Louis Zorich was born on February 12, 1924 and died on January 30, 2018. He was an American actor. He is perhaps best known to television audiences for his portrayal of Paul Reiser’s father, Burt Buchman, on the NBC series Mad About You. He played the role from 1993 to 1999. Zorich was born in Chicago, Illinois, the son of Croatian immigrants Anna (nee Gledi) and Christ Zorich. He was Broadway veteran and the husband of Oscar winner Olympia Dukakis, he also starred on TV’s ‘Brooklyn Bridge.’
Category: In Memoriam
Stjepan Radic 1871-1928 a great Croatian politician, humanist and martyr
In 2018 we commemorate a tragic death of Stjepan Radić, one of the greatest Croatian politicians and humanists in history (on the photo with his grandchildren), assassinated in 1928 in the Belgrade Parliament. We provide an articl written by Dr. Ante Cuvalo, an information about a new street in the Prague bearing his name (and his wife Marija was a Czech schoolteacher), as well as an article about him written by a Danish writer Karin Michaelis, who used to know his family in person. We conclude the article with a very interesting article of Stjepan Radić about the Russian Branch of the noble Croatian family of Jelačić.
Ratimir Mocnaj 1935-2018 deserving member of AMCA Quebec and of the CROWN family passed away
Born and educated in Zagreb, Croatia, Ratimir Mocnaj enjoyed a long and successful career as a chemical engineer first in Germany, and then his second home, Canada. He was a deserving member of the AMCA Quebec (AMCA = Almae Matris Croaticae Alumni) in Canada, as well as of the CROWN (Croatian World Network), where he served as a moderator of the Croatian World Calendar web iste, initiated by Nenad Bach. He will be greatly missed by his wife, Ana, children, Mark (Maa), Christine (Sylvain), granddaughter Sophie, his step-granddaughter Elisabeth (Anthony), and many friends and extended family.
Mladen Ibler 1937-2017 distinguished Croatian medical scientist and diplomat
Dr. Mladen Ibler, born in Zagreb, besides his native Croatian, spoke English, Danish, German and Russian. He organized Croatian workshops at the International Peace and Understanding Conference in Copenhagen (1989) and Vienna (1991) and lectured at the same conference in Copenhagen (1994). As the president of the Croatian Cultural Association in Denmark, he worked on the international recognition of Croatia and the establishment of political and diplomatic relations between those two countries. He was Honorary Consul of Croatia to Denmark 1994, as well as ambassador to Sweden, Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia and Finland domiciled in Stockholm in 1996. From 1999 till 2005 he was ambassador of Croatia to Australia and New Zealand, with residency in Canberra.
Slobodan Praljak 1945-2017 the truth about Croatia and Bosnia-Herzegovina
On the photo Slobodan Praljak 1945-2017, portrayed by Ante Gotovina. Slobodan Praljak is holder of three academic titles – in Electrical Engineering, in Humanities (Sociology and Philosophy) and from Theatre and Film Academy, all of them from the University of Zagreb. On Carla del Ponte: “If I, by any chance, Slobodan Praljak, had written or said such qualification [see in the article], no matter when, in any form whatsoever, in relation to any nation or group during the war in the territories of the former Yugoslavia, I would have been sentenced to 5 years of prison for it only.”
Jean Lunt Marinovic has published One Day in May – Bleiburg 1945
The author’s mission in ‘One Day in May – Bleiburg 1945’ is to provide an up-to-date narrative of events known as the ‘Bleiburg Tragedy’. Written in the English language, this 314 page book focuses on the negotiations at the Bleiburg castle, includes maps and photographs, and provides answers to important questions using numerous sources, including British, American and Croatian. The author, Jean Lunt Marinovic, is of British background, has published over 100 articles in the Croatian-Australian media and has been active in the Croatian community since the 1980s.
Vukovar 1991 – 2016 and music inspired by the destiny of the Baroque city on Danube river
Twenty five years have passed since the 1991 Vukovar tragedy. We provide several music expressions inspired by the events which marked Croatian contemporary history, as well as that of contemporary Europe. Among others, we provide music by Nenad Bach, Tomislav Ivčić (on the photo), Veritas aeterna, Dalmatino, Klapa Adriaticum, Buco, Miroslav Štivčić and others.
