Dr. Vladimir graduated in law in Prague in 1862. He was a schoolmate of Jovan Jovanović Zmaj at the lyceum in Pžun (Bratislava), and later, they studied law together in Prague. Their friendship continued after they completed their education, and prominent Serbs of the time in Austro-Hungary, including Zmaj - Jova Jovanović, Svetozar Miletić, Đura Jakšić, and others, would visit Vladimir Glavaš and Mija Vlaškalin in Vranjevo.

After completing his legal internship, Dr. Vladimir opened a law office in Novi Bečej. However, he practiced as a lawyer for only a short time because this profession did not align with his moral and life principles.

It is worth mentioning, perhaps not revolutionary, but undoubtedly a turbulent school history of Novi Bečej between the 1920s and 1930s.

Since 1908, Novi Bečej has had a four-year civic school where children were educated, primarily to meet the needs of local commerce and crafts. Those who wished to continue their education and whose parents had the necessary means would go to nearby cities like Veliki Bečkerek, Velika Kikinda, and even Novi Sad and Sremski Karlovci. Studying outside of one's place of residence meant limiting further education.

This name by itself doesn't say much, as its bearer, a very prolific writer, was "cut down" at the roots. Despite having significant intellectual potential and being exceptionally diligent, Dušan Knežević remained completely unknown to our cultural public as a writer.

The title highlights his father's name because he, too, despite being a great man, unfortunately remained unknown to the cultural public. However, he cast a large shadow over his son, Dušan.

Laza Popović, born March 19, 1839, in Vranjevo, was the son of the priest Luka Popović. His five daughters and two sons became actors in the Serbian Theater during its formation and development. He first appeared on stage at Knežević's theater in 1860 and remained there even when nearly all members, including his sisters Draginja and Ljubica, left. Later, in 1862, he moved to the Serbian National Theater but stayed for a short time. After a conflict between his son-in-law Dimitrije Kolarović and Laza Telečki, he and his sisters and sons-in-law transferred to the Croatian National Theater in Zagreb in 1863. He stayed in Zagreb until 1867 when he returned to the Serbian National Theater and, in 1868, moved to Belgrade to join the newly established National Theater.

Novi Bečej and Vranjevo had individuals who future generations, not just this one, can be proud of. Unfortunately, their names are not commemorated in today's Novi Bečej, nor are there gatherings dedicated to them and their work.

The only exception is the great Josif Marinković. He has become and remained unforgettable thanks to the efforts and care of Branislav-Bata Kiselički. The people of Vranjevo and Vranjevci honored Marinković by naming their elementary school after him, reminding generations (students) of the immortal giant, cradled in the Vranjevo cradle. Then, there is the main street of Vranjevo, which bears the name of Josif Marinković, as well as a memorial plaque on the house where his birth house once stood, and a beautiful collection of diplomas, articles, speeches, lectures, compositions, and personal items of Josif Marinković.

For the past 250 years, Serbian intellectuals have played a role similar to that of the nobility in other nations. They were familiar with European languages, as well as Latin and German, enabling them to follow all the cultural movements of Europe and guide Serbian life in accordance with the progressive ideas of the West. Although economically much weaker than the nobility of neighboring nations, Serbian intellectuals bore a significant burden of service to the people on their modest shoulders. The lack of material resources was compensated for by a strong spirit and deep love for their people.

Once upon a time, our villages were filled with stork nests, and swallows had a dozen nests in every hallway, or 4-5 nests in front of barn doors. The swallows artistically built their nests there because that’s where their primary food source, flies, were abundant. Without swallows, these flies would have been a great nuisance to the livestock.
Storks made their nests on the chimneys of village houses, which were usually topped with a decorative spike and had side openings for smoke. These chimneys rarely emitted smoke, and never during the time when storks were in our region.

Luka Popović, son of Laza, was born in Belgrade in 1878 and died in Skopje in 1914. He was a member of the Serbian National Theatre in Novi Sad from 1895 to 1900, and from August 1900 until June 1911, he was a member of the National Theatre in Belgrade. In the second half of 1911, he went to the United States, where he founded the "Serbian Theatre." During his theatre's stay in America, he received financial support from the Serbian government as well as from Serbs in America, led by Mihajlo Pupin. He gave performances in New York, Chicago, Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, and other cities in the USA.

Here is what Borivoje Stojković wrote about his tour in America in his book *"History of Serbian Theatre from the Middle Ages to Modern Times,"* on pages 511 and 512:

I will say a bit more about Nikola Đurković, even though he is not from Novi Bečej but is related by marriage to Novi Bečej. I do this primarily because he was an exceptionally talented and great creator in the fields of music and theater, and secondly because I believe he has not been given an appropriate place in the history of our culture. There are many who have not received due recognition, and it is neither my wish nor possible to take them all under personal protection and promote them.

