William Penn Life, 1987 (22. évfolyam, 1-12. szám)
1987-03-01 / 3. szám
Page 2, William Penn Life, March 1987 WILLIAM^PENN LIFE U. 8. Pottage PaW Pittsburgh, PA P*rmlt No. 2724 Editor In chief..............................................................................................Qay B. Banat Astoclat* Editor..............................................................................................E. E. Vargo Managing Editor................................................................................... John E. Lovász Editing Offica 709 Brighton Rd. Pittsburgh, PA 16233 Area Code 1412)231-2979 Office of Publication 709 Brighton Rd., Pittsburgh, PA 16233 Print production by Gateway Press, Inc., Monroeville, PA Published Monthly Postmaster: If undelivered, please send form 3579 to: WILLIAM PENN ASSOCIATION 709 Brighton Rd., Pittsburgh, PA 16233 President’s Message By Gay B. Banes National President Building upon the success of our Centennial year We can all look back with satisfaction on the great successes our Association enjoyed during our Centennial year. Founders Day at the Home Office marked the beginning of our year-long celebration. The numerous banquets and activities hosted by our branches across the country will be long remembered as truly outstanding fraternal events. Our Centennial Banquet in Pittsburgh was attended by more than 1,000 guests, including distinguished friends and members from many parts of the country and from Hungary along with gracious and welcomed participation by important governmental figures from Washington and Budapest. New format earns compliments We have received a number of favorable responses to the "new look” of the William Perm Life. Most of them have been verbal pats on the back. One of the most encouraging responses came in the form of a letter from a communications professional with more than four decades of journalistic experience: Dear John: Congratulations on a job well done! Your January issue stands out like a beacon in comparison with past issues. Its format is excellent, while its editorial content is more interesting to the reader than it has ever been before. Several feature articles, other than monthly news about branch activities, would also help you achieve the objective of your publication — that is, I am sure, to have each recipient read it from cover to cover and look forward to receiving the next issue. With kindest personal regards Letters to the editor If you would like to comment on our publication, the Association, your heritage or ony other topic that would be of interest to William Penn members, please write us. We osk only that you limit yourself to 250 words. Unsigned letters will not be published. Address your letters to: Managing Editor. William Penn Life, 709 Brighton Rood. Pittsburgh, Pa. 15233 and best wishes, I remain, Cordially yours, Paul Pulitzer Executive Editor Hungarian Heritage Review Thank you, Paul, for your kind remarks. We assure you and all our readers that we are working hard to make our publication better and better. Dear Sir: Looking over your "Magyar Radio” program guide, I see the following are missing: Ohio - WOKG - 1570 AM, Warren. Sunday 3 to 4 p.m. Hosted by Elizabeth Today. New Jersey - 88.7 FM, New Brunswick. Sunday 6 to 7 p.m. Hosted by István Szabó. New York - WNWK - 105.9 FM, New York. Saturday 2 to 3 p.m. and Sunday 7 to 8 p.m. Hosted by Gyula Apatini. The program on W ASP -1130 AM in Brownsville, Pa., has been discontinued. The program on WKTL - 90.7 FM in Struthers, Ohio, in now on Saturday from noon to 1:30 p.m. Joseph Mészáros Youngstown, Ohio Thank you, Mr. Mészáros, for this information. We have already included it in this issues’ "Magyar Radio.” We encourage you and are other readers to keep us informed about the programs around the country. Historically Speaking By Elizabeth Szabó Fraternal Director Spurring us into the future All of these events reminded us of the important role our Association plays in the life of our members and our communities. The spirit of our Centennial celebration has encouraged us to continue our efforts to improve and increase our services. With the recent approval by the Board of Directors of new programs to reactivate our branch activities with youth-oriented programs, we have found the key to our future growth and survival. At the Home Office, we have spent a great deal of time researching our records, reviewing our fraternal activities, scrutinizing our membership recruiting program and analyzing the manner we conduct our business operations — all with an eye on the future. We realize that we must recognize and understand our strengths and our weaknesses. In doing so we will be able to make a successful future for the William Penn, one deserving of its glorious past. Taking the first steps We took the first step towards a successful future last year. Comparing the results of our 1986 annual statement to those of the past few years shows us the progress we have made. Our admitted assets increased from $49,454,428.00 in 1982 to $79,827,221.00 in 1986. In 1982, new license certificates issued numbered 2,020 for $16,664,420.00, while in 1986, 17,569 certificates were issued for $59,345,388.00. Our insurance in force increased from $120,234,203.00 at the end of 1982 to a total of $193,006,649.00 at the end of 1986. Our Association also experienced the largest increase in force from agent production in our entire history with $28,976,810.00 in 1986. National Sales Director Dan Wahl and his staff of full- and part-time agents are to be complimented on their all-time record. Making a turn-around Our Centennial year also marked a turn-around in many areas for our Association. The effectiveness of our renewed juvenile program is demonstrated by the fact that in 1986 we enrolled 810 new juvenile members as compared to only 266 in 1985. The number of new juvenile members enrolled last year equalled more than half the number enrolled during the previous five years. Manager-effectiveness is also demonstrated by the turn-around in our Accident and Health insurance operation. From losses of $471,729.00 in 1984 we have made improvements which created a profit of $241,200.00 in 1986. Our actuary, Robert E. Bruce, referred to these results in his report to our Board as "a remarkable turn-around.” The officers and staff of our Association are determined to continue this trend in 1987 and in the years to come. A map of our heritage Not long ago, a visiting professor from Hungary walked into President Banes’ office and saw a map of historic Hungary hanging on the wall. He was obviously taken by surprise and remarked, "Do you still use that map of Hungary?” Why does this map still prevail in American- Hungarian circles? For many reasons. First of all, our Hungarian ancestors came from all parts of historic Hungary, and in order for many of us to identify these areas properly, we heed this map. Early Hungarian immigrants that settled in America came from a pre-war Hungary. The counties and cities from which they came have now been renamed and are included in other countries. For instance, the famous city of Kolozsvár is now renamed Dej. Most Hungarians who came in the early years, and their children are not familiar with the Romanian names for cities, towns or villages. When third and fourth generation Hungarians from that area return to visit relatives, they have a difficult time locating the areas unless they have a map such as this to help them find the place their ancestors came from. From a more practical standpoint, many of the young children who were brought over by their parents in the early 1900’s are now eligible for Social Security benefits. Since many of these individuals were born in Hungary, their birth certificates still identify their place of birth by the Hungarian names of cities and towns. Often, these people must obtain copies of their birth certificates from the Romanian government in order to prove their age and eligibility for Social Security here in the United States. In order to locate the area in Romania so as to obtain proof of birth, the original Hungarian name must be taken from the map of historic Hungary and the Romanian counterpart must be identified in order to correspond correctly with the government there and obtain certification of the birth date and year. Hungarian folk art also originates from areas on the map which are now located in countries such as Czechoslovakia and Romania. These art forms still persist both in America and in those areas because Hungarians are still living there. The William Penn Association’s Easter Egg Decorating Instruction Book includes a map of historic Hungary for just that reason. It helps us to identify the areas where Hungarian folk art forms can be found today. This map then is not outdated in America. It is a very essential part of our American-Hungarian history. It is a vital part of our present day resources in tracing our heritage. Map showing historic Hungary and the area of present day Hungary as reduced by the Treaty of Trianon in 1920.
