Governor's Heritage Award - Marija Franulovich

Marija Franulovich of Anacortes, Washington came to the United States as a refugee after World War II. A native of the Dalmatian coast in Croatia, she brought an immense repertoire of songs, stories, and history to the U.S. Franulovich learned traditional Croatian songs and stories through oral tradition in her home village. In Croatian refugee camps, Franulovich taught children her songs, stories, dances, needlecraft, and foodways. Upon arriving in Anacortes in 1949, she and her late husband, George, made sure that these traditions survived, helping to revive Croatian heritage among the generation that had settled in the U.S. in the early twentieth century. Mrs. Franulovich's home became a center of Croatian culture for the entire Puget Sound region. Her daughters later organized Washington's acclaimed Vela Luka Croatian Dance Ensemble and the Ruze Dalmatinke Orchestra.