Sokol South Omaha (Nebraska) Local History Project records

The project was started in the 1990s by Ed and Bea Pavoucek of Omaha, Nebraska. Ed, having been born and raised in the Brown Park neighboorhood of South Omaha and his father owning a grocery store there, felt that some of the history of the area should be preserved for future generations. The area was a heavily Czech populated area because of the locations of the meat packing industries and railroad opportunitites. The project was not only about Brown Park itself but also about the surrounding area where many Czech immigrants lived and had their businesses as well. The Sokol Hall on 21st and U Streets played a big part in keeping all of the Czechs in touch with each other and throughout all of the 100 or more years of the community's existence.Ed started by interviewing some of the older citizens and taped their stories, and then attempted to type them up to use at a later date. He had so wanted to see a book printed from all of the stories and news clippings, etc. but it was not to happen. He was urging anyone who had any knowledge of the area or stories of the area to send them to him. This became an overwhelming task when news clippings, articles, stories, and other memorabilia came in that it became more of a diverse collection. Ed died before he could see his beloved project come to some kind of conclusion.It was completed in 2004 thanks to the efforts of Ed Pavoucek's wife Bea, Margie and Rudie Sobotka, Steve Potach, Evelyn and Walt Fornoff and Lorraine Duggin.(Abstracted from M. Sobotka's overview of the project included in the collection under the title "South Omaha Sokol History Project: A Documentary Collection" [dated April 2004])