National
Czech & Slovak
Museum & Library
Cedar Rapids, Iowa
 
Czech and Slovak
History and Culture Conference
 
The National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library invites you to attend its Czech & Slovak History & Culture Conference March 2-3, 2001, entitled:
"The Czech and Slovak 20th Century in Retrospect: 1918-1938"
Noted scholars and popular speakers will offer eighteen intriguing presentations exploring Czech and Slovak history and culture in the last years of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, during the1914-18 fight for independence, and under the two decades of the First Czechoslovak Republic. Additionally, the ambassadors from the Czech Republic and the Slovak Republic will be present to discuss current issues relating to their countries' accession into NATO and the European Union. Between sessions, explore the exhibits and collections of the National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library, visit the nearby Czech Village, enjoy authentic ethnic meals, and meet the speakers and ambassadors.
Participating Institutions:
Sponsored by:

Conference Schedule for Friday, March 2, 2001

8:00 Registration in the Grand Hall, The National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library.

8:45 Welcome Address by Dan Baldwin, President/CEO, National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library.

9:00 Symposium: Life Under the Austro-Hungarian Empire: 1900-1918 Pre-World War I Conditions
Dr. Gregory Ference, Professor, Salisbury State University.
Dr. Pavel Cernoch, Assistant Professor, Charles University; currently Visiting Professor, Grinnell College.

10:00 Break

10:15 Symposium: 1914 – 1918: The Fight for Independence
Dr. Gregory Ference, Professor, Salisbury State University.
Dr. Hugh Agnew, Associate Professor, George Washington University.
Mr. John Richard, President, Czechoslovak National Council of America.

11:45 Lunch. [Potato soup, sandwiches, salad.]

1:15 Concurrent Sessions - Attend A or B or C.
A. In Search of a National Identity: Interwar Architecture in Czechoslovakia
Dr. Petr Lizon, AIA, Professor, University of Tennessee School of Architecture.
B. Moving Forward: The Interwar Transportation Industry in Czechoslovakia
Dr. Dusan Neumann, Foreign correspondent for the Czech magazine, "Tyden."
 
C. Memorializing the Czech & Slovak Freedom Struggle: Sculptor Albín Polášek
Mr. Don Martin, President of the Board of Trustees of the Albin Polasek Foundation.

2:30 Break

2:45 Concurrent Sessions - Attend D or New Session or E.

D. 1. Svejk: A Hero For Our Times
Mr. Zenny Sadlon, Reporter, former reporter at Voice of America, translator of "The Good Soldier Svejk."
D. 2. The Political Karel Hasler and the Czech-German-Jewish Connection
Mr. Tom Hasler, Communication Consultant, son of famed Czech actor-composer Karel Hasler.
E. The "Slovak Question" in the First Czechoslovak Republic
Dr. James R. Felak, Associate Professor, University of Washington.
F. Benes and Munich: Was the Catastrophe Avoidable?
Dr. Milan Hauner, Honorary Associate / Fellow, University of Wisconsin-Madison.

6:00 Dinner [An Old-Fashioned Iowa Hog Roast or Fish] Evening Film Program with commentary.

 
Conference Schedule for Saturday, March 3, 2001

9:00 Concurrent Sessions – Attend F or G or H.

G. Sokol’s Contributions to Czechoslovakia and to their Adopted Country, the U.S.
Mr. Paul LeBloch, former Vice-President, American Sokol Organization.
H. Remembering the Bata Experience
Dr. Karel Holbik, Professor Emeritus of Economics, Boston University; Visiting Faculty, Harvard University.
J. The Rise of Communism & Fascism: The Case of Milena Jesenska
Dr. Diana Davies, Director of International Programs, University of Iowa.

10:15 Break

10:30 Concurrent Sessions - Attend J or K or L.

