Guide to the Papers of the Getting Family, 1908-1991
Arrangement
Repository
Heinz History Center
Title
Papers of the Getting Family
Creator
Getting family.
Collection Number
MSS#186
Extent
9.0 cubic feet(16 boxes)
Date
1908-1991
Abstract
The Getting family was a Slovak family
who worked to preserve Czech and Slovak culture in the United States and to promote the
notion of a Czechoslovak state both here and abroad. The papers include correspondence,
financial materials, newspaper clippings, journal articles, reports, and other sundry items.
Language
The material in this collection is
in English.
Author
This guide to the collection was originally prepared by Susan J. Illis on August 15,
1995. Translation assistance was provided by Jan Getting. Revisions occurred to the
finding aid as a part of the encoding process in Spring 2000.
Sponsor
This finding aid has been encoded as a part of the Historic Pittsburgh project a
joint effort of the University of Pittsburgh and the Historical Society of Western
Pennsylvania. Funding for this portion of the project has been donated by the Hillman
Foundation.
The Getting family was a Slovak family who worked to preserve Czech and Slovak culture in
the United States and to promote the notion of a Czechoslovak state both here and abroad.
Milan Alexander Getting was instrumental in the founding of several Slovak Sokol lodges in
Western Pennsylvania, served as editor of the Slovensky Sokol, and was Czechoslovak consul
in Pittsburgh from 1924 until 1933. His eldest son, Milan Peter Getting, was a longtime
member of the Czechoslovak Nationality Room Committee and was a well-known member of the
Czech and Slovak communities in Pittsburgh.
Milan Alexander Getting was born in Velka Bytca, Slovakia, then part of the
Austro-Hungarian Empire, on September 9, 1878. Although he was an excellent student and
received a scholarship from the state-supported Freunds Institution, Getting was apprenticed
as a machinist so that he could contribute to the family income. He became an expert on the
newly invented Westinghouse air brake, but feared that he would not be able to advance his
career because he refused to change his name to make it sound more Hungarian. Already
acquainted with the concept of Slovak nationalism, he emigrated from Slovakia to the United
States in December 1902. After staying with a cousin in New York City for a time, Getting
continued on to Pittsburgh where his four sisters lived. His first job was at American
Locomotive Works in Allegheny City (now Pittsburgh's North Side). The closest Sokol Lodge
was inconveniently located across the Ohio River in McKees Rocks, so Getting started a new
Sokol Lodge on the North Side. As additional Sokols were started throughout the country,
Getting perceived a communication problem among these groups and suggested that a weekly
newspaper be started. His suggestion was adopted at the 1904 National Convention, and
Getting published the first issue of the Slovensky Sokol in Pittsburgh on
July 15, 1905. He remained the editor until July 1919.
Getting's remuneration as editor was not sufficient to support him fully. He continued to
work in industrial positions until an accident in 1907 resulted in the loss of one of his
eyes. During his recovery period, on July 26, 1907, he married Hermina Almasy, a resident of
New Jersey whom he had met during one of the national conventions. Hermina was born in 1890
in the village of Stiavnica, near Ruzomberok. The couple lived in Pittsburgh, where they had
three sons: Milan Alexander (1908-1990), Vlado A. (1910-), and Ivan Alexander (1912-).
Seeking a steady income to support his growing family, Getting was admitted to the
University of Pittsburgh Dental School, despite the fact that he had not fully mastered the
English language. However, his commitments to the Slovensky Sokol forced him
to drop out of the program when the newspaper's printing offices were moved to New York
City.
In New York, Getting founded both the New Yorksky Dennik, a national daily,
and the Slovenska Narodna Skola, the Slovak National School. Through the two newspapers,
Getting made Slovaks in the United States aware of the continued efforts assimilate Slovaks
into the Austro-Hungarian Empire. He continually posed questions to Count Karolyi, who was
in the U. S. to promote a proposed Austro-Hungarian Democratic Federation. Eventually,
Getting and Count Karolyi held a public debate in Carnegie Hall, attended by thousands of
Czechs and Slovaks. This debate strengthened Getting's conviction that the Czechs and
Slovaks must unite to avoid complete absorption into the Austro-Hungarian Empire, and the
related loss of their national identities. Getting popularized the new motto, "Away from the
Magyars (Hungarians)!" When in 1917 Milan Stefanik, the military head of the Tomas G.
Masaryk, Edvard Benes, and Stefanik triumvirate, set up his headquarters in New York,
Getting added duties as Stefanik's aide-de-camp to his editorial and Sokol responsiblities.
