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No. 81 November 13, 1994
aceska at freenet.victoria.bc.ca Victoria, B.C.
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Dr. A. Ceska, P.O.Box 8546, Victoria, B.C. Canada V8W 3S2
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THE CEREMONY HONOURING PROF. DR. VLADIMIR J. KRAJINA IN PRAGUE
From: Vladimir J. Korelus, Victoria, B.C., Canada
On June 1, 1994, the urns containing the ashes of Prof. Dr.
Vladimir J. Krajina and his wife Marie were ceremoniously
deposited in the Vysehrad Cemetery in Prague, Czech Republic --
their homeland. The day marked the first anniversary of
Krajina's death, and the third year after his wife's departure.
Prof. Krajina's family and friends, and representatives of the
President of the Czech Republic, the Czech Government, the
Charles University, and the Canadian Embassy assembled in the
newly restored church of St. Peter and St. Paul.
The urns -- covered with the Canadian flag -- were displayed
together with Krajina's many decorations, including the Order of
Canada and the Czechoslovak Order of the White Lion. While Boy
Scouts kept the guard of honour, four ministers celebrated an
Ecumenical Mass. The Canadian anthem was played as the Canadian
flag was being lifted, and the former Czechoslovak anthem was
played while the Czechoslovak flag was put in its place. This
symbolized the formal return of Krajinas' ashes to their
homeland.
The celebration continued with speakers recollecting Krajinas'
lives and deeds. The poem of Frana Sramek "If I were a keeper of
horses" ("Kdybych byl pastevcem koni"), and an excerpt from
Dostoyevsky's "The brothers Karamazov" were read. Then, the
procession with the urns left for the cemetery only to assemble
again in front of the church to listen to more eulogies by some
members of Krajina's former political party. Finally, the
procession reached the memorial of Dr. Milada Horakova, a
fighter against fascism, and a victim of the communist regime.
At the memorial, the urns were deposited among those of other
national heroes.
Several days before the ceremony, on the occasion of the release
of Krajina's book of memoirs called "High Game" ("Vysoka hra"),
there was a press conference held in the Botanical Institute of
the Charles University. The book deals mostly with his political
life, and his fight against totalitarian regimes. On Krajina's
request, the book was edited by Jiri Dolezal and published in
Czech in Prague by the publishing house EVA.
So a life circle was closed of one brave man, and woman who
influenced the lives of so many, both in the former Czecho-
slovakia and in Canada.
DR. ROY L. TAYLOR - IN CALIFORNIA
From: ASTP Newsletter Oct. 1994
Dr. Roy L. Taylor has accepted the position of Executive Direc-
tor of the Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden, Claremont, CA, USA.
He assumed his new duties on 1 November 1994. Dr. Taylor was
currently President and Chief Executive Officer for the Chicago
Horticultural Society and Director of The Chicago Botanic Gar-
den.
Born in Alberta, Canada, Dr. Taylor received a BS in Biology
from Sir George Williams University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
and a PhD from the University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA.
Prior to his appointment in Chicago in 1985, he was Director of
the Botanical Garden and Professor of Botany at the University
of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. From
1965 to 1968 he was Chief of the Taxonomy and Economic Botany
Section for Canada Agriculture in Ottawa, Ontario. Dr. Taylor
has published extensively on plant taxonomy and horticulture and
was co-author with James A. Calder of the Flora of the Queen
Charlotte Islands (1968).
ECOTOURISM IN BRITISH COLUMBIA
From: Andy MacKinnon <amackinnon at galaxy.gov.bc.ca>
