- Our History
-
The name of this fraternal benefit society
is SPJST - originally charterd as the Slovanska Podporujici Jednota
Statu Texas (Slavonic Benevolent Order of the State of Texas
[SPJST]). To non-members - SPJST is a concept that is sometimes
easily misunderstood. To some, it's strictly an insurance company;
to others, it's a social club; and, finally, to others, it's
a cultural preservation society. So who's right? At its best,
the SPJST embodies the characteristics of all these definitions,
demonstrating that its strength lies in its diversity. The SPJST
is a society that members can join for any number of reasons.
It's a "package deal" built upon the idea of addressing
human needs - financial, social and cultural. The ability to
meet those needs and uphold strong human values is the mortar
that holds the society together.
What's most important to the member depends
on his or her station in life. What a seven-year-old wants from
his membership is a lot different than what an 80-year-old would
like to see. The sale and purchase of insurance has long been
a cornerstone of membership in the SPJST. As such, the Society
offers a wide range of insurance programs, annuity plans and
mortgage options designed to meet the varying needs of its members.
The fraternal component of the SPJST further
enhances membership by emphasizing Czech heritage and the social
and civic responsibilities that members share with each other
and the communities in which they live. There are few limiting
factors placed on local lodges and how they choose to meet their
fraternal obligations. Really, what it comes down to is initiative
and imagination. The guidelines which describe how the business
of the SPJST is to be conducted is found in the SPJST By-laws.
SPJST members have regular lodge meetings and conventions every
four years to address the big issues. Reform and innovation are
healthy processes and they are what keep the SPJST growing. Reform
and innovation, in fact, provided the basis for the founding
of the SPJST.
How It All Started
In presenting any history, one must always contend with the question
of just where to begin. We can start with the immigration of
Czechs to the United States. Between 1834 and 1900, approximately
200,000 people of Czech descent immigrated from their native
lands to America. A good many of those ended up in Texas.
Generally stated, the Czech immigrants and
their families stuck together. In the 1880s, Czech pioneers in
Texas joined other people of Czech descent in the United States
in a fraternal benefit union called the C.S.P.S. - the Cesko-Slovanska
Podporujici Spolecnost - now known as the Czechoslovak Society
of America (CSA). At the time, the C.S.P.S. was the largest organization
of the Czech immigration community is the United States. The
organization was formed in St. Louis, Missouri on March 4, 1854
and was the first fraternal benefit society of its kind in the
nation. One of the main purposes of the C.S.P.S. was " .
. . to foster and preserve the Czech language in this new nation
and (to preserve) the general moral, spiritual and economic well-being
of our countrymen." The first Texas C.S.P.S. lodge was organized
April 13, 1894. By 1897, there were 27 C.S.P.S. Lodges in Texas.
In spite of this rapid growth, considerable
discontent was expressed by members from Texas and the Midwest
that the organization's insurance premium guidelines were overwhelmingly
skewed in favor of eastern industrial workers. Texans leading
the efforts to reform these pricing concerns were I.J. Gallia
and J. R. Kubena. The leader of the reformists in the Midwest
was Jan Rosicky of Omaha, Nebraska. Rosicky had made previous
attempts at reform as early as the C.S.P.S. Convention in New
York in 1886, where he spearheaded an effort to set mortuary
premiums for the Western states according to the mortality rates
of the western states.
Multiple requests for reform were largely
unheeded and shortly after the 1896 convention, Texas delegates
decided to secede from the C.S.P.S. In December of that same
year, Texas delegates gathered in La Grange and set about the
task of forming a new society. They directed two of their members
to provide a Texas constitution: Augustin Haidusek, Frank Cihal
and Jan R. Kubena. In March of 1897, the constitution was submitted
to the Texas C.S.P.S. lodges for their consideration. Seven of
the 25 Texas lodges approved the constitution and withdrew from
the older society.