American Slovaks provided financial support for the liberation of Slovakia by
participating in the Million Dollar Fund, or Million Dollarova Sbierka. After an earlier
effort ended in the disappearance of funds, Getting recruited a group of Slovak priests to
spearhead the effort. The group was led by Father Joseph Murgas (1864-1929), who was a
founder of the Slovak Catholic Federation of America and was popularly known as the "radio
priest." American Slovaks donated small amounts, often as little as nickels and dimes, at
weddings, funerals, and other gatherings, and forwarded the money to Father Murgas. In spite
of the initial loss of money and the people's confidence, they were still able to raise
$600,000 that was sent to the fledgling Czechoslovak Republic.
During World War I, Getting helped organize the American Czechoslovak Legionnaires, a
group of American Czechs and Slovaks who went to Europe to fight to liberate Czech lands and
Slovakia from Austro-Hungarian domination. Getting was also involved in the Pittsburgh
Agreement, signed May 30, 1918. During a speaking tour of the United States, Tomas Garrigue
Masaryk stopped in Pittsburgh, where thousands of Czechs and Slovaks came to hear him speak
and held a rally in downtown Pittsburgh. Following the rally, Masaryk and representatives of
the Slovak League, the Czech National Alliance and the Federation of Czech Catholics met at
the Moose Hall (on Liberty Avenue in downtown Pittsburgh) and passed a resolution approving
a political union of Czech lands and Slovakia in a democratic republic, granting Slovakia
some political autonomy, and making Slovak the official language in schools, public offices,
and public affairs in Slovakia. Getting was one of the twenty-nine signatories of this pact,
the long-reaching effects of which are still a matter of some debate.
At the end of World War I, Masaryk, by then president of the Czechoslovak Republic, asked
Getting to go to Bratislava to assist Dr. Vavro Srobar, minister of Slovakia. Getting's
responsibilities included establishing a Slovak press bureau, instructing personnel in the
Slovak language and new laws, and the establishment of a counter-espionage agency. The
Gettings travelled to Czechoslovakia at their own expense and found a small apartment in
Bratislava, where food shortages were rampant. After a trying year, the Gettings returned to
the U.S. when Milan was offered a position with the Czechoslovak Press Bureau in Washington,
D. C. Getting's primary responsibility there was furnishing President Masaryk reports of
Czech and Slovak communities in the U. S. In Washington, the family also presented puppet
theater. Puppetry was considered to be a national art form and was used as a means of
expressing national solidarity. A puppet theater and puppets were ordered from
Czechoslovakia and all three Getting sons performed and provided technical support for the
performances.
When Albert Mamatey, Czechoslovak consul in Pittsburgh, died, Getting was offered that
post, which he accepted. Getting moved the consulate from downtown Pittsburgh to North Craig
Street, in Oakland, Pittsburgh's growing civic center. The consulate was located on the
first floor of 149 North Craig Street, with the family occupying apartments on the second
and third floors. In addition to his consular duties, Getting continued to contribute to
both the Slovensky Sokol and the New Yorksky Dennik. At this
time, Getting was also awarded the Order of the White Lion by the Czechoslovak Republic, the
highest civilian decoration, in recognition of his dedicated contribution toward the
establishment of the Czechoslovak Republic before, during and after the first World War.
Getting was active in the formation of the Czechoslovak Committee for establishing a
Czechoslovak nationality room in the University of Pittsburgh's Cathedral of Learning. In
1933, Getting resigned as consul due to poor health. He and Hermina retired to Masaryktown,
Florida, where Getting continued to write for the Czechoslovak newspapers. Getting died on
October 15, 1951 and was buried in Masaryktown. Hermina remarried in 1960 to John Hrvol. She
died in 1985.
Getting's three sons attended and graduated from Schenley High School. Vlado studied
pre-med at Johns Hopkins University, and earned his medical degree at Harvard University,
specializing in public health. For ten years, he was Public Health Commissioner of the State
of Massachusetts, then served on the faculty at the University of Michigan. While still in
high school, Ivan Getting was one of five students in the country to win a Thomas Edison
scholarship. He studied physics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and was
awarded a Rhodes Scholarship for his graduate studies at Oxford University in England. His
technological advances in the areas of cosmic rays, radiation and nuclear instrumentation
are widely recognized. From 1940 to 1945, Getting served as director of the Army Radar and
Radiation Laboratory at MIT. After the war, he remained at MIT as a faculty member. He later
served as Vice President, Engineering and Research, of the Raytheon Company and then the
first President of Aerospace Corporation.