Stanko Bilinski's rhombic dodecahedron discovered in Croatia in 1960 and nicely described by Matt Parker
Academician Stanko Bilinski 1909-1998, was distinguished Croatian mathematician, an expert in the field of Geometry. In 1960, he discovered the rhombic dodecahedron. A consequence of results from his PhD dissertation defended in 1944 (published in 1948, both at the University of Zagreb) is that there are precisely 14 semiregular (Archemidian) polyhedra. His results are cited and discussed by distinguished geometers like Coxeter, Grünbaum, Miyazaki, Tekada, and others. In May 2016, Matt Parker from the University of London (Queen Mary) created a very interesting and entertaining video in Dubrovnik, dealing with this nice geometric object.
Sibe Mardesic 1927-2016 distinguished Croatian mathematician and Fellow of the AMS
Professor Sibe Mardešić: “I have been very devoted and faithful to Mathematics in Zagreb. I dedicated approximately equal shares of my time and energy to research, teaching and organization. I tried to transfer to Zagreb good things that I saw at other more developed places. I paid particular attention to teaching at the graduate level.” Professor Sibe Mardešić is a member of the Croatian Academy of Sciences and a Fellow of the prestigious American Mathemacial Society. He had over 260 lectures at conferences and universities in 20 countries. Besides his native Croatian, he fluently spoke six languages. We provide an interesting interview with him conducted by Professor James Keesling, USA.
Branko Leskovar 1930-2016 distinguished Croatian-American expert in Electrical Engineering & Electronics
Dr Branko Leskovar, born in Croatia’s capital Zagreb, earned his PhD in Electrical Engineering from the University of Zagreb. Since 1965 he worked atthe Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory at the University of California, Berkeley. His work in resolution studies of electro-optical devices has had profound benefits on development and manufacturing of new devices with significantly improved characteristics. These methods have been accepted world-wide by government and industrial laboratories. Upon retirement, he served as Scientific Advisor to numerous universities and US government agencies. He was a fellow of IEEE and Sigma Xi societies.
Vladimir Novak 1928-2016 distinguished Croatian-American photographer
Vladimir Novak, distinguished Croatian-American photographer, born in the city of Varaždin in 1928, died in Croatia’s capital Zagreb in 2016. He will be remembered for his extremely interesting photos dealing with the work and life Croatian emigrants in the USA. Some of his photo-testimonials can be seen on the web pages of the CROWN, as well as on related web pages. Višnja Starešina, in her important documentary film “Narodni neprijatelj” (People’s Enemy), released in 2015, among seven short biographies described also that of Vladimir Novak.
Umro je Dr. Slobodan Lang: smrt koja nas moralno obvezuje na gradnju mira i einjenje dobra
Umro je … hrvatski domoljub i nacionalist, Židov i Hrvat, štovatelj i sljedbenik ideja i vjere Isusa Krista, hrabar čovjek u ratu, spasitelj brojnih ljudskih života, idejni začetnik humanitarnih konvoja “Libertas” (uz Branku Šeparović) i “Bijeli put” (s Hermanom Vukušićem), odan suprug i brižan i nježan otac i djed, sin velikog znanstvenika i plemenitog čovjeka dr. Rikarda Langa … Ništa od onog što je bio Slobodan Lang nije nikada prešutio i zatajio i zato bi nas njegova smrt mogla potaknuti na gradnju mira i činjenje dobra. (Prof.dr. Slaven Letica)
Bernard Luketich 1931-2015 president of Croatian Fraternal Union in the USA during 37 years
Bernard Luketich was instrumental in the organization of the National Federation of Croatian Americans (NFCA) when a strong need existed for unifying all Croatians living in the United States. He was the recipient of numerous citations and prestigious awards from the Croatian government, was honored as Man of the Year by the United CFU Four County Lodges, CFU Scholarship Foundation Inc., the Fraternal Societies of Greater Pittsburgh and several other fraternal organizations, including John Jordan Upchurch Award for distinguished leadership and service to the fraternal benefit system. He liked to play tamburitza, Croatian national instrument.
