Calvin Synod Herald, 2009 (110. évfolyam, 1-12. szám)
2009-03-01 / 3-4. szám
10 CALVIN SYNOD HERALD The William Penn Association History and Current Mission During the American industrial revolution of the late 1800’s and early 1900’s a large influx of eastern Europeans migrated to this country to dig the coal, forge the steel and build the railroads of the United States. According to public records by 1885 30,000 Hungarians resided in the hard coal region of central eastern Pennsylvania, concentrating mainly in Hazleton, Freeland, McAdoo, Mt. Carmel and Scranton. Working conditions were harsh and unforgiving forcing many ethnic groups to turn to each other for help and comfort. Two single and most important institutions that grew out of these conditions were the ethnic churches and the sick benefit societies or as they are known today - the fraternal organizations. The churches gave their moral and spiritual support, while the fraternal societies provided immigrants with a social life and financial assistance to the sick, disabled or to the family of a deceased individual. Legend has it that the Verhovay Aid Association was organized on February 21st, 1886 in Hazleton, Pennsylvania by a group of 13 Hungarian coal-miners. Records indicate that the number may have been larger. The Association’s original purpose was to pay members sick benefits but by 1887 a $30.00 death benefit was added. The Association’s name was changed in 1907 to the Verhovay Sick Benefit and Death Benefit Society. The first major effort to merge the larger Hungarian fraternal societies was attempted in 1930 when the Verhovay, the Bridgeport Association and the Hungarian Reformed Federation of America officers met to discuss the ways and means by which a merger could be accomplished. By 1935 the corporate name was changed to Verhovay Fraternal Insurance Association. This name better identified the benefits we provided our members - fratemalism and life insurance. In 1955, after several months of intense negotiations the Verhovay Fraternal Insurance Association merged with the Rákóczi Aid Association of Bridgeport, Connecticut. Thereafter this Association operated under the name The William Penn Fraternal Association. Two decades later in 1971, the William Penn Fraternal Association continued to grow when it merged with the Bridgeport Szövetség (American Life Insurance Association) and the St. Stephen’s Society of Trenton, New Jersey. With these mergers the Association’s name was changed to its current name of the William Penn Association. Since our origins in 1886 the William Penn Association has always been there to support the American Hungarian community. During World War I, the annual convention voted to provide a large sum of money to help The Motherland with its war effort. The Great Depression brought hardship to many people but especially hard-hit were those who worked in the coal and steel industry. In an unprecedented move, the Verhovay board established a fund from which grants were made to our unemployed members to financially assist them in keeping up their insurance premium payments - thereby providing some financial stability to their predicament. In a major development during the Depression, the Verhovay board voted to declare the first dividend to our members; and since that date the William Penn Association has declared a dividend for 75 consecutive years. WW II saw many of our members enter the Armed Forces. It became evident quite early that many young soldiers could not correspond with their older family members in Hungarian due to the language barrier. In order to help these young men who were not proficient in Hungarian, the Association printed manuals containing sample letters in English with the Hungarian translation next to it. In this manner, thousands of our service men could correspond with their loved ones back home. To help with the war effort, the Association invested heavily in war bonds and received many Treasury Department citations. Through our financial support, two ambulances were purchased for the Red Cross. In a last effort to honor all of our members who perished in combat, the William Penn commissioned that an oil portrait of each deceased member be painted and presented to the family. Nearly 400 such portraits were presented. The aftermath of WW II saw The Motherland devastated by the occupation of Germany and the liberation of the Allies. To help those who lost everything during the war, the Association granted nearly $20,000 to the homeland to support the widows and orphans. The Association’s proudest moments came during the 1956 uprising when the Association’s president traveled to Austria to aid the Hungarian refugees. His influence help secured the safe passage of numerous disenfranchised Hungarians, while back in the USA our support network helped settle many refugees in our communities all over the country. To this day the Association continues to remember that its roots run deep both here in America and back home in Hungary. The Association strives to financially and through our volunteerism, support Hungarian groups and foundations back home in Hungary and here in the USA. The American Hungarian Foundation - which is dedicated to preserving the story of the Hungarian immigrant in the United States - is one of the Associations biggest benefactors. The Hungarian American Coalition and the Hungarian Human Rights Foundation, two organizations who work tirelessly to ensure that Hungarians abroad are treated with dignity and respect, also receive yearly financial support from the Association. Most importantly, the William Penn, whose members are rooted deep in our ethnic churches, works with the Bishop and his ministers to continue financial support ensuring that our faith and history is passed on to the next generation. We at the William Penn Association are committed in our support of our churches, our community and our Hungarian heritage. We will continue to provide financial support to these institutions and groups to make sure that our forefather’s language, culture and customs are carried on to the next generation and beyond. This is who we are and this is who we will continue to be. Our mission is to unite American Hungarians to preserve, protect and perpetuate the Hungarian heritage and provide our Christian principles in our service to the community, to our members and to The Motherland. For more information about us, please visit www.williampennassociation.org or call us toll free 1-800-848-PENN, ext. 136. Endre Csornán National Vice President The William Penn Association
