By BEV DARR
Of the Courier-Post

Descendants of the more than 3,000 people who immigrated to the United States 100 years ago to work at the cement plant four miles south of Hannibal will be honored today, when flags representing seven of their homelands will be raised at the 2 p.m. dedication ceremonies for the new Ilasco Immigrants Monument.

The American flag already flies at the Ilasco memorial that marks the spot on Missouri 79 where the village of Ilasco was located. It will fly in the Avenue of Flags at new Ilasco Immigrants Monument.

The flag raising will be conducted by descendants of people who immigrated from each of the countries, along with representatives of the sponsoring businesses.

Representatives will be Slovakia - John Tretiak; Italy - Mike Zerbonia; Romania - Patty Viorel Cull; Hungary - Charles Nemes; Poland - John Wojick; Ukraine - Dolores Oslica Treat; and Croatia - Laz Pavlovic.

The seven new flagpoles are sponsored by Hannibal National Bank, Golden Eagle Distributing Co., Ralls County Mutual Insurance Co., James O'Donnell Funeral Home, Ralls County State Bank, Mark Twain Dinette, and Farmers and Merchants Bank of Hannibal.

Sally Polc, a member of the monument committee, believes the flags will be noticed by everyone traveling along Missouri 79. "When you come down the highway and see these eight flags flying, it is really going to be eye-catching," she said.

"We all have to be grateful that our ancestors had the courage to come to the United States. They all had to undergo the same hardships at one time or another. It doesn't matter when you came or where you came from, we are all very grateful our ancestors had that courage."

Polc added that, "after Sept. 11 people realized we are very fortunate to live here. People are more patriotic."

The public is invited to attend the dedication today and hear the featured speaker, Lee Viorel, a descendant of Romanian and Italian immigrant families, who will share his family history and the struggles many families experienced in their new homeland.

Also participating will be the Rev. Gerald Kovac of St. Lucas Lutheran Church in St. Louis, whose father was pastor of Dr. Martin Luther Evangelical Lutheran Church in Ilasco. This church continued to have services in Slovak until it was demolished in 1971. Rev. Kovac will lead the Lord's Prayer in both English and Slovak. The monument includes a bell tower to display the original bell from the Slovak Lutheran church.

The monument has four plaques, and the main plaque has "God Bless America" engraved in large letters. It also states: "Monument to the immigrants. Dedicated to the courageous men and women who left their homelands, seeking freedom and opportunity for better lives in a new country. Let freedom ring. The bell from the llasco-Slovak Lutheran Church is a symbol to recognize all immigrants who came to Ilasco and Ralls County, Mo."

Ilasco was company town

Ilasco was settled quickly in 1903, after Atlas Portland Cement was built and recruited large numbers of workers from eastern and southern Europe to supplement the local work force.

Romanians were the largest group in early 1900s and then they left, many during the Depression, and in World War II, and Slovaks and Italians became the more dominant groups in the area.

Ilasco was named for the ingredients used to make cement: i - iron; l - limestone; a - alumina; s - silica; c - calcium; and o - oxygen.

The town was thriving in 1910. The people worked long hours, often at extremely dangerous jobs in the early years. They earned approximately 11 cents an hour. When they arrived they did not speak the language. They lived in company housing and had to rely on the honesty of their fellow men to live in their new environment.

They joined the local community and were proud to be Americans. They understood the importance of a good education for their children and wanted them to be able to achieve the American dream. Their descendants are proud to recognize them.

The cement plant employed 2,500 people in the early years. It produced the cement for the Panama Canal, Empire State Building, locks and dams on the Mississippi River and the overall growth of the United States.

The company town was dissolved in 1963, after cement production no longer required a large number of employees.

The Ilasco Area Historical Preservation Society was organized to preserve the history of the town of Ilasco and honor the memory of the people who lived there.

Members of the monument committee in addition to Sally Polc are David Polc, Anita Altheide, Mary Rita Brothers, John Tretiak, Paul Tretiak, Bill Northcutt and Wayne Tatman.

The society has a 501C3 designation with the Internal Revenue Service, allowing contributions to be tax deductible. To contact the society, write to 62744 Brown Estates, Hannibal, Mo. 63401, call (573) 248-1216 or e-mail polc@socket.net.

Funding is needed for maintenance of the monument site and future improvements to the area, Sally Polc said. "People have been generous. The generosity of the community in doing this has been astounding, as well as the volunteer hours. Our construction supervisor, Wayne Tatman, has contributed untold hours. As funds become available, we will continue to make improvements in the area," such as the old jail house, which is located nearby. "We will continue with trying to preserve the heritage."