The eldest son, Milan Peter Getting, graduated from Schenley High School in 1926 and
studied electrical engineering at the University of Pittsburgh. As an undergraduate, Milan
was active in the Pitt String Quartet, Cap and Gown musical comedy group, and was a founder
of the Kollar Club, an organization of students of Czech and Slovak descent. As the students
graduated, the Kollar Club was transformed into the Junior Czechoslovak Circle. As a member
of the Junior Czechoslovak Circle, Milan organized the annual Independence Day Dinner, held
in conjunction with the Czechoslovak Circle, celebrating the independence of Czechoslovakia.
These organizations formed the basis of the Czechoslovak Classroom Steering Committee.
Through these organizations, Milan became acquainted with many young adults of Czech and
Slovak descent, including Norma Cibula, a fellow Pitt student. Norma was the daughter of
John and Marie Cibula, both of whom had emigrated from Slovakia in the late nineteenth
century. John Cibula worked as a security guard at Allis-Chalmers, and the family resided on
the North Side. Norma studied history and math, earning her bachelor's degree in three and a
half years. Norma and Milan were married on December 27, 1933.
Milan began working for Allis-Chalmers Manufacturing Company as an apprentice on the
Electrical Test Floor. After graduating from Pitt in 1931, Getting was employed in the
Inspection Department. During World War II, he was Allis-Chalmers' representative with the
War Manpower Commission. He worked for Allis-Chalmers in various positions including
superintendent of the Test Department for electrical transformers, assistant to General
Manager of the Pittsburgh works, and head of research engineering until his retirement in
1972. He was also active in the American Institute of Electrical Engineers, Association of
Standards & Testing M., and the Instrument Society of America. Milan and Norma had
seven children: Zora (1935-1966), Milan (1936-2015), Marcia (1937-), Jan (1938-2007), Vlado
(1944-2020), Thomas Masaryk (1950-), and Frank Alvin (1951-). The Gettings lived at 1522
Pennock Road on the North Side until 1939, when they purchased a home in the northern suburb
of Bellevue (Allegheny County), at 38 South Euclid Avenue. Both Norma and Milan were active
in the Boy Scouts of America, Bellevue Presbyterian Church, and the North Boroughs Symphony
Orchestra, and Norma volunteered at Suburban General Hospital. Milan also was heavily
involved in the Spolecnost pro Vedu a Umeni pri Cx. N. R. A. (SVU), the Czechoslovak Society
of Arts and Sciences in America. The SVU is an academic, literary and artistic organization,
founded in 1960 to acquaint other nations with the contributions of Czechs and Slovaks in
these field, and to support Czech and Slovak scientists, scholars, writers, and artists. The
SVU held a world congress every other year, and Milan usually attended, generally
participating in the program and planning.
Both Gettings were very active in the Czechoslovak Nationality Room Committee, with Milan
serving as chair for many years. The Czechoslovak Nationality Room Committee oversaw the
maintenance and improvement of the room, annual commemorations of Tomas Masaryk's birth,
annual celebrations of Czechoslovak independence, the donation of books and manuscripts to
the Hillman Library of the University of Pittsburgh, an annual picnic, and other events.
Norma was also in the Women's International Club, while Milan served on the Nationality
Rooms Council. As they got older, Norma and Milan somewhat curtailed the level of their
involvement in the Czechoslovak Room Committee. However, when the Moose Hall in downtown
Pittsburgh, the site of the signing of the Pittsburgh Agreement, was threated with
demolition to make room for the construction of new office buildings, Milan became involved
in an effort to halt the demolition. Despite the historical significance of the building, it
was razed to make way for the CNG Tower. In recognition of the Pittsburgh Agreement, a
memorial plaque was placed in the lobby, and Milan was instrumental in the design and
dedication of the memorial in October 1989. Norma Getting died in 1987, and Milan died in
1990.
Scope and Content Notes
The papers include correspondence, financial materials, newspaper clippings, journal
articles, reports, and other sundry items documenting Milan Alexander Getting's career as
Czechoslovak press bureau chief and Czechoslovak consul in Pittsburgh, the origination and
maintenance of the Czechoslovak Classroom in the University of Pittsburgh's Cathedral of
Learning, and the Czech and Slovak communities in Pittsburgh from the 1920s to the late
twentieth century. A fair amount of the papers, particularly the papers of Milan Alexander
Getting, are written in either Czech or Slovak. The papers are a particularly rich resource
for documenting the preservation of Slovak culture by a few select individuals in the latter
part of the twentieth century.
Arrangement
Series have been designated for Getting Family Papers, Czechoslovak Nationality Classroom,
and Miscellaneous Materials.
The Getting Family Papers are housed in sixteen archival boxes and have been arranged in
three series.
