SGSI History
The Slovenian Genealogy Society International, Inc., founded in 1986 by Al Peterlin, of Camp Hill, Pennsylvania. The society was established to preserve and make available records documenting the lives of individuals with Slovenian ancestry. Mr. Peterlin was the President of SGSI for 20 years and currently serves as Chairman Emeritus. During his leadership, he developed important preservation projects to fund the digitization of rapidly deteriorating pre-1900 birth, marriage, and death records housed in the Archbishopric Archives in Ljubljana. He also had important Slovenian books translated into English and published to benefit genealogy research. These include History of Kostel by Dr. Stanisla Juznic and the translation of August Dimitz' book, History of Carniola from Primeval Times to 1813.
Rose Maria Macek Jisa of North Royalton, OH followed Al Peterlin as President. Rose Marie began her leadership role in 2007, serving a growing organization with an international membership. She has been instrumental in developing SGSI's Oral History Preservation Project and opening the Slovene Genealogy Research Center, which is located within the Slovenian National Home's complex in Cleveland, Ohio. The center also has a gift shop. She is dedicated to bringing new genealogy resources to SGSI and performs research to answer inquiries from our members. Her ultimate goal is making the SGSI Research Center the repository of all Slovenian immigrant family history. The research center is named for Rose Marie to honor her years of service to SGSI.
The current President is Jeff Dormish of Pittsburgh, PA
Meet the Board
Chairman Emeritus Board of Directors Executive Committee
Al Peterlin Jeff Dormish President and CEO: Jeff Dormish
Rose Marie Macek Jisa Secretary: John Kirn
Lorraine Kaup Treasurer: Lorraine Kaup
John Kirn Membership Chair: Janice Hovecar
Christine Panchur Research Specialist: Rose Marie Macek Jisa