Hungarian Studies Newsletter, 1998 (15. évfolyam, 51-54. szám)
1998 / 53-54. szám
HUNGARIAN STUDIES NEWSLETTER No. 53 ISSN 0194-164X Autumn, 1998 Published quarterly by the Hungarian Research Center of the American Hungarian Foundation: Winter, Spring-Summer (double issue), Autumn. Editor: Andrew Ludanyi, Managing Editor: August |. Molnár: Contributors: Julianna Puskás, George Dózsa. Communications concerning content should be addressed to the : Editor: Department of History, Political Science & Criminal Justice, Ohio Northern University, Ada, OH 45810. Communications concerning subscriptions, advertising and circulation should be addressed to American Hungarian Foundation, Hungarian Heritage Center, 300 Somerset Street, PO Box 1084, New Brunswick, NJ 08903-1084, Tel.: 732-846-5777, Fax: 732-249-7033, E-Mail: ahfoundation@juno.com. Annual subscription in the U.S.A. $10.00. Abroad $12.00. Current single copy $4.00; back issues $5.00 each. EDITOR'S CORNER We are in the midst of celebrating many anniversaries that have historical significance for Hungarians in general and American- Hungarians in particular. This year we are celebrating the memory of the 1848-49 Hungarian fight for freedom of 150 years ago. At every Hungarian church and ethnic clubhouse on the North American continent the personalities and achievements of Kossuth and Petőfi, Bern and Görgey, were replayed on our collective memory screens at our celebrations of March 15th. Inevitably Kossuth’s travels in the United States led to his speech at Columbus, Ohio where he anticipated Abraham Lincoln’s memorable "government of, for, and by the people.” In a year immersed in such memories, it is important for us to consider, how best we can preserve these collective memories for the next generation! It is no longer enough to celebrate, we must think of how this legacy can be preserved. Almost all of us have collections of periodicals, books or memorabilia that reflect our collective impact on American society. It is important that these should be placed in the hands of people who care after we are no longer around. Generational change is becoming more dramatic at the present since no wave of recent immigrants has replenished our numbers. The third generation of those who left Hungary before the First World War are now all retired and most are quite advanced in age. The children of the 1945-48 emigres as well as the 1956 Freedom fighters are now nearing retirement and are rapidly becoming elderly as well. The conscious elements of these Hungarian-Americans frequently have valuable collections of books and periodicals that relate to Hungarian culture. It is important that they consider what will become of their collections once they move into nursing homes, or join "Csaba Királyfi” on the eternal pathway in the heavens! Please consider donating your collection to an institution that will preserve it for the next generation. Write your will by considering the American Hungarian Foundation, the major collections in Hungary (Országos Széchényi Library, Somogyi Library, etc.) or Hungarian educational institutions in Slovakia, Carpatho-Ukraine, Transylvania or the Vojvodina. Remember, our collective memory can and will transcend time and existing state boundaries, but only if you too do something for its preservation! a.I. joint work and permanent consultation that shall be provided by the National Széchényi Library in cooperation with the American Hungarian Foundation. The program will continue the process of cataloging and preservation of the books, serials and archival materials held by the Library and Archives of the Foundation at its New Brunswick, NJ, facility. The Foundation’s collections serve as a reference library for Hungarian studies, and it holds major primary sources for Hungarian immigration history. Under the agreement in 1998-1999 Zsolt Bánhegyi, a systems librarian at the Department of Automation, Library of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences, will be the first Fulbright Program Librarian to come to the American Hungarian Foundation’s Library. Prior to his arrival in New Brunswick, N), he will spend several months with the Department of Library and Information Sciences, University of California at Los Angeles. The second Fulbright Program Scholar under the agreement of cooperation will be Dr. András Csillag, an associate professor of English and American Studies at Juhász Gyula College of Teacher Training in Szeged, Hungary. Dr. Csillag served as curator and bibliographer for the Edmund Vasváry Collection housed at the Somogyi Library in Szeged. A microfilm of that extensive Collection, which deals with Hungarians in America and related subjects, was prepared by the Foundation before the corpus of the Collection was deposited with the Somogyi Library in Hungary. Dr. Csillag has several publications dealing with the Vasváry Collection and about (oseph Pulitzer and immigration history. From 1987-1989 he was a visiting scholar at the Graduate School of Journalism, Columbia University. George Washington Awards Rabbi Arthur Schneier, internationally known advocate for religious freedom and human rights, and distinguished architect László Papp were honored by the American Hungarian Foundation at its 36th Annual George Washington Awards Dinner November 17, 1998. The dinner was held at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in New York City. In name and symbolism the George Washington Award was inspired by the statue of Washington erected 92 years ago in the City Park of Budapest, Hungary, through funds raised by Hungarian immigrants living in America. The award honors persons who have made eminent contributions in the arts, commerce, industry, science or the promotion of understanding among men and nations. Past recipients include numerous Nobel Prize winners, such as Elie Wiesel, as well as other well-known figures, including author James A. Michener, journalist Chet Huntley, Antal Dorati, Michael Korda, actor Tony Curtis, and Kati Marton. In receiving the Washington award, Mr. Papp was recognized as both a leading architect and a business and civic leader. He began his studies at the Technical University of Budapest before emigrating to the United States in 1956. He continued his architectural studies at Pratt Institute and became a designer with the firm of Harrison and Abramovitz. Fulbright Agreement (Continued) (Continued on page 3) 2 NO. 53-54, AUTUMN-WINTER, 1998-99, HUNGARIAN STUDIES NEWSLETTER
