The Canadian Chamber of Commerce publishes the representative book of Stephen Boleslav Roman – The Uranium King. Besides’s the family of the famous industrialist, the book was co-authored by several world-famous personalities.
Stephen Boleslav Roman, who together with Milan Rastislav Štefánik is one of the most influential Slovaks of the 20th century, was born on April 17, 1921, in Veľký Ruskov and died on August 23, 1988, in Canada.
He had seven children. His son Stephen G. Roman is successfully following in his footsteps in the uranium and oil industry. Stephen B. Roman, the most influential figure in the Canadian industry, became the owner of the world’s largest uranium mines Denison Mines Limited and several oil and gas deposits around the world. In the 1960s, the value of his companies was estimated at more than $ 70 billion. According to the prestigious Forbes magazine, he was among the five richest Canadians. His Romandale Farm auctioned off a breeding bull for the highest sum of $1.45 million, which even earned him an entry in the Guinness Book of World Records. In 1970 he founded the Slovak World Congress, the most important organization of expatriate Slovaks in history, of which he became the first chairman.
As a layman, the only one in all of Canada, he attended the Second Vatican Council in 1962 and 1963. In 1963, Pope John XXIII. awarded him with Knight Commander’s Cross of the Order of St. Gregory the Great (the highest possible award for laymen).
He contributed to the founding of the Slovak Institute of Saints Cyril and Methodius in Rome and created the Slovak Greek Catholic Diocese in Canada. In September 1984, Pope John Paul II consecrated his Transfiguration of Our Lord Cathedral in Markham. The cathedral cost $ 25 million and has the largest bells in Canada – the same company cast the bells in Notre-Dame Cathedral. He received three doctorates from St. Francis University, the University of Toronto, and Laurentian University. In 1986, Štefan B. Roman was awarded the European Emperor Charles IV Prize and also became the holder of the highest honor of Canada – the Order of Canada. In 1995, he received in memoriam the highest state honors of the Slovak Republic, Order of the First Class White Double Cross.
Among the authors of the book Stephen Boleslav Roman – The Uranium King are several leading figures:
- son of Stephen B. Roman – Stephen G. Roman – the owner of famous uranium mines and oil fields
- the nephew of Stephen B. Roman, archaeologist Ján Chovanec
- Dušan Tóth, former Secretary-General of the Slovak World Congress
- Archduke Karl von Habsburg-Lothringen, whose father Otto von Habsburg introduced the delegation of the Slovak World Congress to the European Parliament in Strasbourg
- Daniel Čierny, Director of the Slovak Historical Institute in Rome
- archbishop of the Košice Diocese Cyril Vasil
- Former President of the Slovak Republic Rudolf Schuster, who as President of the Slovak National Council awarded the SNR prize in memoriam to Stephen B. Roman
- the legendary hockey player Marián Šťastný, who became the chairman of the Slovak World Congress after the death of Stephen B. Roman
- International nuclear expert Marián Naniáš, based in Luxembourg
- former Prime Minister of the Slovak Republic Ján Čarnogurský, whose father Pavol Čarnogurský was also honored by the Slovak World Congress
You can order the book Stephen Boleslav Roman – The Uranium King through the Canadian Chamber of Commerce or at www.kanada.sk.
