Fraternity-Testvériség, 1998 (76. évfolyam, 1-4. szám)
1998-01-01 / 1-2. szám
Page 12 TESTVÉRISÉG Early Washington Years of the HRFA 1934-1935 Mrs. Elizabeth Komaromy Stant and her son Norm. It was in 1934 that the Commissioner of the Insurance Department of the District of Columbia decreed that any company having its charter in the capital of the United States would have to have its main office there. In order to hold on to the charter, the Hungarian Reformed Federation of America had to have a semblance of an office in Washington during the interim until the membership could make a decision at its next Convention. The Board met in March 1934 and decided to send me to Washington to represent the Federation. In April, on Easter Sunday, I came to Washington. A desk had been rented in a lawyer’s office in the Columbian Building on Fifth Street. I stayed at the YWCA in their transient dormitory on E Street, just a block from the Columbian Building and also very close to the Insurance Department on Pennsylvania Avenue. By appointment, I met with Mr. Marshall, the Commissioner of the Insurance Department. I had the Treasurer’s books with me. Since I could not stay at the YWCA indefinitely, it was decided that I look for an apartment and set up the office of the Federation in the apartment. I found an efficiency at 2002 P Street, NW, which truly became the first office of the Federation. The Board kept on paying the $25.00 that they had paid for the desk at the Columbian Building, and I paid the rest as my living quarters. It was to this office that the Commissioner would come every month to check our books. The Convention met in 1935 and voted to officially set up its offices in Washington, D.C. on January 1, 1936. Our new offices were in the Chandler Building (1427 I Street, NW) on the ninth floor. From Toledo came Stephen Molnár and Valentine Boldogh. From Youngstown, Ohio, came the Rev. George E. Borshy-Kerekes, and from Cleveland, Ohio, Emery Király and the Rev. Edmond Vasvary. In March of the same year, the Board of Directors decided to assign Betti Balazs to Washington, D.C. since the office load had become too overwhelming. The first Hungarian Reformed service with Hungarian hymns and prayer was held in the Chandler Building office. There were only men at this meeting, for women had not yet been appointed to the Board. Therefore, I was the only female at this meeting. Our first full Hungarian Reformed service was held at Grace Reformed Church on the comer of 15th and O Streets. All Hungarians living in Washington and its surroundings were invited to this service. Many came: Catholics, Jews, and, of course, Protestant Reformed people. The church is a historic building; its cornerstone was laid by President Theodore Roosevelt. Since most of the people who worked for the Federation and attended that first church service are now gone, I felt greatly blessed to have attended the service on November 23, 1986. The next move of the office was to 1726 Pennsylvania Avenue, one block from the White House. The Federation bought this building. We were on the second floor, for the downstairs first floor was rented to a military organization. Many Hungarians came to this building and often were escorted around the city. By then there were many more workers in the office. In 1943 I retired from this office to get married. It was interesting to see that the Federation moved to 18th and P Streets again. Church services continued in the Ball Room of this historic building. My husband, who was not Hungarian, would often attend services with me. Eater the move was to New Mexico Avenue, and from there to Rockville, Maryland. I wondered how that move could be made without the loss of our charter. Today, the Federation is finally back in its rightful place, in the capital of the United States. May the Lord continue to prosper its work among the Hungarian brethren in this adopted country of ours. Elizabeth Komaromy Stant A very special celebration took place on Sunday, March 1, 1998, in honor of the 90th birthday of Mrs. Elizabeth Komaromy Stant. The theme, which was carried out in the invitations and the birthday cake, was, “Friends Are the Flowers in the Garden of Life.” Elizabeth’s son, Norman L. Stant, was the host for this wonderful gathering. At age 26, Elizabeth K. Stant left her family in her hometown of Toledo, Ohio, and traveled to Washington, D.C. to find a suitable office for the relocation of the Federation. The rest is said in her article above. She remained in the D.C. area, married the late Norman A. Stant, and raised her family here. Her son Norm presented a wonderful biography of Elizabeth’s life. He commented on her work with the HRFA, and that she was “a woman ahead of her time.” The invited guests were a testament of Elizabeth’s involvement in her church, her woman’s club and the community. Treasurer Suzanne S. Virgulák and her
