National
Czech & Slovak
Museum & Library
Cedar Rapids, Iowa
2003 History and Culture Conference

The Czech and Slovak 20th Century in Retrospect:

The Decade of Turmoil, 1938-1948

March 7-8, 2003 Cedar Rapids, Iowa

Scholars, authors, and individuals with first-person accounts offer intriguing presentations exploring the history and culture of the Czech and Slovak lands during and immediately after World War II. Topics include OSS in Slovakia, the Jewish and Roma experiences, liberation of Pilsen, Tiso trials, Lidice, government in exile, the Czech airmen, and others.

Thursday, March 6, 2003:
 
7:00 pm Pre-Conference Film Viewing: "Dark Blue World" (2001). A compelling story about two Czech pilots who fly with the British Royal Air Force. Produced and directed by Academy Award winner Jan Sverák. Commentary provided by Dr. Pavel Cernoch, of Charles University in Prague, and Nataša Durovicová, of The University of Iowa. In WFLA Heritage Hall at the National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library (NCSML).
 
 
Friday, March 7, 2003

8:00 – 8:45 am Conference Registration at the Collins Plaza Hotel & Convention Center

8:45 – 9:00 am Welcome Address by Gail Naughton, President/CEO of The National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library

9:00 – 10:00 am Plenary Session: The Czech Lands During Nazi Occupation, 1939-1945

Oak Room - Dr. Pavel Cernoch, Jean Monnet Center for European Studies, Charles University, Prague

10:15 – 11:30 am Concurrent Sessions

Oak Room - The Czech Economy in the Protectorate and World War II: Methods and Results of German Aggression; Dr. Karel Holbik, Professor Emeritus at Boston University

Elm/Chestnut Room - The Slovak Question in the Documents of the Department of State in 1938-1945; Mr. Roman Licko, Department of English & American Studies, Matej Bel University, Slovakia

11:45 am Lunch: Salad and Sandwich Buffet (turkey and tuna) and Dessert Bar

1:15 – 2:30 pm Concurrent Sessions

Elm/Chestnut Room - Meeting of Presidents: T.G. Masaryk and Edvard Beneš with Woodrow Wilson and F.D. Roosevelt; Dr. Milan Hauner, Visiting Scholar, Department of History, University of Wisconsin, Madison

Dogwood Room - The Impact of World War II on Roma and Sinti; Ms. Gwen Willems, Ph.D. candidate, University of Minnesota

Oak Room - SS-3: The Assassination of Reinhard Heydrich (Operation Anthropoid) a film by Jan Kaplan; Ms. Jerri Zbiral, Artist and Filmmaker

2:45 – 4:00 pm Concurrent Sessions

Elm/Chestnut Room - The Sudeten German Question; Dr. Radomir Luža, Professor Emeritus of History, Tulane University

Dogwood Room - The Trial of Jozef Tiso and the Weaknesses of Postwar Czechoslovak Democracy; Dr. Brad Abrams, Assistant Professor of Eastern European History, Columbia University

Oak Room - In The Shadow of Memory: Legacies of Lidice – Film and Commentary; Ms. Jerri Zbiral, Film Producer and Daughter of Lidice Survivor

4:00 – 6:00 pm Open House for conference participants at the National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library. Stroll through the galleries and library and shop in the Museum Store. Light refreshments provided.

7:00 pm Iowa Beef and Catfish Barbecue at the Collins Plaza Hotel & Convention Center

8:30 pm Authors’ Forum and Book Signing

 
Saturday, March 8, 2003

8:30 am Registration at the Collins Plaza Hotel & Convention Center

9:00 – 10:15 am Concurrent Sessions

Elm/Chestnut Room - The Personal Turmoil in the Life of Dr. Juraj Slávik-Neresnický and His Family During Two Exiles (1938-1948); Mr. Juraj L. J. Slávik, Program Officer at Meridian International Center (retired), Son of Juraj Slávik-Neresnický

Oak Room - The OSS Tragedy in Slovakia; Mr. Jim Downs, former U.S. Army counterintelligence agent and author of "WWII: OSS Tragedy in Slovakia"

10:30 – 11:45 am Concurrent Sessions

Elm/Chestnut Room - The Jews of the Czech and Slovak Lands in the Crucible of World War II; Dr. Gary Cohen, Director, Center for Austrian Studies, University of Minnesota

Oak Room - The OSS and Downed US Airmen in Slovakia – First-Person Accounts; Richard Moulton, Member of Army Air Corps and author of "Tail End Charlie - in Ole #605, and Retired Colonel Silas Crase, U.S. Army

11:45 am Lunch (on your own)

1:15 – 2:30 pm Concurrent Sessions

Elm/Chestnut Room - The Struggle for Slovakia: Catholics, Communists, and Democrats, 1945-1948; Dr. James R. Felak, Associate Professor, Department of History, University of Washington

Dogwood Room - Airborne Fighters for Freedom – The Story of Czech Pilots Flying Against Hitler; Dr. Pavel Cernoch, Jean Monnet Center for European Studies, Charles University, Prague

