Saturday, September 25, 2004
BY MARGARET NERY
VINDICATOR STAFF WRITER
YOUNGSTOWN -- The stirring sound of "La Marseillaise" and the sight of the tri-color red, white and blue flag fluttering in the breeze can bring tears to the eyes of older Frenchmen and women and make even third generations of French swell with pride.
To perpetuate those feelings, Le Cercle Fran & ccedil;ais was organized to promote and preserve French culture, heritage and language in the Mahoning Valley and surrounding areas.
The nonprofit organization was founded in 1984 through the efforts of two French wives of U.S. Army veterans and in cooperation with Paul Dalbec, a member of the Alliance Franco-Am & eacute;ricane du Midwest and the current secretary of Le Cercle Fran & ccedil;ais.
The founders encouraged all people of French descent or anyone interested in the language and culture of France to attend a meeting that took place July 18 that year at the Brown Derby on South Avenue.
From that humble beginning the group has continued to provide social and recreational activities for all those who share an interest in French heritage.
The newly formed club began a series of monthly meetings, and among the activities in its second year was a celebration of Bastille Day, which was declared a national holiday July 6, 1980.
End marks beginning
Dalbec says that Bastille Day commemorates the storming and fall of the Bastille prison in Paris, where King Louis XVI imprisoned anyone opposed to his aristocratic and corrupt government. It was the peasant class that rebelled against tithing and feudal rule that led the uprising and brought an end to the monarchy.
George Gauthier, the club's president and professor emeritus of French at Hiram College, says the club celebrates that event each year at a Bastille Day picnic. He smiles as he adds, "America has the Fourth of July, and the French have Bastille Day."
Gauthier says, "Presently there are around 60 members in the organization." He is quick to note visitors are welcome at all meetings and club activities, and adds, "No one will feel out of place as English is spoken at our meetings, which generally feature literary talks or slide presentations."
He has taken Hiram students on tours of France, where they were exposed to the monuments, culture, museums, renaissance castles and a variety of significant historical things "that are all part of France, a country smaller than the state of Texas."
Gauthier says a renewed interest in French culture has been generated through the club's scholarship contest. It is open to students at Youngstown State University who are studying French and will use the language to further future careers.
Funds for the two scholarships that have been awarded annually since 1986 are raised through a bake sale conducted by the organization each June. The men credit two club members, Francine Kollay and Bernice Killa, who were born in France, with the success of the sales "since they concoct many of the French pastries sold at the event."
Possesses a passion
Dalbec, a professor emeritus of physics at YSU, is passionate about preserving the heritage of French culture. It is this passion that has led him to cooperate with other members of the club who operate a booth at the Canfield Fair. There he helps distribute literature relating to France and helps to arrange a display of items associated with the people of that country.
To educate the public about France, Dalbec says the group often shows French movies with subtitles at area libraries.
However, since it is a social organization the club continues to sponsor activities that bring club members and their friends together each year. Among the popular events is a Mardi Gras celebration that is held in February. Dalbec notes, "This year Joe Cherney and Irene Fillers were selected as King and Queen for 2004."
Gauthier says the group also holds a wine-tasting event in October, a series of concerts, family picnics, a Christmas party and, of course, the Bastille Day picnic, which was held this year at the home of Jim and Robalee Dinopoulos in Poland.
Worth preserving
However Le Cercle Fran & ccedil;ais is mainly dedicated to promoting community enrichment by exposing residents to the culture and traditions that are grounded in and part of the history of France.
Both Dalbec and Gauthier, who were born in the New England States "where there is a heavy contingent of French" feel strongly that the old French traditions and customs are worth preserving.
They say that visits to France have only increased their interest in the history, the architecture and the people of that country.
nery@vindy.com