HRBEK, GEORGE
George Thomas Hrbek was born June 20, 1931, in New York City, to George Edward Hrbek and Bertha Hrbek (nee Bozinka Kubelka). He died at home on February 19, 2023, surrounded by his family. George was a community activist, passionate advocate for racial and economic justice, and preacher of an inclusive, life-affirming faith. George was raised in New Jersey in a lively, intergenerational Czech family populated by elders with unorthodox politics. He witnessed to this childhood as anchoring him in the values he carried for a lifetime. As a teenager, he met an unassuming, blue-jean clad man on the streets who turned out to be a Lutheran minister. The Rev.Arthur Hawlicheck spoke a clear message that further validated what George learned from his family: “You are created by God and there's nobody who can add to your worth as a human being, and there's nobody who can take away from your worth. You are gifted. Every human being is.” Also pivotal to the orientation of George's life and, ultimately, his life's work were his high school years living in Jim Crow Birmingham, Alabama, and attending a segregated white school. His father was staunchly opposed to the racist practices carried out ...Read More