On March 8th, 2026, Ben Demko, Chief Financial Advisor of C-RS, delivered an insightful lecture on obtaining Slovak citizenship by descent. In this presentation, he shares his personal journey obtaining Slovak citizenship through his ancestral village of Šarišské Michaľany. In case you missed it, a recording of the lecture has been uploaded to our C-RS YouTube channel.
Our People–A Monthly Publication of the Carpatho-Rusyn Society
Each month, Our People brings you what's exciting and important in Carpatho-Rusyn culture. Featuring member interviews, event announcements, book reviews, and more, Our People is sure to be the highlight of your inbox.
Want to receive Our People? Email us: membership@c-rs.org
Recent Articles
A Message of Renewal and Gratitude for the Easter Season
Dear Members of the Carpatho-Rusyn Society, As the winter chill begins to fade, we enter a season that is deeply woven into the fabric of our identity: the season of Easter. For the Rusyn people, this is more than just a date on the calendar; it is a profound time of renewal, growth, and the celebration of life. They say you can tell exactly where a person is from by how they decorate their Easter eggs. Included with this letter is a photograph of an egg decorated in the traditional “drop-pull” style of pysanky. This specific silver Warhol egg was made by Helen and John Timo as part of a pysanky demonstration at the Warhol Museum, created in honor of Andy Warhol’s “Silver Factory.” It beautifully showcases the style used by my grandmother and her sisters. I can still see those eggs nestled in the traditional basket, covered with an embroidered cloth, waiting to be taken to the church to be blessed. That simple egg is a testament to the generations of faith and artistry that we carry forward today. Just as the earth awakens in spring, the Carpatho-Rusyn Society is experiencing its own season of vibrant growth. I am thrilled to share several new initiatives that reflect our commitment to our “living history”: For those looking to deepen their connection to our holiday traditions, I encourage you to watch this wonderful video on Carpatho-Rusyn Easter Traditions. It is a beautiful reminder of the customs that make our culture so unique. Thank you for being the heart of this Society. Your support allows us to keep these traditions—from the drop-pull of a wax stylus to the blessing of the basket—alive for the next generation. I wish all of you a happy, healthy, and deeply blessed Easter season. Жычу вам шумны і благословены Великоднї свята, наповнены здоровём і радостёв. (Žŷču vam šumnŷ i blahoslovenŷ Velykodňi svjata, napovnený zdorov’om i radosťov.) A traditional Rusyn paschal greeting is: Хрістос воскрес! Воістину воскрес! (Christos voskres! Voistynu voskres!) Christ is risen, with the response of: Truly He is risen. Sincerely, Mary Ann Sromoski President, Carpatho-Rusyn Society
Rusyn-American Sports Franchise Owner, Terry Pegula
Buffalo Bills President and co-owner Terry Pegula is very visible in the national sports media. Pegula is a second-generation Rusyn American who was born March 25th, 1951, in the former anthracite coal town of Carbondale, Pennsylvania. Pegula’s paternal grandparents, Andrew and Ana (Cheko) Pegula, came from Hanigovce, Sabinov District in the Prešov region of Slovakia. From a blue collar upbringing in Carbondale, located 15 miles north of Scranton, Pennsylvania, Pegula has become one of the most recognizable figures in the American sports world. He owns the Buffalo Sabres of the National Hockey League (NHL) and, with a consortium of private equity firms and athletes, the Buffalo Bills of the National Football League (NFL). Pegula serves as the President of both teams. In 2022, Forbes Magazine ranked Pegula number 128 among the top 400 billionaires in America, placing his net worth at more than $7 billion. He has interests in natural gas development, real estate, entertainment, and his major league football and hockey teams. Pegula grew up in the Upper Valley of Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania, and graduated from Scranton Preparatory School in 1969. His father, Myron, worked for a coal mining company as a truck driver. Pegula’s first job as a teen was driving a watering truck in the mines around Carbondale—a 1949 Brockway tractor-trailer without doors or windows. After high school, Pegula received a scholarship to Penn State University, where he started as a mathematics major before switching to petroleum and natural gas engineering. After graduation, he joined Getty Oil in Victoria, Texas. With a $7,500 loan from his family and friends, he founded East Resources in 1981. Over the next three decades, Pegula built his business into one of the largest privately held companies in the country. By 2000, the company had made its first gas discoveries in Central New York State and in North-Central Pennsylvania, a region increasingly known for its rich Marcellus shale gas, a mile or so beneath the surface. Pegula sold East Resources to Royal Dutch Shell in 2010 for $4.7 billion and he used the proceeds to build his sports empire. He bought the Buffalo Sabres for $189 million in 2011, and outbid other groups to buy the Buffalo Bills for $1.4 billion in 2014. In 2010, he and his wife donated $88 million to Penn State University for what is now the Pegula Ice Arena, a premier ice facility for the community and […]
