History-1900+

by Tom Gregg (Grigonis) Three Lithuanian American brothers each played football well enough to be inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame. That’s a unique accomplishment, and maybe the heart of our story. But even taking a wider view, the saga of the eight member Wistert family is extraordinary. …

By Edward Baranauskas Remembering Darius-Girėnas Memorial 1933-2003 SEVENTY YEARS AGO, ON July 15, 1933, two Lithuanian American flyers, Stephen (Steponas) Darius and Stanley (Stasys) Girėnas, took off from Floyd Bennet Field in Brooklyn, New York at 6:24 A.M. EDT, on their attempted nonstop trans-Atlantic flight to Kaunas, at that time the provisional …

BY JOHN MILLAR ASOFT “CLUNK” FROM SOMEWHERE BELOW my feet and a slight, insistent pressure pushing me back into the seat indicated that the undercarriage had retracted and the aircraft was reaching for altitude. I leaned my head against the headrest as my thoughts went swirling, tumbling crazily through my …

By Edward Baranauskas I BELIEVE MANY AMERICANS OF LITHUANIAN descent may be wondering how they can learn more about their ancestors and roots. The wonderful adventure of searching for the past may not be as difficult as one may think, but it does require patience. The place to start is …

By Tom Gregg Webster’s defines Bohemian as a person, often a poet or artist, with an unconventional lifestyle. World War II Lithuanian refugee and longtime filmmaker and poet Jonas Mekas has consistently qualified. HE BEATNIKS were the hippies of America’s 1950s. If you remember the era, you certainly remember them. …

BY JOHN MILLAR Almost 70 years later, the true cause of the fateful crash of the “Lituanica” and the death of its two pilots remains an unsolved mystery. IN THE YEAR 1993 LIETUVOS BANKAS, Lithuania’s National Bank, issued a Treasury note, valued at 10 litas, on the face of which …

by Galina Bogdel Stories of the Castle Watchman I WAS BORN AND GREW UP IN an old Karaite house which had been bought and repaired by my father. The house stood between the lakes Totoriškiu and Galve opposite Trakai Castle. Later on, the local authorities tore down the house and …

By Tom Gregg (Grigonis) Not all professional foot – ball players are motivated outside of athletics. But as the 2001 National Football League season wound down, Joe Jurevicius had not just one big offseason plan but two. First, he would return to college to complete studies for his Fiuman Development …

BY TOM GREGG Social reform er/novelist Upton Sinclair averaged a book a year over his ninety-year life. But none matched the impact of his disturbing and controversial 1905 blockbuster about Lithuanian im m igrants in Chicago. HE WOULD HAVE BEEN JUDGED a failure at most jobs. Yes, on the one …

BY ALBERT CIZAUSKAS One of the greatest poets o f our time — who regards his boyhood home as the center of his world, and Vilnius as the most astonishing city — reveals some private thoughts about his heritage and the land o f his ancestors. The famous Polish poet …