Mirogoj Cemetery in Croatia's capital Zagreb through the lens of Nikola Piasevoli
Mirogoj is one of the most beautiful city cemeteries in Europe. It has been designed by Austrian architect Herman Bollé, starting from 1879 to 1929 when it was completed. Many famous Croatians are burried there. Furthermore, with its pleasant atmosphere and numerous high quality works of art, it is a nice place for rest and meditation. All the photos have been taken by Mr. Nikola Piasevoli from Zagreb. With this presentation we wish all the readers of the CROWN and their families a happy Easter.
Danny Schechter 1942 – 2015 journalist, documentary filmmaker, social justice activist and media critic
By definition Danny was a journalist, documentary filmmaker, social justice activist and media critic, but that would be a reduction and simplification of what Danny real was and is. The man who understood the world affairs; talks one minute to the president of a country and the next minute talks to a group of elementary school kids. Only highly intelligent and highly compassionate people can do that. Danny did and could work for major networks as a highly paid producer. By being and staying as an independent journalist, Danny chose truth vs comfort. Only rare birds put such value on truth.
Michael Bilandic mayor of Chicago 1977-1979 proud of his Croatian heritage
Michael Bilandic was born in 1923 in Chicago, Illinois and was one of four children born of his Croatian immigrant parents. His father was from a village near Sinj, Croatia and his mother was from the island of Brac, also in Croatia. In 1977 he was elected as Chicago’s 40th mayor until 1979. He was devoted to his family, faithful to his church, and proud of his Croatian heritage. He was presented the Vinodol Code Award in recognition of his outstanding contribution to the administration of justice in Illinois.
Franjo Dugan playing organs in Zagreb during the first public registration of a gramophone record in Europe
The first remote public registration of a gramophone record in continental Europe was successfully organized in Croatia’s capital Zagreb, 1927. It was the third such registration in the world, after the USA, New York in 1925 and GB, London in 1926. The concert of Croatian Christmas carols with Franjo Dugan as the organist in the Zagreb Cathedral (stuffed with 2000 worshippers who were singing), had been registered for the Edison – Bell – Penkala Co. in Zagreb. We mention in passing that Penkala was a famous Croatian inventor, known among others for his “chemical pen”, named as penkala in his honor.
Mia Slavenska Croatian-American ballerina broadcast premiere "Mia, a Dancer's Journey"
“Mia, a dancer’s journey” aired November 20th on PBS SoCaL in Southern California and received great ratings and great reviews in the press! Viewers can catch an encore of the film on PBS SoCaL, Thursday, January 29, 2015 at 9 pm! In February, the film will be released to PBS stations across the country and millions of Americans will have access to this film on television. This is the first time a film like this about a Croatian American ballerina has been distributed nationally on Public Television and we are very happy about this accomplishment. Adding to the excitement, the film will have a film festival premiere at the Lincoln Center in New York in January, 2015.
Ivan Bjelovucic the first in history to fly over the Alps in 1913
One of the greatest successes of Ivan Bjelovučić (1889 – 1949) was achieved on 25 January 1913 when, as a French pilot, he managed to fly over the Alps between Brigue and Domodossola in 26 minutes and thus become the first pilot in the history who did it. Born in Peru, on his father’s side he was a descendant from the family of sea captains from Janjina, Pelješac peninsula in Croatia. Recently a postage stamp was issued in his honor in Croatia in 100,000 copies.
Vinko Coce 1954-2013 Croatian tenor and klapa singer from the city of Trogir
Vinko Coce is a distingushed Croatian pop and klapa singer, known for his numerous unforgettable songs like “Vilo moja“ (My Fairy), „Ribari“ (Mariners), or „Mirno spavaj ružo moja“ (Sleep peacefully my rose). He is known for his numerous humanitarian concerts, in particular during the 1990s. Among his memorable appearances are the concerts at the grand stadium in the city of Split. We invite You to listen to his singing.