William Penn Life, 1988 (23. évfolyam, 1-12. szám)
1988-12-01 / 12. szám
Page 2, William Penn Life, December 1988 William Penn LIFE Official Publication of the William Penn Association Published Monthly Office of Publication: 709 Brighton Road Pittsburgh, PA 15233 Phone: 412/231-2979 Third Class U.S. Postage Paid Pittsburgh, PA Permit No. 2724 Stephen G. Danko Editor-in-chief E. E. Vargo Associate Editor John E. Lovász Managing Editor Gateway Press, Inc. Print Production NATIONAL OFFICERS Stephen G. Danko National President E. E. Vargo National Secretary Frances A. Furedy National Treasurer Zoltán B. Emri National Vice President John M. Kish, Esq. Legal Counsel Dr. Julius Kesseru Medical Director BOARD OF DIRECTORS Joseph P. Arvay Chairman Stephen J. Ivancso Vice Chairman Roger G. Nagy Vice Chairman Ronald S. Balia William J. Bero Elmer A. Furedy Michael J. Hrabar John S. Molnár Michael F. Tomcsak Elmer W. Toth Frank J. Wukovits, Jr. Stephen J. Szatmári Frank J. Radvany Secretary of the Board Emeritus AUDITING COMMITTEE Louis A. Fodor Chairman Michael R. Kara Vice Chairman William J. Kovach Secretary Dale A. Cole Stephen P. Danko Charles Fabian ADVISORY BOARD Elmer Charles President Emeritus Frank Bero Stephen Danko Michael Hegedűs Frank J. Wukovits, Sr. Postmaster: If undelivered, please send form 3579 to: William Penn Association 709 Brighton Road Pittsburgh, PA 15233 A 1944 Christmas A former prisoner of war remembers one bittersweet holiday in Nazi Germany Christmas is not only a special time, but also a busy time. Between shopping, decorating, traveling and parties, we tend to get so busy that we loose sight of the true meaning of the season. Sadly, we often overlook the impact the Christmas spirit has on who and what we are. What follows is a story about the power and importance of the Christmas spirit. By Louis W. Tury, Jr. As my wife and 1 enjoy each Christmas, I recall many memories of my childhood. During my younger days in Glen Alum, West Virginia, my family had such a wonderful time each year cutting down our own tree and decorating it, then gathering around to sing Christmas songs in Hungarian and English. I also recall many more Christmases in "Old Delray,” a small southwest area of Detroit. There, Christmas was always spent with my parents, brothers, sisters and many friends. We always went to midnight mass at Holy Cross Hungarian Church to hear about the birth of Jesus. But the one Christmas I so vividly remember is the Christmas of 1944. That was the year of the Battle of the Bulge. I fought in that battle and was taken prisoner along with ten other buddies of mine after defending the towns of Winter spelt and St. Vith during the coldest winter ever in Germany. We were taken to Stalag 12-A, a prisoner of war camp outside of Limburg, Germany. There were no colorful lights or strolling carolers here, only barbed wire fences and patrolling German shepherd dogs. There were many POWs in this camp — n\ French, English, Americans, Poles and Russians. Some of us still suffered from battle wounds, and all suffered starvation, dysentery and malnutrition. As prisoners we had very little clothing and very little medical attention. Some of my comrades were beaten by the Nazi guards. One boy from Indiana was shot before our eyes — in cold blood. Christmas 1944 was a sad day in my life. Seeing all the suffering going on in this camp, we all agreed silently that this was the low point of our stay at Stalag 12-A. But, it being the 25th of December, all of us in our billet decided to have Christmas. We took a piece of cardboard and, using my small broken pen knife, we cut out the shape of a Christmas tree. Out of worn blankets and some tin cans we made decorations for the tree. Then we punched holes in the cardboard tree and strung straw from the floor through the holes, to take the place of tinsel. We all joined hands in a big circle around the tree and started to sing Christmas carols. While we sang our eyes filled with tears. We began hugging one another, thanking God that we were alive. Outside the camp and beyond, our enemy just listened to the songs being sung by the men inside our billet. At noon the German guards brought in some grass barley soup, instead of the usual rutabaga, and each man received two small spuds plus two slices of bread, instead of the usual one. Even