History
ALA's complete history has been documented in two books, obtainable from ALA. The first book, "ALA 35, 1951-1986" was written by former ALA members Bruno Albats (former ALA General Secretary) and Visvaldis V. Klive (former President of the ALA) and was published in 1986. An updated history, entitled "ALA 1986-2000' was published in the 2000 and written by Anita Terauda (former ALA General Secretary) and Irene Karule.
The books provide an overview of the ALA and they address the founding of the ALA. As documented through the personal experiences of the authors the initiator of the concept of a unified voice for the Latvian American community was the Latvian ambassador to the USA, Julijis Feldmanis. On April 15, 1950, 79 representatives from the major Latvian centers, such as, New York, Chicago, Boston, Philadelphia, Washington, Detroit, etc. met to address the initiative. The representatives decided: 1) to found a national Latvian organization; 2) to define the organization's overall goals; and 3) to develop the organization's basic structure. The representatives established an organizing committee to work out the organization's statutes and to call for a congress of delegates to formally found ALA.
Following the meeting in April 1950, Ambassador Feldmanis continued to work with the representatives of the major Latvian centers to create a unified Latvian organization. Numerous meetings were held in the various communities (most importantly, May 24, 1950 in Philadelphia and August 5, 1950 in New York) to gain local support and to work out the founding statutes. Mr. Feldmanis reiterated many times "that the main goal of the association will be the fight for Latvia's freedom."
115 delegates participated at the founding congress. They represented local Latvian organizations and churches in the USA with 11,260 members. Julijis Feldmanis was elected to lead the congress. On his recommendation that the statutes be accepted without change the delegates agreed and ALA was founded.
Read more about this topic: American Latvian Association
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