On the weekend of September 18th, the Carpatho-Rusyn Society participated in the 11th Annual Johnstown Slavic Festival in Johnstown, Pennsylvania! C-RS President Emeritus Rich Custer wrote an article about his experience at the festival, which includes details of the beautiful posters he created, along with David Felix.
Carpatho-Rusyn Society Membership Discount
Dear Friends of The Carpatho-Rusyn Society, The Board of Directors of The Carpatho-Rusyn Society is implementing a special offer to acquire new members. A discount of $10 is being offered for all membership types. Membership Types (Annual Dues Before Discount) NOTE: This offer will ONLY be available from September 1st, through December 6th, of this year. It may not seem like much, but $10 is a 33% discount. But that’s not why you should consider joining. Increasing membership is vital to the future of our Carpatho-Rusyn Society and our mission “of preserving the distinct culture, history, language and heritage of the Carpatho-Rusyn people”. Through increased membership, we can ensure the continued existence of our society and—even more importantly—we can capture the attention of younger, future generations and hopefully inspire them to carry on the task of keeping “the beauty and life affirming values of a living Rusyn heritage” alive. The Carpatho-Rusyn Society is a volunteer run organization. That means that we rely on memberships to sustain our mission of preserving, promoting, and celebrating Carpatho-Rusyn culture and heritage. Sustained memberships provide the financial support that makes the opportunities listed below, along with other important initiatives possible: The Carpatho-Rusyn Society is now 32 years old! Your ongoing support will help strengthen our community and expand awareness of our shared Rusyn identity. Will you take a few moments now to invest pennies a day for a discounted Annual Membership? Your ancestors sacrificed so much to seize the opportunity to immigrate to America—your opportunity to become a member of the Carpatho-Rusyn Society is one great way for you to demonstrate to those ancestors just how grateful you are! Let’s keep our Rusyn culture alive! Click here to join us! Enter Code: C-RS26 to receive the $10 discount. With warm regards, Mary Ann Sromoski President, Carpatho-Rusyn Society NOTE: If you’re not sure whether you’re a member, please go visit the website at www.c-rs.org and login. If you need help, please email: membership@c-rs.org
Coach Bob Chesney, a Rusyn who grew up in Kulpont, Pennsylvania
Another Carpatho-Rusyn is finding great success in the college sports world. Bob Chesney is the new Head Football Coach at UCLA, coming off a spectacular two-year stint at James Madison University. Following Curt Cignetti’s departure from the JMU Dukes to coach Indiana University to a NCAA National Championship, taking the top 13 players with him, Chesney recruited a whole new roster and still recorded a 21-5 record. The Dukes won their first bowl game in Bob’s first year and then the Sun Belt Championship in his second year, including a record setting appearance in the College Football Playoffs. Even before UCLA’s first game has been played, Chesney has infused the Bruins program with an energy and winning attitude. Chesney grew up in Kulpmont, Pennsylvania in the heart of the Anthracite Coal Region. His Polish American father, Bob Sr., was a well-known and successful high school football coach and now acts as an unpaid UCLA defensive assistant for his son. His mother, Claudia Yonkovig Chesney, is the paternal great-granddaughter of Lemko immigrants from Swiatkowa Wielke and the maternal granddaughter of a Ukrainian grandfather and a Lemko grandmother. John Yonkovig, Bob’s paternal 2nd great-grandfather, was one of the founders of Transfiguration Catholic Church in Shamokin, Pennsylvania, which was first a Ruthenian parish which shifted to the Ukrainian fold under circumstances that Carpatho-Rusyns know too well. Coach Chesney graduated from Transfiguration Elementary School along with his brothers Vincent and Nicholas as well as his mother, his Aunt Alexa, his Uncle Mike, and his Great Uncle Zen. Please follow UCLA college football to watch a Carpatho-Rusyn coach of a major university build a program based on winning with honor, integrity, commitment and values. His proud Godfather is Dr. Mike Yonkovig, a Carpatho-Rusyn Society member and 2025 alumnus of the C-RS Studium at Presov University. Photo: Kenneth C. Zirkel, “Holy Cross head football coach Bob Chesney closeup,” via Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC BY 4.0.
