Josip Knežević, a prominent Croatian émigré, longtime community leader, and tireless advocate for Croatian freedom and unity, passed away in New York on August 7, 2026, in his 97th year. Born in…
Category: In Memoriam
Josip Joe Mikulec (1887-1933) back home in Croatia
Joe Mikulec collected 50,000 signatures, among them of six former American presidents Nathan Raab (USA) and Viktor Šimunić (Croatia) in Philadelphia in 2025, by the book in which Josip Joe Mikulec (1878-1933)…
Tomislav Gavranic 1937-2025 Croatian doctor of Aboriginal Health in Australia
Dedicated to the Aboriginal people, written by Maja Gavranic Tomislav Gavranic Remembrance PieceWritten by Mara Gavranic, Australia (daughter of Tomislav Gavranic)Tomislav Gavranic, Dulcie’s loving husband and our Dad, was an amazing man…
Tomislav Gavranic 1937-2025 Croatian doctor of Aboriginal Health in Australia
Tomislav Gavranić, born in Croatia on the island of Korčula (in the town of Blato), was very passionate, loyal and dedicated to the Aboriginal people which we all know. This was shown in both his private and working life. He was honoured whilst working in Gove to be initiated into the Marika Clan in Yirrkala. His aboriginal family kept in contact and they would come to visit, where many a story was told around a very multicultural table. We provide a text written by Mrs. Tuga Tarle, in Croatian. It was a part of her PhD thesis, and included into her very interesting monograph published in 2024 in Zagreb.
Miljenko "Mike" Grgich 1923-2023: "The King of Chardonnay"
With profound sadness, we announce the passing of Miljenko “Mike” Grgich, a name synonymous with innovation, excellence, and pioneering spirit in the world of winemaking. Mike’s enduring legacy extends far beyond his remarkable wines; it encompasses his dedication to sustainability, his mentorship of future winemakers, and his unwavering commitment to his Croatian heritage. His Chardonnay was chosen in 1973 for a blind tasting in Paris, in celebration of the U.S. bicentennial. The results shocked the world when Mike’s Chardonnay was named the top wine in Paris.
Vukovar road to recovery
We provide an audio presentation “Vukovar road to recovery” by Thomas Burns. We also provide a description of the drama in the Vukovar Hospital by the end of 1991, when its director was late Dr. Vesna Bosanac (on the photo). Dr. Vesna Bosanac sent numerous messages during several months of Serbian attacks on the city, asking for help. We also add a video-film “Operation Storm” produced by Nikola Knez. Another video contains a song Croatia written and composed by Dr. Drago Štambuk in 1991, musically arranged by Arsen Dedić.
Miroslav Blazevic 1935-2023 legendary Croatian football trainer
Miroslav Ćiro Blažević was a legendary trainer of Croatian football representation. Under his leadership, it won sensational thrid place at the 1998 FIFA World Championship in Paris. Due to his leadership, Croatian football representation became universaly known. Under his baton, his team was composed of world class sportsmen such as Davor Šuker, Zvonimir Boban, Slaven Bilić, Robert Jarni, Robert Prosinečki, Igor Štimac, and others. His successor Zlatko Dalić, also born in BiH, considers himself to be a student of Ćiro Blažević.
Keiko Mitani Japanese expert in Croatian Glagolitic literature passed away in 2022
Keiko Mitani, professor at the University of Tokyo, one of greatest Slavists in Japan, passed away in January 2022. She earned her PhD at the University of Zagreb, under supervision of Professor Stjepan Damjanović (of the Croatian Academy of Sciences and Arts). She was president of the Japan-Croatian Friendship Society in Tokyo. In 2017, she participated at the international conference “The Phenomenon of the Glagolitic Script”, organized in the cities of Biograd and Zadar on Croatian coast. She also wrote a manual in Japanese for learning Croatian, as well as a Croatian-Japanese dictionary.
Irena Vrkljan 1930-2021 istaknuta hrvatska književnica u Berlinu
Hrvatska književnica i prevoditeljica Irena Vrkljan, dopisna članica Hrvatske akademije znanosti i umjetnosti (HAZU), preminula je u utorak u Zagrebu u 91. godini, izvijestila je Akademija. Studirala je arheologiju i germanistiku na Filozofskom fakultetu u Zagrebu te režiju na Akademiji za film i televiziju u Berlinu. Bila je urednica televizijske emisije “Portreti i susreti” (1960. – 1971.), za koju je napisala sedamdesetak scenarija. Živjela je i radila u Berlinu kao profesionalna književnica i prevoditeljica, a 2014. vratila se u Zagreb.
Titanic shipwreck and 84 Croatian saviors out of 300 on Carpathia ship
The best known shipwreck in history is that of Titanic in 1912. Another ship called Carpathia , connecting Rijeka in Croatia and New York came to its rescue. Eighty four out of 300 members of the crew of Carpathia were of Croatian origin (i.e., nearly one quarter). We now know many more details about them and about the drama of saving the lives of the Titanic passangers. Duration of the corresponding film shot in Croatia’s capital Zagreb is 47 min. A Croatian lady Marija Bartowski from the city of Osijek was on Carpathia, and her diary contains many details arround the Titanic shipwreck. On Titanic itself, there were 30 Croatian passangers, out of which 15 perished. All of their names are known.
Andro Mikelic 1956-2020 distinguished Croatian mathematician in France
Andro Mikelić’s very great scientific talent earned him deserved awards: he was a corresponding member of the Croatian Academy of Sciences and Arts since 2014, he received the InterPore Procter and Gamble Award for Porous Media Research in 2012, after being awarded the W. Romberg Guest Professorship of the University of Heidelberg in 2011. He had collaborations with researchers from all over the world: from France, from the United States, the Netherlands, Germany, Italy, and of course, from his native Croatia.
