Paula Hrbacek is a graduate of the University of Missouri with degrees in Journalism and Art. She's the author of:
About my name Hrbacek is the Czech word for "hunchback". In Czech it is pronounced hurrah-bah-chick, but because of the McCarthy Era, the family changed the pronunciation to a more American version; Her-bah-seck. The clue to remember that by is "shrimp boil" which is a "sack of herbs", or "wait a second, Herb!". My maiden name, Knoderer, (silent K long O) is a German word that means "a person who can tie knots". The first known Knoderer was the Archbishop of Mantz, who took the vow of poverty so seriously that he refused to own a rosary, and instead, tied knots in his rope belt. Originally, the name was Von Knoderer, meaning "from the family of a man who ties knots", but when two brothers were disowned by their father, Baron Von Knoderer, and came to America, they dropped the Von to indicate that they were no longer related to the Baron. Once in America, they became Knoderer republicans and settled in Ohio. If you add the two together, and use a synonym for daughter, then my husband is the hunchback of Knoderer's dame. |
About the Author
My biggest accomplishment is being the mother of four great children. My daughter, Marilyn, left, says that making the rank of Gold in Girl Scouts was her most important accomplishment. Raising them and being involved in their lives was mine.