The well-developed grain trade in Novi Bečej was predominantly controlled by Serbs and a few Cincars. Unlike our noblemen, they were deeply devoted to their people and wholeheartedly supported initiatives that contributed to the development of Serbian culture and the general advancement of Serbdom.

Besides enhancing Novi Bečej's appearance with the construction of what were at the time the most beautiful houses, where they lived and had their shops, they also played a significant role in the development of culture and education. Their contributions were not limited to Novi Bečej, where they spearheaded progressive endeavors, but extended to supporting all institutions significant for the cultural and educational advancement of Serbs across the Sava and Danube rivers.

Lukseder Đerđ was a grain merchant, and his tradition was continued by Zoltan and his brothers. Istvanffy Endre mentions Đerđ in his famous lecture about Turkish Bečej and the Bečej residents after the great uprising, stating that he had a fleet for transporting grain and that, thanks to his boatmen, Turkish Bečej was saved from a tragic flood. He says:

Istvánfi Endre writes about this fire:
"...on a dry autumn day, right during a great storm, a fire broke out in a house in the middle of Kumanac Street (at the corner of today's Lole Ribara and Brigadira Ristića streets - LM). The wind, swirling, scattered embers across the surrounding yards and buildings. A sea of flames spread from one street to another. Smoke billowed everywhere. With the help of firefighters from Stari Bečej, the fire was extinguished by the end of the day. The evening saw about three hundred families standing before the ruins and ashes of their homes. A local and state effort was launched to collect donations for the families whose property was destroyed in this fire. Even the King himself joined the effort, contributing 2,000 forints."

I had the opportunity, on a quiet, beautiful summer evening on the Tisa River, from a distance of about a thousand meters, to witness the collision of the "Princeza Jelena" with a small tugboat named "Banat," owned by the Markus Šulc company from Pančevo.

The five of us scouts from Novi Bečej were camping on the Bačka bank of the Tisa River about 3 kilometers downstream from Novi Bečej.

Dr. Istvanffy Endre 1890 - 1916

Dr. Endre was a distinguished figure not only for his family but also for Novi Bečej, although he tragically lost his life at the young age of 26 on May 8, 1916, during World War I. He left a lasting impression with his oratorical talent. He gave a lecture on Novi Bečej in which he vividly and brilliantly depicted life in Novi Bečej after the Great Rebellion from 1850 to 1890. This lecture was printed at Giga Jovanović's printing house under the title: Fighting Novi Bečej 1850-1890, with part of it published in individual chapters of the book Novi Bečej and Vranjevo through History.

The advent of steamships on the Danube and Tisza rivers in 1830-1831 did not alter trade routes but rather continued to develop along the paths that had been used before their arrival. Steam-powered ships had appeared about a decade earlier, but they did not play a significant role in transporting goods.

The construction of railways expanded traffic, with its volume resulting from increased production and trade of goods. In addition to boosting production and commerce, the railway became a serious competitor to the existing river transport systems.

The steamboat Stari Bečej had, as already mentioned, reliably served its purpose for years. But, as our people say — “the devil never sleeps.” Something happened that even a ship twice its size might not have withstood, let alone a small vessel like Stari Bečej.

Jani – as everyone in Novi Bečej called him – trained as a merchant and worked as a tradesman until the end of World War II. He was very hardworking, modest, and honest. He deserves to be remembered for his conscientious work and his approach to the citizens during his tenure as the president, and later long-time vice president, of the Novi Bečej municipality after World War II.

Former municipality in Vranjevo - Novi Bečej, Rajka Rakočevića Street No. 15.
The building was constructed in the "Empire" style (a specific architectural style inspired by ancient buildings - monumentality - seriousness) in the early decades of the 19th century, similar to municipal buildings in Srpski Krstur, Mokrinu, and elsewhere.

In 1862, there were 13 watermills on the Tisa River near Vranjevo. Their arrangement was depicted on a map by the surveyor Stefan Dilber. According to that map, there was also a windmill in Gradište. This means that, in addition to those mentioned in the book 'Novi Bečej and Vranjevo Through History...', there was also this one.

The first written mention of the name Bečej in history is the one presented by Đerđ Đefri in his book Historical Geography of Hungary during the Árpád Era. In that book, in the chapter on the county of Bačka on page 214, he writes among other things:

"An important crossing of the Tisa in 1091. The Kuman leader Kapolč, coming from the direction of Tokaj, crossed the Tisa here (meaning near Bečej) with his plundering troops, intending to leave the country at the Lower Danube."

