TEXAS FARMER An RVOS Insurance Publication December 2018 Volume 104 | Issue 04 UpFront UPFRONT 2 Editorial Letter from EDITOR Sharlet Sladecek 3 Letter from the President the Editor voted on Bylaw changes and elected state OFFICERS + DIRECTORS LODGENEWS Officers. 4 Lodge News PRESIDENT Wiley Shockley 7 Lodge Meetings VICE PRESIDENT Wes Jackson When organized the Association did not have VICE PRESIDENT-AT-LARGE Richard Hykel lodges. In a meeting held February 4, 1902 the SECRETARY James Smith Bylaws were amended and it was approved HOME OFFICENEWS DISTRICT DIRECTORS 8 that local lodges should be organized in each DISTRICT 1 Joe W. Liles community. Members are to elect lodge P.O. Box 366 | Holland, TX 76534 Home Office News officers consisting of a president, vice president, DISTRICT 2 Julius Dubcak secretary, treasurer and appraiser. Local 1400 Katie Lynch Dr. | Pflugerville, TX 78660 It is the principal for which RVOS was organized meetings were to be held every four months on DISTRICT 3 Tom Stavinoha “Neighbors Helping Neighbors” that makes me 10420 Will Lehman Rd | Needville , TX 77461 the third Sunday of the month and local officers DISTRICT 4 Dennis R. Vanek proud to be part of this company. In February to be elected for a two-year period. The first 501 Kelly Crick Rd | Victoria, TX 77904 1901 in the community of Ocker, Texas, the general convention was held July 18, 1904. DISTRICT 5 Jack W. Clark company was organized because nine American During the fourth general convention held July 4000 S Georgia St, Ste B1 | Amarillo, TX 79109 citizens of the Czech descent saw how difficult 7-8, 1913 the delegates approved the provision DISTRICT 6 Rhonda R. Steelman it was for families with limited financial 5780 Loving Trail | Frisco, TX 75034 that elected local lodge delegates represent the DISTRICT 7 Wayne Wilson resources to rebuild after a fire or storm lodge in general conventions since the county 7026 E OSR | Bryan, TX 77808 destroyed or damaged their home or property. meetings were eliminated. HOME OFFICE 2301 S. 37th St. The basis of the organization was to provide MAILING ADDRESS mutual assistance to each other in the event of Why RVOS was organized and what transpired P.O. Box 6106 Temple, Texas 76503-6106 a loss by fire or storm with members obligating during the organization process has always been themselves to pay pro rata the losses of other an interest to me and I wanted to share this with 800.792.3084 RVOS.com members. April 6, 1901 the charter members you. In my local lodge meeting this year I felt PUBLISHED QUARTERLY CIRCULATION OVER 55,000 applied for incorporation under the laws of the the family ties and friendship of the members OFFICIAL ORGAN state of Texas. The Charter was approved June during the meeting. They were so cordial and RVOS Farm Mutual Insurance Company Periodicals Postage Paid at Austin, Texas 6, 1901. In July 1901 the Association began writing accepted me as their lodge president. I want to and additional mailing offices. insurance. The first members of the Association continue to be active in the local lodge as well Subscription price per year, $1.00 met June 15, 1901 to adopt Bylaws for the newly as in RVOS as I prepare to retire at the end of Send all change of address to: chartered Association and elect officers to Texas Farmer, this year. I encourage you to be active in your P.O. Box 6106, manage it. local lodge. Other than the being in the business Temple, TX 76503-6106. Always include your old and new address, of insurance it is also about “Neighbors Being lodge number, and zip code. The Bylaws addressed the purpose of Neighbors” to one another. POSTMASTER SEND CHANGE OF ADDRESS TO: the Association, what positions make up Texas Farmer, P.O. Box 6106, Temple, TX 76503-6106 NOTICE OF PRIVACY POLICY management, what the duties of each position It has been a great privilege working for RVOS RVOS Insurance Group, including RVOS Farm Mutual were, that meetings should be held and Insurance Company, Priority One Insurance Company, and with all the people I have been associated New Century Insurance and RVOS General Agency, Inc., when, that admission fees be assessed, the with during the past 40 years. I have worked understands that securing your privacy is extremely important. We maintain physical and electronic safeguards insurance rates, the deadline for paying losses, with some extraordinary officers, directors, and enforce procedures to protect your non public personal underwriting guidelines, policy provisions, information. We do not sell, trade, lend, lease or share non numerous office staff and local lodge officers public personal information to affiliate or non-affiliated third duties of a member, that community meetings throughout the years. Each one of them has had parties, except as permitted by law. should be held, when the community meetings an impact in my life and my growth