Fraternity-Testvériség, 1983 (61. évfolyam, 1-4. szám)
1983-04-01 / 2. szám
FRATERNITY Page 5 fraternal activities, but I cannot take the Home Office Building off the priority list. At the time when the Kossuth House was sold, the directors and members were told that there will be a new one. The spring-1982 Board meeting upheld that idea by instructing the Executive Committee to search for a home office. September 1982, we actually puchas- ed a building, but because of the impending consolidation, it was not carried out. A Home Office building would indicate that we are alive, are moving, are back in business! Having an office now in Washington does not necessarily mean we are bound to D.C. Any plan that would substanciate the advantage to move elsewhere will be carefully studied. For these reasons, if a suitable building should be located by the time of the Spring-1983 meeting, the question of a Home Office Building will be presented to the Board. BOARD OF DIRECTORS During the year two regular meetings and three special meetings were held by the Board of Directors. The first regular meeting was held from April 19 through April 23 in Washington, D.C. The second regular meeting was held on September 8 through September 10 in Ligonier, PA. The special meetings were held on November 5 (Ligonier), November 21 (Pittsburgh), and November 28 (Pittsburgh). The special meetings were all in reference to the consolidation. It became obvious during the consolidation negotiations that the unity of our Board was sorely tested. There can be and always should be difference of opinion, but having resolved our differences, we must move together for the benefit of our beloved Federation. CONSOLIDATION In the December 1982 issue of Fraternity, our members were informed that the Consolidation Agreement as worked out and presented by the respective Boards of The Hungarian Reformed Federation of America (HRFA) and The William Penn Association (WPA), failed to receive support at our special convention held on November 27, 1982. In the Winter Issue, 1983 of William Penn Life, the official publication of WPA, an unmistakable effort is made to prove that the champion of the noble cause is WPA and the villain is the HRFA. Consequently, the champion should be hailed and applauded and the spoiler should be blamed and reprimanded. This misrepresentation stands in need of correction. The article in question is entitled: “Epitaph for a Consolidation” and is written by the great frater- nalist and historian, former national secretary Albert S. Stelkovics. His opening statement reads: “The dream of a large Hungarian fraternal benefit society becoming a reality after many decades of hoping, came to become a shattered dream...” Then comes the presentation of proceedings as seen through WPÄ eyes. The article concludes with these words: “Thus, to the WPA and HRFA consolidation efforts, we say — Requiescet in pacem — meaning, Rest in peace!” (Closing words of the funeral liturgy-) First correction — The special convention of the Federation did not make any pronouncement concerning the fate and future of the old Hungarian fraternal dream. It simply declared that the agreement, as presented, is not acceptable. (During the discussion that day, special attention was given to paragraphs that pertained to the safeguard of the democratic process, the backbone of fratemals.) The above quoted pronouncement denies the right of future generations of dreaming and creating according to their own vision. Second correction — We have to try to clarify what the much quoted “old dream” meant for our forefathers and what it means to us. What happened to the old dream during the negotiations? What were the behind the scene of last minute developments that led our convention to defend the proposal? The legacy of the old dream is: UNITE — but with a clear and unmistakable Hungarian-American identity which sets both goals and limitations to such consolidation. William Penn, we believe, came to the negotiation table on its own initiative, with an open and sincere desire to recover its identity. The Hungarian-American identity was agreed upon before a motion to start fact-finding reached the floor of the 1980 convention. There was no indication during the long period of negotiations that this basic agreement (concerning the name and identity) would need a review on the part of either society. It is in light of this that a totally unexpected WPA Board resolution caused a nightmarish effect. Exactly two weeks before the opening of the special convention, a WPA Board resolution was made, to change the formal agreement and retain the William Penn name. Since our Executive Committee would not even discuss this proposal with their officers, as suggested in the comments that accompained the resolution, their resolution was immediately withdrawn. This move, however, failed to remove the dark cloud of mistrust that gathered fast on the
