Hungarian Heritage Review, 1987 (16. évfolyam, 1-12. szám)
1987-02-01 / 2. szám
Donations to the Hungarian Heritage Review, IN LIEU OF FLOWERS, In Memory of the Late IRENE ELIZABETH SEGESVARY (As of January 19, 1987) JOHN ARNOLD Los Gatos, California CAROLYN MELEN Saratoga, California JUANITA H. WATTS Sunnyvale, California DORIS SYBRIAN Santa Clara, California MR. & MRS. HARRY OYLER Fayetteville, Pennsylvania MR. & MRS. ROBERT WEBER Sunnyvale, California EULAH H. BLAINE Campbell, California U.S. AMBASSADOR FAITH R. WHITTLESEY Bern, Switzerland HELEN S. KING San Jose, California JERI TRAUB Los Gatos, California LEN and JERRY WITT Los Gatos, California TORONTO, CANADA Hungarian-born, Anna Porter, the publisher of Key Porter Books and former president of Seal Books, and a group of investors recently purchased 51 % controlling interest in Doubleday Canada, the Canadian affiliate of the New York-based, Doubleday and Company, one of the largest book and paperback publishing houses in the world, which is now owned by Bertelsmann A.G. of West Germany. Mrs. Porter, who was named Chairman of the Board of Doubleday Canada, is the wife of Julian Porter, the Chairman of the Toronto Transit Commission, and the mother of two daughters. Born in Budapest, the 42-year-old, publishing tycoon first emigrated to New Zealand and, from there, to Canada, where she soon became Vice-President and Editor-in-Chief of the McClelland & Stewart publishing company in Toronto. Anna Porter BUDAPEST, HUNGARY - One of the most puzzling bits of news coming out of Hungary recently is that the new Conductor of the Hungarian State Symphony Orchestra is a Japanese! He is Ken Itchiko Kobayashi, who, in 1974, won a Conductor’s Contest in Budapest against 36 contestants from 11 countries. DALLAS, TEXAS — “Bringing the beauty of God to the world’’ is what the Rev Damian Szodenyi is doing in the basement of the Cistercian Abbey. A founder and former Headmaster of the Cistercian Preparatory School, the 74-year-old, Hungarian-born Catholic priest, with a doctorate in Art History from the Royal University in Budapest, first began sculpting and painting when he was already in his 50’s. Now, his marble madonnas, steel-welded crucifixes, and fiberglas bas reliefs are beautiful works of art enjoying brisk sales. The style of Father Szodenyi’s art reflects his experiences as a “wandering scholar and traveler.” When he emigrated to the United States after World War II, he visited every state, while on the faculty of Catholic schools in New York and Pennsylvania. By 1956, he was a professor at the University of Dallas and, during his annual sabbaticals, traveled all around the world. It was during this period of his life that he took up art to express his faith. “I think the basis of any kind of art is religious,” he says. “If you do art that comes from the depth of your soul, that is divine inspiration.” Today, the Rev. Szodenyi’s art earns a considerable amount of money, but he donates every penny of it to his beloved Cistercian Abbey. The Rev. Damian Szodenyi in his Cistercian Abbey studio CLEVELAND, OHIO - The Council of International Programs (C.I.P.) promotes the exchange of human service professionals (Social Workers, Psychologists, etc.) among various countries in order to foster international understanding and to cross-fertilize ideas and approaches to providing human services. A professional from one country is invited to spend 3 months in an agency in the country of his choice, learning how that agency delivers human services. The agencies range from mental health, schools, criminal justice, social services, and health services. A host family provides the visiting professional with a home and family, so essential to a visitor from another country. Each year the CIP sponsors an international conference, inviting alumni and participants to share ideas and experiences. This year, the Conference will be held in Budapest, the first time in the 26 year history of the CIP that the conference will be held in an Eastern European country. —continued next page FEBRUARY 1987 HUNGARIAN HERITAGE REVIEW 3
