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- Multiple media
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Physical description
29 colour photographs
21 b&w photographs
32 colour negatives
97 b&w negatives
13 drawings
2 posters
12 postage stamps
1 ribbon
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Archival description area
Name of creator
Biographical history
After the Second World War, Ján Okáľ fled Slovakia and first settling in Austria. Afterwards, je joined Assisi’s Slovak emigrant community in Umbria (Italy) consisting of Ján L. Doránsky and his family, Jozef Varinský, Andrej Cinčura and Jozef Martinka. After spending some years in Italy, Ján Okáľ finally settled in the United States, first living in Berwyn and then Chicago, where he resumed his studies in teaching at the University of Chicago. He eventually chose the United States and settled in Berwyn and finally in Chicago. All though his years in the United States, he exchanged with Slovak personalities in North America and abroad, among others, Ernest Žatko (pen name: Ján E. Bor), Imrich Kružliak (pen name: Marian Žiar), Gorazd Zvonický (pen name: Andrej Šandor), L’udovit Kandra (pen name: Peter Klas), Ignác Zelenska (pen name: Eugen Vesnin) and Ján L. Doránsky (pen names: JED, J.D. Harmonik, J.D. Oravec and J.O. Ravec).
In the North American Slovak community, Ján Okáľ was known for his editorial work for Slovak newspapers and periodical. Between 1951 and 1958, he was one of the editors of the newspaper Slovák v Amerike. From 1979 onwards, he became the editor of the Slovak World Congress (SWC)’s official publication Bulletin. During his tenure, Ján Okáľ brought to life several SWC events, among others, annual general meetings, the First, Second, Third, Fourth World Festival of Slovak Youth, the Canadian International Triennial of Slovak Art, the Slovak Graduation Ball and the 50th anniversary of Slovak Independence.
Ján Okáľ is most famous for his poetry on the emigration experience of Slovaks and his works various Slovak personalities. In exile, he wrote several poetry collections, some with Jozef G. Cincík’s illustrations, among others Voda a vino detailing Ján Okáľ’s experience in Italy and Velký kalendár kočura na roky. He also wrote memoirs on Slovak intellectuals, such as Jozef G. Cincík in the biography Dr. Jozef G. Cincík pútnik dvoch svetov (Dr. Jozef G. Cincik, a pilgrim of two worlds) in 1980, the books Leto na Traume (Summer at Traume) in 1986 and Výpredaj l’udkosti (The sale of humanity) in 1989. Ján Okáľ passed away on March 19th, 1990 in Chicago, Illiinois (United States).
Custodial history
Scope and content
This fonds consists of documents related to the internal politics of the Slovak World Congress (SWC), Ján Okál's involvement in its organizations and some of the SWC's publications, predominantly the Bulletin.
It contains letters, memorandums, speeches, photocopied newspaper clippings, articles, certificates, proclamations, messages, drafts of articles, agendas, flyers, programs, bibliographies, booklets, notes, telegrams, lists, declarations, meetings' minutes, statements, invitations, membership cards and forms, transcripts of Free Radio Europe's broadcasts, petitions, order forms, funeral, greeting donation, birthday, thank-you and religious cards, some with salutations, colour and black and white photographs and negatives, posters, postage stamps, a ribbon, drawings, prayers, announcements, SWC's letterhead, questionnaires, by-laws, statutes, rules and regulations, exhibits' catalogues, aerogrammes, book reviews, a bibliographic card, position papers, opening remarks, notes for addresses, poems, press releases, excerpts from books and the Frank Lloyd Wright Home and Studio Foundation's floor plan.
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Notes area
Physical condition
Immediate source of acquisition
Arrangement
Language of material
- Czech
- Dutch
- English
- French
- German
- Hungarian
- Italian
- Polish
- Portuguese
- Russian
- Slovak
- Spanish
- Swedish
Script of material
- Cyrillic
- Latin
Location of originals
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Finding aids
Associated materials
Additional periodical issues available in the following locations at the University of Ottawa library:
SWC Bulletin, Archives and Special Collections (ARCS) - Slovak Archives and Morisset Library - Periodicals: DB 2743.S84.
Slovenský štit. Archives and Special Collections (ARCS) - Slovak Archives: DU 122.S5 S46.
Mária. Archives and Special Collections (ARCS) - Slovak Archives: BX 1407.S55 M37.
Slovak heritage = Dedičstvo Slovákov. Archives and Special Collections (ARCS) - Slovak Archives: E 184.S64 S45.
Slovak information service. Archives and Special Collections (ARCS) - Slovak Archives: DB 2700.S54.
Spravy. Archives and Special Collections (ARCS) - Slovak Archives: DB 2700.S77.
Horizont. Archives and Special Collections (ARCS) - Slovak Archives: AP 58.S53 H67.
Informačné zprávy. Archives and Special Collections (ARCS) - Slovak Archives: DB 34.S5.
Naše snahy = Our trends. Archives and Special Collections (ARCS) - Slovak Archives: DB 2700.N2713.
Naše snahy: časopis Stálej konferencie slovenských demokratickych exulantov. Archives and Special Collections (ARCS) - Slovak Archives: DB 2700.N27.
Organizačné zvesti Slovenského ústava v Rím. Archives and Special Collections (ARCS) - Slovak Archives: DB 2700.S577.
Dominus vobiscum: okružný slovenských intelekuálov v Európe; Dominus vobiscum (Slovak periodical). Archives and Special Collections (ARCS) - Slovak Archives: DB 2743.D66.
ICJC newsletter. Archives and Special Collections (ARCS) - Slovak Archives: DS 135.C95 I55.
Slovenské zvesti = Slowakische Nachrichten = Notices slovaques = Notizie slovacche. Archives and Special Collections (ARCS) - Slovak Archives: DQ 49.S56 S56.
Poľhady. Morisset Library - Periodicals: DB 2700.P64.
Slovenské kruh vo Veľky Británíí = Slovak Circle in Great Britain: inštitucionálný člen Svetového Kongresu Slovakov. Archives and Special Collections (ARCS) - Archives slovaques: DA 125.S48.S56.
Echo. Archives and Special Collections (ARCS) - Slovak Archives: BV 2290.E34.
Tátry. Archives and Special Collections (ARCS) - Slovak Archives: DB 2743.T38.
Slobodná tribúna. Archives and Special Collections (ARCS): DB 2735.S45.
Kanadský Slovak = The Canadian Slovak. Archives and Special Collections (ARCS) - Slovak Archives: FC 106.S64 K253.
Slobodné slovensko; Slobodné Slovensko (Köln: 1976). Archives and Special Collections (ARCS) - Slovak Archives: DB 2838.7.C47.
Slovak-Australian monitor. Archives and Special Collections (ARCS) - Slovak Archives: DU 122.S5 S45.
Informátor štatotvornej-skupiny SKS: bulletin pre noviny, rozhlasy, členov a prívržencov. Archives and Special Collections (ARCS) - Slovak Archives: DA 125.S48 I54.
Nový domov = The homeland; Nový domov (Toronto, Ont.). Archives and Special Collections (ARCS) - Slovak Archives: FC 3097.9.B67 N69.
Freies Europa. Archives and Special Collections (ARCS) - Slovak Archives: JN 26.F74.
Slovák v Amerike. Archives and Special Collections (ARCS) - Slovak Archives: E 184.S64 S59.
Jednota (Cleveland, Ohio). Archives and Special Collections (ARCS) - Slovak Archives: E 184.S64 J38.
Katolícky kalendár Jednota. Archives and Special Collections (ARCS) - Slovak Archives and Off-Campus Storage - Storage (Annex): E 184.S64 K27."