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L’udovít Kandra (pseudonym: Peter Klas), was born in Banská Štiavnica, on July 6, 1904. Between 1914 and 1922, he completed his primary and secondary education in his local community. Between 1922 and 1924, he studied in Banská Bystrica where he obtained his teaching certificate from the Institute of Pedagogy. In 1928, he married Paula Päták. While working as a teacher, and later, as a school director, Mr. Kandra was already interested, and much involved, in Slovak cultural and literary life. In the Spring of 1945, Mr. Kandra and his family left Slovakia and emigrated to Austria where they lived until 1949. In 1949, the Kandras emigrated to Canada; with their two daughters, Dana and Olga. They lived in various Ontarian cities: Oil City, Glencoe and Kitchener.
After his arrival in Canada, Mr. Kandra worked for different employers including Electrohome Limited but he also began to write and publish his work. Most of his fiction work was published under the pen name of Peter Klas. He is the author of two published novels (“Satan proti Bohmu”and “Svetlo pod halenou”), a collection of short stories (“Na strome života) and hundreds of individual short stories published in various almanacs, calendars and newspapers. He became one of the prolific prose writers among Slovak immigrant.
L’udovít Kandra was also an author “on a political mission” who used his writing to highlight the experiences of Slovak people under occupation and communism. He published hundreds of articles on these issues in newspapers such as Kanadský Slovák, Slovák v Amerike, Kalendar Kandaskej Slovenskej Ligy, Slovenská Obrana and other Slovak periodicals abroad. In addition to his prose and poetry, L’udovit Kandra maintained an exchange of correspondence with members of the Slovak intelligentsia abroad, among others, Imrich Kružliak (pseudonym: Marian Žiar), Ernest Žatko (pseudonym: Ján E. Bor), Ignác Zelenka (Eugen Vesnin) and Michal Lošonsky (pseudonym: Michal Želiar).
Throughout his writing career, Mr. Kandra was also involved as a lobbyist and political activist in a number of nationalist organizations. Of particular significance were his extensive work and significant influence as vice-president and president of the Slovak National Council Abroad (Slovenská Národná Rada v Zahraniči. SNRvZ).
A devout Lutheran, Mr. Kandra also had a long and generous involvement with the “Ustredna Rada Martina Razus”, where he served as president.

In Slovakia and later in Canada, L’udovít Kandra worked as an elementary school teacher and in several blue-collar jobs. Despite living with limited financial means throughout his life, Kandra made notable contributions to Slovak literature through his work as a poet, author, and freelance writer. His involvement in the Slovak diaspora also had a lasting impact on the cultural and social conditions of Slovaks in exile. He passed away in Belleville, Ontario, in 1993, at the age of 89.

John Ivančo was born in Matiaska, Prešov (Slovakia) on October 5, 1918. He lost his mother in infancy and was raised by his mother’s sister. He worked on the family farm until he was drafted in the Slovak army. In 1943, he married Helena Krasnayova from neighbouring village Kobylnice, Brno (Slovakia). After the Second World War, the Ivančos settled in the Sudetenland. They fled the Sudetenland in 1948 to the refugee camp Ludwigsburg (Germany) where their second child, Anne, was born. The Ivančo family arrived in Canada in 1949 where they settled in Ontario.

Upon his arrival in Canada, John Ivančo worked initially as a farm hand in Ajax (Ontario). Afterwards, he worked as a moulder at the Fittings company. Throughout the years, he rose through the ranks to occupy a superintendent position. In 1984, John Ivančo retired. During the years, Helen Ivančo took boarders and sold strawberries to supplement the family’s income.

John and Helena Ivančo were known for their involvement in the Slovak community. They were strong supporters of various Slovak institutions in Oshawa and Toronto, such as of the Slovak Greek Catholic parish of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Canadian Slovak League Branch 6 and the General Milan R. Štefaník Slovak Hall and Circle. John Ivančo held various positions in multiple organizations. He was the president of the Canadian Slovak League Branch 6 (Oshawa) for two decades, an Overseer Chairman at the Central Assembly of the Canadian Slovak and the First District Assembly of the Canadian Slovak League’s president.

After John Ivančo’s death, the «Helen and John Ivanco Memorial Scholarship and Research Bursary » was established in memory of John and Helen Ivančo by their children. This fund allows undergraduate students to study Slovak history and culture at the University of Ottawa and scholars to do research at the University of Ottawa’s Slovak Archives.

The Slovak League of America was established in 1907 during the Cleveland Slovak National Congress, with the goal of supporting Slovakia’s independence and promoting Slovak culture and interests in the United States. It aimed to unite Slovak Americans to improve the welfare of their homeland and strengthen their community in the U.S.

In the early 20th century, Slovak immigrants in America became increasingly aware of the struggles their fellow Slovaks faced under Hungarian rule. With a growing sense of national identity and freedom, Slovak Americans sought to aid their homeland by offering financial and moral support. By 1906, Slovak Americans had sent over seventy thousand crowns to Slovakia for political and national causes. However, their support led to harsher repression from Hungarian authorities, and the Slovaks knew they needed a more organized response.