Oak Room - The Liberation of Pilsen – First-Person Accounts from U.S. Servicemen; Mr. Ed Baum, 69th Armored Infantry Battalion, 16th Armored Division of the Third Army, Retired Colonel Louis Erbstein, 216th Armored Engineer Battalion, 16th Armored Division of the Third Army, and Mr. Earl Ingram, Company L 38th Battalion Regiment, 2nd Infantry Division

2:45 – 4:00 pm Closing Plenary Session: World War Two and the Collapse of Czechoslovak Democracy

Oak Room - Dr. Brad Abrams, Assistant Professor of Eastern European History, Columbia University

5:30 pm Wine and Cheese Reception at the National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library

7:00 pm Dinner (Chicken Wellington) at the Collins Plaza Hotel & Convention Center

8:30 pm Keynote Speaker: On the Trail of the Nazi Hunter in Prague; Alan Levy, Editor-in-Chief of the Prague Post, Author of "Nazi Hunter: The Wiesenthal File."

The Prague Post's founding editor-in-chief is known outside the Czech capital for his landmark book, now called NAZI HUNTER: THE WIESENTHAL FILE, which won him non-fiction's US Author of the Year award in 1995. Now, to celebrate Carroll & Graf's new updated paperback version, Levy comes from Prague to Cedar Rapids to tell us the backstage story of his relationship with Simon Wiesenthal since 1974 and why and how he came to write the unvarnished, sometimes critical, saga of his friend's survival and mission as a vehicle for a work of Holocaust literature "FOR those who weren't there BY one who wasn't there."

 
Sunday, March 9, 2003:
 
2:00 pm Life Long Learning Series in WFLA Heritage Hall at the National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library
Survival Stories From World War II by Jerri Zbiral. Free Public Program
 

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Conference Registration

Complete and mail this section with your check or payment information to the address below. Please copy and use a separate form for each individual. Registration is not complete until payment has been received.

Name:___________________________________________________

Address:___________________________________________________

City: State: Zip:___________________________________________________

Daytime Phone:_________________E-mail Address:__________________________________

Registration Options: Select ONE Registration Option

1. NCSML Member Early Registration for Full Conference

(Registration Postmarked by 2/14/2003): $80

2. Non-Member or Late Registration for Full Conference: $90

3. Friday Only Registration: $50

4. Saturday Only Registration: $50

Conference Meal Options:

Friday Lunch: $16

Friday Dinner: $30

Attending Saturday Complimentary Reception at the NCSML? ____Yes ____No $00

Saturday Dinner: $35

Registration and Meals Total: _________________

Payment Method (check one):

Check enclosed, made out to: NCSML

Charge to my Credit Card: MasterCard - Visa - Discover

Card Number: ____________________Expiration:___ /___

May we share your contact information with other participants?

____ Yes ____ No

Mail Completed Registration Form and Payment to:

National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library, 30 - 16th Ave. SW. Cedar Rapids, IA 52404 U.S.A.

(or fax form with credit card information to: 319-363-2209)

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Additional Conference Information

Location: Conference sessions and meals are at the Collins Plaza Hotel and Convention Center, 1200 Collins Rd. NE, Cedar Rapids, Iowa. See schedule for events at the National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library. Transportation to the museum can be arranged.

Registration Information: Select from full conference registration, or register for a single day. NCSML members save $10 off full registration by registering prior to February 14th. (To become a museum member, or to confirm your membership, call 319-362-8500.) Registration cancellations after March 3rd will be subject to $25 handling fee; meals are not refundable after March 3rd.

Accommodations: Blocks of rooms have been reserved at the following:

Collins Plaza Hotel (1200 Collins Rd. NE): $84 (+ tax) per night for 1-4 adults per room. Call 319-393-6600 and ask for the "Czech and Slovak Museum Conference." Rate expires February 14th.

Red Roof Inn (1220 Park Pl. NE): $54.99-$66.99 (+ tax) per night per room. Call 866-378-8080, specify "Czech & Slovak Conference." Rate expires February 7th.

Holiday Inn Express (1230 Collins Rd. NE): $69 (+ tax) per night per room for doubles or singles. Call 319-294-9407 or 1-800-HOLIDAY, specify the Cedar Rapids Collins Road location. Reservation reference is "CSH" or "Czech Slovak History." Rate expires February 15th.

Hawthorn Suites (4444 Czech Ln. NE): $78 (+ tax) per night per room for 1–4 adults. Call 319-294-8700, specify "Czech and Slovak Museum" group. Rate expires February 6th.

(For information about Cedar Rapids and accommodations, visit the Convention & Visitors Bureau web site at www.cedar-rapids.com or call 1-800-735-5557 for a copy of the Cedar Rapids Visitor’s Guide.)

Directions to The Collins Plaza Hotel and Convention Center: From Interstate 380, take Exit #24, also identified as the Collins Road Exit. Turn east on Collins Road. The Collins Plaza is approximately ˝ mile east of Interstate 380 on the north side of Collins Road.

For more information, contact Jan Stoffer Tursi at the NCSML at 319-362-8500 (or e-mail jan@NCSML.org).

 

Return to NCSML Home Page
 
The National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library
30 - 16th Avenue SW, Cedar Rapids, Iowa 52404-5904
Phone: 319-362-8500 · Fax: 319-363-2209
 
This page was updated May 06, 2005