Amerikai Magyar Szó, 1988. július-december (42. évfolyam, 27-48. szám)
1988-11-10 / 42. szám
Thursday, Nov. 10. 1988. AMERIKAI MAGYAR SZO 11. miiaitMt Hundmifths Hungarian Fnnú Festival NEW BRUNSWICK, NEW JERSEY - From the early 1900's up to about the 1960's, this city had the reputation nationwide of being the "Budapest of America". But, like what happened to many other Hungarian communities centered in and around major cities throughout the country, here, too, the inevitable process of demographic evolution has decreased its "Hungarianness" to a considerable degree. Nevertheless, there are occasions when this former predominantly Hungarian city experiences a nostalgic rebirth of what it once was. And this is precisely what occured recently when the Hyatt Regency New Brunswick hosted a 10-day-long, "Hungarian Hyatt- fest" featuring the gourmet cookery of the Executive Chef of the Atrium Hyatt Budapest and his team of culinary artists seasoned with the music of Ferenc Santa and his Hungarian Gypsy Orchestra. Hungarians from far and wide jampacked the 286-room hotel's festively decorated, Baguette Room and Cafe Arbor to turn- back-the-clock once again to yesteryear and to rekindle their enjoyment of the pride in being Hungarians. Géza Piszéi; László Síkvölgyi, the Hungarian vice-consul in New York; Winston Vogel, the conductor of the Virginia symphony orchestra; and Paul Pulitzer join hands in the Streudel-cutting ceremony marking the gala opening of the Hungarian "Hyatt- fest". With the Grand Opening of the Hungarian Hyattfest marked by a "Struedel Cutting" ceremony in which guests participated, diners were offered a palate-tickling menu that would have delighted any of the former kings and queens of Hungary. It ranged from Stuffed Trout Szilvásvárad-Style with Aszu Sauce; Veal Medallions Bakony- Style; Goulash Soup; Fillet of Sea Fish; Paprikás Chicken with Noodles; Beef Stew with Pasta; Hungarian Mixed Salad; to "Dobos Torta" and an eye-boggling variety of home-made, fruit struedels and crepes. Needless to add, nobody went home hungry looking for a midnight snack! The statistics on the growth of art objects collected in the Hungarian museums have been published. Their number rose by 320,000 last year, now standing at almost 10,370,000. As in previous years, the growth was the largest for archeological objects, which account for more than half of the entire stock of art objects. AMERICANS HELP ESTABLISH HUNGARY MANAGERS’ SCHOOL BUDAPEST - With Abel G. Aganbegyan, economic adviser to the Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev, beaming approval, Hungarian, American and Italian partners today signed into being an American-style management training institute here, the only one of its kind in Communist Europe. An American, Prof. Daniel S. Fogel, on leave as associate dean for executive and international programs at Tulane University in New Orleans, was appointed dean and academic director of the new International Management Center. The university-level center is a trinational joint venture of an American foundation created by George Soros, the Hungarian- born Wall Street financier; the Milan Chamber of Commerce; the San Paolo Bank of Italy; the Hungarian Credit Bank, the Hungarian Chamber of Commerce an(j Szenzor, a management consulting concern. The main interest at the signing ceremony focused on the surprising presence of Mr. Aganbegyan, chairman of the economics section of the Soviet Academy of Sciences. He sat on the dais together with the founding partners and Mark Palmer, the United States Ambassador to Hungary. Speakers credited Mr. Palmer with being the founding father of the institute. In an interview, Mr. Aganbegyan suggested that he, too, had had a share in the creation of the institute and had run into resistance from some Kremlin officials who opposed more active Soviet participation. In a breef speech of greeting, the Soviet academician said all members of his branch of the academy hailed the new management center. He said it marked the "friendship and active relation between East and West in the new conditions of perestroika," the Russian term for Mr. Gorbachev's program of restructuring. Elaborating on this in the new interview, Mr. Aganbegyan said: "We had new policies, perestroika, and surely we need new kinds of managers of all ranks. Management is not only a matter of feeling but also scientific work, and this must be studied not only through books and lectures but by really taking part • in this process of education in real life." After saying that "some chiefs, members of high rank" in Moscow had blocked Soviet participation in the project, he added, "They think we don't need this, that we can do it our own way." But he said he would work to send Soviet students to the institute and expected no obstacles. CLASSES BEGIN IN FEBRUARY Zsuzsanna Ranki, the institute's 34-year- old managing director, and Professor Fogel announced that short courses would begin in February and full-scale operations in September. The dean said two American professors, two Canadians and one Briton, along with five Hungarians, would constitute the faculty. The center plans to enroll 200 to 300 full-time students for its first year of operation and hopes to have 500 to 600 eventually. They are expected to be young BOOK REVIEW Slaves nf the Oepression EDITED BY GERALD MARKOWITZ AND DAVID ROSNER "Slaves of the Depression" is a remarkable collection of letters, drawn from thousand in the National Archives, which recreate the hard times faced even by those who were fortunate enough to keep their jobs after the Great Crash. Written by workers to President Roosevelt, Eleanor Roosevelt, and Secretary of Labor Frances Perkins, these letters reveal an underlying assumption that the federal government was willing and able to intervene directly on their behalf. Historians generally have identified the jobless as the group most victimized by the Depression; these letters are a reminder that the employed and their families suffered too. The workers, who include domestics, industrial workers, agricultural laborers,men, women, blacks, and whites from all over the United States, not only tell of asbestosis, silicosis and other health problems but also argue for relief from the low pay, long hours, and appalling conditions that added to their hardship. The editors' thought-provoking introduction and insightful discussions of the workplaces, which they identify, provide the background necessary to gain a full appreciation of the misery these men and women endured. "Slaves of the Depression" opens new avenues of exploration for students and scholars of American labor and social history and will be illuminating reading for anyone interested in what life was like during the Great Depression. Gerald Markowitz is Professor of History and Chair of the Department of Thematic Studies at John Jay College of Criminal justice, City University of New York. A graduate of Earlham College, he received his Ph.D. degree from the University of Wisconsin. David Rosner is Professor of History at Baruch College and the Graduate School, City University of New York. A graduate of City College, New York, has received his Master of Public Health degree from the University of Massachusetts and his Ph.D. degree from Harvard University. Markowitz and Rosner have written numerous articles on the history of American workers' safety and health and are the editors of Dying for Work: Workers' Safety and Health in Twentieth-Century America. managers, sent by their employers. Education is usually free in a Communist country, but Professor Fogel said the tuition would be 500,000 to 600,000 forints, or $10,000 to $12,000. The school will be housed in a renovated castle in a park on the outskirts of Budapest. Give this page to a friend!
