Hungarian American Coalition News, 1997 (6. évfolyam, 1-2. szám)
1997 / 1. szám
iüIMeMowjwm ' - tiazMí'EüfT Gábor Bodnár The Hungarian Scouts Association Abroad mourns the loss of its long-time leader, Gábor Bodnár, who died last December at the age of 76 in his home, Garfield, NJ, after a lengthy illness. Gábor Bodnár, a lieutenant in the Hungarian cavalry during World War II, was one of the founders and the first Chief Commissioner, later Executive President of the HSAA, and was well known for his organizational and administrative skills, as well as his inspiring leadership capabilities. Under his direction HSAA grew from a few troops of boys and girls in post-war Europe’s refugee camps into a world-wide organization of children and grandchildren of Hungarian immigrants in North and South America, Australia, as well as Western Europe, fostering traditional Hungarian values, culture, language, and identity. Through his unfaltering dedication to scouting, particularly leadership training, he became known as the teacher and mentor of new generations of scout leaders, who are now in charge of the organization. Involved in many organizations other than scouting (he was a founding member and Vice President of the Hungarian American Coalition, among others) his main contribution to his nation was his relentless quest to keep alive and nourish the flame of Hungarian scouting and help carry it back to Hungary and the Carpathian Basin after the fall of communism. In recognition of his lifetime service to scouting at home and abroad, he was recently awarded the Middle Cross of the Hungarian Republic’s Order of Merit by President Árpád Göncz, himself a former scout. In memory of Gábor Bodnár, who is survived by his wife Ágnes, eight children, and ten grandchildren, donations may be made to the Hungarian Scouts Association - Gábor Bodnár Memorial Fund, P.O. Box 68, Garfield, NJ 07026. Rt. Rev. Andrew Harsányi The Rt Rev. Dr. Andrew Harsányi died on October 3,1996 in Dover, at the age of 82. Bom in Budapest, Hungary, he immigrated to the United States in 1950. He served in Presbyterian congregations from 1950 and 1957, when he became pastor of the Hungarian Reformed Church in Carteret, NJ. He was elected Bishop of the Hungarian Reformed Church in America in 1986. Rev. Harsányi was not only a leader of Hungarian congregations in the U. S., but also supported a variety of ethnic programs. Among others, he was a founding member and Vice President of the Hungarian American Coalition. He had been a participant in Protestant-Roman Catholic dialogues, supporting the ecumenical movement. He had lectured widely and published many scholarly articles and books. Having recently retired, he was about to undertake a major writing project and was looking forward to a trip to Hungary to set up a foundation in the name of his father, Zsolt Harsányi, the famous Hungarian novelist, to benefit young writers. Services were held at the Hungarian Reformed Church on October 7, 1996, in Carteret, New Jersey. The Rt. Rev. Francis Vitéz, bishop of the Calvin Synod, officiated at the service and offered his condolences to Rev. Harsányi’s family, his wife Margaret, four children and six grandchildren, as well as to the sister church body. József Kővágó On behalf of the Hungarian American Coalition, Szabolcs Szekeres placed a wreath on the grave of József Kővágó in Budapest in February, 1997. In 1944, Mr. Kővágó was one of the leaders of the Hungarian anti-Nazi resistance movement, activity for which he was arrested, and narrowly escaped execution. In 1945, he was elected Mayor of Budapest and a Member of the Hungarian Parliament. In June, 1947, when the Communist Party launched a multi-front attack to remove the non-Communist majority from power, Mr. Kővágó resigned from all his political positions in protest. He returned to his engineer career. Mr. Kővágó was arrested and sentenced to life imprisonment. He spent six and a half years in prison. Mr. Kővágó was re-elected Mayor of Budapest during the Hungarian Revolution of 1956. Prior to the Soviet invasion in November, Mr. Kővágó was appointed as a member of a five-man delegation charged with the task of negotiating with the Soviet Union for Hungary’s withdrawal from the Warsaw Pact and the country’s neutrality. He also became Secretary-General of the Smallholders’ Party. After the Soviets crushed the Revolution, Mr. Kővágó fled Hungary to the United States with his family, where he continued to write and lecture about the East Central European issues. He was present in Budapest at the historic opening of the first free Parliamentary session and was awarded one of the country’s highest honors: the Middle Cross of the Hungarian Republic’s Order of Merit. In this new era, Mr. Kővágó served in the role of elder statesman in Hungary. In 1992, the city of Budapest also honored Mr. Kővágó and extended its top award of Honorary Citizen of Budapest, a reward for his life-long dedication to the city. Mr. Kővágó died on December 10, 1996 at his home in Linwood, New Jersey. As a former Hungarian statesman, Mr. Kővágó received a state burial in Budapest. 7 • Hungarian American Coalition News • Winter 1997