The Slovak community in America had learned the importance of unity through their various local and national societies, with membership exceeding 100,000 by the early 1900s. They realized they needed to form a unified front, combining their efforts across different organizations. This effort culminated in the founding of the Slovak League of America on May 26, 1907, at the National Slovak Congress in Cleveland. The League brought together numerous Slovak American groups, including fraternal organizations, cultural societies, and women's unions, to advocate for Slovakia's liberation and the well-being of Slovak immigrants.

The League’s founder, Father Furdek, emphasized the need for effective, non-partisan action rather than futile complaints. The League’s goal was to work for Slovakia’s freedom and national revival. Over the years, the Slovak League of America has made significant contributions, including advocating for the creation of Czechoslovakia in 1918, providing support during both world wars, and organizing political and cultural events.

The League continues to serve as an important voice for Slovak Americans, publishing an annual journal, *Slovakia*, and promoting Slovak heritage and interests across both continents. The Slovak League’s legacy includes its role in key political events, the creation of the Slovak state, and its continued support for Slovak culture and independence.

The creation of the Slovak Institute in Cleveland, Ohio began in 1936 with a visit from a delegation of four intellectuals from Slovakia, led by writer and Matica Slovenská (Slovak Institute of Arts and Science) secretary Jozef Ciger Hronský. During their visit, the delegation donated around 3,000 Slovak books published since 1918 to Cleveland’s Slovak-American community. This donation served two purposes: to thank the community for supporting Slovakia’s independence and to help reconnect Slovak-Americans with Slovak communities in Europe. The books were initially housed at St. Andrew Svodad Abbey, which is now the site of the Slovak Institute.

In 1943, the Slovak League of America provided funds to St. Andrew Svodad Abbey to create a Slovak museum in Cleveland. After World War II, the museum became a center for Slovaks in exile who were fleeing communism. In 1952, under the leadership of Abbot Theodor Kojis, the museum was transformed into the Slovak Institute. The Institute not only housed a museum, but also a library and an archive center. From 1952 to 1989, the Slovak Institute represented Matica Slovenská abroad and played a significant role in Slovak culture, including publishing and secretly shipping books by Slovak writers in exile.

In 1989, the Slovak Institute’s mission shifted to focus on strengthening ties between Slovak-Americans and Slovakia. It continues to maintain its collection of Slovak books, archives, and publications, while also supporting research and public interest in Slovak culture.

Mary Doranský (née Jakl) was born in Linden, New Jersey (United States) on November 25th, 1915. Her parents were Josef Jakl and Mary Pinter (daughter of František Pinter and Maria Vondras). She had 3 siblings: Karel (Charles), Emily and Joseph.

In 1921, the Jakl family travelled back to Czechoslovakia, where her mother decided to remain with the children. Her father returned to North America and remarried.
Mary attended the Komensky School and Teacher’s College. Following her studies, she held several teaching positions in Vienna and Eastern Slovakia, mostly Rusha Volova where she met her future husband Ján L. Doranský.

Ján L. Doranský and Mary Jakl married on February 5th, 1939. Following their wedding, they moved to Ján L. Doranský’s hometown of Trstená (Slovakia) and then Bratislava where he began organizing a Cultural Affairs Division within the Ministry of National Defence. During their stay in Bratislava, Mary Doranský gave birth to two children: Maria Anna (Mary) and Louis.

In 1945, fearing retaliation from the Red Army, the Doranský family fled Bratislava. After stays in Austria, Oberfeldkirchen (Bavaria), Assisi, Rome and Naples (Italy) and northern Germany, the Doranský family arrived in Montréal on February 9th, 1950. For the next years, Mary Doranský held several jobs as a button-maker, lampshade stretcher, cleaner, assistant florist and administrative assistant.

Following her husband’s death on April 5th, 1973, Mary Doranský moved to St. Vincent and Grenadine to be near her daughter Maria Anna (Mary) Barnard (née Doranský). In 1979, she moved to Toronto (Ontario) and lived in the Seneca Towers where she painted, babysat and looked after her grandchildren. On November 25th, 2015, Mary Doranský turned 100 years old. She passed away in 2018.

Maria Anna (Mary) Barnard (née Doranský), Ján and Mary Doranský’s daughter, was born in November 1939. After the family arrived in Montreal in 1950, Maria Anna attended the St.Roch School along with her brother Louis. Maria Anna (Mary) earned her high school diploma at the Thomas d’Arcy McGee High School and afterwards studied teaching at McGill University's McDonald College, where she met her future husband Martin Barnard.

Maria Anna worked as a camp counsellor, folk dance teacher in Québec (Canada), physical education teacher at the Sacred Heart Convent in Ottawa (Ontario) and Marionpolis College. Maria Anna and Martin Barnard were married on April 28th, 1962. Following their wedding in Montreal, the Barnards moved to St. Vincent and Grenadine (West Indies) where Martin managed the Orange Hill Estates Limited plantations. They had four children: Denyse, Joanne, Leslie and Philip.

In the 1990s, the Barnards opened a travel agency, airline and yacht club. In July 2001, Martin Barnard became a Knight of the Order of the British Empire (OBE). The Barnards currently reside in St. Vincent and Grenadine.