William Penn Life, 1986 (21. évfolyam, 1-6. szám)

1986-03-01 / 2. szám

Notice to All William Penn Members and Branches The Centennial Committee of our Society is seeking old records of branch activities or Minute Books of branches which you may have in your possession. These may be stored in attics or garages. We also want artifacts, uniforms, badges, ribbons or pictures of your branches and Hungarian activities held in your communi­ty. We want not only William Penn, Verhovay, Rákóczi, Knights of St. George artifacts, but any of the societies which have merged with us in the last fifty years. These are most im­portant for our Centennial, historical records and proposed museum. The William Penn Association will pay the shipping cost. Please write or call Mr. Gay Banes at the Home Office if you have any questions. Mr. Gay B. Banes, National President William Penn Association 709 Brighton Road Pittsburgh, PA 15233 (412) 231-2979 NOTICE THE ANNUAL MT. ST. GEORGE FAMILY CARNIVAL HAS BEEN CHANGED FROM SUNDAY, JULY 27 TO SUNDAY, AUGUST 3. THE DATE WAS CHANGED IN ORDER NOT TO CONFLICT WITH OTHER MAJOR ACTIVITIES. NOTICE TO ALL FORMER VERHOVAY MEMBERS: We are trying to locate a two­­volume set of books titled, “Magyar Amerika írásban És Képben.” It is a hard-bound publication with gold let­tering on a black and maroon back­ground, published by Kaldor Kalman, The Hungarian Publishing Company, Title Guarantee Building, St. Louis, Mo., about 1937. We solicit you to search your libraries for any such books so that we may replace the lost volume from our library. v Continued on page 4 column 1 WIIJ JAM W PENN LIFE U.S. Postage Paid____________Pittsburgh, PA____________Permit No. 2724 Editor-in-chief......................................................................................Gay B. Banes Associate Editor......................................................................Albert J. Stelkovics Editing Office 709 Brighton Rd. Pittsburgh, PA 15233 __________________Area Code (412) 231-2979__________________ Office of Publication 709 Brighton Rd., Pittsburgh, PA 15233 Editorial-Graphic and Print production by A.J.B. Communications ____________________Published Bi-Monthly____________________ Postmaster: If undelivered, please send form 3579 to: WILLIAM PENN ASSOCIATION 709 Brighton Rd., Pittsburgh, PA 15233 Elmer E. Vargo Elected New National Secretary At a special Board of Direc­tors meeting held on February 20th, Elmer E. (AI) Vargo was unanimously elected National Secretary, replacing Gus G. Nagy who retired. Brother Vargo has been ac­tive in the fraternal life insurance business for the last 29 years. He recently resigned as the Vice President-Secretary of the Hungarian Reformed Federation of America to take his new position with the William Penn Association. The concept and promotion of the Fraternal Benefit System has kept him very active in serv­ing the National Fraternal Con­gress of America where he has been Chairman of the Member­ship Committee, Family Life Committee and the State Fraternal Congress Section. He is an F.I.C. (Fraternal Insurance Counselor) and attended ses­sions at Purdue University along with work related courses in Ohio and Maryland. He is married to the former Betty Hartman and they are the parents of three daughters. Karen, a 1984 graduate of the University of Maryland is the Advertising Sales and Produc­tion Manager for an Association publication in Washington, D.C. Also attending the University of Maryland are daughters Diane who is completing her junior year and Sharon completing her freshman year. The family retains their membership with the First Hungarian Reformed Church in Cleveland, Ohio where they have their childhood ties while also belonging to the local Presbyterian Church. Member­ship is also maintained in a number of other community and civic organizations. We urge all of his many friends and acquaintances to contact him regarding any of their life insurance matters. A hearty fraternal welcome is extended by our William Penn membership as he be­comes a part of our official family and we look forward to a long and lasting relationship. National Presidents Founders Day Remarks... On this Centennial Anniver­sary of our Association, we have gathered to honor the memory of our founders, that tiny group of Hungarian immigrants which laid the foun­dation of our great Society in 1886, February 21, in the vicinity of Hazleton, Penn­sylvania. It is appropriate that we do not forget the names of these thirteen miners who labored in the anthracite coal pits there. Let me read their roll: Arnóczky István (Stephen Arnoczky) Debróssy József (Joseph Debrossy) Eckbauer János (John Eckbauer) Galatha Mátyás (Matthew Galantha) Hornyák József (Joseph Hornyak) Juhász Károly (Charles Yuhasz) Kriszt Ferencz (Frank Kriszt) Mikó György (George Miko) Mészáros István (Stephen Mészáros) Pálinkás Mihály (Michael Pálinkás) Ráski András (Andrew Raski) Spisák András (Andrew Spisak) Uhlgár József (Joseph Uhlyar) I want to conjecture about your past which was the same for millions of your brothers and sisters who followed. In your youth you heard the tales about America, the rich mysterious land far across the seas where there was work in mills, fac­tories and mines. Stories of great opportunities to make a fortune fired your imaginations. There were heart rending farewells to your beloved fami­lies after you made your deci­sion to leave your native villages, to search for a better life in this land of ours—America. You brought with you a “kof­fer” or “hajó láda” (steamer trunk) or “kosár” (reed basket) with all your worldly posses­sions. More important, you brought the strength of youth, good health with strong hands, boundless energy and a persist­ent will to work hard and succeed. After living your youth in the bright sunshine of the Hungarian fields, you were not anxious to go down into the bowels of the earth to dig coal in dark, dank mines, but most of you camme into contact with the new world in this manner. Your efforts in this dingy setting contributed to the phenomenal richness of this country which your children, grandchildren and great grandchildren later have enjoyed. Many'of you lived together as boarders in a sort of communal setting in a company house under the watchful eyes of a “gazda aszony” or landlady house—mother who cooked your meals, made your lunch to carry to the mines, washed your clothes, and sometimes washed the coal dust from your backs. The house was heated by a coal stove in the kitchen used for cooking and heating the water for your Saturday bath in a wooden tub in the middle of the kitchen floor. She kept books of accounts for each of you listing your wages and charges for food, bed, washing, sometimes for each slice of bread and hours you slept in your bed. You toiled twelve hours a day, six days a week but found a few hours to go to church on Sunday and meet with some of your companions to share your hopes, dreams and memories of your native Hungary. On these occasions you enjoyed the customs from the “old country” of a “szallona and Kolbász sütés” (slab bacon or pork sausage fried at the end of a fresh cut tree branch over hot coals and let the grease drip­pings drop on sliced onions on thick slices of rye bread.) In the winter you frequently ate homemade “kocsonya” (jellied aspic of pigs feet flavored with spices) which you had made for yourself. You enjoyed these foods washed down with liberal quantities of homemade wine. There was always someone who played your favorite songs from your Continued on page 3 column 1 2

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