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nAn Unusual Woman —— . r .Ars. Tropin and the FugitivesBy WARD CANXELNEW YORK—CNEA) — Accord-ing to the dossier, the small, red-cheeked man blinking in the early morning sun was Janus Pavelka (Czech, truck driver, age 39, married, two duldrec). Tentatively he began to descend the steps from, the giant transport plane toward the snowy U.S. soil of Idlewild Airport and the outstretched hand of Ruth Tropin.For almost all of the 800,000 refugees from European tyranny brought into this country under official XL S. auspices since the end ef World War U, Airs. Tropin has been the lady with the lamp. It is a by-product of ksr job 25 New York officer in charge of the Intergovernmental Commirfee for European Migration that she can extend a welcome in almost every language spoken in this countrytoday.“Good day.” Pavelka said. 'T speak a little English- I was in the RAF for part of the war.”While the great crush of European migration is over, and most of those leaving nowadays go either to Australia or Latin America. Mrs. Tropin still meets about 400 refugees here each month, people who still manage to escape the grinding cruelty of their homelands.**I fried to get out of Czechoslovakia in 2S4S,” Pavelka said. “Eleven of «s were going to commandeer a plane. Rat somebody told. I was sentenced to work in the uranium mines for five years.”Until the war broke out in 1911. Airs. Tropin was working with toe' Emergency Rescue Committee. When it could no longer operate, she went to work in the War Shin-RUTH TRGPIX meets some of the 800,000.■nping Administration. And as soon as peace was proclaimed, she signed on with the XL N_ Relief and Rehabilitation Agencv. andcj ■* •on its dissolution with the International Refugee Organization. In 1548 she was sent to New York to greet the first ship of refugees, the General Black.“I don’t know haw I survived work in those mines,” Pavelka said. “But in 19531 was released and began again to plot an escape.”Ten years ago. when ICEM took the place of ERO. Airs. Tropin was at work in New York greeting and processing refugees. On moderately busy days, she had fhe plane anirals in NewYork. another five is New Jersey and \erv likely a shipload as well.“Nothing seemed to work, Pavelka said. “It looked as IJuragh I could never get out-Tben suddenly, two years ago I hit on a plan. I sent ray brother-in-law. who was 13, to hang around the airfield in our section of Bohemia to pose as being tremendously interested in flying.”’If Airs. Tropin has missed meeting a few of the refugees, it has been for good reason. On ihe day that she gave birth to her first chad, she was scheduled to meet two plan®. On the ride to the hospital, she briefed her husband cm what had to be done at the airfield. While she was taken to the maternity ward, he went to greet the refugee planes.“Actually.” Pavelka said, “the bey was getting to know the airfield guards and learning about what their routines were. Then, last autumn, we got onr break. There was to be a big fair and all Ihe guards were '-going. leaving only the local police to watch over the field and the planes.”Actually, Mrs Tropin's work only begms at the airfield. Much of her time is taken with liaison, work among church andchic refugee organizations, checking on sponsors for migrants, conferring with U.N. refugee officials, and making sure that the refugees tbemseh es move easily to their new homes. It is not unusual for Mrs. Trooin to bea*awakened at 3 a m. by the policewho have found an ICEM refugee lost and unable to remember the name of his hotel or sponsoring agency.“As soon as the guards were gone-” Pavelka said. *T took my wife, two children and brother-in-law to the airfield and put them in a smgie-cn-gine. two-seat plane, started the engine and taxied down the runway, waving happily to the police who had no idea of what was going on.”In the course of the years, Mrs. Tropin says, a few refugees have turned out to be trouble-makers. But she can count, she says, dis-iiiuSfonmer.Ls like them on thefingers of one band. The hundreds with whom she corresponds are without exception wonderful people.“I had not coon ted on cloudy weather,” Pavelka said. “Butit was not mine to choose th*
Newspaper Details
Wisconsin Rapids Daily Tribune
Wisconsin Rapids, Wisconsin, US
Mon, Feb 11, 1963
Page 11
Full Page
Clipped by
Yannah P.
USA 19 Nov 2022
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Wisconsin Rapids Daily Tribune
