William Penn Life, 1987 (22. évfolyam, 1-12. szám)
1987-08-01 / 8. szám
Page 8, William Penn Life, August 1987 Reflections on the 1987 Tour to Hungary By Elizabeth Szabó Fraternal Director Ever since 1 returned from the Association’s 1987 Tour to Hungary, members and friends have been asking me about the trip. It is hard to describe the tour fully and accurately. Ninety-four persons joined our tour group, and if you asked each of them what the tour was like, you would get 94 different answers. For me, it is not the places I visited that made the deepest impressions on my memory. Rather, my fondest and most vivid recollections are of the people I met on my journey. It was these people, and many others I met, who brought life to the tour and made it a worthwhile experience. Jo Ann Finkbiner took her father, 92-year-old Michael Gyuricsek, to visit cousins in Budapest and relatives in Bakonycsernye, Feher Megye. Mr. Gyuricsek was determined to go even if he did have to use a wheelchair to get on and off the plane. And that’s the only time he used a wheelchair! He was a branch secretary for the William Penn for five years and has been a member of the Association for 73 years. He originally belonged to the old Rákóczi branch in Nesquehoning, Pa. Our first night in Hungary was spent cruising the Duna River, complete with a dinner on the boat, gypsies and a folklore show which brought the house down. Of course, everyone was ready to sing and good gypsies know which songs American Hungarians love best. The violinist was playing at the table next to mine, and I turned to sing along to one of the earliest numbers, Jo Estet Kívánok. The group at the table next to mine was singing up a storm. Of course, when I sing this song, I sing it with a little variation. It goes like this: Jo estet kívánok Meg jöttek a Buckeye Roadi Huszárok. Much to my surprise, and theirs, the ladies at the next table were singing the same words as I was. Clevelanders, of course! Betty Tira (Bacsó), Mary Mezei (Belusark) and her sister Barbara Újlaki. We got a quick photo of them on their return home. Betty (Bozsi) Simon and I struck up a conversation on the plane when she wasn’t absorbed in her book. Betty is from Ambridge, Pa. and her mother Mary Hegedűs won a free trip to Hungary in 1937 for getting the most members. Her entire family was involved in the then-Rakoczi which later merged with the Verhovay. In 1928, her father, Frank, was secretary of the Rákóczi Branch 62. Her mother followed in the same position, as did her husband József Simon and later Betty herself. Betty went to visit falubeliek in Patak. Both she and her husband were from the same village in Nongrad Megye, but they did not Let all our members share in your happiness by announcing the birth of your child in the William Penn Life! Just send us a photograph of your child along with your child’s name, date and place of birth, height and weight, your own name and address and your branch. Mail your information to: Birth Announcements William Penn Life 709 Brighton Road Pittsburgh, PA 15233 know each other until they had both moved to Ambridge. Mr. and Mrs. John Benak were on their first flight from Hungary to America to visit their son John in Sommerville, N.J. Their son moved here with his family in 1981. Among the various subjects that were talked about was the subject of art. Mr. Benak finally admitted that he had taken up painting as therapy six years ago and showed me some of his work. The story is an interesting one, but the end result is that I was able to put him in touch with an art collector from New York, Rudolf Bennett Benetsky. Mr. Benetsky, whose grandfather was a national treasurer for Verhovay in the early 1900s, is a conductor of Broadway musicals. He is presently conducting La Cage aux Folles. He bought 10 of Mr. Benak’s paintings and is going to buy him canvas and send it to Mako, Hungary where the Benaks are from. Betty Simon of Ambridge, Pa., relaxes with a book at the flight to Hungary. The author, a resident of Youngstown, Ohio, discovered that it really is a small world when she met Clevelanders (from left) Betty Tira, Mary Mezei and Barbara Újlaki in Hungary. (Photo by Elizabeth Szabó) Hungarian artist John Benak (right) and New York art collector Rudolf Bennett Benetsky review photographs of Mr. Benak ’s paintings during the artist’s first trip to America. (Photo by Elizabeth Szabó) Second meditation tape made available YOUNGSTOWN, OH — For the past few months, work has been in progress for the new Hungarian cassette which commemorates the Marian year. The tape, entitled Szut Maria Oltalmában, contains 25 songs, meditations, prayers and readings which tell about the Virgin Mary. Branch 28 supported the Catholic Hungarian Sunday in producing this beautiful tape. The response to the first tape COOK BOOK HUNGARIAN SPECIALTIES and OTHER FAVORITES Net Proceeds for the benefit of the William Penn Ass'n Scholarship Foundation DONATION $4.20 FOR 1 COPY Send Check or Money Order WILLIAM PENN SCHOLARSHIP FUND P.O. Box 438 New Brunswick, N.J. 08903 in the series was so overwhelming that we are asking you to send your orders directly to the Catholic Hungarian Sunday. To order S?us Maria Oltalmában, send your check or money order for $7.00 to: Catholic Hungarian Sunday 1739 Mahoning Ave. Youngstown, OH 44509 or call (216) 799-3335. Please mark your request to the attention of Father Barnabas Kiss. We’re Sorry! Due to summer vacation schedules and unforeseen illnesses at our Hungarian language typesetter, there is no Hungarian page in this month's issue. The Hungarian page will return next month. — JEL
