“In my life, I had two Mothers: Macedonia who gave me birth and America who adopted me.”
– Stoyan Christowe
To honor one of its most prominent citizens, Stoyan Christowe, the town of Dover, in southern Vermont, has erected a monument that will be unveiled on December 9, 2006.
This is the first time that a Macedonian-born person has been honored in such way in the United States of America.
Stoyan Christowe was an author and a statesman who served with distinction as a Member of the Vermont State House of Representatives and the Vermont State Senate. He also wrote six books and his autobiography, This Is My Country, was a personal favorite of President Franklin Delano Roosevelt.
Representatives of the Vermont National Guard who work closely with the Macedonian Army, will also attend and take part in the official unveiling of the memorial plaque in recognition of Macedonia’s contribution of troops to Iraq and Afghanistan and its alliance with the U.S. in the War against Terror. Also invited are representatives from the literary sphere in Macedonia and the Macedonian Diaspora in the U.S. and Canada.
As part of this celebration and commemoration, a complete set of Stoyan Christowe’s books will be donated to:
o The Vermont State Historical Society
o The Dover Historical Society
o The Macedonian Academy of Arts and Science
The unveiling of the monument will occur on December 9th, at 11:00 am at the Dover town hall. The ceremony will be followed by a commemorative luncheon at the Dover Inn in Dover.
The Stoyan Christowe project was initiated in 2005 by the Macedonian Arts Council, which is also producing a biographical film on Stoyan Christowe with the support of the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Macedonia. For further information you can contact the Macedonian Art Council at info@macedonianarts.org or visit their website at www.macedonianarts.org
STOYAN CHRISTOWE – From Immigrant to American
Born in Ottoman Macedonia in 1898, Stoyan Christowe immigrated to the United States in 1912. His story became the story of the American immigrant who honored himself, Macedonia and America through hard work, personal growth, accomplishment, and service to his new country. President Franklin Delano Roosevelt said that he always kept seven very special books on his desk. One of them was Stoyan Christowe’s autobiography, This is My Country.
After his arrival in America at the age of 13, young Stoyan worked at a number of jobs including laying tracks for the Great
Northern Railway in Montana. Stoyan taught himself English, studied journalism at Indiana University, and began a distinguished literary career that included working as a reporter for The Chicago SunTimes, writing six books and over twenty book reviews for The New York Times. He also performed service as an Intelligence Officer for the US Military during World War II.
In 1944 Mr. Christowe moved to Vermont where he began a new life of public service, first as member of the Vermont State House of Representatives, then as a member of the Vermont State Senate where he was often referred to as “an original.” In 1980, he returned to his homeland and was celebrated as a hero. He was bestowed an honorary Doctorate Degree from the Sts. Cyril and Methodius University and was made an honorary member of the Macedonian Academy of Arts and Science.
Mr. Christowe died in 1995 and is buried in Dover.