K. Slovak Language and Literature from the Habsburg Empire to "New" Czechoslovakia
Dr. Martin Votruba, Director of Slovak Studies, University of Pittsburgh.
L. The Liberated Theater and Its Lasting Impact on Czech Culture
Dr. Dusan Neumann, Foreign correspondent for the Czech magazine, "Tyden."
M. The Making of the Czechoslovak Nation – Away from Monarchy to Independence!
Dr. Pavel Cernoch, Assistant Professor, Charles University; currently Visiting Professor, Grinnell College.

11:45 Lunch on your own: Explore the offerings of the Czech Village, just ˝ block from the NCSML.

1:30 Ambassadors’ Forum: How NATO Has Impacted the Czech Republic, What Steps Slovakia Must Take for Entry into NATO, and the Process of Both Entering the European Union.
His Excellency Martin Butora, Ambassador of the Slovak Republic to the United States.
His Excellency Alexandr Vondra, Ambassador of the Czech Republic to the United States.
Mr. Michael Novak, Director of Social and Political Studies, American Enterprise Institute for Public
Policy Research, will serve as moderator.

6:00 Reception and Dinner with the Ambassadors. [Chicken Cordon Bleu]

Note: Preliminary schedule - program is subject to change

 
 
CONFERENCE REGISTRATION FORM for "The Czech and Slovak 20th Century in Retrospect: 1918-1938."
March 2-3, 2001

CONFERENCE HOTEL: Rooms have been reserved at the Sheraton Four Points Hotel, 525 33rd Ave SW, in Cedar Rapids, just off I-380. Rates are $64 per night for one to two people. Rooms are guaranteed only through Feb. 15th. Hotel parking is free.

RESREVATIONS: Call 319-366-8671 for reservations. To receive the discounted rate, please ask for the NCSML conference rate when you make your reservation.

DIRECTIONS: The National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library is located at 30 - 16th Avenue SW, Cedar Rapids, Iowa, in the Czech Village. Take I-380 to the Wilson Avenue exit [#18] on the southwest side of Cedar Rapids. Look for the brown Czech and Slovak Museum exit signs off I-380 and follow the street signs.

MAP:

PARKING: Free parking for conference registrants is available in the NCSML parking lot or in the municipal lot across the street.

Questions? Call Jan Stoffer Tursi at 319-362-8500 or e-mail at jan@ncsml.org

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To register, fill out parts 1 to 5 below, clip on the dotted line, and return this section with your check to the NCSML.

1. CONTACT INFORMATION

NAME___________________________________________________________

ADDRESS________________________________________________________

CITY_________________________ STATE_____________ZIP_____________

PHONE ______________________ E-MAIL ____________________________

2. CIRCLE your FOUR concurrent session choices below:

For Friday, March 2

Choose one: Session A or B or C

Choose one: Session D or E or New Session

Saturday, March 3

Choose one: Session F or G or H

Choose one: Session J or K or L

3. CIRCLE one registration choice below:

$35 Friday only

$35 Saturday only

$50 BOTH Friday and Saturday

Student Friday only (free admission)

Student Saturday only (free admission to conference sessions and the Ambassadors’ Forum)

Student BOTH Friday and Saturday (free admission to all conference sessions and the Ambassadors’ Forum)

4. To order optional meals, CIRCLE your choices below (see menus in conference schedule):

$10 Friday lunch

$20 Friday dinner (pork or fish)

$35 Saturday dinner

Or go in search of meals on your own – Walk down the block to explore the Czech Village, or choose from several fast-food outlets only 2 miles up I-380.

5. ADD amounts from Parts 3 & 4 above:__________ This is your total conference fee due with this registration.

Return this form with payment to:

Conference
National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library
30 - 16th Avenue SW, Cedar Rapids, Iowa 52404
 

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For more information about the conference, contact
Jan Stoffer Tursi, Museum Educator & Program Coordinator, at 319-362-8500 or jan@ncsml.org
 
 
 
The National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library
30 - 16th Avenue SW, Cedar Rapids, Iowa 52404-5904
Phone: 319-362-8500 ˇ Fax: 319-363-2209
 
This page was updated May 06, 2005