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Familiar Face at Polka Dances Departs Too Soon

Familiar Face at Polka Dances Departs Too Soon

Beautiful. Outgoing. Upbeat. Kind. These are just a few words to describe Beverly Jane Galick Hoffpauir who passed away on March 19, 2021. Beverly was a native of Bremond and known for her Polish pride . Beverly and her family also attended many polka dances in the area and were not shy about showcasing their moves. The year was 1958. Drive in Movies were all the rage, Gasoline was dirt cheap , Johnny Cash was a teen idol. That was also the year Bev was born in Houston, Texas, to John Lee Galick and Frances (Yezak) Galick. Beverly was one of the last students to attend St. Mary’s Catholic School and went on to graduate from Bremond High School in 1966, as Valedictorian of her graduating class. She attended Texas A&M University and received her Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration in 1982. She worked hard and received her Certified Public Accountant (CPA) certificate in 1989. In 1993, she became a Certified Probation Officer (CPO). She also attended Graduate school at Sam Houston State University, where she graduated with a Master of Science Degree in Criminal Justice Management in 1997.

Round Top Brass Band Celebrates 50 Years
Round Top Brass Band Celebrates 50 Years

Round Top Brass Band Celebrates 50 Years

When Ronny Sacks and George Koudelka conceived the idea of starting a brass band in 1971, little did they realize, 50 years later this band would still be in existence. The Round Top Brass Band started with a nucleus of music students from Southwest Texas State University (now Texas State) and supplemented with other area musicians. In the late 1960s George Koudelka was teaching percussion at Southwest Texas State and three of the original Round Top Brass Band members were enrolled in his percussion class at the university, Ronny Sacks, Larry Schmidt, and Herbert Cresswell.

New Book by Frances Barton and John K. Novak Profiles 61 'Czech Songs in Texas'
New Book by Frances Barton and John K. Novak Profiles 61 'Czech Songs in Texas'
New Book by Frances Barton and John K. Novak Profiles 61 'Czech Songs in Texas'
New Book by Frances Barton and John K. Novak Profiles 61 'Czech Songs in Texas'
New Book by Frances Barton and John K. Novak Profiles 61 'Czech Songs in Texas'

New Book by Frances Barton and John K. Novak Profiles 61 'Czech Songs in Texas'

On any weekend in Texas, Czech polka music enlivens dance halls and drinking establishments as well as outdoor church picnics and festivals. The songs heard at these venues are the living music of an ethnic community created by immigrants who started arriving in Central Texas in the mid-nineteenth century from what is now the Czech Republic. Today, the members of this community speak English but their songs are still sung in Czech.

Czech Weddings of Yesteryear

The weddings for couples today have drastically changed from those of our ancestors, and with each generation, the traditions of the past are increasingly forgotten or eliminated. Very few contemporary bridal couples incorporate the wedding traditions of days gone by into their ceremonies or celebrations because of modern conveniences, technology, marketing, the media, and most of all, the blending of ethnicities which dilutes traditions. The wedding march is the only “constant” that still seems to prevail, especially if one or both of the bridal couple has Czech ancestry.

The Free Wedding Dance

While perusing old Texas newspapers looking for information about dance halls, one comes across a lot of interesting, although sometimes extraneous information. One piece seen over and over in the newspapers in several the counties was the “free wedding dance.” Admittedly, I had heard of it before; but I really didn’t know much about the practice. It’s a practice that is hard to imagine happening in modern times.

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