A Hajdú-Bihar Megyei Levéltár évkönyve 25. 1998 (Debrecen, 1998)
Tanulmányok - Antal Tamás: Egy huszadik századi magyar polgár Sesztina-Nagybákay Jenő
hardly anyone is exactly aware of their significance: In the majority of cases they are merchant-citizens. The author would like to lessen this deficiency somewhat with the present study, and set a memorial to one of the most considerable Hungarian citizens of the bourgeois-era -more exactly -- of the first half of the 20th century. A memorial to Jenő Sesztina-Nagybákay, born in the city of Debrecen, to his unique activities, which made him the greatest and most enthusiastic leading characters of Hungarian commerce between the two World Wars. Who was Jenő Sesztina? Owner of the “Iron Courtyard” Chairman of the Debrecen Chamber of Trade and Commerce, as delegate of all Chambers of Hungary member of the Upper House of the Hungarian Parliament, as well as Chairman of the Hungarian National Commercial Association, Honorary Chairman of the National Society of Hardware Traders and Craftsmen and the Debrecen Commercial Society and also of a number of trading and commercial societies in the provinces. Besides all this he was a great advocate of the arts, founder of museums, a charitable person with social sensitivity, full of affection for Hungarian industry, the Hungarian nation, humanity and public welfare. He was also full of eagerness to act, possessed visions, plans for the future, achieved unique results, lived through tragedies leading to joy and fought for all those people and objectives that only the best, the true ones can do something for. Jenő Sesztina understood that the country, the nation are us, and we are the ones that count and not the frontiers on the map validated by the names of the powerful. Serving the interest of the nation successfully is possible only through thoughtfully planned, self-sacrificing actions and not with irresponsible speeches and destructive, aimless wars. He lived in the spirit of all this and his memory should live on in the very same way. Hajdú-Bihar Megyei Levéltár Évkönyve XXV 317