as a person We collect data from insurance applications. We may collect claim history, credit history, driving records and medical should be held and the purpose of the meetings. and an employee. records from a third party if necessary. Transactions will provide payment history, underwriting and claims information. We do share information between our group of companies One of the purposes of community meetings Respectfully, including name, address and transaction experience. However, we do not share medical or health information was for local members to elect a delegate to among companies or with third parties except to process county meetings. Each county was entitled to transactions or to provide services at your request. elect one delegate per 25 members or a fraction A full privacy policy is available on rvos.com/privacy or upon request by calling 800.792.3084. thereof. In the county meetings the delegates SHARLET SLADECEK The contents of this publication are not intended to provide Editor medical, financial or legal advice. RVOS recommends that you seek the advice of a competent professional for such services. ISSN. 8750-9873 2 USPS No. 540-020 ROLNÍK DECEMBER 2018 TEXAS FARMER December 2018 VOLUME 104 | ISSUE 04 UpFront UPFRONT 2 Editorial 3 Letter from the President Letter from the President Vranovice-Kelcice, Kralice na Hané, Dub nad LODGENEWS Moravou, Brodek u Prerova, Blažovice, Prace 4 Lodge News and Sokolnice. We visited the Austerlitz 7 Lodge Meetings Battlefield where Napoleon, the Grande Armée of France defeated a larger Russian and Austrian army led by Tsar Alexander I HOME OFFICENEWS and Holy Roman Emperor Francis II during the 8 Napoleonic Wars. Home Office News The next day we boarded a train for the Czech Republic capital city of Prague. We traveled A JOURNEY TO THE HOMELAND through Bílovice nad Svitavou, Adamov, Blansko, Rájec-Jestrebí, Doubravice nad By RVOS President Wiley Shockley Svitavou, Lhota Rapotina, Letovice, Skrchov, Rozhraní, Brnenec, Brezová nad Svitavou, Once every 3 to 5 years, a group from RVOS Hradec nad Svitavou, Svitavy, Opatov, Ceská makes a reciprocal marketing trip to visit our Trebová, Dlouhá Trevová, Ústí nad Orlicí, reinsurance partners in Europe as part of the Brandýs nad Orlicí, Chocen, Sruby, Dobríkov, pre-renewal reinsurance contract process. In Moravany, Kostenice, Pardubice, Valy, Prelouc, Rokytnice Cemetary October we visited 18 of the Lloyd Syndicates Trnávka, Chavaletice, Týnec nad Labem, Starý in London and Volksbanken Raiffeisenbanken Kolín, Kolín, Nová Ves l, Pecky, Porícany, Ceský (R+V Re) in Wiesbaden, Germany to update Brod and Úvaly. them on the state of RVOS for 2018 and to promote a strengthened relationship for the When we arrived in Prague we visited the future. These reinsurers are a major part of office of our broker Aon and was given the success RVOS has accomplished over the a tour of the facility by the head of years and their participation on our program reinsurance, Alla Migashko who was delightful is vital to a continued strong financial position and accommodating. From there we met for the Association. up with Jana Broulíková, a Czech Republic native and friend we know to guide us on Because RVOS was founded by Czech a walking tour of the City. Being a resident, immigrants or descendants of Czech Jana’s knowledge of the City and the Czech immigrants in 1901, being in the vicinity of culture provided a very rewarding experience their homeland gave us an opportunity to St. Vitus Cathedral in Prague for the group. She took us to the Hradcany visit some of the areas they came from. One Castle and the St. Vitus Cathedral, which is of our founders was F.J. Wotipka who was the highest point overlooking the City. From born in Chotabudice, Moravia. Joe Schiller, there we crossed the historic Charles Bridge the first President of RVOS was born in that crosses the Vltava River, built in 1357. Czechoslovakia in 1847 and J.R. Marek was We walked through old town Prague, visited also born in Czechoslovakia in 1856. My the American Embassy and had a dinner Great Grandmother Frances Repa was born of goulash in a bread bowl at a traditional in 1875 in Zadverice, Moravia and my Great sidewalk café. Jana was our Czech heroine Grandfather Josef P. Pokorny was born in 1878 because of the effort she made to plan the Aon Office in Prague in Rokytnice, Moravia. evening and for the culture of the City in which she made sure we experienced. Our group included my wife Mary and myself, RVOS Comptroller Renee Quinn and Dekuji, Jana! Thank you! spouse Bruce Entrop and Aon brokers Cory Schilling and Kevin Vance. Brno was the first Also, a big thank you to Cory Schilling and town we visited and from there we traveled Kevin Vance of Aon who pre-planned and by car through a beautiful countryside of made all the travel arrangements, meeting small towns and villages to Rokytnice.