PhDr. Jiří Novák

"I completed the full course, though I was called to the Department chair after the first semester and they said again: 'We must expel you...' I had passed a chamber exam and would take notes of the regular semester lectures for Professor Vladimír Kadlec. When he found out, he said: 'No way. He is not going anywhere, he will stay here and study. Who else would take shorthand notes for me?' Shorthand saved me, I completed my studies and, strangely enough, graduated. Then I found out a few days after graduation that I wasn't actually supposed to graduate. The head of the Department had been told that I was not allowed to graduate; I could only complete my studies, but he made it look like he received the letter too late or something. So, strangely enough, I graduated against all odds. It was terrible, you know. It was different from the war mindset. Just different. It wasn't the threat of getting killed by a bomb or having something dropped on your head, but it was a sense of no future. You get written off - do what you can, but whatever you do, it mustn't interfere with anything or prevail over anyone, and so on."

"I was kicked out from the high school in August 1944. Most of us were, and I was taken to the Luftschutzpolizei, as it was called. That was a German organization subordinated to the German police. After three weeks of basic military training, without weapons of course, our task was to go around the bombed out places and help the people in those ruins. That was a terrible time."

"I was in the first class for a few days, and since we hadn't had a chance to do anything with the boys until then, we agreed to go to Eden in the afternoon. It was close and there was an opportunity to set up a pitch and play football there. Suddenly my mum came in and said, 'You're not going anywhere. Dress nicely, Mr President is coming.' I wasn't too happy about it, of course, but I was polite, so I did. Mr. President did come, though he wasn't coming solely to us. He was on his way to the Čapeks, but because he was passing by he stopped. He was in the lower room where grandfather's guest room was, and then they were in the garden. When the President addressed me, when he paid attention to me, he said, 'Boy, study.' I was very excited about that because none of my parents, not even my father who was a teacher, ever told me that. But when the President told me, I took it as something valid. Moreover, I noticed that the President's right hand was immobile and he did everything with his left hand. I think he even stroked my head with his left hand. And so, because Mr. President said to me, 'Boy, study,' I did study to comply."