The gullies and pits of Novi Bečej and Vranjevo were particularly alluring landscapes of our fields. One had to experience the clamor: the chirping, twittering, cawing, and the most beautiful songs of songbirds to truly understand the richness of nature and the life within this bird kingdom. Even before approaching these areas, birds could be seen circling high above from a distance, choosing the right spot to land. As we got closer, the joyful noise of birds grew louder, either at dawn or just before dusk wrapped the fields in a misty shroud as the day came to a close.

As I mentioned in the book "Novi Bečej and Vranjevo through History from the Earliest Times to 1941," it is not known when and how Novi Bečej got its name, or who founded it and when.
Dr. Sentklaraji, in his book *The History of Parishes of the Diocese of Csanád*, suggests that perhaps, after the fall of the Roman settlement, it was the Cumans who laid the foundations of present-day Bečej. He refers to the following:
"Our historians write that during the reign of Saint Ladislaus, the Cumans ravaged from Tokaj all the way to the village of Beche by the Tisza."

In my book “The Charm of Past Days”, I presented the state of agriculture, the methods of sowing, harvesting, and threshing from 1929 to 1940. I emphasized that, despite the hardship of this work, harmony, peace, and satisfaction reigned in almost all families. However, I did not delve into presenting the results (material effects) of this work. Here, I think I should dwell a little more on this, as I wish to leave these records for the history of our two towns—I mean Novi Bečej and Vranjevo.

Stevan Čekić holds a notable place in the period of the emergence of Serbian theater. Our theatrical history does not know when and where he was born. Borivoje Stojković mentions in his History of Serbian Theater that Čekić first appeared in the troupe of Jovan Knežević in 1860, where he remained until he moved to the Serbian National Theater in Novi Sad in July 1861. According to Stojković, his significance lies in the fact that he had his own theater troupe, which apparently performed not only in Belgrade but also in other cities in Serbia.

Here, we must address the claims made by Mr. Kasaš in the book *Greetings from Novi Bečej*, as they are completely unacceptable. On page 14 of the mentioned book, he writes:

"Vranjevo, which is mentioned for the first time in historical sources in 1717, will become part of it under the name Franijevo. However, its inhabitants will mostly use the Slavic variant Vranjevo until 1888, when the place changes its name to Arač..."

The building – headquarters of the Serbian Orthodox Church municipality in Vranjevo, located at 69 Josif Marinković Street.
This building was bequeathed to the church by its former owner, Vladimir Glavaš. The house serves as an example of a wealthier urban residence from the first half of the 19th century. Inside the house, there are remnants of period furniture (two chairs, two old sofas, one wall cabinet) and several portraits (4 pieces) of certain members of the former Glavaš family, painted by the artist Nikola Aleksić.

As we conclude our recollection of river shipping and its importance for Novi Bečej, we must not forget a wonderful person who, unfortunately, was the head of the agency in Novi Bečej for only a short time. This was Dragan-Dragi Vulević, who came to Novi Bečej as the head of the agency in 1937 and soon became, besides his regular work, a prominent cultural figure in Novi Bečej. A social and kind person, just as his name suggests, or as we all affectionately called him.

There is no information about the year of birth or death, but the gravestone reads: Rohonci Leopold died at the age of 54, Šišanji Klara died at the age of 42 in 1861, and Laslo, presumably their son, died at the age of 22 in 1873.
Rohonci Leopold (Lipot), the founder of the family, was originally from Veszprém. He distinguished himself as a colonel during the Great Revolt, particularly in the battles near Novi Bečej, where he married Klara, the granddaughter of Novi Bečej's noblewoman Klara Šišanji. Klara brought a large estate on Biserno Ostrvo as her dowry.

It wasn’t my idea to record the memories of our Novi Bečej and Vranjevo cemeteries. In early 1996, a plan was initiated in Novi Bečej to make a list of graves belonging to distinguished individuals at our cemeteries. Branislav – Bata Kiselički reached out to me, asking which graves I thought should be included. I dictated to him, over the phone, the names that came to mind at the time, with a promise to send him a more comprehensive list, which I eventually did.

The tomb of the Šoljmoš family would have suffered the same fate as the tomb of the landowner Rohonczi if it had not been entrusted to the family and relatives of the late Dr. Bela Farkaš in 1980, who was buried there that year. Thanks to this change of ownership, the tomb is well-maintained and today represents, just as it did in its time, an ornament of the Catholic cemetery in Novi Bečej.