Fraternity-Testvériség, 1984 (62. évfolyam, 1-4. szám)

1984-04-01 / 2. szám

Page 6

TESTVÉRISÉG

Béla Tóth

and I wish to express my appreciation and thanks to Bela Toth, secretary to the President, who — much to my regret — retired from his position on December 31, 1983. His decision was prompted by the concern of his physician and by the love of Maria, his wife. Now they plan to do what their busy life had not permitted, to spend more time together free from a demanding schedule. Thus, a devoted and unparallel service of twenty-seven years has come to an end. Bela served under five presidents: Dr. Újlaki Ferenc, Borshy Kerekes György, Dr. Beky Zoltán, György Arpad and Bertalan Imre. I hope, one day, he will write a “bestseller” — “Five Presidents of the HRFA — As I Saw Them.” The saying goes — no one is irrepla- cable — Beci is! Presidents have come and gone, but Beci stayed. He assisted them all, as well as his fellow employees, Field Force members and our entire fraternal family with his cheerful willingness and “built-in” knowledge. A veritable store house of experience and information. Beci remains the same in retirement — he has offered his continuous assistance in training his successor. I am sure the Board will find the suitable occasion to celebrate his greatness shining through his humility. For your services rendered in 1983 and for the same over twenty-seven long years, Bela, I thank you.

Respectfully submitted,

Reverend Imre Bertalan, President

CONVENTION NOTICE

National Officers: "the age of the applicants shall not be over 66 years as of December 31 of the Convention year." (By-laws)

VICE PRESIDENT-SECRETARY REPORT FOR THE YEAR OF 1983

Dear Fellow Directors:

It was our hopes and expectations that the year of 1983 would provide us with somewhat better results that are herewith reported. Due to the lack of new business written, our membership losses were not equalized with the lapses, surrenders, matured and deaths. These statistics were sent to each of you every month with the sales production report.

The changeover to the premium basis will save us some expenses but the commission schedule will still have to be reviewed. This I am sure will be covered in more detail by the President. In the cases of surrenders, the local branch managers and fraternal coordinators were informed of matters in their respective area. Sometimes individual letters were written to try and save these members. It is generally to late to try and save these surrenders whenever they reach the Home Office. More emphasis must be put on the conservation at the branch level. This will again be stressed at all district meetings.

We did not have an outstanding year of accomplishments in terms of membership, insurance sales and fraternal activities. However, now is the time for us to re-group and show cause of purpose and relate these to our members and prospective members. Our membership must be kept informed of our objectives so that they can become an integral part of the society and help bring in new members. In order for us to survive in this ever changing and complex world of insurance, additional changes must and will be made.

Changes are necessary and are often hard to take. Some will accept them and others will not. Most will say that a change is needed and accept it. Others will say that a change is okay as long as it does not effect them. When a change is instituted, it has been well planned and those in authority feel it is best for the society. Everyone must then accept it as such or no longer be associated with the society.

We have long ago put the consolidation behind us and now must embark on charting our future course and concentrating our forces to keep a strong society. This will be made possible only with the combined effort of all concerned, from the national level through the directors and on to the branches.