Lunch with Thomas Bata

For his final lunch in Prague last month, Thomas J. Bata chose Kogo restaurant in Slovanský dům. Perhaps the factory-like atmosphere reminded him of the height of his shoemaking days. He could barely hear over the din of the banker and lawyer chatter, but his curiosity about what is happening in Czech politics and society was as keen as ever. He wanted to look beyond the newspaper headlines, and he didn't have a bad word to say about anyone. He walked over to chat with the governor of the Zlín region, and he smiled and joked as an onlooker asked him for an autograph. Bata spoke of returning the CR to its glory days and gleamed with pride about Junior Achievement and Tomas Bata University in Zlín, two of his pet projects. He was convinced that Czech schools would again put out highly skilled, innovative professionals who would "make a hole in the world." Bata, who died yesterday in Toronto at age 93, remained the eternal optimist. [Czech Republic Jan Libor Lukáš Tomáš Baťa Canada]