75th anniversary Slovak National Uprising Memorial Weekend
Twin Cities, Minnesota, United States
August 24-25, 2019 In Bratislava, the Most Slovenského Narodného An International Conference and Remembrance Povstania , or Slovak National Uprising Bridge, has spanned the Danube River since 1972.
Reception and Documentary Film, Saturday, August 24 Mississippi Room, Minnesota Genealogy Society Conference Center, Mendota Heights
2:00pm Introductory remarks and welcome 2:10pm A viewing of a Dušan Hudec documentary about the Slovak National Uprising 4:10pm Slovaks & Poles - Rising Together Two 1944 Uprising Stories 4:30pm Informal light reception and refreshments for members of sponsoring groups
International Conference Sunday August 25 C.S.P.S. Hall, St. Paul
7:30am Registration, Coffee & Koláče 8:15am National Anthems United States of America and The Slovak Republic Tamara Mecum, trumpeter 8:30am Opening and Introduction of Sponsors Mark Dillon, First Vice President, CGSI Ladislava Begec̹, Consul General of the Slovak Republic in New York Kevin Hurbanis, President, Czechoslovak Genealogical Society International (CGSI) Cecilia Rokusek, President and CEO, National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library David Stepan, President, Czech and Slovak Sokol Minnesota Renata Ticha, President, Czech and Slovak Cultural Center of Minnesota Karen Varian, President, Rusin Association of Minnesota
8:45am Setting the Historical Context- How the Slovak State (Slovenský Štát) Came to Be and Why It Provoked an Uprising Dr. John Palka, Professor Emeritus, University of Washington, grandson of Milan Hodža, Prime Minister of Czechoslovakia
9:15am Nationalism, National Identity and the Slovak National Uprising Dr. Nadya Nedelsky, Chair, International Studies Department, Macalester College
9:45am to 10am Break
10:00am First Keynote Address The Importance of The Uprising After 75 Years Juraj Lepiš Historian and Researcher, Museum of Slovak National Uprising, Banská Bystrica, Slovakia
11:00am Presentation of the 15th Annual Prize of Milan Hodža
11:15am Lunch Served in C.S.P.S. Hall Dining Area
12:15pm Showing of The Final Mission By Slovak Film Director Dušan Hudec
Between 1943 and 1945, 46 U.S. bombers and eight fighter aircraft crashed in Slovakia. Eighty-eight airmen were killed and 380 captured as prisoners of war after parachuting or landing. Some crews escaped with the help of Slovak villagers and partisans.
1:15pm The Story Behind the Film and
the 15th and 8th U.S. Air Force Fliers Jeff Wenberg, Lt. Col., U.S. Air Force Air Attaché, U.S. Embassy, Bratislava Commercial airline pilot in Slovakia
1:45pm Lipový čaj a Káva (Linden Tea & Coffee Break)
2:00pm The Resistance Movement Among the Carpatho-Rusins Karen Varian, President, Rusin Association of Minnesota
2:30pm When the Uprising Came to My Farm in Becherov An eyewitness account of Demeter Kokosh
3:15pm Recalling Family Stories of Survival Dr. John Palka and Robin Selvig
3:30pm Second Keynote Speech - Meaning and Learnings from the Uprising Luke Ryder, historian, U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum, Washington, D.C.
4:30pm Closing remarks and audience discussion Dr. John Palka