Verhovayak Lapja, 1946 (29. évfolyam, 1-52. szám)

1946 / Verhovay Journal

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Page 4

V er noway Journal

May 2*3, 1946

V erhovay J ournal

Journal of the Verhovay Fraternal Insurance Ass’n OFFICE OF PUBLICATION

8502 West Jefferson Ave. Detroit 17, Mich.

PUBLISHED SEMI-MONTHLY BY THE Verhovay Fraternal Insurance Association

Managing Editor: JOHN BENCZE Editor: COLOMAN REVESZ Editor’s Office:

436—442 FOURTH AVENUE PITTSBURGH 19, PA.

All articles and changes of address should be sent to the VERHOVAY FRATERNAL INSURANCE ASSOCIATION

436 —442 FOURTH AVENUE, PITTSBURGH 19, PA.

SUBSCRIPTION RATES:

United States and Canada __________________$1.00 a year

Foreign Countries ________________________$1.50 a year

ADVERTISING DEPARTMENT: P. O. BOX 7, WOOLSEY STATION — LONG ISLAND CITY 5. N. Y.

Entered as Second Class Matte»' at the Post Office at Detroit, Michigan under the Act of March 3, 1879.

SUPREME PRESIDENT’S FIRST VISIT TO NEW FIELD IN CALIFORNIA

•— Hero’s Portrait Presented in Los Angeles. —

Shortly after the State of California granted a license to the Verhovay F. I. Association, our expert fieldman and well known organizer, Alexander Gyulay, former Supreme Organizer, entered the new field. He accepted a difficult job and a grave responsibility. The task of a District Manager is exceedingly difficult in a territory where there are no branches and organizing activities have to be started from rock bottom.

The difficulties facing him Were intensified by the nature of the territory which was entrusted to him. Los Angeles is an immensely big city and the Hungarian population whose cooperation had to be secured if he Was to be successful, is not concentrated in any one part of the city, as it is, for instance, in Detroit.

A 25—30 mile ride from one home to the other is a natural thing for Los Angeles Hungarians but for the newcomer, finding his way in a strange city, the situation is anything but encouraging. Then, too, it has to be remembered that Mr. Gyulay started his work during the dark gas-rationing period which was made even darker by the lack of parts and repair facilities for his old buggy that has given the best years of her life to the field in the East...

For an ordinary person, such an accumulation of difficulties Would have resulted in discouragement at the very start. But the past record of Mr. Gyulay proves him to be an unusual field-man. He faced the difficulties with courage and determination and succeeded within the first few months in organizing branches 524 and 525 which, at first, consisted mostly of members of far eastern branches who had moved to California.

Naturally, all these fellowmembers had to be visited in person — involving a great deal of driving—and then a lot of clerical work in connection with the securing of transfers from the eastern branches, election and training of branch-officers, the setting up of books for the new settling of old accounts and the branches. And that wasn’t all.

Mr. Gyulay knows well that a fraternal branch cannot expand without social activities and he provided the two youngest branches of the Verhovay with an appropriate program, being himself, with Mrs. Gyulay, always in the midst of the activities.

The Hungarians of California received the Gyulays with open arms and they soon won their complete confidence. There are few people who are spoken as well of, as the Gyulays in California. And the activities of his first two branches soon attracted attention and of this attention prospects were born who, in turn, became new members.

Branch 525, hardly a year old, became the mother of Branch 527, Fontana, California, while, at the same time, bolstering her own ranks with new members. The same goes for Branch 524, and the magnificent results attained by these two branches during the Sixtieth Anniversary Contest, prove that the Verhovay has a great future in California and Mr. Gyulay is the man to do the job.

The California branches have far-reaching plans — among them the building of a Verhovay Home — and they extended an invitation to the Supreme President of the Association to visit the new field on the occasion of the first anniversary of the founding of branches 524 and 525. In view of the plans conceived in the minds of these enthusiastic fellow-members, the Board of Directors requested the Supreme President to visit the California branches and then, to report on what has been done and what can be done for the Verhovay and her members in the State of California.

