“Ultimately the purpose of life boils down to one question: What do your children think of you? Our highest value is to live in the memory of our children.” Karol Dusil
• All three Dusil brothers were competitive and ambitious. This may have been due to genetics and partly because of their environment. All three brothers were denied many things growing up; They’re father wasn’t around during their formidable years so their mother carried the boys through their teenage years and into manhood. The repressive communist regime, was also a contributing factor, where a capitalist definition of ambitionwas prohibited. My uncle once told me they felt persecuted by the repressive communist regime. The best way for them to get back at them was to get the most out of iron curtain’s education system and use that to thrive in the West. All the Dusil brothers made a tremendously positive mark in this world, using their own resourcefulness, intelligence, and determination.
• One year after the Warsaw Pact Invasion, the two youngest brothers saw their opportunity to escape the regime. The oldest of the three had already settled in Sweden with no plans to return. After they emigrated a local journalist wrote about the Dusil brothers – In so many words he said that they took advantage of the communist education system and abandoned Košice Judo. It’s worth noting at this point that higher education in the communist regime was free. Often candidates were accepted into university, not based on their scholastic achievements, but based on the position their father held in the communist party. Of the 150 students that started in my uncle’s engineering class, only 50 finished. The journalist may have been politically pressured to write the article, although this has never been confirmed. In retrospect, the property their father owned, confiscated by the communists in 1948, would have covered the Harvard education tuition fee for all three boys.
• The brothers fought a lot, but stuck together when necessary. My dad’s temperament was closer to his mother’s, and the youngest brother was somewhere in between. The oldest brother was most similar in personality to their father. My father was the most sensitive of the three boys. My uncle once said to me, “You could easily hurt his soul”.
• Dusil
If you missed the previous posts on Dusil, then click on these links:
• Introduction by Eva Dusil • Editing by Gabriel Dusil • 2014 November
• Those years were quite hard on me – frequently falling in and out of love, and ending up with a broken heart. I’d go skating in the winter with my friends. My oldest brother Csaba would chaperon me to Sunday afternoon tea dances. He was my confidante in matters of the heart. On Sunday evenings I would stroll downtown with my girlfriends and flirt with the boys. I was still horseback riding but by the time I reached the end of middle school my commitment in riding weakened as love interests occupied my time.
• In my teens, I didn’t apply myself. I graduated from middle school with slightly better than average grades. My next step was submitting my application to veterinary college. University education in my country was free and everyone had their own motivation. For me it was clear – I loved animals. But for others it was either parental pressure or they wanted to avoid military duty. Entering university was effective in postponing civil service – reduce it to only six months compared to a standard two year service. Getting into university was less about grades, and more contingent on who your father knew. The system was corrupt and everybody knew it. A consequence of this corruption was a lackadaisical attitude towards education. It wasn’t something that was openly discussed but we felt it subconsciously.
• With my father’s help I was accepted into the University of Veterinary Medicine and Pharmacy in Košice. Although I had a passion for animals I also had to work the system to get accepted to university. From the moment I entered higher education my sloppy attitude towards studying ended. I was stimulated by my surroundings, and proud to be a university student. I attended lectures regularly, even though they weren’t compulsory. I loved anatomy and immensely enjoyed dissecting animals in the lab. I recall on many occasions leaving the lab with blood up to my elbows. I studied parts of the body thoroughly, and it never ceased to amaze me that every little bump, groove, or elevation had a Latin name. Latin was also one of our courses, and continues to be the foundation of communication in medicine. That also helped me when I later learned English. My favorite professor was František Hrudka. He taught Histology and made the subject fascinating – a characteristic that I can’t extend to the other professors. Another favorite of mine was the world famous anatomy professor, Peter Popesko, whose anatomical atlases were used in the University of Guelph. The education system in Czechoslovakia was very different from the West. Most exams were oral. If the professor was in a bad mood, or was having personal problems at the time, it would have an adverse affect on how he conducted the exam. If he had some reservations or personal dislikes towards you – because you didn’t attend his lectures – it would negatively reflect on your final mark – or he would just fail you. We were hostages to the emotional roller coaster and personal biases of our professors.
Mamička
If you missed the other posts on Mamička, you can link to them here:
• Introduction by Ing. Maria ‘Cuna’ Cabanová • 2005 April 20 • Translation & Editing by Gabriel Dusil
• Judo and the judoka of Košice shaped who I am today. I decided on my university education thanks to my coach Kajo Dusil, who thoroughly prepared me for my entrance exams to the Technical University Faculty of Metallurgy. The School of Economics, where I went did not adequately prepare me for technical school.
