8:30 AM – Mitvalsky Room
Welcome Remarks
Dr. Cecilia Rokusek
President and CEO, National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library (NCSML)
Keynote Address
Dr. Martin Javor
Director, Kasigarda – Museum of Emigration from Slovakia to North America, Ťahyňa, Slovakia
Concurrent Breakout Sessions
Forgotten Czech, Slovak, & Carpatho-Rusyn Heroes
9:45 AM – Mitvalsky Room
Czech and Slovak Pilots in the Battle of Britain and World War II
Dr. Megan Kelleher Historian and Academic Access Manager Royal Air Force Museum
Stephanie Abrams President & CEO New England Air Museum
British singer Katy Carr’s Motylek
Rediscovering the Homelands & Genealogy Research Techniques
9:45 AM – Hruska Room
CGSI’s Czech and Slovak Cemetery Mapping Project
Kathryn Palmquist and Jason Cadek
The Value of Obituaries For Finding Family Connections
Iveta Blahútová
Heroism in the Worst of Times
11:15 AM – Mitvalsky Room
Dr. Anna Hájková
Czech-British historian at the University of Warwick, United Kingdom
Dr. Hájková is the author of The Last Ghetto: An Everyday History of Theresienstadt which provides an in-depth analytical history of a prison society during the Holocaust.
Developing a Genealogy Search Strategy for Your Family
11:15 AM – Alliant Energy Classroom
Bill Tarkulich
12:00 Noon Buffet Luncheon – Hruska Room
Czech-style pork loin with dumplings & Czech salad
2025 CGSI Kansas City Conference Update
Conference Chair Paul Makousky
Breakout Sessions
1:00 PM – Mitvalsky Room
A Bishop Who Spoke Out
Karen Varian
President, Rusin Association of Minnesota
Greek Catholic Bishop of Prešov, Pavel Peter Gojdič, opposed the chauvinistic stance of Czechoslovak authorities towards Carpatho-Rusyns, protested the antisemitic regime of Josef Tiso, writing to the Vatican to demand Tiso’s resignation, and was imprisoned for speaking out against communist intolerance after World War II.
1:45 PM – Mitvalsky Room
A Courageous Envoy Honored by Czechoslovakia, Romania, and Serbia
Anna Cooková
Owner & Founder, CzechTalk LLC
Brewer turned diplomat Czech-American Charles J. Vopička served as United States Minister to Bulgaria, Romania, and Serbia from 1913 to 1920. He helped several emerging nations grapple with the outbreak of World War I and its violent aftermath. His career began in Chicago as co-founder of Bohemian Brewing Co., later Atlas Brewing.
2:30 PM – Mitvalsky Room
How I Did It
Stories from CGSI members who have journeyed overseas to discover family history, a sharing of genealogy learnings, and their life impacts.
My Carpatho-Rusyn Heritage, My Inspiration in Presov, Slovakia
Alexandra Bodnarchuk, Founder of Doma Dance Theater, Minneapolis
How research on my Bohemian ancestors led to a project at Palacky University in Olomouc and talks at Masaryk University and the University of Hradec Kralove
Dr. Edward R. Canda, Professor Emeritus, School of Social Welfare, University of Kansas.
Reflections on My Visits to Czech Lands since 1986
Annette Gathright, President, Czechoslovak Area Genealogy Club of Southern. California
How I Helped My Husband Discover His Czech Roots After Finding My Polish Roots
Jill Johnson, Founder, Johnson Consulting of Minnesota
My Grandfather’s Escape Flight from Bratislava
Mike Sacha, Descendant of a RAF military and Czechoslovak commercial navigator
Farewell
4 PM – Mitvalsky Room
Toast to NCSML’s 50th anniversary!
Brief networking meeting and announcements.
