Profesor Alojzij Geržinič

Abstract

Alojzij Geržinič (1915-2008) was a schoolteacher, professional in culture, publicist, musician and chess player. The first part of the paper outlines his youth, his education and his principled Catholic philosophical outlook. The second part, which covers World War II and the time immediately after it, outlines his career. As an opponent of the Liberation Front, he then, at the request of the Home Guard leadership in Primorska, began to engage in the restoration of the Slovenian schools that had been suppressed by fascism. Upon the arrival of the Yugoslav Army in Trieste, he moved to refugee camps in Italy. At the invitation of dr. Srečko Baraga, he returned to Trieste and took part in the restoration of the Slovenian school system. Despite the opposition of Italians and that part of Slovenians who did not accept the Allied administration and anti-Communist teachers (refugees), the restoration effort succeeded in Trieste and also in the Gorizia region. However, Geržinič soon had to leave Trieste because of his Home Guard past and the dangerous circumstances. He emigrated to Argentina. The third part of the paper focuses on his life in Argentina, where he soon found a suitable employment and started a family. He actively participated in organisations and contributed to bulletins founded by the local Slovenian post-war emigration. Alongside, he extensively indulged in musical composition.