The of the exhibition of “A Blessing to One Another: Pope John Paul II & the Jewish People” in my hometown of Rapid City, SD was one of the most impactful events of my life. I hope that you enjoy the story.

Enjoy!

Stan

In 2006 Lynda and I were in New York for a function at the New York Stock Exchange and staying at a hotel near Wall Street. As Lynda looked out the window she asked me, “Have you been to the Museum of Jewish Heritage?” I replied that I had not and that I had just never been in the neighborhood. We decided that we would take a look as soon as we had a moment. At the museum we saw an exhibit about, now, Saint John Paul II that had been prepared by Xavier University. The exhibit was called A Blessing to One Another: Pope John Paul II & the Jewish People and included Saint John Paul II’s writings concerning the relationship between the Jewish people and those of Roman Catholic faith where he said that, “We are a blessing to one another.”

I’m excited to share this story about someone from a small state making a big difference.

Enjoy,

Stan

On November 16, 1989 university students demonstrated in the streets of Prague to protest the communist government. One of the demonstration’s leaders was Jan Bubeník, a young college student who would later become my friend. On that November day and over the many months that followed, Jan continually confronted the oppressive government of his county. What began as a demonstration of university students with about 60,000 people climaxed with 500,000 people standing face-to-face with equally young Soviet soldiers in the heart of their city. These young people faced each other and without bloodshed or violence or war, communism ended in that courageous country.

There are many stories that didn’t make it into the final edit of of the book that I would like to share with you. I look forward to sharing those stories with you in my own words through this blog. I hope that you enjoy them!

Warmest wishes,

Stan

In 1981, the opportunity arose for me to meet Alfred Rubin of Naperville, IL—but who had an interesting connection to South Dakota—while in Washington working on the creation of a new organization called JINSA (Jewish Institute for National Security Affairs). After reading my nametag Al asked, “Have you ever met Merton Glover?” I replied, “Sure have, he is the Republican Party County Chairman for Fall River County, one of the counties in my county district chairmanship.” Al responded, “He is quite a special person, be sure to give him my best regards the next time you see him.”