A BRIEF HISTORY OF OUR SOCIETY
A Historical Beginning
It was over one hundred and twenty years ago, in 1898, when the Ladies Pennsylvania Slovak Catholic Union was founded in the small town of Hazleton, Luzerne County, Pennsylvania. With foresight and determination, a group of eight immigrant women, who were gathered at a social event, envisioned the need to organize so they could help themselves to better adjust and participate in the American way of life. From that meeting, a bright idea was conceived to organize a fraternal benefit society for the purpose of providing financial protection for its membership.
Long before the Women's Liberation Movement was known, those pioneer women (Antonia Virusky, Paulina Petro, Marta Kuntz, Maria Lapchak, Anna Tkac, Maria Hanisek, Maria Yeager and Maria Pjatek) were already part of such a movement. The ladies were encouraged and received cooperation from other active fraternalists, namely, Edmund Uffalussy, Michael Lapchak, Edmund Lembik, John Marinko, John Shigo, Andrew Hudak, and Joseph Virusky.
At that historical meeting, the ladies decided that as soon as five branches were organized for a fraternal benefit society, a meeting would be held to elect supreme officers. Thus, those eight pioneers began their mission to solicit the support of their relatives, friends, and neighbors to join in their crusade to organize a fraternal benefit society. They met with much success, and consequently the first convention was held in 1898 when representatives from the five branches gathered in Hazleton and elected the society's first slate of supreme officers. They were: Paulina Petro, President; Marta Kuntz, Vice President; Maria Lapchak, Secretary; and Anna Tkac, Treasurer.
The Ladies Pennsylvania Slovak Catholic Union (LPSCU), as it would eventually be known, received its Charter in the year 1900 in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. The Charter was signed by fourteen incorporators. Initially, the society was known as the Women's Pennsylvania Slovak Roman and Greek Catholic Union.
Slovak immigrants coming to America during the 1890s had no alternative but to take low paying and menial jobs. Therefore, they could not afford life insurance, which was considered a costly luxury. With this in mind, the newly formed fraternal benefit society sought to provide inexpensive life insurance policies payable upon death. The society charged its members a premium of 25 cents per month for a death benefit of $300 and a death benefit of $150 for the member's husband. It was a humble beginning which, nevertheless, provided sufficient money to LPSCU members to cover funeral expenses during that era.
A Historical Beginning
It was over one hundred and twenty years ago, in 1898, when the Ladies Pennsylvania Slovak Catholic Union was founded in the small town of Hazleton, Luzerne County, Pennsylvania. With foresight and determination, a group of eight immigrant women, who were gathered at a social event, envisioned the need to organize so they could help themselves to better adjust and participate in the American way of life. From that meeting, a bright idea was conceived to organize a fraternal benefit society for the purpose of providing financial protection for its membership.
Long before the Women's Liberation Movement was known, those pioneer women (Antonia Virusky, Paulina Petro, Marta Kuntz, Maria Lapchak, Anna Tkac, Maria Hanisek, Maria Yeager and Maria Pjatek) were already part of such a movement. The ladies were encouraged and received cooperation from other active fraternalists, namely, Edmund Uffalussy, Michael Lapchak, Edmund Lembik, John Marinko, John Shigo, Andrew Hudak, and Joseph Virusky.
At that historical meeting, the ladies decided that as soon as five branches were organized for a fraternal benefit society, a meeting would be held to elect supreme officers. Thus, those eight pioneers began their mission to solicit the support of their relatives, friends, and neighbors to join in their crusade to organize a fraternal benefit society. They met with much success, and consequently the first convention was held in 1898 when representatives from the five branches gathered in Hazleton and elected the society's first slate of supreme officers. They were: Paulina Petro, President; Marta Kuntz, Vice President; Maria Lapchak, Secretary; and Anna Tkac, Treasurer.
The Ladies Pennsylvania Slovak Catholic Union (LPSCU), as it would eventually be known, received its Charter in the year 1900 in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. The Charter was signed by fourteen incorporators. Initially, the society was known as the Women's Pennsylvania Slovak Roman and Greek Catholic Union.
Slovak immigrants coming to America during the 1890s had no alternative but to take low paying and menial jobs. Therefore, they could not afford life insurance, which was considered a costly luxury. With this in mind, the newly formed fraternal benefit society sought to provide inexpensive life insurance policies payable upon death. The society charged its members a premium of 25 cents per month for a death benefit of $300 and a death benefit of $150 for the member's husband. It was a humble beginning which, nevertheless, provided sufficient money to LPSCU members to cover funeral expenses during that era.
Ladies Pennsylvania Slovak Catholic Union
71 South Washington Street Wilkes-Barre, PA 18701
570-823-3513 - 888-834-6614 (Toll Free)
Copyright © 2012 LPSCU
71 South Washington Street Wilkes-Barre, PA 18701
570-823-3513 - 888-834-6614 (Toll Free)
Copyright © 2012 LPSCU