• When circumstances permitted, I tried to assist the Košice Judo Association in later years. In September 1978, I celebrated ten years as president of the Regional Association of Judo. I succeeded Edita Pačajová-Kardosová who stepped back to the mat as a trainer. I handed off this role to Marta Ujjobágyiova-Kelemenová and Erika Tordová-Királyová. At the time, women’s judo was completely separate from the men. The women were part of Lokomotíva Košice and men trained primarily in TJ VSŽ (Telovýchovná jednota Východoslovenské železiarne). I often offered my coaching assistance to the men’s team of Košice Judo. Helping me extensively were Laco Pačaj, Peter Széky and Jaro Plávka. Summer camps for the girls were organized by Csaba Kende. I coached periodically until 1992, before leaving for Bratislava to work. Then I raised my coaching qualification to class II, and graded successfully for my first dan, black belt.
• In judo I held various roles, such as chairwoman of the political-educational Commission for the District Judo Association, which at the time of the totalitarian regime was extremely important and had been one of the most important evaluation criteria for the sport. I worked as the President of the Judo Association and in that time we formed a joint association with karate. The Slovak Association of Judo awarded me an honorary second degree black belt for my contribution. At the elementary school in Barca (where I take my grandchildren) I led the judo team. I have now fulfilled my dream as a grandmother-judoka.
• It’s not my objective to just document the facts. These are my personal experiences and memories that others might remember differently. In closing, I must thank all judoka who shaped me, helped me and who are still my good friends. Mainly; Erika and Kajo Dusil, my lifelong friends; Csaba Kende, who devoted one summer for the preparation of my first dan black belt, and coached me through the final stages of my class II coaching certificate; Jaro Plávka who was my partner in my black belt grading; Laco Pačaj and Peter Széky who helped me in coaching, and with many other activities.
With reverent respect
I remember well the judoka and friends
who are no longer with us: Vašek Dusil Ďuri Mazánek Julka Tóthová Marcel Ondrík.
• Košice Judo
If you missed my previous posts on Košice Judo, you will find them here:
• Introduction by Eva Dusil • Editing by Gabriel Dusil • 2014 November
• In my third year of veterinary studies, Prague Spring began. It was January of 1968 and Alexander Dubček was at the forefront of the reforms. Some of the leaders rallied behind him, wanting to give communism a human face. It felt like fresh air was blowing though the country. We began to lift our heads in hopes of a better future. The older generation was cautious but everyone else was optimistic. Eight months later the Soviets decided they had enough and sent 200,000 troops to clamp down on our aspirations. One month after that Warsaw Pact Invasion my son, Gabriel was born.
• Soon after the invasion, a mass exodus began. We decided to leave everything and everyone behind. In October 1969 I was supposed to begin my fifth year of veterinary studies. We fled the country instead. This was only possible because of the general chaos during those few months. There were relaxed procedures in the government agencies responsible for issuing travel visas. My parents were devastated by our plans, but still supported us. Vašek and I assured my mother that I would finish university, but we had no idea how we would fulfill that promise. First and foremost we had to focus on survival and take care of our baby. We believed that as long as we had two healthy hands we would survive.
• There was no looking back. Our flight took us through Paris, where we spent nine weeks waiting for approval to immigrate to Canada. Coming from an authoritarian regime, we thought we had to choose a province. With pressure from the immigration officer, we chose Saskatoon, Saskatchewan because they had a veterinary college. She encouraged us to choose an agricultural province. On the 9th of November 1969 we arrived in the beginning of a freezing cold winter. We met other Slovaks including my favorite professor from Košice, František Hrudka. He had also immigrated! By this time he was lecturing at the University of Saskatchewan. The people we met were supportive and ready to help us, but I felt lonely. Vašek was gone most of the day looking for a job and I was left alone with Gabriel, and nobody to talk to.
• On one occasion a local Slovak family invited us for dinner. I told them I wanted to continue with my veterinary studies. “Well, you’ll be the only female veterinarian in Canada” was their reply. Suddenly I felt that we came to some backward country. But I soon realized that they didn’t know much about veterinary medicine. It was true that there were few women in the profession, but I didn’t lose hope. Meanwhile, back home my mother listened to criticism that all her sacrifices had been wasted, and that I didn’t finish my studies. After ten long days in Saskatoon, we realized that we were in a free country, and could go wherever we wanted. The layers were shedding from the repressive regime we left. We were no longer prisoners of the state. We contacted Manpower and with their help we moved to Toronto, Ontario to join my brother-in-law, and his family. Within a few days we were happily reunited and I was surrounded by family. We lived together in a rented house, attended English language classes together. Vašek worked part time at a car wash with his brother. We took turns babysitting, while the other attended English lessons. Vašek was also studying for his provincial veterinary exams which he passed without difficulties.
