William Penn Life, 1987 (22. évfolyam, 1-12. szám)
1987-08-01 / 8. szám
Page 2, William Penn Life, August 1987 WILLLvm Wpennlife Ü.8. Postage Paid Pittsburgh, PA Permit No. 2724 Editor-in-chief................. Associate Editor...... Managing Editor.......... 709 Brighton Rd. Editing Office 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: it undelivered. please sand form 3579 to: WILLIAM PENN ASSOCIATION 709 Brighton Rd.. Pittsburgh, PA 16233 Festival of Western Pennsylvania will return this year to present a program of ethnic dancing. Last year, a number of festival-goers joined iff on the dancing toward the end of the program. Representatives from our sales force will also be on hand at the Festival to answer your questions about our Association and the fine insurance and annuity plans it offers. On this special day, the Association will take time to honor two women who have served the residents of the Home, Sister Richard and Sister Bridgette. Sister Richard is celebrating her 60th year in the Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and her 55th year at Mount St. George. Sister Bridgette, who once served as the leader of the order worldwide for 15 years, is marking her golden anniversary with the Missionary Sisters.---------From Page 1 The Festival field Mass will be dedicated to them. This marks the 65th year in which the Association has sponsored this annual summer family event in its Wellsburg facility. Its past and future success can be creditted to a number of hardworking individuals who devote a good deal of their spare time in the summer vacation months to planning, organizing and conducting the Festival. The core of that group of workers is the Festival committee. Members of this year’s Festival committee are Joseph Schmidt (chairman), Louis Fodor (cochairman), Pete Kuhn (coordinator), Stephen G. Danko, E. E. Vargo, Frances A. Furedy, John F. Kenawell, Roger Nagy, Elmer Toth, Michael Kara, Elizabeth Szabó, George S. Charles Jr., Robert Kapinus, Paul Kovács, Bob Wilt, Glenn Johnson and William Arbanas. Conference From Page 1 and $4.73 million insurance. The runner-up for part-time agents was Louis Fodor, a member of the national auditing committee. Mr. Fodor had Production of $724,948 and $80,222 in premiums. The Ben Franklin Award, given to those agents who made 100 or more sales during the previous year, was presented to 13 members of our sales force. They are: Jeff Ward (426 sales), Dominic La Verde (344), Elmer Toth (306), Alex Hody (272), Matt Longobardi (248), Win Kipp (222), Sam Sulkosky, FIC(214), Earl Webb (205), Paul Ruffner (197), Joe Barreiro, FIC (163), Brian Aronne (148), Dawn Ward (140) and Jodene Pascarella (126). Also during the awards luncheon, National Secretary E. E. Vargo awarded two centennial plates through a random drawing to Alice Barreiro, wife of Columbus agency manager Joe Barreiro, and Ronnie Aronne, wife of Fred Aronne, our retired general agent from Boston. Since we all realize how important a spouse is to our producers’ success, Earl Webb awarded Ethel Fodor and Ruth Toth, wives of the two leading part-time agents, each a set of crystal imported from Hungary. This was done in appreciation for the women’s support of their husbands’ efforts in sales on behalf of Mr. Webb’s agency. The business meeting was moderated by Mr. Wahl, with formal greetings from Mr. Vargo. Speaking at the business meet-National Sales Director Dan Wahl (center) with leading part-time agent National Director Elmer Toth (left) and leading agency manager Dominic La Verde of the Pittsburgh-East agency. (Photo by Louis A. Fodor) National Secretary E. E. Vargo (fourth from left) and Mr. Wahl pose with our group of truly outstanding sales agents. (Photo by Louis A. Fodor) ing were Mr. Webb, Bridgeport agency manager Matt Longobardi, Mr. Kipp and Mr. Toth. Each shared their ideas on fraternal insurance sales and provided plenty of inspiration to all of those in attendance. When the final results were tallied, the William Penn celebrated 1986 as the best year in its sales history. Early figures for 1987 indicate this year’s results may be even better. We wish to congratulate all of the Association’s salespeople, both full- and part-time, for their outstanding efforts in 1986. Not everyone can be a leader, but it takes everyone to pull together to reach the goals that we have set for our Society. Together, we will continue to succeed. Historically Speaking By Elizabeth Szabó , Fraternal Director The challenge of creating harmony amidst discord During my trip to Hungary, the historical past of this now small country and its people was called up again for my re-examination. If one visits any of the countries, such as Romania or Czechoslovakia, where our Hungarian people are in the minority, living a life style less than we would hope for, one becomes especially conscious of the past and equally alert to the future. The question that still begs to be answered is the question of how all these minority groups can begin to live in peace and harmony. In Romania there live (among other groups) Romanians, Hungarians, Germans and Serbians, each group lower on the totem pole than the next. There is persecution, genocide. Call it what you will, the standard of living for so many families is difficult for us to accept. My thoughts turned also to those early immigrants who came from these and similar villages back in the late 1800s and early 1900s. These immigrants were not educated, not from an urban environment. They brought with them only what was a part of them. Most of these emigrants coming to America had no minority problems. Each came from his own country. But here in America they were looked down upon and persecuted. They were not part of the mainstream. In spite of this they tenaciously clung to their heritage; it was precious to them. What devices they used to keep it alive! It is difficult for later waves of immigrants to understand the somewhat frozen ethnic culture that they preserved, one that represented things of years gone by. It is important to remember that because of this attitude it was this group of first immigrants throughout America that built our churches, clubs, societies and communities which received the later arrivals to this country. How wonderful that this group of people was so tenacious in preserving their heritage. But how important it is to feed on new ideas, new research, new language which is only being brought in by the new arrivals. Can we be accepting of each other? Can the new embrace the old? Can the old embrace the new? We’re all different, even though we’re of a particular ethnic background. God created us that way. But let’s not kid each other, our ethnicity has been watered down. Not just in America, but historically as we were overrun by a multitude of different conquerors. In America, we have intermarried with Italians, Greeks, Poles, Japanese. Our children, therefore, are the wonderful recipients of a dual heritage in many cases. But I do not believe in the "melting pot”. Historians, too, have put this theory on the back shelf. All of us have seen too much evidence to the contrary here in America. People are too proud of their heritage to let it be lost completely. But how proud can we be? Several years ago, the Ohio Humanities Council funded a project which developed into a docu-drama entitled "America’s Ethnic Symphony.” This film addresses the problems of a multi-ethnic community and what results when "Bulgarians are Better” or "Italians are Best”. Of course, it’s all in fun, but the underlying tone of these and similar phrases proclaims a bigoted attitude. That kind of attitude on the part of any ethnic group invites disrespect not only for the person but for the entire group. Can we build on harmony — an ethnic symphony — by learning to respect each other and share those things that we hold dear? Some may say such aspirations are unrealistic, but exactly what are the realities of life? Why does a humanities council fund a video production such as the "Ethnic Symphony”? Why do songwriters write "I’d like to teach the world to sing”? Why is there an International Youth for Peace movement? Because ultimately, as the songwriter puts it, the "true colors will come shining through.” Somehow through it all, and all the world’s problems, we have to believe in ourselves ... in humanity. America’s Ethnic Symphony portrays the rich diversity of ethnic activity in America using a steel mill town as an example. People leant to work together to build and produce and international festival. The video is available for showing at your local branch meetings and is obtainable through the Ohio Humanities Resource Center, 2199 E. Main St., Columbus, Ohio 43209, or call (614) 236-6508.
