Anna M. Sotak (ca. 1839-1976) was active in the Cleveland business community and Slovak fraternal organizations in excess of fifty years. She and her husband, Joseph Sotak, served as officers of Tatra Savings and Loan, a local institution established in 1914, which was instrumental in assisting area Slovaks in acquiring real estate. The family continued its management of the business after it became State Savings and Loan in 1946.
Mrs. Sotak served as an officer of the Ladies' Pennsylvania Slovak Catholic Union for over forty years. She served as president for approximately twenty of those years. Mrs. Sotak frequently contributed articles to the publication of the organization, the 'Zornicka' (Morning Star). She was also an active member in the Slovak Ladies' Union, the National Order of Fraternal Organizations and the Slovak League of America.
Mrs. Sotak was a leader in the Slovak community of Cleveland, bringing issues to the attention of the neighborhoods by speaking frequently on the Slovak Hour on radio station WERE. She received a special citation from Pope Paul in 1963 for her service to the church and was a guest of the late President Lyndon B. Johnson at the White House in 1964.
Sons of Anna and Joseph Sotak, both residing in Cleveland, are Joseph E. Jr. and Thomas J. Sotak.
The Anna M. Sotak Papers, 1936-1973 and undated, consist primarily of correspondence, speeches and financial records relating to SLovak fraternal organizations and activities and to Sotak family business and personal transactions.
The materials in this collection relate to a variety of subjects involving Slovak fraternal activities in Cleveland, Ohio, and Pennsylvania, the Slovak Roman Catholic Church, business in the immigrant neighborhood and the role of women in the ethnic and business community in the twentieth century.
The collection is arranged in three series. Each series is arranged by document type and then chronologically.
The researcher should also consult PG 208 Anna M. Sotak Photographs.
Processed by Marilyn J. Maxwell in 1979.
None.
[Container ___, Folder ___ ] MS 3813 Anna M. Stoak Papers, Western Reserve Historical Society, Cleveland, Ohio
Gift of Mr. Thomas J. Sotak in 1977.
The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the library's online public access catalog.