Magyar News, 2001. szeptember-2002. augusztus (12. évfolyam, 1-12. szám)
2001-12-01 / 4. szám
Part Two, by Robert Kranyik The original house that the family built with the help of relatives and many of their friends The Hungarian Americans The Hungarian Americans, the second generation, was an interesting and ambitious group. While a very few went on to higher education, most of them went right to work to support the family. Yet, they tended to succeed because they worked hard, and worked skillfully. I have already mentioned a prominent Hungarian-American, Mary Katona. There were also the Youhouse boys, the Kishes, the Kassays, the Kowáts's , the Tóbis's, the Baloghs, the Antals, the Vetroskeys, the Bodnárs, the Krajnyiks, the Kántors, and the Laskos. There were the Szepessy's, the Boros's, the Butzkós, the Blégy's, and the Gombos's. The list went on and on. Many of the young men from this generation served in World War II. Ernie Youhouse was a prisoner of war in Germany, and later became a teacher in the Fairfield School System. Géza Kántor won the Bronze Star. Stevie Tóbis was killed in Italy, where he was part of the famous Tenth Mountain Division. His cousin, Robert, was an officer in the Army Air Corps who trained at Yale. Andy Vetroskey fought on Saipan. Danny Gombos served as a navigator in the Army Air Force. Julius Boros, twice winner of the U.S. National Open, served in the Army. Most of the Hungarian families were well represented on the honor rolls of both Fairfield and Bridgeport. My father followed in the footsteps of his Uncle George, and became the first Hungarian- American to serve as a Fairfield Police Chief. When appointed, he was one of the youngest police chiefs in Connecticut. Never one to stray far from his Hungarian roots, he regularly went to mass at Holy Trinity in the West End, and when his duty prevented that, he visited St. Emery's. He and the Rev. Emil Nagy of the Hungarian Reformed Church served as interpreters for the courts when people who spoke Hungarian served as interpreters when people who spoke Hungarian appeared before the courts. And, I am sure, many a first generation immigrant found himself at home instead of trouble after a few drinks at Kallay's or the Tokay restaurants, because Jim Kranyik was able to reason with him in the mother tongue. Like most Hungarian families of the time, ours was extended and close. The cousins assembled on holidays, around tables loaded with wonderful Hungarian delicacies. Of course, there was the pálinka and the sör to accompany chicken paprikas with home-made galuska. Szalonna with rye bread was passed around before-hand. There was always soup. It was varied and always delicious. I always looked forward to the Hungarian kalács, diós, mákos, and lekváros. And, of course, palacsinta was my version of Hungarian, heaven, especially when Grandma Agnes made it over the wood stove. One of the things I came to realize much later was that I ate gourmet food every day. Even the plainest soups and simple dishes like rétes, kalács were visually attractive and tasty. I thought that everyone ate like that until I got out into the world and realized that growing up in a Hungarian family was a gastronomical adventure. The American Hungarians Not all of my generation were bi-lingual. I was fortunate to have been taught by Grandma Agnes, with whom we lived. There were friends who were especially proficient. But, some could speak just a few words of Hungarian. Even so, there was an evident pride among us in being descendants of this brave, colorful, and intelligent people who gave so much to the world. Most of us continued for some time to attend our Hungarian churches, and some still do. Based on our fond memories of the old church picnics, with their dance bands, colorful costumes, and delicious On the left a wedding portrait made in 1903. They are the grandparents of the author, Agnes Tobis and James Krajnyik. On the right a reenactment of a Hungarian harvest by the Holy Trinity B. C. Church members in 1939 at Montrey Grove Page 4
