Student Samuel Latinák. (source: Ivana Kapráliková)
If you thought that large amounts of money being left in a last will to an unsuspecting recipient only belongs in fairy-tales, this story might convince you otherwise.
One day an unknown English-speaking woman appeared at the door of the Automotive Secondary Vocational School in Banská Bystrica to fulfil her brother's last will and give €125,000 to the school.
"No one believed it and we thought it was a joke," said Ján Žuffa, the headmaster of the school, who has been in the position for 43 years and has never experienced anything like it.
However, that changed when the money appeared on the school's bank account. The sum came from Louis John Gazdarica.
A benefactor who loved farming
Although born in Canada, Louis John Gazdarica's roots are Slovak. His parents came from Liptovské Revúce. Gazdarica was a teacher. In addition to English, he also knew Slovak, German, French, and Spanish. He also loved sports, culture, books and farming.
He died in 2016 at the age of 85. In addition to the school in Banská Bystrica, he also gave a financial gift to an elementary school in Liptovské Revúce and the Polytechnic Secondary Vocational school in Ružomberok.
"I would call this a gift from heaven," headmaster Žuffa said.
New technology
Thanks to the money, a metrology classroom opened in the Banská Bystrica school last week. The cost of the classroom was approximately €80,000.
"The money was also used to purchase motor vehicles, since we also have our own driving school and we only had B category vehicles. We are going to do the C category as well, and for that a truck is necessary. We also bought a trailer and a tractor," the headmaster added.
The metrology classroom is equipped with highly sophisticated technology with which students will learn to use.
According Miroslav Hruška, one of the school's teachers, the metrology classroom is a kind of extension of classical measurement that they do with devices in a regular workshop, and the devices are quite ordinary.
The new devices can measure with extremely high accuracy; it is even possible to create a program on them and simulate the measurement itself.
A probe can measure diameters, depths, length dimensions, angles, circles, radius, all basic geometric elements. This device will serve students from several fields of study.
"I thank this gentleman very much. But it did not surprise me that much, because I knew that Canadians are very good people," said student Samuel Latinák.
©Sme
Author: Ivana Kapráliková
