A Móra Ferenc Múzeum Évkönyve: Studia Historica 14. (Szeged, 2012)

HALMÁGYI Pál: Galamb József emlékezete

PAL HALMAGYI IN MEMORY OF GALAMB JÓZSEF" The town of Mako gave birth to two world-famous personalities. Mako was the birthplace of Pulitzer Jozsef, born 1847, the founder of the most famous award for achievements in journalism, the Pulitzer Prize and the birthplace of Galamb Jozsef, born 1881, the designer of Ford T Model. This model was named the world's most influential car of the 20th century. This automobile was the first to be mass produced on a moving assembly line and was the first to produce 15 million models. In this volume the author, who is also the director of the local museum, sums up the events of the past three decades which were dedicated to preserve and cultivate the memory of its great citizen. The first memorial tablet was revealed on the 100th anniversary of Galamb Jozsef's birthday, 3rd February 1981. In 1990 the local college was renamed after him and in 2000 he became a freeman of the town. The award was received by his grand-son who lives in the USA. In 2001 a statue of him was erected in the main square to celebrate the 120th anniversary of his birthday. The statue was revealed by the American cultural attaché. Since 2005 there has been a statue standing in the school named after him. He has been dedicated an entire exhibition room in the local museum since 2008 where an original Ford T Model, from 1919, has been on display since 2009. Preserving the legacy of Galamb Jozsef and his epoch making achievements have always been in the main focus of the local museum, the school named after him and the local Chamber of Engineers. For each anniversary they organize an event to remember him ranging from academic conferences, exhibitions to old timer meetings etc... This study is an account of the events dedicated to his memory between 1981 and 2012. 125