The Situation and Changes in the Slovenian Community in Cleveland Between 1950 and 2015 and Prospects for the Future of the Community: A Comparison of the Views of Tony Petkovšek and Vinko Lipovec

The article compares the views of two of Cleveland’s most prominent Slovenians, Tony Petkovšek and Vinko Lipovec, on the development and changes in the largest Slovenian emigrant community between 1950 and 2015, and how they see the community’s future. Both Petkovšek and Lipovec were respectable cultural workers who enjoyed a great reputation in the wider community and respected each other. The former was the descendant of economic emigrants who arrived before World War I, while the latter was a political refugee from after World War II. The author notes that their views on most topics are quite similar, although Petkovšek attributes greater importance for the community to polka music, while Lipovec emphasizes the importance of language. For the future, both expect the community’s survival, despite its decline.
Keywords: Slovenian community in Cleveland, Tony Petkovšek, Vinko Lipovec, changes in the community 1950–2015, prospects for the future

The article offers insight into six-and-a-half decades (between 1950 and 2015) of the largest Slovenian emigrant community and its prospects for the future. It interprets many things that were already known and described about the Slovenian community in Cleveland, this time from two of the city’s most prominent Slovenians, Vinko Lipovec and Tony Petkovšek, while providing new aspects and new information. Lipovec was a post–World War II political refugee from Yugoslavia, while Petkovšek was the descendant of pre–World War I economic migrants. The former was especially known as an editor of the daily newspaper Ameriška domovina for thirty years, whereas the latter hosted the longest-running daily polka radio show in the United States. Biographical interviews conducted with Petkovšek and Lipovec in 2015, followed by semi-structured interviews in 2016 and 2017, reveal their world views and personal experiences.
Despite the limitations of the oral history method, the author determined it to be the most suitable for conducting this research. The author notes that Petkovšek’s and Lipovec’s views on most topics are quite similar. Both notice the less-than-ideal cooperation between pre-war and post-war immigrants and the gradually better relations. Nevertheless, they describe the conflict less radically than it appears from some literature. Immediately upon arrival, post-war refugees also settled in Slovenian neighborhoods, first receiving help from their compatriots in finding jobs, and then helping each other in the same way. The union of the two groups of Slovenians first took place within the parishes and eventually also other organizations. Both interviewees assess that the arrival of refugees after World War II meant the revival of the community, and both equally share the opinion of how important Slovenia’s independence was for self-confidence and reconciliation in the community. The Slovenian ethnic community has changed a lot over time, one of the biggest changes being the migration away from traditional neighborhoods to the city’s suburbs in the 1960s and 1970s, causing a rapid loss of the Slovenian language. Although the interviewees expect the community’s decline in the future, they still believe it will survive. Petkovšek attributes greater importance for the community to polka music, while Lipovec to language. Petkovšek predicts the brightest future for the organization Slovenska Pristava, while Lipovec for Slovenska Pristava and SNPJ Farm. If their predictions come true, the Slovenian community will continue to exist, albeit in a slightly modified form.