My central European ancestors came to America for religious freedom, last arriving in the 1830’s.They maintained their old way of life until the twentieth century. I had to find my own path-not always simple. I wrote my dissertation at LSU on the role of logical systems in modern European music but worked for 37 years on bibliographic computer systems at the Library of Congress. There I found co-workers from many countries. I was introduced to the Washington Czechoslovak community, including refugees. These experiences have shown me the importance of supporting those who must make difficult cultural adjustments.