John Pankuch, an ethnic journalist and early leader of Cleveland's Slovak community, was perhaps more responsible than any other person for successful completion of the task to build a monument to Milan R. Stefanik in Cleveland. Here, Pankuch (third from left) is shown with other members of the Cleveland Slovak community laying wreaths at the Stefanik statue on May 5, 1935. Just one year earlier--in 1934, Pankuch had finally prevailed in his efforts to thwart the proposal of the Slovak Civic League to move the statue to the new Slovak cultural garden in Rockefeller Park.
