The picture of Steve that appears on this page was his passport photo. It also appeared on his Green Card. It was taken in Czechoslovakia in 1930 just before he came to America to join his father, who had come to Iowa in 1914. The passport is a beautiful document. It is written in both Czech and French, which at the time was the international language. His name appears as Štefan (the mark above the S is a "hatchek" used in the Czech and Slovak alphabet) and is pronounced Shtef-on. The passport describes Štefan as a workman (robotnik in Czech - the word robot is one of the few Czech words to make it into the English language). The passport goes on to describe Štefan as having a round face, ash-grey eyes and brown hair. It notes that he will be traveling to the United States through Germany. Near the back of the passport there is a stamp dated June 2,1930 from the American Vice Consul in Prague. His Green Card notes that he arrived at the port of New York on June 15,1930 on the steamship Berlin. His first sight of America was the New York City skyline and the Statue of Liberty.
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