Conditions Governing Access
This collection is open for research.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
These materials were received in several accessions and were combined into one body of
papers in 1995.
Acc# 1990.97 -- Gift of Thomas M. Getting and Marcia Getting Sutherland, (Getting Family
History).1990
Acc# 1990.114 -- Gift of Marcia Getting Sutherland, (Photographs).1990
Acc# 1991.16 -- Gift of Marcia Getting Sutherland, (Papers).1991
Acc# 1993.0278 -- Gift of Ivan Getting, (Books).1993
Acc# 1994.0035 -- Gift of Vlado Getting, (Photographs and books).1994
Preferred Citation
Papers of the Getting Family, 1908-1991, MSS#186, Historical Society of Western
Pennsylvania.
Processing Information
This collection was processed by Susan J. Illis on August 15, 1995.
Translation assistance was provided by Jan Getting.
Revision and rearrangement for the encoded version of the finding aid provided by Kimberly A. Tryka on April 21, 2000.
Conditions Governing Use
Property rights reside with the Historical Society of Western Pennsylvania. Literary rights
are retained by the creators of the records and their heirs. For permissions to reproduce or
publish, please contact the curator of the Archives.
Subjects
Corporate Names
Czech National Alliance.
Czechoslovak Society of Arts and Sciences in America, Inc. (SVU).
Nationality Room Council (University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh,
Pa.).
Federation of Czech Catholics.
Million Dollarova Sbierka.
Slovak League.
Sokol Times (Newspaper : United States)
University of Pittsburgh (Pittsburgh, Pa.).
Personal Names
Getting family.
Getting, Milan Alexander, -- 1878-1951.
Getting, Milan Peter, -- 1908-1990.
Getting, Norman Cibula, -- 1912-1987.
Mamatey, Albert.
Masaryk, Alice Garrigue, 1879-1966.
Masaryk, Jan.
Masaryk, Thomas Garrigue, -- 1850-1938.
Benes, Edward.
Mitchell, Ruth Crawford.
Murgas, Father Joseph (1864-1929).
Postrednik, Stanley.
Stefanik, Milan.
Sustar, J. Jaroslav (1908-1988).
Geographic Names
Czechoslovakia -- History -- 1918-1938
Masaryktown (Fl.) -- Social life and customs.
Other Subjects
Consular reports -- Czechoslovakia.
Consuls -- Pennsylvania -- Pittsburgh.
Czech Americans -- Pennsylvania -- Pittsburgh.
National liberation movements -- Czechoslovakia.
Puppet plays, Czech
Slovak Americans -- Pennsylvania -- Pittsburgh.
Universities and colleges -- Pennsylvania -- Pittsburgh.
Czechoslovakia -- Diplomatic and consular service -- United States.
Czechoslovakia -- Politics and Government -- 20th Century.
Ethnicity -- Pennsylvania -- Pittsburgh.
Nationalism, Slobak.
Newspapers.
Slovak-American Newspapers -- United States.
Czechoslovakia -- Pittsburgh Agreement, 1918.
Pittsburgh Agreement, 1918.
Container List
Scope and Contents
The bulk of the materials are contained in the first subseries. The Czechoslovak
Nationality Room materials provide nearly comprehensive documentation of the Nationality
Room's activities for the time period covered, particularly their annual commemorations
of Tomas Masaryk's birthday in March, their annual summer picnic, academic research they
encouraged and fostered, maintenance of the classroom, and the close relationships that
developed among individuals involved in the classroom. The correspondence is both
incoming and outgoing and includes acknowledgements of gifts, thank you notes to program
presenters, and letters concerning the planning of programs and events. Of particular
note is a 1953 letter from former first lady Eleanor Roosevelt to Norma Getting
expressing her regret that she was unable to visit the Czechoslovak Nationality Room
during a trip to Pittsburgh. Much of the correspondence is from Ruth Crawford Mitchell,
longtime director of the Nationality Rooms Program. There is also some correspondence
from Alice Garrigue Masaryk, daughter of Czechoslovak president Tomas G. Masaryk,
well-known in her own right for her social service activities in Czechoslovakia. The
correspondence also contains some references to financial transactions. The financial
materials primarily document the payment of dues by members of the committee, and
authorizations by officers to the University of Pittsburgh to pay various invoices.