TWELVE CROWDED DAYS.

Mr. Bencze arrived in Los Angeles by plane on April 25, at 2:30 in the morning, after a trip of 16% hours. The following day he began to make the rounds with Mr. Gyulay ending up at the bowling alleys where he met the ambitious teams of Branch 525 and some 25 fellow-members who attended the games.

The next day, April 27th, was spent in a similar manner and in the evening they attended the Spring Dance held by the Hungarian Athletic Club. 700 tickets were sold , at the doors, an impressive attendance, rarely matched by social affairs held in the east. Mr. Bencze was surprised by the quality of the assembled guests, too, and the fact that about 80% of the people attending were of the, younger generation while 20% consisted of the old stock American Hungarians.

Six hundred people attended the Hungarian Relief Banquet held on April 28th. The hall was filled to capacity by the guests, both second and first generation Hungarians, who made an excellent and enthusiastic audience.

Branches 524 and 525 held a joint meeting in honor of the Supreme President on May 2. More than 50 members attended who extended a hearty welcome to Mr. Bencze.

After the disposal of official matters the details of the Portrait- Presentation Ceremonies were discussed and then the Supreme President delivered a lecture on the fraternal program of the Verhovay.

An open forum followed during which many questions were asked of and answered by Mr. Bencze who was deeply impressed by the lively interest displayed by the fellow-members attending the meeting. He says: “Very seldom, if ever, have I met as enthusiastic a crowd at a Verhovay branch-meeting, as I did on that occasion.”

A VISIT TO FONTANA.

May 4th, Saturday, evening was the date set for the “get acquainted” Party of our new

branch, 527, Fontana, Cal. Experienced Verhovayans took it for granted that, as this was the first social affair to be held in that community, not more than a hundred people, at the most, will attend. There were signs, however, of better hopes.

A delegation of six, including the Supreme President, left early afternoon from Los Angeles. About ten miles from Fontana they stopped at a Hungarian restaurant for refreshment and noted with surprise a big sign hanging over the bar:

“We close the Bar and Restaurant at 5 P. M. today.”'

The owner, bidding his guests a hearty welcome in Hungarian, saw that they were mystified by the sign, so he hastened to explain that he and his family intended to leave early to' attend the party in Fontana.

Well, Mr. Bencze, thought, if a businessman closes his establishment in order to attend the Verhovay affair in Fontana, then the outlook can’t be as bad as that. And right he was, for there were more than 2 hundred people present who really got acquainted in the good old Hungarian “mulatós” way. Mr. Gabor Bencze, president of Br. 527 introduced Mr. John Bencze, Supreme President, to the assembled guests. H-is address was received with an enthusiasm that seems to be a specialty of California Hungarians. An excellent dinner was served, wonderful music was furnished by Ella Szarka and Albert Tamas for the dance which lasted until the early morning hours. Needless to say, a nice foundation was laid for the treasury of the youngest Verhovay Branch.

MEMORIAL CELEBRATION.

The portrait presentation ceremonies were to be held in conjunction with the first anniversary of the founding of branches 524 and 525 in the

auditorium of the Hungarian Reformed Church. The officers of the two branches were quite worried because of the limited capacity of the hall seating not more than 155 guests.

It happened before that they had to turn guests - away and on this occasion that would have been especially embarrassing. Due to a transportation workers’ strike, however, many who intended to attend could not come and thus it was possible to avoid the embarrassment of turning any of the guests away. But the hall was filled to capacity.

The Rev. pastor Albert Hady opened the ceremonies with prayer and then Mr. Gyulay took over as Master of Ceremonies. Miss Mitzi Dudash, Miss Irene Szabó were the soloists of the evening whose excellent renditions will be long remembered. Miss Magda Sovincz at the piano offered a magnificent performance. Supreme President Mr. Bencze spoke of the history of the V erhovay, enumerating the achievements, the humanitarian, and cultural contributions of our organization during the six decades of her rapid development.

