Rudy and Paul Krejci.

Seventy years ago, almost exactly to this day, secret police spotted a young Czech publically distributing anti-communist pamphlets in his country. As a result, Rudy Krejci was forced into hiding for five years and into a daring escape to Austria.

On this Northern Soundings we pay tribute to Rudy who earned a doctorate in philosophy and eventually became a leading champion of free speech and thought at the Unversity of Alaska Fairbanks. Rudy passed away last December and a celebration of his life is planned for this Sunday from 2 to 7 p.m. at the Dog Mushers’ Hall in Fairbanks.

I had the priviledge of interviewing him two years ago for UAF Summer Sessions. Part of today’s show is taken from that discussion. He is also the subject of a wonderful short documentary by the author Dan O’Neill.

In this show, I also talk with Rudy’s son Dr. Paul Krejci, who teaches at UAF. Paul is a gifted musician who contributed piano renditions by Czech composers for the O’Neill documentary. My thanks to Paul for permission to use those pieces for this Northern Soundings.