The Masaryk papers include photocopies of Masaryk's papers that were purchased by the
Czechoslovak Nationality Room committee and presented to the University of Pittsburgh's
Hillman Library. Also included are appraisals, trade catalogs, correspondence, and other
materials pertaining to the acquisition of these papers. The programs are primarily for
events either held in the Czechoslovak Nationality Room or sponsored by the Czechoslovak
Nationality Room Committee, although there are programs for events held by other
nationality room groups. Of particular note are unpublished and published papers,
research notes, and copies of addresses prepared for presentation to the Czechoslovak
committee. These materials provide a good deal of insight into well-known Czechs and
Slovaks, primary among them Tomas Masaryk, as well as Czechoslovak politics and the
immigration experience.
Materials pertaining to related organizations include items from the Czechoslovak
Circle, Junior Czechoslovak Circle, Kollar Club, Masaryk Institute, Nationality Rooms
Council, and Women's International Club. These materials primarily include meeting
minutes, meeting notices, correspondence, programs and printed material. The types of
materials parallel those pertaining to the Czechoslovak Nationality Room Committee. Also
included are by-laws of the Czechoslovak Circle and bibliographies published by the
Masaryk Institute. These materials reveal the interrelatedness of the organizations and
the deep commitment of a few individuals to Czech and Slovak studies.
Arrangement
The Czechoslovak Nationality Room materials have been subdivided into two subseries.
Subseries have been designated for the Czechoslovak Classroom and Related Organizations.
These materials include meeting notices and minutes, correspondence, newsletters,
programs, printed materials, and other sundry items documenting the activities of the
Czechoslovak Nationality Room committee from the 1950s through the mid-1980s.
Containers
Box 10, Folder 2
Containers
Box 10, Folder 3
Containers
Box 10, Folder 4
Containers
Box 10, Folder 5
Containers
Box 10, Folder 6
Containers
Box 10, Folder 7
Containers
Box 10, Folder 8
Containers
Box 10, Folder 9
Containers
Box 10, Folder 10
Containers
Box 11, Folder 1
Containers
Box 11, Folder 2
Containers
Box 11, Folder 3
Containers
Box 11, Folder 4
Containers
Box 11, Folder 5
Containers
Box 11, Folder 6
Containers
Box 11, Folder 7
Containers
Box 11, Folder 8-9
Containers
Box 12, Folder 1
Containers
Box 12, Folder 2
Containers
Box 12, Folder 3
Containers
Box 12, Folder 4
Containers
Box 12, Folder 5
Containers
Box 12, Folder 6
Containers
Box 12, Folder 7
Containers
Box 12, Folder 8
Containers
Box 12, Folder 9
Containers
Box 12, Folder 10
Containers
Box 12, Folder 11
Containers
Box 13, Folder 1
Containers
Box 13, Folder 2
Containers
Box 13, Folder 3
Containers
Box 13, Folder 4
Containers
Box 13, Folder 5
Containers
Box 13, Folder 6
Containers
Box 13, Folder 7
Containers
Box 13, Folder 8
Containers
Box 13, Folder 9
Containers
Box 13, Folder 10
Containers
Box 13, Folder 11
Containers
Box 14, Folder 1
Containers
Box 14, Folder 2
Containers
Box 14, Folder 3
Containers
Box 14, Folder 4
Containers
Box 14, Folder 5
Containers
Box 14, Folder 6
Containers
Box 14, Folder 7
Containers
Box 14, Folder 8
Containers
Box 14, Folder 9
Scope and Contents
The miscellaneous materials, arranged alphabetically by folder title, primarily include
printed material and Sokol materials. These items are not directly attributable to any
particular individual or organization. Included are a memorial book from the funeral of
Dr. John Ildza, newspaper and magazine articles pertaining to Jan Masaryk, Masaryktown,
Florida, and Father Joseph Murgas, and unidentified song lyrics. The article about Jan
Masaryk include those written about his life and activities in London, as well as a
number of newspaper articles pertaining to his suspicious suicide, believed by many to
actually have been murder. Of special note are the ledgers kept by Father Joseph Murgas
for the Million Dollarova Sbierka. These ledgers record donations to the fund, and
include names of donors, dates, amount of donations, and specifics regarding the event
at which the donation was made. These ledgers are an invaluable source of information on
Slovak social activities from the close of the first World War through 1920. They also
clearly illustrate the devotion immigrants maintained for their nation of birth. Also of
particular note in the printed materials are a series of newsletters, News from
Czechoslovakia, providing information on conditions in Czechoslovakia after
the Nazi occupation and through World War II to Soviet hegemony. The printed materials
also include publications pertaining to Eastern European countries and the perpetuation
of Slavic culture in the U. S. The Sokol Times are issues of this
newspaper, previously the Slovensky Sokol, that have not been bound. Also
of particular interest is a 1938 broadside advertising an a rally at Duquesne Gardens
opposing Hitler's invasion of Czechoslovakia.