Jaroslav J. (JJ) Zmrhal, who in 1905 was the first Czech to become a principal in the Chicago public schools, was principal of the Theodore Herzl school in Chicago. Zmrhal was born on August 29, 1878, in Èáslav, Bohemia (the Czech Republic), into an evangelical home. His parents were small-town farmers, descendants of John Hus. In 1892 they sold their property and moved to America. Jaroslav followed them one year later. Upon arriving in Chicago, Jaroslav Zmrhal came into contact with the First Bohemian Baptist Church, which he attended regularly. In Chicago he attended high school, and graduated in 1896. It was indeed an accomplishment for the young man to complete high school in three years in spite of his language handicap. In 1896 he was admitted into the University of Illinois. Later he entered the University of Chicago, where he received his B. A. degree. After his graduation, Mr. Zmrhal taught in elementary schools in Chicago. In 1905 he was elected principal of a school; he served in this capacity for sixteen years. In 1921 he was promoted to the position of district superintendent. Mr. Zmrhal attained popularity in national spheres as a leader in the liberation of Czechoslovakia in 1918. Again in 1941 he served as president of the Czechoslovak National Council, a Czechoslovak patriotic organization in America.