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Father Andriekus’ letter to the new LWA chairman, Bernardas Brazdžionis.
After ten years or three terms of office, fr. Andriekus handed the chairmanship over to Bernardas Brazdžionis, who agreed to lead the organization for a second time. Newly elected board members, all from the Los Angeles area, were Alė Rūta (Elena Arbienė), Alfonsas Gricius, Bronys Raila, and Tomas Venclova. Andriekus sent a congratulatory letter to Brazdžionis on February 12, 1980, noting that he was aware that the latter assumed the responsibility of heading the board “as an offering to the Association and the Lithuanian cause.”
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From left: Edmundas Arbas, Bernardas Brazdžionis, Česlovas Grincevičius (a visitor from Chicago), Alė Rūta, Aldona Brazdžionienė, Bronė Kojelienė, and Juozas Kojelis, California (no date mentioned).
Although Brazdžionis was not new to the organization, LWA archives show that during this term, most of the duties of chairman were carried out by the writer Alė Rūta, who was the secretary. It was she who penned most of the letters and documents during this period and also served as treasurer for the two of the three years. When Anatolijus Kairys assumed the chairmanship in 1983, he wrote to Alė Rūta: “... You are the true chairman, handling all of the [Association’s] affairs for him ...”
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Announcement by the LWA Board of Directors about the two new literary awards established in memory of Juozas Gabė.
Three new literary awards were established during this Board's term of office: the Lithuanian Community's Literature Award in the amount of $3,000, the Maironis Poetry Award ($1,000) to mark the 50-th anniversary of the poet's death, and the Juozas Gabė Award ($1,000) for the best book of poetry for young readers. The latter two were established by LWA member, the writer Nelė Mazalaitė, in memory of her late husband, Juozas Gabė.
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Excerpt from the Board’s bulletin “Announcements to Members of the Association” (no. 3) regarding the Aloyzas Baronas Short Story Contest, July 15, 1981.
At the same time, a new literary competition, the Aloyzas Baronas Short Story Contest, was introduced. The prize of $500 came from the LWA treasury and a gift from the late writer’s widow, Nijolė Baronienė. The writer Rūta Kleva Vidžiūnienė became the first winner of the award for her short story, “Be jokios abejonės“ (Without Any Doubt).
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Letter to the LWA Board of Directors from the Lithuanian Foundation's representative, Kazys Barzdukas, regarding the new conditions for the Literary Award, April 8, 1982.
While Brazdžionis was chairman, the amount of the traditional annual Literary Award was increased from $1,000 to $2,000.
Audio: Brazdžionis reads his ballad, “A Night at Rugytė's,” about the establishment of the Lithuanian Foundation in the US, at its convention April 28, 1984: https://soundcloud.com/lituanika/bernardas-brazdzionis-balade-naktis-pas-rugyte
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The program cover of the 1982 General Membership Meeting of the LWA. The participants of the LWA literary evening during the General Membership Meeting. Photo by Vladas Bacevičius
The most important event organized by the Brazdžionis Board of Directors was the Association’s General Membership Meeting, held in Cleveland on May 22-23, 1982. According to Andriekus' written report of the event, “The time was ripe – 50 years since the Association was founded and 25 years since the last Membership Meeting. The occasion was convenient, being 50 years after the death of Maironis and 100 years since the birth of Vincas Krėvė. The city of Cleveland was a highly attractive location, known for its intense and colorful cultural life after WWII.” The event attracted over 300 attendees and George Voinovich, the mayor of Cleveland, declared May 22 and 23 Lithuanian Writers' Days.
Brazdžionis’s speech at the LWA General Membership Meeting:
The proclamation of the LWA General Membership Meeting:
An article about the LWA General Membership Meeting by Leonardas Andriekus in Aidai, no. 4, July-August, 1982: