Louisiana State University Eunice history professor Dr. Tony Baltakis has been invited to speak about his experiences living in Plzen next week as part of a celebration of 20 years of educational exchange between the Czech Republic and the United States through the Fullbright Scholarship program.

Baltakis was selected as a Fullbright Scholar in 2006, teaching spring semester 2007 at the University of West Bohemia.

Baltakis will speak at the Bohemian National Building in New York about his experiences in the Czech Republic both as a teacher and as an individual, touching on the impact of the Republic’s liberation by the Allies during World War II.

Dr. Baltakis’ wife Donna became a local celebrity after finding a picture of her father driving a jeep while visiting the George Patton Museum in Plzen.

The Baltakises were also impressed by the citywide recycling program in Plzen, which served as inspiration for the recycling program begun by Dr. Baltakis at LSUE and for Eunic’s application for certification as a “Keep America Beautiful” city, which is currently in the pre-certification stage.

The Fulbright Program is the flagship international educational exchange program sponsored by the U.S. government and is designed to “increase mutual understanding between the people of the United States and the people of other countries.” The Fulbright Program has provided almost 310,000 participants, chosen for their academic merit and leadership potential, with the opportunity to study, teach and conduct research, exchange ideas and contribute to finding solutions to shared international concerns.