These seven lodges represented the vanguard
of the fledgling SPJST organization. Official records of the
society indicate that the SPJST started operations on July 1,
1897 as the Slovanska Podporujici Jednota Statu Texas (Slavonic
Benevolent Order of the State of Texas), with 782 members and
25 lodges. The SPJST received its state charter on August 12,
1897. Kubena, widely regarded as the "Daddy of the SPJST"
became its secretary - a position which he held until 1938 when
he was killed in an auto-pedestrian accident in Galveston.
Interesting to note - Jan Rosicky of Omaha,
recognized for his reform efforts, was in the forefront of a
group of Mid-Western states that broke away from the C.S.P.S.
to form the Western Bohemian Fraternal Association (ZCBJ) - which
later became Western Fraternal Life Association (WFLA).
Setting Up Shop
The SPJST's first base of operations was located in Fayetteville,
Texas. The reason being that the central figure in administering
the affairs of the Society, Secretary J.R. Kubena, had his personal
business operations located in that city. Until his death in
1938, Kubena administered the affairs of the SPJST out of a single
room in his general merchandise store. It wasn't until the early
1930s that the other officers were made full time and additional
office space was needed. In 1932, SPJST Supreme Lodge officers
rented the building which had previously housed the Fayetteville
State Bank for a rental fee of $30 per month. That building served
two, then three, Supreme Lodge officers until the early 1940s
when the records and offices were moved to a larger building
on the square in Fayetteville.
Society with a Purpose
From the outset, SPJST lodge meetings and social activities made
members feel at home and provided them with the economic security
of fraternal life insurance. But, there was much more to the
SPJST than that . . . Through participation in lodge meetings
and SPJST conventions, members learned and applied the democratic
processes of their newly adopted homeland. They grew to appreciate
the value of free speech and to express their opinions. Moreover,
they learned how to conduct meetings and the importance of voting.
Having learned and adopted these American values, SPJST members
became better citizens.
The SPJST served its purpose well. During
the SPJST's first 50 years of existence, American society and
lifestyles changed dramatically. Our state and our nation was
becoming progressively more industrialized. At the same time,
the country was becoming more urban and less rural. Many people
- including the sons and daughters of the early members - moved
away from the farms and into the towns and cities. In many cases,
they took the SPJST with them. Thus, it was during this time
that many of our urban lodges were established. It was also during
this time, following the 1952 Convention in Houston, that the
SPJST moved its state headquarters to Temple.
The Move to Temple
The move from Fayetteville to Temple was made during the months
of August and September of 1953. A decision had previously been
reached to completely renovate and remodel the third floor of
the Professional Building at Second and Central to house the
officers of the Supreme Lodge. As the years passed, it became
increasingly evident that adequate and suitable quarters would
have to be sought elsewhere, and the solution seemed to lie in
the construction of a new building. Groundbreaking ceremonies
were held on October 25, 1969 with formal dedication ceremonies
which took place on Sunday, January 31, 1971.
Again, operating in this new environment,
the SPJST had an important mission to fulfill - to provide its
members with identity and support at a time when life in America
was becoming increasingly impersonal and unstable. Again, SPJST
members rose to meet the challenge. The legacy of these days
- the S.P.J.S.T. Rest Homes, youth program and cultural enrichment
programs - including the SPJST Library, Archives and Museum -
remain with us today.
Looking Forward to the Future
Achieving success in the future will be a challenge; however,
it too will be possible. Just as the SPJST's forefathers learned
to adjust, the SPJST must respond to meet the financial and fraternal
needs of its members in these changing times. One of the most
significant fraternal developments in the SPJST over the past
decade has been the increase in volunteerism and human services
projects. In lodges all over the state, members are committing
their time and energy to the support of worthwhile causes, helping
people in need by working in hospitals, old age homes and raising
money for many causes, including scholarships, food banks, volunteer
fire departments, drug abuse programs and various charities.
They have taken the best that the SPJST has to offer - a tradition
of helping people to care for their families - and have extended
it to their communities.
There is great hope for the future of fraternalism
and the SPJST. With a renewed commitment to its members and the
communities that the SPJST serves, the best is yet to come. Simply
stated, the SPJST is an idea that is still in the making.
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