Grave of Karlo Kocjančič, Koper

Born on 23 October 1933 in Gradišče near Materja as the third of five children of mother Teréza and father Fran Kocjančič. He attended lower grammar school in Podgrad, and later continued his education in Ljubljana at the Secondary Administrative and Management School. Already in his student years, he joined the youth organization and participated in numerous work actions. In the early 1990s, he was the founder and co-founder of the Society for the Preservation of Patriotic Traditions of the TIGR Primorska organization, serving as its first founding president and later as long-term secretary. With the publication of the newspaper Primorski rodoljub, he realized the idea of a tiger newspaper. On his initiative, the publication of tiger literature was introduced into the society's program. He invested a great deal of effort in the establishment of monuments and commemorative markers for coastal patriots, collaborating with partisan organizations, including those from abroad, with the Cultural Club Istra, the Ideological Movement for Slovenian Istria, and the Movement 23 December. He died on 14 May 2003 in Kopr. For his work, he received several awards: Silver Badge of the Slovenian Syndicates (1976), Medal of Labour with a Silver Ribbon (1978), Bronze Bloudkovka Badge (1989), Recognition of the Coastal Alpine Club (1999), Ceremonial Letter of the Slovenian Alpine Club (2001), Golden Commemorative Badge of TIGR (2004). Source: Obrazi slovenskih pokrajin.