• Postscript by Gabriel Dusil
Today commemorates the 46th anniversary of our arrival to Canada.
• Dusil
If you missed the previous posts on Dusil, then click on these links:
69.Oct – Paris · Eva, Gabriel, Erika, Sona, Roman Dusil69.Oct – Paris · Eva & Gabriel Dusil69.Oct – Paris · Eva, Gabriel, Erika, Roman, Sona Dusil69.Oct – Paris · Gabriel Dusil
• Postscript from Eva Dusil • 2014 October • Here is my cute son, Gabičko. He had his first birthday in Paris. During our stay in France, you had this red sweater with a leather front.
• 3 minutes 38 seconds
70 – Toronto · Vaclav, Gabriel & Eva Dusil (grocery shopping)70 – Toronto · Eva, Gabriel & Vaclav Dusil (kitchen)70 – Toronto · Eva & Gabriel Dusil (Slavo Sykorsky’s house)73.Aug – Burlington · Vaclav Dusil (house)73.Aug – Burlington · Vaclav Dusil (front door)73.Jun – Burlington · Vaclav, Eva & Gabriel Dusil (Veterinarian, Aldershot Animal Hospital sign)
Here is my latest photo restoration and video editing project, in memory of father, Vaclav ‘Taci’ Dusil.
Collage
14
hours
The concept of this layout came to me a few months ago, one evening just before I fell asleep. The first challenge was to get the black matte just right so that the design would size to my printer. I also needed to make sure the wings would settle neatly within the matte. Next was to group, scale and space the photos to the size of the angel wings.
Photo
Montage
72 hours
Video editing was a tedious process. I had to essentially re-size each picture all over again – this time in Adobe Premiere Pro, then animate each photo in sequence to mosaic the wings. The ‘Taci’ animation was done in Adobe After Effects.
Photo Restoration
198 hours
There are 138 photos in total – 69 in each wing. The work spanned two months. Many of the original photos were annotated by my father. I initially used them in the collage, but I felt that the final layout was too messy with the added text.
Passion
∞
hours
My dad maintained a beautiful visual diary of his youth. It’s been a privilege to restore his photos, and create a lasting archive for my family. I’ve joined a group of individuals in the genealogy community, who have felt the emotion from that split second in time when a photo was taken.
• Taci
If you missed the other Taci posts, you can link to them here:
• Introduction by Eva Dusil • Editing by Gabriel Dusil • 2014 November
• Our language course ended in June of 1970. By that time we had learned passable English in six month. I was then advised to take the Michigan test if I intended to apply for university to finish my veterinary studies. I wrote the test in August and submitted my application to the Ontario Veterinary College. When they invited me for an interview I was disappointed to hear their classes were full. In the mean time, the University of Guelph admissions department advised me to complete grade 13 English (the final year of high school at the time), and apply the following year.
• The following summer I was accepted into the University of Guelph. I began my studies in September of 1971, and was admitted to their third year of a four year program. Meanwhile my husband found work in Brampton at a small animal veterinary clinic, so we decided to move there. It was a good clinic because they were constantly busy. Most of our education in Czechoslovakia was focused on large animals to serve the needs of the agricultural industry. In contrast, The only experience my husband had at the time was at the veterinary college in Košice where he was an assistant in a large animal department. Canada already had a large market of domesticated animals. So the Brampton clinic was a great opportunity for him to quickly how to quickly treat small animals.
• I graduated from the Ontario Veterinary College in June of 1973. In many ways I fulfilled my dream, thanks to my husband. I also owe my heartfelt gratitude to my mother, Valeria Kende, who always believed in me. My mother could finally tell all her doubters that the sacrifices she made were worth it – Her daughter was a veterinarian.
Mamička
If you missed the other posts on Mamička, you can link to them here:
• We always want our children to be better than us. Some may interpret that to mean success through wealth, fame, or power. But it’s beyond that. I want my boys to be stronger than me. Emotionally, physically, and socially. I want them to survive in this world beyond what I could possibly achieve. I want them to make an impact on their world better than what I achieved. I want to give my boys what my father didn’t – to be their mentor.
