William Penn Life, 1986 (21. évfolyam, 1-6. szám)
1986 / Különszám
National Vice President Albert Stelkovics served as toastmaster for the evening. Stephen G. Danko, chairman of the Board, addresses the banquet audience. association, after 100 years, is able to renew the ideals of our forefathers. Today, the William Penn Association stands as the major Hungarian fraternal society in America. As it begins its second century, grant, oh Lord, to our newly-elected president a sense of leadership, the force to be original, the appreciation of kindness, to speak in defense of justice; grant him the strength and patience to work for a better world and a better tomorrow; and above all else, to be a gentleman with a kind and understanding heart. Finally, we ask you, oh Lord, that every member of this organization will understand the meaning of fraternalism. That they always defend your crest, believe in its significance, feed the hungry, understand the needy, restore dignity to the forgotten and give themselves unselfishly to others. Amen. A Moment Of Silence Before we proceed, let us take another few moments so that we may honor the founders of this great society. We bow our heads in silent prayer in honor of the memory of the thirteen Hungarian miners who were the founders of our society. On this occasion we must also bow our heads in respect to the early branch presidents and secretaries who built our Association. The old time workers of the Verhovay and Rákóczi, who after laboring long days and nights in mines and mills, used their leisure time to recruit members into the strong foundation on which the William William Penn Life, Special Centennial Issue, Page 7 Guests heard greetings and congratulatory remarks in two languages, English and Hungarian. Penn Association stands today. Their memory could never be erased from our hearts. May we have one moment of silence now in memory of our founders, and the more than 500 members of our society who died in war to preserve our great nation and the many members who worked so hard through the years to help our society grow. (During the moment of silence, President Banes struck a bell thirteen times, once for each of the founding fathers of the Association.) Chairman Danko’s Remarks It is indeed symbolic that the centennial celebration of the William Penn Association coincides with the one hundredth birthday of the Statue of Liberty. Our ageless “Lady” has been the symbol of hope and inspiration for the millions who have immigrated to our shores seeking freedom of life, religion and personal achievement. Her torch has illuminated the road for the tired, the poor and the huddled masses to fulfill their dreams of happiness and success. No less of an influence has she been on the life of the William Penn. Founded by Hungarian coal miners, the Association has been guided through its infancy by inspired Hungarian immigrants and their children who were instilled with the pride and tenacity of their parents. They applied their strong arms and even stronger wills to lift this Association from its humble beginning to its noble heights of today. As we stand on the threshold of our second century, we must now look to the future and be guided by our illustrious past. It is appropriate that the symbol of our Association is the torch providing us with the guiding light as the Liberty Torch provided our predecessors. We must be ever vigilant to provide for the welfare of our members and their children. Newer and better protection benefits must continually be explored, examined, refined and adopted. Encroachments on the fraternal advantage must not be allowed to take place. In these times of government searching for new sources of revenue, we must take a firm stand with our elected representatives to show by example and deed that our benefits to society outweigh the diluted benefits of taxation. Instead of government utilizing our monies for the purchase of instruments of destruction, let us invest our money in our future, our children. Programs of sports, education and culture must be created and supported for our children so that the name William Penn Association becomes a common household phrase rather than a name on documents forgotten in the dresser drawer. Let us strengthen their bodies in athletic programs, develop their minds with educational programs and support financially their higher education. Strong bodies and sound minds give strength to the inner souls of our children to resist the evil temptations inherent with our modern society. Let us not forget our background, our proud heritage that brought us to this threshold. We must insure that our language lives on by providing books and instruction; insure that our dances continue to excite by sponsoring and teaching dance groups; and insure that our culture provides inspiration to second and third generations through cultural and student exchanges. As Hungarian Americans, we have inherited the personality of a people willing to attempt a challenge even when the odds were against them. The new generation of leadership of the William Penn has been presented with such a challenge to assume the responsibilities of the future welfare of the Association. We stand impatiently eager to express ourselves, our ideas, our goals. We reach for the torch of life held out for us to accept by the builders of the William Penn. These true fraternalists have nothing to fear. We accept the challenge as true Hungarian Americans, and grip the torch of life with all its hopes and dreams with the iron grip of determination and desire. The torch will continue to burn and light our way as the torch of the Statue of Liberty continues to symbolize the benefits of our freedom. Greetings From Hungary In the 100 years of our existence, the Association has been in constant touch with relatives in the homeland, Hungary. The Hungarian governments, through the decades, have cooperated with us to help keep lines of communication open. \Ne are privileged on this centennial occasion to have his Excellency Házi Vencel, the ambassador of the Hungarian People’s Republic to the United States of America, extend his greetings. Your Excellency. I am quite pleased to be able to be here tonight to participate in your centennial celebration. But, as you already know, I sent a message in a letter to the president of the William Penn------------------------------------------—----------Continued on next page
