Long-standing members of our club and others knew Miloš from the early days of winter and long-distance swimming. Everyone who attended the Alfred Nikodem Memorial may remember him as one of the organisers at the tip of Slovanský Island beside Prague’s National Theatre, where he regularly helped. Adélka Hrubešová, I. PKO Praha’s chronicler, shares some memories of our friend and one of the club’s kindest souls.
Miloš was among the founding members of the TJ Hostivař cold-water swimming section, led by the veteran swimmer Oldřich Liška. That was where I met him when I joined in 1975. Besides cold-water swimming, he was then swimming marathons. I have few memories of him from that period.
We met at training, and even then Miloš helped organise the Alfred Nikodem Memorial every year.
Only years later did we become closer friends with him and his family. Miloš was very well educated, enjoyed intelligent entertainment and loved a good discussion…
An architect by profession, he had also worked on projects in Japan. He spoke little about his work, preferring his many hobbies. He loved Baroque opera, was interested in history and had an extraordinary breadth of knowledge. His accounts of travels through Europe, Turkey and elsewhere were captivating; he evoked the atmosphere so beautifully that you could almost smell an Eastern market.
He liked listening to Janissary music. I also know he was a member of the Rotary Club.
In recent years we often met at our little wine bar, U Chlupáče, sometimes with his wife Maruška.
What he particularly liked was its family feel, the friendly atmosphere, concerts by friends and, above all, the chance to discuss things — something Miloš loved…
We held a lovely celebration there for his eightieth birthday, on 5 December 2014. He came with his whole family. There were refreshments and a cake, and our friend played jazz for him on the trumpet.
We last saw one another at a dinner together in late April. Miloš seemed tired: he was submitting a project on Sunday. That was another admirable thing about him — he kept working in his profession and had never really retired.
Sadly, that was our last meeting. We will miss him, both as a person and for all his hard work for the club…
We will say farewell to Miloš on Tuesday 16 June 2015 at 12:30 in the New Ceremonial Hall at Olšany Cemetery.