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Today, exactly one hundred years ago, Dr. Joseph Kazickas - a person who'd leave a deep footprint in so many lives, as well as Lithuanian history, was born. On this occasion his daughter Jurate Kazickas arrived to Lithuania to remember and honor her dear Father together with people who cherish him and his work.
Celebratory weekend started introducing Dr. Joseph Kazickas' 100th anniversary exhibit at the Presidential Valdas Adamkus Library in Kaunas. This exhibit will travel through Lithuania in the following year. On Saturday, the Kazickas Family Foundation invited guests to Vaidila Theater where young talents from entire Lithuania performed. During the evening Jurate Kazickas shared with the guests that her father understood the importance of culture in country's global position and reputation. No wonder Dr. J. Kazickas cared about and supported his Homeland's culture and preservation of its deep musical traditions. He also understood that talents need to be developed from early on. On Sunday mass and concert at the st. Casimir church in Dr. Kazickas memory was offered.
While many remember Dr. Joseph Kazickas as devoted Lithuanian who's ideas and work will remain in people's hearts and will go down in country's history, let's remember that he was also a Father and a Grandfather and will be carried forever in his children's and grandchildren's hearts.
His grandsons, Alex and Peter, remember him as a person with an amazing sense of humor and will never forget how he made people feel. Thank you, Alex and Peter, for sharing those very special and private stories:
Alex:
"One of my favorite memories with Tevalis was playing in the father-son golf tournament on Long Island together. It was a special day for us, because we were the only group that had 3 generations of family playing together (myself, my father, and my grandfather). It was also one of the first times I played an entire round of golf, so while I lost quite a bit of balls along the way, it was still one of the most fun times I ever had. When I was little during the summer, I lived with my grandparents in East Hampton. I cherish my memories of coming back from camp and sitting down for dinner together as a family, talking about our days and if we were lucky, hearing a cool story from Mamyte's and Tevelis's past."
Peter:
"He must have been 94 or 95, certainly towards the end of his life. It was the summer and I went to visit him at his home in East Hampton. I came with my roommate from college and we were going to jump in the pool. I introduced my grandfather to Anthony, telling him that Anthony was the current president of our college, an impressive feat for a sophomore. We had a brief exchange before Tevelis encouraged us to hop in the pool and have some fun, as he did to all his guests. Before we left, we arranged to come back for lunch the next day (something I desperately wish that I'd done more of with him and Mamyte).