Invited to a conversation evening:
Lojze Lipovec, my old ate from Assomec –
stories of our emigrants and their descendants
on Friday, 12. in June 2026, at 19. hours in the village home Gradec pri Materije
Guest of the evening:
Lica V. Lucas from San Francisco, USA
The talk evening will be hosted by Astrid Pravnikar.
Cultural program: Lisa V. Lucas and Niko Poles with students
Lojze Lipovec-Polezov
Our guest will be Dr. Lisa V. Lucas from San Francisco, a researcher and scientist who is Fullbrigt's* exchange in Slovenia and works at the Marine Biological Station in Piran. Lisa is the granddaughter of Lojzet (Louis - name in the USA) Lipovec, who was born in 1887 to his father Matija Lipovec (roj.1847 year) and mother Katarina Lukach (roj.1849) - married 1870, as 8 of 10 children. Due to poverty, he decided to leave his native lump and look for work and make a living across the pond, and so, as a 22 - year-old young man, in 1909 he sailed from Genoa by ship-belly after bread, to the USA. The trip took several weeks, the situation was extremely difficult. About his arrival in the United States and his life until 1936, when he married his 46-year-old wife, Marija, who was 22 years younger. Simonik from Lokvica pri Metliki (Bela krajina) we know very little, and only from the narration of his wife to his daughter Mar/. Lisa, his granddaughter, a researcher at heart, has devoted herself in recent years to exploring his life and thus discovers leaf by leaf with joy and enthusiasm in the book of the life of her old athet. We will talk with Lisa about his trip from Brkinje to the USA, about his active cooperation with Slovenes in many Slovenian communities in the USA and in California in particular, about life in Fontana, about his life with Bela Krajina Marija and about their daughter Maria - Mer / / - Lisa's mother, who has been searching for her roots for many years. Until one day she found them and surprised her cousin Franet Lipovec - Polezov when she knocked on his door and hugged him and said "I'm your cousin Mer / I'm from America". Since then, Mar/, Lisa and her brother Frank have kept in touch with their families and met with relatives from Brkin and Istria. How Lisa experiences the homeland of her old athet, what Slovenia means to her today, how much she feels Slovenian in her heart and soul, she will reveal to us in a conversation evening
Vabljeni na pogovorni večer:
Lojze Lipovec, moj stari ate iz Ritomeč –
zgodbe naših izseljencev in njihovih potomcev
v petek, 12. junija 2026, ob 19. uri v vaškem domu Gradišče pri Materiji
Gostja večera:
Lica V. Lucas iz San Francisca, ZDA
Pogovorni večer bo vodila Astrid Prašnikar.
Kulturni program: Lisa V. Lucas in Niko Poles z učenci
Lojze Lipovec - Polezov
Naša gostja bo dr. Lisa V.Lucas iz San Francisca, raziskovalka in znanstvenica, ki je Fullbrigtovi* izmenjavi v Sloveniji in dela na Morski biološki postaji v Piranu. Lisa je vnukinja Lojzeta (Louis - ime v ZDA) Lipovec, ki se je PRI POLESOVIH v Ritomečah (tedaj Avstro-Ogrska) rodil leta 1887 očetu Matiji Lipovec (roj.1847 leta) in materi Katarini Lukač (roj.1849) - poročena 1870, kot 8 od 10 otrok. Zaradi revščine se je odločil, da zapusti rodno grudo in si poišče delo in si omogoči preživetje čez lužo in tako je kot 22 letni mladenič leta 1909 odplul iz Genove z ladjo - s trebuhom za kruhom, v ZDA. Potovanje je trajalo več tednov, razmere so bile izredno težke. O njegovem prihodu v ZDA in življenju vse do leta 1936, ko se je že kot starejši 46 letni poročil z kar 22 let mlajšo ženo Marija (Mary) roj. Simonič iz Lokvice pri Metliki (Bela krajina) vemo zelo malo in to zgolj iz pripovedovanja njegove žene svoji hčerki Mary. Lisa, njegova vnukinja, raziskovalka po duši, se je v zadnjih letih posvetila raziskovanju njegovega življenja in tako z veseljem in entuziazmom odkriva list za listom v knjigi življenja njenega starega ateta. Z Liso se bomo pogovarjali o njegovem potovanju iz Brkinov v ZDA, o njegovem aktivnem sodelovanju s slovenci v številnih slovenskih skupnostih v ZDA in sploh v Californiji, o življenju v Fontani, o njegovem življenju z Belokranjko Marijo in o njuni hčerki Mariji - Mery - Lisini materi, ki je dolga leta iskala svoje korenine. Dokler jih je nekega dne našla in presenetila svojega bratranca Franeta Lipovec - Polezovega, ko je potrkala na njegova vrata in ga objela in rekla "jaz sem tvoja sestrična Mery iz Amerike". Od tedaj dalje, Mary, Lisa ter njen brat Frank z družinama ohranjata stike in se srečujeta s sorodniki iz Brkinov in Istre. Kako Lisa doživlja domovino njenega starega ateta, kaj ji danes pomeni Slovenija, koliko se v srcu in duši počuti Slovenko, nam bo razkrila v pogovornem večeru