
TOP PHOTO: Edward Sula, second from left, of Fayetteville, "cures" Marvin Wessels of Somerville in a recent "medicine show" presented at the SPJST Hall in Fayetteville. Proceeds generated from the benefit went to support the Fayette Heritage Museum Fund. BOTTOM PHOTO: Bonnie Rohde. 1993 President of the Fayetteville Chamber of Commerce and a director of Lodge No. 1, Fayetteville, presents a plaque to Fire Chief Randy Noviskie on the 100th Anniversary of the Fayetteville Fire Department. Lodge President and 1994 Chamber of Commerce President Louis Polansky looks on. On page four of this week's Vestnik, Brother Polansky explains how Lodge I members have been working to establish their lodge as an important player and good neighbor in the Fayetteville community. —Photos courtesy of Pam Orsak, Banner Press.