Josip Sersic 1948-2020 expert in Croatian-Austrian connections
Hrvatski centar gradišćanskih Hrvata u Beču poslao je tužnu obavijest o smrti dr. Josipa Seršića u kojoj stoji: „Na Štefanje, 26. prosinca 2020. g. je preminuo dr. Josip Seršić (71), rodom s otoka Krka, a u Beču posebno poznat i cijenjen kao polihistor, jezikoslovac i prije svega stručnjak za noviju povijest gradišćanskih Hrvata. Izuzetno je aktivno i uvijek mjerodavno sudjelovao u društvenom životu hrvatskih zajednica i udruga u Beču. Posebno je bio vezan uz Hrvatski centar , gdje je bio i sudionik znanstvenog simpozija ‘400 godina Hrvata u Beču’ 2009. godine. Pet godina kasnije, 2014. objavio je zajedno s Mihaelom Ellenbogenom iznimno važnu knjigu ‘Kroatisches Wien / Hrvatski Beč’.
Maxo Vanka film to be made | American Sistine Chapel
Society to Preserve the Millvale Murals of Maxo Vanka has the following mission: to conserve and protect for permanent public exhibition the nationally recognized Maxo Vanka Murals within St. Nicholas Croatian Catholic Church in Pittsburgh, enabling the immigrant artist’s “gift to America” to serve as an enduring catalyst for community engagement and education, inspire social and cultural dialogue, celebrate diversity, and forge connections through reflections on the extraordinary American experience. Murals by Maxo Vanka are not just Croatian cultural heritage. Unique. One and only. The planned film should have been done 50 years ago.
Damjan Rodin 1910-1968 Croatian priest in Brasil founder of Vila Croacia in Rio de Janeiro
Damjan Rodin was one of the first Croatian priests to move to Brazil after the Second World War, where he organised the religious and community life of the ethnic Croatian community in Sao Paulo. In Rio de Janeiro he continued his important work for Croatians and Brazilians. He was born in the Šibenik hinterland (in the town of Prvić Luka on the island of Prvić) and moved to Brazil in 1947, working as parish priest in Sao Paulo. He raised a favela in Rio de Janeiro now known as Vila Croacia, part of the Senador Camara district.
Japan remembering Vladimir Devide 1925-2010 Croatian haiku poet and mathematician
Mihovil Rismondo, Croatian painter from the city of Split (age 71), painted twelve canvases inspired by haiku poetry, under the auspices of Japanese Embassy in Croatia and the Tourist Association of the city of Zagreb. In this way, ten years since the death of Vladimir Devide have been marked, a well known Croatian haiku and mathematician. He was the greatest promoter of Japanese culture in Croatia. For his contributions in popularization of Japanese culture he was awarded the prestigious Japanese Order of the Sacred Treasure – Konsanto Zuihosho.
David Byler 1946-2020 was 8th generation Croatian-American and permanent correspondent of the CROWN
David Byler (1946-2020) served as a Lutheran Pastor as well as a permanent correspondent of the Croatian World Network – CROWN. Being an eighth generation Croatian-American, he has contributed in the past years some extremely interesting and insghtful articles to our readers. His wisdom, knowledge, passion and perserverence will be missed by us all. He is listed among twenty greatest Croatian Americans in the USA. David liked to be nicknamed Slavonac (Slavonia is a historical region on the North of Croatia). We express our sincere condolences to his family.
Vladimir Novak: Croatians in America, fascinating photomonograph published in 2018
 Vladimir Novak (1928-2016)
Michael J. Novosel of Croatian origin recipient of the Medal of Honor for saving 5589 wounded people
During the Vietnam war, Novosel flew 2,543 missions and extracted 5,589 wounded personnel, among them his own son Michael J. Novosel Jr. The following week, Michael Jr. returned the favor by extracting his father after he was shot down. On the morning of October 2, 1969, Novosel set out to evacuate a group of South Vietnamese soldiers who were surrounded by several thousand North Vietnamese light infantry near the Cambodian border. Radio communication was lost and the soldiers had expended their ammunition. Without air cover or fire support, Novosel flew at low altitude under continuous enemy fire… He completed 15 hazardous extractions, was wounded in a barrage of enemy fire, and momentarily lost control of his helicopter, but when it was over, he had rescued 29 men.
Oliver Dragojevic 1947-2018 distinguished Croatian pop musician and composer
Except in Croatia, he had concerts at Olympia in Paris, Carnegie Hall in New York, Pearl Theatre in Las Vegas, Royal Albert Hall in London, Konzerthaus in Vienna, Opera House in Sydney. Umra je Oliver. Zamuča je rašpavi glas koji smo svi volili. Michael Bolton iz Vela Luke. Zamučala je Dalmacija, zamučali smo smi mi koji smo uz njegove pisme živili. Resli, jubili, pivali, guštali, sičali se, sanjali. … Ne znan kako vaman, ali meni je ona najtipičnija slika Dalmacije zalaz sunca iza otoka, bonaca, i zvuk četverotaktnog motora na trabukulu negdi u kanalu. A najtipičniji glas Dalmacije voljene je Oliver. Bog ga blagoslovija! Maja. Written by Maja Cioni (b. Bulić), Paris.
Dragutin Surbek 1946-2018 legendary Croatian table tennis warrior
Dragutin Šurbek, nicknamed Šurba in Croatia, and Surbeka in China, has won hundreds of table tennis tournaments, from Tokyo and Beijing to Zagreb (37 medals from European and world championships!). In China he was treated as table tennis God . He has founded a very nice Table Tennis Academy in the city of Zagreb, bearing his name. In 1992, during the Olympic Games in Barcelona, he was the oldest sprtsman, than at the age of 46.