On Sunday, June 29, 2025, I was a featured speaker at the Pittsburgh-based Heinz History Center’s all-day Czech and Slovak Genealogy Workshop. (The Heinz History Center is an affiliate of the Smithsonian Institution.)
Although Carpatho-Rusyns weren’t named in the title of the program, between my talk and the Carpatho-Rusyn Society’s on-site information table (and occasional mention of Carpatho-Rusyns by the other speakers, Michal Razus and Jim Hudec, especially Mr. Razus), we provided more than a token amount of Carpatho-Rusyn-specific content for the numerous attended of our heritage. Attendees could register to attend in person at the Heinz Center in Pittsburgh’s Strip District, or follow the presentations live via Zoom. And the whole set of presentations and Q&A sessions was available to all registrants on-demand online for two weeks following the event.
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| Pictured below: attendees at the workshop, Rich Custer's presentation, as well as Mary Huzinec and Alexandra Plummer, who generously ran a Carpatho-Rusyn Society booth at the event along with Christina Duranko. (Alexandra Plummer / Carpatho-Rusyn Society) |
My talk, “Carpatho-Rusyns in Western Pennsylvania: Identity Questions, Genealogy Research Challenges, and How to Overcome Them,” lasted about an hour with two follow-on Q&A sessions I was part of. I also provided an 8-page handout for the registrants to follow the presentation and numerous resources and further reading for their research.
For those who weren't able to participate, I'd like to share some excerpts from my talk.