“Once they called us to Detva for a meeting. This was a tough one. You know, the whole engineering company management and the school was full of steadfast communists. What a meetings there were held! And suddenly, some General Sámel and a Dr. Kováč, considering himself to be a psychologist, came there and began to talk. Well, we opened discussion with them and the people gradually started clapping, what resulted in the fact, that the people drove the communists away, not we did. Then, about 40 minutes later, after driving an old Škoda on frozen roads, we got from Detva to Banská Bystrica, and we got a phone call that at the regional office there was Maroš Krajčovič and other guy having hard times with the State Security.”
“Ivan Štúr, a descendant of the famous Štúr family, even wrote a book about this. Psychology of individual differences, or differential psychology, sourcing mainly from one American lady. He was a great man, tall and handsome, playing basketball, but being prosecuted by the communists. I always tended to have solidarity with people being prosecuted. I don't know why, but that's how it was.”
“I was standing up by the door and listening to the communist functionaries, when suddenly I saw there were my two daughters, Dano Vražda, Edo Glut and such students, whom I considered to have a great potential. Thus I ran down next to the communist, I took his microphone and said: 'Dear friends, young students, please, don't get mistaken by these words, as they are trying to ensure you everything is perfect and wonderful, only to discourage you from doing anything.' I could see that the students were listening to me with open mouths, so I frankly added few more political comments.”
Štefan Kováč was born on August 14, 1940 in Lučenec. His father and grandfather were the war veterans from both world wars. His father was captured by Soviets in Don and interned in the POW camp. After finishing the elementary school, Štefan Kováč enrolled at the Military School of Ján Žižka in Bratislava, where he graduated in 1957. Subsequently he enlisted in the compulsory military service, whilst he voluntarily gave up the officer‘s career. During the further four years, from 1960 he studied to become a teacher at the Institute of Education in Banská Bystrica. After he completed his studies, he taught Roma students physics and chemistry in the village Jánošovka near Čierny Balog. In 1966 he applied for external studies at the Faculty of Arts of the Comenius University, which he finished with Rigorous Degree from psychology. Since 1972 until the fall of the communism in 1989 he worked as a psychologist at the Regional Pedagogical-Psychological Counseling Centre. He was an active participant of November events, a member of the Civic Forum in Banská Bystrica and attendee of various meetings. In 1990 he was co-opted into the Federal Assembly in Prague. However, soon he yielded up the parliamentary mandate and called by the Gen. A. Sámel, he began working at the Border Guard Headquarters. There he stayed until December 31, 1992 as the section‘s commander-in-chief. After the CSFR dissolution he got employed as a school psychologist at the Grammar School of Andrej Sládkovič in Banská Bystrica and later again at the Regional Counseling Centre.
Hrdinové 20. století odcházejí. Nesmíme zapomenout. Dokumentujeme a vyprávíme jejich příběhy. Záleží vám na odkazu minulých generací, na občanských postojích, demokracii a vzdělávání? Pomozte nám!
