One of Harry’s closest chums from J. Sterling Morton High School comments on Chapter Four of Barbara’s memoir (“On Being Czech”), foods mentioned in the section, “Trekking to Berwyn for Goodies,” and Dressel’s Cakes from Cicero.
Archive for the ‘Czech Heritage’ Category
On Speaking Czech and Remembering Dressel’s Cakes
December 8th, 2010 Musicians of Czech and German Descent in the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Then and Now
July 22nd, 2010“When the Orchestra was put together by Theodore Thomas (1835-1905), he filled it with mostly Germans, and the German language was used at rehearsals through the beginning of World War I,” remembers Gordon Peters, a percussionist with the Symphony for more than 41 years. In this post, Peters also speaks about the large number of Czech musicians in the orchestra in his and Harry Brabec’s years with the Symphony.
Czech Books from Harry Brabec's Collection
June 7th, 2010A descriptive/photographic list of books about Czechs and Czechoslovakian art, history, and customs that were in Harry’s personal library, and are now available on the Amazon Marketplace.
National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library
June 5th, 2010Here is an update on the Cedar Rapids flood of 2008 and restoration efforts for the National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library, which was the leading United States institution for the collection, exhibition, preservation and interpretation of Czech and Slovak history and culture. This article also discusses the damage to the Cedar Rapids Library, with several links to articles that discuss how the city is still trying to come back from its monumental losses.
The Brabec Family Tree
May 25th, 2010When Harry’s cousin Russell was trying to fill in some holes in the Brabec Family Tree in the late nineties, he received a nostalgic voice recording from Harry that Barbara learned about only after his death. This post includes two photos and some of Harry’s childhood memories of “singing tires,” Prince Albert tobacco, Lake Como, Wisconsin, and the best scrambled eggs he ever had.
Harry’s Czech Ancestry and Thoughts on Being Czech
May 1st, 2010In this excerpt from Barbara’s memoir, Harry speaks about his Czech ancestry, his visit to Pesek, Czechoslovakia in 1977, and other topics related to being Czech.
