200@200 : March - Peopling the Community
Date:
1972-1976
Title:
Lebamoff Marble Pen Holder
Description:
Ivan Lebamoff Marble Pen Holder-Macedonian

Macedonians fleeing an increasingly tumultuous political and social climate in their country under the Ottoman Empire sought refuge in the United States in the early twentieth century. Many settled in Fort Wayne working for the Bass Foundry and Pennsylvania Railroad Shops. In 1922 Macedonian delegates met in Fort Wayne and formed the International Macedonian Political Organization, later renamed the Macedonian Patriotic Organization (MPO) in 1956. The organization still exists and its international headquarters is located in downtown Fort Wayne.

The son of Macedonian immigrants, Ivan Lebamoff was active in the local Macedonian community and internationally through MPO. The lawyer was elected mayor of Fort Wayne in 1971, serving until he was defeated in 1975 by Robert E. Armstrong by less than 400 votes. This marble pen holder was donated to the museum by Mayor Lebamoff along with a large collection of both mayoral and MPO material.
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Ivan Lebamoff Marble Pen HolderIvan Lebamoff Marble Pen Holder
Ivan Lebamoff Marble Pen HolderIvan Lebamoff Marble Pen Holder
Mayor Ivan LebamoffMayor Ivan Lebamoff