Fraternity-Testvériség, 2009 (87. évfolyam, 1-3. szám)
2009-01-01 / 1. szám
BRANCH NEWS BRANCH 176-Gary, IN We remember the birthday celebration and the fruitful life of Maria Gardi, our 90-year-old HRFA member. The birthday celebration started with holy mass at Holy Trinity Hungarian church with Rev. Alphonse Skerl officiating. Her life is one of the many in the Hungarian Diaspora. Maria was born in a tiny village near Miskolc, Ohuta. When she was 21 years old, she met a young man, János Geduldig, who was working for the government. They fell in love and got married in 1941. Then János got promoted and he was sent to Sopron. There they started a family. They had three girls and two boys. Meanwhile the Second World War was going on so János got drafted. He served his country, but before the war ended, he became ill, and he had to have surgery. After the war, Hungary became a Socialist country. Many people with German surnames got deported to Germany even though their families lived in Hungary for centuries. János and his brother changed their name from Geduldig to the more acceptable Gárdi. The nineteen-fifties in Hungary were brutal. The Socialist dictatorship abused its power and everybody was bitter and desperate. In 1956, the Revolution broke out, which was bloodily suppressed by the Soviet Red Army. Many Hungarians were killed, and 200,000 were forced to escape from the tyranny and leave their beloved country. The Gárdi family was one of those families. Even the children's nanny joined them giving up her pay just to be with the family she loved. The family as a whole was accepted by the US authorities, and they ended up in Gary, Indiana. János had to go to the county hospital because his lungs had to be checked out. When he got out, he got a job doing heavy physical work working for the railroad. Maria got a job working for St. Mary's Hospital doing janitorial work. From 1957 to 1959, there was an economic slump, and almost every new immigrant lost his job. The family moved from Gary to Chicago where the children got their education and where they eventually got married, and established their own family. In 1979, János, the beloved patriarch, passed away. Everyone in the family missed him, especially Maria. Her religious upbringing and the love of God and her children's support helped her survive this crisis. In the early 1990's, Maria left her dear Chicago and moved to the house they bought in 1977 in Sarasota, Florida. Here she enjoys her garden and loves to entertain. Her house is never without guests. She loves everybody, and she is loved by anyone who knows her. Her three children live nearby and look after her well-being. She enjoys great health. She became a HRFA member ten years ago, and one of her life's treasured memories is when she visited Washington, D.C. and the Kossuth House. She still talks about it to her friends. We thought Maria's life worth mentioning as one of the members who survived the history's turbulent times. Maria is the mother of Kati Mischak. Katalin Mischak, Branch Manager and Fraternal Coordinator BRANCH 227 - Warren, OH Members of HRFA and the Covenant Presbyterian Church got together in the months of October, November and December to complete the following projects: Warren Family Mission - Several boxes of food items were collected and sent to the mission to serve a Thanksgiving feast for families in need. Making and selling Hungarian sausage - The money from the sausage sale will be used for missions during the calendar year. Christmas gifts for needy children - Items were collected, wrapped and distributed to thirty children in our area. Marge Nicholas, Branch Manager and Fraternal Coordinator BRANCH 300 - Washington, DC Thank you to all the participants in 2008 Operation Christmas Child, the Shoe Box Project. This year Branch 300 was able to fill 18 shoeboxes with the money and/or time donated by the following Branch 300 members: Vera Bjurstrom, Petra Fehérvári, Atilla Kocsis, Les Megyeri, Erika Mason-Toth, Kati Levay-Nagy, Melinda Trinfuly and Elizabeth S. Young. Az Amerikai Magyar Református Egyesület Mikulásváró Ünnepélye Több, mint 60 izgatott kisgyermek várta a Mikulást December 7-én, az Amerikai Magyar Református Egyesület ünnepélyén, Washington, D.C-ben. A Kossuth Házban a gyerekek a Fehérszakállú megérkeztéig kézimunkáztak, egyesek saját karácsonyfájukra készítettek díszeket, mások a Mikulásnak szánt meglepetésen dolgoztak. Megyeri László, az Amerikai Magyar Református FRATERNITY - TESTVÉRISÉG 19
