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On September 23,1937, President Franklin Roosevelt signed a
proclamation that made Hynek Dostal Czechoslovakian consul
in St. Louis. Unfortunately, the political situation in Europe was worsening. Adolph
Hitler was still bitter about the loss of German lands
following World War I. "Czechoslovakia shall be wiped off
the map!" Hitler thundered. The first sentence of
his directive, Case Green, was, "It is my unalterable
decision to smash Czechoslovakia by military action in the
near future." Hitler had been deeply humiliated by the
Czechs and the support that was given to them by London and
Paris. "The execution of 'Green' must be assured by October
1, 1938, at the latest," he told his commanders. On
September 28, 1937, Hitler invited the heads of the
governments in Great Brittan, France and Italy to meet in
Munich to settle the Czech question. No invitation was sent
to Prague.Jan Masaryk, the Czech minister, and son of Thomas Masaryk was horrified at the actions of the allies. His eventual response to the Prime Minister and Foreign Secretary of Great Brittan was, "If you have sacrificed my nation to preserve the peace of the world, I will be the first to applaud you. But if not, gentlemen, God help your souls!" Hitler knew England and France would go to any lengths to avoid war. "Our enemies are little worms," he later told his generals. "I saw them at Munich." 
The tide was turning against the new country of Czechoslovakia.
Life magazine's June 27, 1938, edition included a section on
the twentieth anniversary of creation of Czechoslovakia.
The magazine reported dissatisfaction among the Slovakians
because the terms of the Pittsburgh agreement were not met
twenty years after the document was signed. A giant copy of
the agreement was paraded in public. Hynek Dostal's
signature can be seen on the document just below and to the
right of Thomas Masaryk's.On September 30, 1938, Hitler, Chamberlain, Mussolini, and Daladier affixed their signatures to the Munich Agreement granting the German Army permission to march into Czechoslovakia on October 1, 1938, and occupy the Sudetenland. Under the terms of the agreement, Czechoslovakia was forced to give up 11,000 square miles of territory including 66 percent of its coal, 86 percent of its chemicals, and 70 percent of its iron, steel and electric power, as well as some of Europe's strongest defense fortifications. Czechoslovakia was a broken country. Hitler was not satisfied, though. After returning from Munich, he spoke of Chamberlain, "That fellow has spoiled my entry into Prague!," he exclaimed. He set forth plans for a total solution to the Czech problem. 
After a lifetime of work, Dr. Dostal watched a free and
independent Czechoslovakia, which he helped create, once
again slip into the hands of oppression. A 1938 St. Louis
Post-Dispatch article shows Hynek Dostal lecturing against
Hitler to a crowd of supporters following the Munich
agreement. But his efforts were in vain. The
freedom that took 1000 years to obtain, was gone in 20.
Hynek Dostal's health was failing as well. Diabetes forced
the amputation of one of his legs.On September 30, 1938, as a result of the Munich decision, the Nazis began dismantling Czechoslovakia. An estimated 20,000 people fled from Nazi persecution. On March 15, 1939, the Germans marched into Prague and established a protectorate over Bohemia and Moravia. Slovakia became an independent puppet state. On September 1, 1939, World War II broke out in Europe. Atrocities were taking place in Hynek Dostal's home country, and he was unable to do anything to stop them. The town of Lidice, Czechoslovakia, was leveled in retaliation for the assassination of Reinhard Heydrich, who was deputy reich protector of Bohemia and Moravia. 172 men and boys over the age of 16 were shot and the women were deported to a concentration camp. 
In the midst of the turmoil in his homeland of
Czechoslovakia, Hynek Dostal died. He died on June 28, 1943,
at St. Anthony's hospital after a long illness. He was 72.
His death certificate lists diabetes and arteriosclerosis
as factors in his death. His funeral was attended by about 60
priests from different parts of the nation as well as
representatives of the Czechoslovakian government. Dr.
Dostal was laid to rest on July 1, 1943, at the Old S.S.
Peter and Paul cemetery in St. Louis. He was buried with
his first wife, Anna, and sister Emanualu.Katolicy Delnik printed the following tribute to Hynek Dostal. "He will long be remembered for his wonderful lectures. Years ago, when he was in his prime, there was no occasion without a talk by the editor. People listened avidly to his speeches and he always had something worthwhile to say. He was cultured and scholarly and commanded the respect of the clergy no matter where he went. It was a delight to hear him quote from Latin and Greek sources, both sacred and profane. He lectured in Czech, Slovak, Polish and Russian languages. He was an honor to his God, to the Catholic church, and to the land of his birth and to the land of his adoption." 
Many lengthy obituaries were written about Hynek Dostal, including those
in The St. Louis Star Times, The St. Louis Globe Democrat,
and of course, "HLAS." Hynek Dostal edited "HLAS" for 42 years. When he died, the job
was passed to his son Mojimer. During the period while the
Dostals ran the paper, it collected over $1,500,000 for
charities, including the Hessoun Orphanage. "HLAS" eventually
succumbed to a decline in Czech readers in the area. It
ceased publication on April 14, 1950. The HLAS print shop
building was placed on the historical register, but after a
fire during the 1980s, it was torn down.
Hynek's brother Rev. Vaclav Dostal officiated at the
funeral before returning home to his parish in Ft. Atkinson,
Iowa, located five miles from Spillville. Father Vaclav Dostal once hosted Vice-President Henry A.
Wallace, who spoke at the annual fall picnic and bazaar held
by St. John's Catholic Church in Ft. Atkinson. Before an
important trip to Russia later, Wallace wrote Father Dostal
recalling the visit. Both Wallace and Father Dostal liked
gladiolus and discussing agriculture.Father Dostal became seriously and on June 3, 1944, less than a year after his brother's death, he too died. Some of his last thoughts were of his fellow countrymen back home. He was quoted as saying "Don't worry about me. Think of the thousands of fine young men in the prime of life who are giving their all on the battlefields of the world today. They should have their lives ahead of them." A few days later, he died. The D-day invasion began three days later, and the allies stormed the beaches of France to begin liberating Europe. On June 8, 1944, the Decorah Journal printed his obituary on the front page. Father Dostal served as pastor in Ft. Atkinson from October 1, 1930, until his death. He is buried in St. John's cemetery just outside of Ft. Atkinson. At the time of his death, only five members of the original generation of Dostal immigrants that came to America were still alive. Methodius lived in New Hampton, Iowa; Sister Ignatius in Breese, Illinois; Miss Viola Dostal in Dubuque, Iowa; Miss Josephine Dostal in Lawler, Iowa and Mrs. Ludmila Novak in Spillville, Iowa. Another nun, also called Sister Ignatius, never came to America.  I never knew any of original Dostal clan. But theirs is a story like many other immigrant families that came to America. They brought little material wealth to this new land, but they persevered with hope, determination and faith. |