Zoltán Szabados, editor-publisher of the “California! Magyarsag”, the only Hungarian weekly in that state, voiced his unreserved confidence in the Verhovay. “It is the duty of all Americans of Hungarian descent — he said — to support their own organizations, especially the Verhovay Fraternal Insurance Association, the largest and strongest of all Hungarian societies.”

Greetings in behalf of their resp. organizations, were conveyed to the celebrating branches by the following: Mrs. Michael Pedery, Roman Catholich Church; the Rev. Albert Hady, Reformed Church; the Rev. Charles Molnár, Baptist Church; Arpad Szász, Athletic Club; Mrs. Implom and Arpad Törzs, St. Stephen’s Society-; Oscar Kozma; Branch 524, Mrs. Leslie Lovas; Branch 525: John Nyikon; Branch 527, Gabriel Bencze; Workingmen’s Home: George Kerekes; Hungarian Home: Michael Pedery; Old Americans’ Family: Louis Pauer; Los Angeles Branch ol the American Hungarian Reformed Federation: John Kiss; and I. W. O.: Aurel Leitner.

Following the greetings, Mr. Bencze unveiled the portrait of William R. Tomory, former member of Branch 222, Canonsburg, Pa., 7th heroic dead member of the Verhovay, who was killed in action on December 26, 1942, in the North-Pacific theatre of war. With moving expressions of deep sympathy he presented the

portrait to the mother of the hero, the widow of the late John Chernay.

The heartrending scene was followed by the singing of the American and Hungarian National Anthem which concluded the program. It was a memorable occasion and a demonstration of Verhovay fraternalism at its best.

EXPERIENCES AND IMPRESSIONS.

During the days of his stay .in Los Angeles, Mr. Bencze visited more than thirty outstanding public personalities. These visits took him to Búrban, Beverly Hills, West Los Angeles, Culver City, Glendale, Inglewood, Huntington Park, South Gate, Pasadena, South Pasadena, Temple City, Monerey Park, El Monte, Arcadia, Azusa, Fontana, Riverside and San Bernardino. More than a thousand miles were added on the speedometer of Mr. Gyulay’s car as a result of these calls.

Naturally, the cause of the Verhovay was the topic of the conversations held in the homes of these leading personalities. Mr. Bencze was deeply impressed by the unanimous approval of the work of the Verhovay and her chief representative, Mr. Gyulay.

Everyone agreed that the Verhovay has a great future in California, for the population of the state is rapidly growing. More than 400,000 people entered California during the last six months.

Many of them are Americans of Hungarian descent who have a natural interest for Hungarian organizations. Thousands of American Hungarians work in the iron mill of Kaiser, and in other factories. Ford and Goodyear are just getting ready to build in Los Angeles.

The annual Hungarian Day attracts usually at least 4,000 people and the Hungarian Press Picnic never less than 2,000. Indeed, California is the state of the future and the Verhovay intends to have her share in it.

In addition to all the visits mentioned, Mr. Bencze also paid a call to the Los Angeles Chamber of Commerce and spent a few hours at the lot of the Twentieth Century Fox . . .

Enriched by unforgettable memories and highly encouraged as to the future of the Verhovay in. California he returned arriving in Pittsburgh on May 7th. He feels that by sharing his experiences with the readers of the Journal, he can make another contribution to the hopeful and happy spirit of Verhovay’s Sixtieth Anniversary.

HUNGER MAP OF EUROPE

The spread of famine conditions in Europe is shown on Ibis map. 1) indicates the countries in which great numbers are subsisting on diets that are frequently below 1,000 calories; 2) where average diets are often under 1,500 calories; 3) where average diets many- times go below 2,000 calories; i) where more or less normal food conditions prevail. (Map prepared by the League of Red Cross Societies.)