• Even with emotional clarity, I always felt limited in my ability to reach the top tiers of success. I revered those that had mentors throughout their lives. I observed how a select few attributed their achievements to a mentor. I never had someone that would sit with me and assess my life and provide continual and persistent guidance. The only times I would be approached directly by a family member was when I was in crisis, or when I had done something horribly wrong. Those times I had been lectured and disciplined. The closest I had to a mentor in those years was my coach, Morris Vaillancourt*, and my girlfriend’s father, Conrad Brown. I respected them immensely – always listening to their words of wisdom, and lessons from life. They were mentors by example and in how they viewed life.
* Morris Vaillancourt, was the coach of the Burlington YMCA Swim Club. He is also a National Coach, Level I and II Clinic Conductor. In 1973 Morris was the Canada Games Coach and also held the position of Chairman of the Ontario Swimming Coaches Association. He has trained over 100 Provincial and National record holders.
• Gabičko
If you missed other Gabičko posts, you can find them here:
• Introduction by Ing. Maria ‘Cuna’ Cabanová • 2005 April 20 • Translation & Editing by Gabriel Dusil
• In 1962 the girls received their 5th kyu (yellow belt). At that time Košice did not have qualified examiners, so Ing. Robert Binder came from Bratislava. He was the founder of Slovak judo, and now over 80 year old. For me the event was significant because we were told that Mr. Binder was a very charismatic gentleman. He explained to me that judo is primarily for intellectuals and that I chose my sport correctly (at one time in my life I seriously flirted with running instead).
• I couldn’t have chosen better that the 14 years I dedicated to judo. After 45 years I can say that objectively. It was wonderful to belong to a team of smart boys and girls that were considerate, independent and responsible. After all Kajo, our coach, was only two or three years older than most of us. It was the same in the men’s team. Kajo not only secured the training schedule, but all organizational, financial and administrative issues related to the sport – and later with the Regional Judo Association. Most issues were managed by the three Dusil brothers: Robert, Vašek (unfortunately no longer with us) and Karol. When problems escalated, some of us were asked to help. I was among them, as well as Igor Fridrich. I transcribed meeting minutes and various reports that were required by the totalitarian regime. When Robert went to study in Sweden in 1967, Igor Fridrich took over management of the Regional Judo Association.
• I was never a successful competitor, but that did not hinder me, as I felt at home with the team. Kajo was in charge of all women’s age groups and performance categories, and very soon I also began to participate in coaching duties. I taught judo throws and basics to hundreds of girls. Before reaching the age of 18 I became a judge and a class III trainer. These positions sat with me more than the role of competitor. Vašek Dusil was in charge of coaching the men, and when he had other responsibilities, I’d take over.
• In addition to the activities in Košice, we promoted and established judo in other towns across Eastern Slovakia. Erika Mešterová-Dusilová and I came from railway families; we had permanent rail tickets and would go and train girls at the Central Pedagogical School (Stredna pedagogicka škola) in Prešov. We were still in high school. Great promotional events were organized in Michalovce, Slovakia and we combined that with a trip to Vienna. Our accommodations were in someone’s garage. Guarding the boys from the girls was of course, Kajo. As part of TJ Lokomotíva we were allowed to travel across all of Czechoslovakia. We used that to great effect and attended many competitions. If the girls weren’t competing we simply accompanied the boys as fans and observers.
• Košice Judo
If you missed my previous posts on Košice Judo, you will find them here:
64 – Košice · x, Berco Allman, Juraj Mazanek, Miro Brožek, Adolf Kostrian, Pepo Vosecky, Csaba Kende, Igor Fridrich, Vaclav Dusil, Jozef Lemak & Jozef Arvay (judo dojo)64 – Košice · Stefan Bartus, Vaclav Dusil, Pepo Vosecky & Vlado Makovsky (bridge)63 – Košice · Edo Novak, Miro Brožek, Igor Fridrich, x, Robert Dusil, Csaba Kende, Vaclav Dusil62.May.1 – Košice · Vaclav Dusil, Juraj Mazanek, Robert Dusil, Laco Hluchan, x, Ivan Spisiak, Joe Nalevanko, Vojtech Agyagos & Csaba Kende62 – Košice · x, x, x, Joe Nalevanko, Pepo Vosecky, Robert Dusil, x, x, x, Igor Fridrich62 – Košice · x, x, Pepo Vosecky62 – Košice · x, Csaba Kende, Miro Brozek, Pepo Vosecky, x (travelling)
• Documents & Articles
66.Jun.18 – Košice · Vaclav Dusil (judo Article, Rudé Právo, Na tohoročných)69.Jun.23 – Košice · Vaclav Dusil (Article, Večer, Rozšíria prvú ligu)66.Oct.15 – Košice · Document, Vaclav Dusil (judo Majster Kraja, Zá obetavú prácu)
Gabriel Dusil • Time Is Relentless 