though many were suffering, our spirits on this day were high. We all wished each other a very Merry Christmas. I have been married to my dearest wife Margaret for forty-six years. We have raised seven beautiful children. Each Christmastime I say to myself: "Thank God for bringing me home. We have so much to be thankful for in this beautiful country of ours.” And I am thankful that the Christmas of 1944 is just a memory now. Mr. Tury is a member of Branch 18 Detroit. During World War II, he fought as a member of the U.S. military forces in France, Belgium, Luxembourg and Germany. After his capture during the Battle of the Bulge, he spent time in five different concentration camps. He was liberated by British troops in Pomeriania, Poland, in May 1945. He and his wife live in Fairview, Mich. He is proud of his Hungarian heritage and has instilled that pride in his children. Cruise or many other fun activities. The ship returns to San Juan on April 29. When not enjoying the tropical atmosphere of the five ports, guests can partake of the many amenities offered by the beautiful CarlaCosta. Even if she never left home port, the CarlaCosta would be a fabulous vacation destination herself. From benvenuti a bordo to arrivederci, the fun never stops. The ship features spacious staterooms, wide promenades and luxurious public rooms. Guests can enjoy visits to the pool, gym, movie theater, library, hairdresser and shopping plaza. At night, cruise participants can begin with dinner in the ship’s fine dining room then either relax at the lounge, dance at the disco, play at the casino or join the fun at one of several parties planned during the week. Members and guests can also extend their vacation by staying an additional one or two nights in San Juan either before or after the cruise. Guests can select accommodations at either Howard Johnson’s, the Caribe Hilton or a comparable hotel. Members and non-members are welcome to join the William Penn cruise group, Mr. Emri said. There is no limit to the size of the group, but members are urged to make their reservations early as space aboard ship is limited. A deposit of $200 per person is required to reserve space on the cruise. Deposit checks should Letter to the Editor Hungarian news interesting, but where are events I recently started receiving your monthly publication and was very surprised to see all the coverage on Hungary. Being of Hungarian descent — both of my parents were born in Hungary and came to the United States in the early 1900’s — 1 find it most interesting. I live near Hartford, Conn., and find little, if any, Hungarian activities. Margaret Westergom Kilray Newington, CT Dear Ms. Kilray: If you would like information on Hungarian activities in your area, you can contact Dr. John Butosi, pastor of the United Church of Christ in Bridgeport. We are told that he keeps abreast of Hungarian activities not only in Bridgeport but throughout your state. His address is 963 Laurel Ave., Bridgeport, CT 06604. be made payable to "Mercur- Lombardo Travel.” To reserve your space on our cruise, complete the reservation form found on Page 2 and mail it, along with your deposit, to: Mr. Zoltán B. Emri, National Vice---------------From Page 1 President, William Penn Association, 709 Brighton Road, Pittsburgh, Pa. 15233. Passports are not required, but each guest must carry proof of U.S. citizenship, such as a birth certificate or voter registration. William Penn Cruise ’89 ______________________RESERVATION FORM______________________ FULL NAME___________________________________________________________ ADDRESS_____________________________________________________________ CITY_____________________________STATE___________ZIP_______________ PHONE (HOME)_____________________________(WORK)___________________ SHIP ACCOMMODATIONS: □ INSIDE CABIN □ OUTSIDE CABIN PLANE SEATING: □ SMOKING □ NON-SMOKING SIGNATURE__________________________________________________________ Send this form along with your deposit of $200.00 per person payable to "Mercur-Lombardo Travel” to: Mr. Zoltán B. Emri, National Vice President William Penn Association, 709 Brighton Road, Pittsburgh, PA 15233 ‘Deposits will be refunded in full up to March 6, 1989. Cancellations requested after that date will be subject to penalty. PLEASE, one person per form. Copies of this form may be made.
