Hungarian American Coalition News, 1996 (5. évfolyam, 2-3. szám)
1996 / 2. szám
COALITION PROJECT UPDATES The White House Internship Program by Ameritech Ameritech, the Chicago-based telecommunications company with a major stake in Hungary’s telecom industry, has made a $10,000 contribution to the Hungarian American Coalition. The donation will support The White House Internship Program by Ameritech, a project administered by the Coalition. The White House Intern Program is a selective internship that enables students and college graduates to work full-time for one semester in various White House departments. The Hungarian American Coalition, whose Washington office is a mere two blocks from the White House, is one of several non-profit community groups which screens, nominates and finances candidates during their unpaid White House internship. In addition to their White House duties, the Coalition-sponsored interns also complete a project for the organization. Since 1994, the Coalition has sponsored 5 young Hungarian-Americans for the White House Internship Program. Through its sponsorship of talented Hungarian- American students, the Coalition allows service-minded future leaders to gain experience and further their interest in public life as well as in Hungarian-American relations. This summer three outstanding young Hungarian-Americans participated in The White House Internship Program by Ameritech: Tamás Bollyky, a recent graduate of Columbia University, Agnes Varga, a graduate of Cornell University and Krisztina Újvági, a junior at Eastern Michigan University, who was especially requested by the Office of Public Liaison to provide training for the summer interns. The Fall of the Red Star a book by Helen M. Szablya, Member of the Board of the Hungarian American Coalition distributed by St. Martin Press, has been published to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the Hungarian Revolution of 1956 and the millecentennial of Hungarian nationhood—1996. This fast-moving novel of the Hungarian Revolution is based on the true-life experience of the Szablya family. At the heart of Krisztina Újvági, Tamás Bollyky and Ágnes Varga Hungarian American Coalition Representatives Meet with State Department Officials Representatives of the Hungarian American Coalition met with James Holmes, Coordinator for Eastern European Assistance at the State Department, for an hour-long conference on Thursday, June 6, 1996. Coalition representatives included Anne Bader, Frank Koszorús, Jr., Edith K. Lauer, George Pogan, and Zsolt Szekeres. Also in attendance were David L. Cowles, Office of European Country Affairs, Bureau for Europe and New Independent States, and Michael Hurley, Office of the Coordinator for East European Assistance. The Coalition urged the State Department officials to better utilize and take advantage of the expertise, knowledge and contacts of groups such as the Coalition in delivering foreign assistance programs. Mr. Holmes and Mr. Cowles responded favorably and provided an overview of critical U.S. foreign policy interests in Hungary and the region. the novel is fourteen-year-old Stephen, who as a boy saw his father taken away by the police. Stephen knows only a Hungary governed by the iron fist of Communism, where gathering in crowds is forbidden and boy scouting is illegal. Then comes the 1956 uprising and he finds himself with a rifle in his hand. Four days of freedom are hard won, then mercilessly crushed by the Soviets. Now Stephen and his family must make a run for the border and freedom. Stephen’s spellbinding story speaks to the universal struggle for freedom — then and now. The book is in English. An excellent present to your children, grandchildren, relatives and friends who no longer speak Hungarian, but still want to know of their heritage. Gabor Bodnar’s words featured on the jacket of the book: “Powerful writing, a riveting eyewitness account...” Edith Lauer wrote: “77ie Fall of the Red Star is a “musA read for anyone who cares about hope, courage, and love of freedom.” Helen M. Szablya fled Hungary with her husband and three children during the 1956 uprising. She is Honorary Consul of Hungary for the States of Washington, Oregon, and Idaho. A former President of the Washington Press Association, award-winning journalist, who has written and lectured widely on freedom, she is available to give lectures in English or in Hungarian. Peggy King Anderson is the author of children’s novels and winner of the Magazine Merit Fiction Award by the Society of Children’s Book Writer and Illustrators. She lives in Kirkland, WA For more information on ordering Fall of the Red Star, see page 4. Summer 1996 • Hungarian American Coalition News • 3
