William Penn Life, 1988 (23. évfolyam, 1-12. szám)

1988-07-01 / 7. szám

July 1988, William Penn Life, Page 5

South Bend hosts successful tournament

The Branch 18 Hungarian Dancers perform for guests at the tournament banquet. (Photo by Louis A. Fodor)

The Men’s Team Champions from Branch 18 Detroit.

Bowlers enjoy the buffett at the hospitality room Friday evening at the Marriott Hotel. (Photo by John E. Lovász)

The Women’s Team Champions from Branch 27 Toledo.

SOUTH BEND, IN — Branch 132 and the City of South Bend played host to more than 500 William Penn bowlers and guests at the 45th Annual William Penn Association National Bowling Tournament and Scholarship Days.

The Memorial Day weekend was, once again, a perfect time to host the annual fraternal affair with near perfect weather and much high spirits amongst the bowlers.

Sitting in the lobby of the Marriott Hotel, headquarters for this year’s tournament, one could sense the fraternal spirit building in momentum as bus loads of William Penn bowlers arrived.

The bowlers and their guests carried that spirit with them as they entered Friday evening’s hospitality room at the Marriott. There, all enjoyed a delicious buffett prepared by the hotel staff, renewed old friendships, and relaxed before the opening of the tournament.

The next morning, bowlers boarded buses provided by the William Penn which would take them to Chippewa Bowl, the site of this year’s bowling events.

After all teams received their lane assignments and had mentally prepared themselves for the day’s competition, everyone turned their attention to the opening ceremonies.

The bowlers were greeted by National President Stephen G. Danko who thanked them for attending the tournament and wished all good luck.

After the singing of our National Anthem, President Danko then officially opened the tournament as he bowled the first ball.

For the rest of the day, entrants tried their best to capture the men’s and women’s team titles.

In the end, it was Joe Soter’s team from Branch 18 which won the Men’s title, while Mary Ivancso’s team from Branch 27 took the Women’s team top prize for the second year in a row. (The official list of all winners will appear in the August issue.)

Meanwhile, many of the nonbowling guests at the tournament gathered for a free tour of the University of Notre Dame campus.

The tour allowed guests to see many of the campus’s famous sights, including the beautiful chapel and the "Touchdown Jesus” mural on the outside wall of the university’s library.

However, the most popular stop on the tour seemed to be the campus book store where visitors purchases T-shirts .and other souvenirs to remind them of their trip.

Bowlers and non-bowlers alike gathered that evening at the South Bend William Penn Home for the annual tournament banquet.

There, guests were greeted with

many friendly smiles and the music of Emil Jakab’s Hungarian Orchestra.

The banquet opened with the singing of the National Anthem, led by Ruth Baumgartner, and the Magyar Himnusz, led by National Auditor Michael Kara.

Guests then enjoyed a homemade Hungarian dinner prepared by the William Penn Home staff.

Following the meal, Branch 132 President Frank J. Wukovits Sr. welcomed the guests in both English and Hungarian.

Mr. Kara and the orchestra treated the guests to renditions of several Hungarian folk songs which had everyone applauding and shouting for more.

President Danko then greeted the guests, saying it was "good to

be back in South Bend to carry on this fraternal tradition.”

He also told the audience that the Board of Directors is working hard "to continue serving you with these types of affairs and bringing you greater benefits and greater security.”

With the official part of the program completed, the banquet floor was clear for a performance by the Branch 18 Hungarian Dancers from Detroit. The dancers received loud applause for their rendition of a Hungarian dance they learned on their trip to Hungary last summer.

The floor was then opened for an evening of dancing to the Hungarian music of Emil Jakab’s Orchestra. While many guests

stayed to enjoy the festivities in the main banquet hall, others went to the club room below to dance to the American music of the Don Sugar Orchestra.

The next morning, bowlers returned to Chippewa Bowl for the singles and doubles events, which brought the weekend to a successful conclusion.

The Association thanks all those who worked so hard to make this year’s tournament an enjoyable affair, especially Steve and Mary Ivancso, Leslie Baumgartner, Frank J. Wukovits Sr., and the members of Branch 132.

We welcome you all back to the 46th annual bowling tournament to be held next year in Pittsburgh.

Association considers modifying scholarship grants

SOUTH BEND, IN — The Association’s Executive Committee is to meet later this month to formulate recommendations for modifying the number and dollar amount of grants awarded by the William Penn Fraternal Association Scholarship Foundation.

Under discussion will be a possible increase in the dollar amount and a subsequent decrease in the number of grants awarded annually.

Modification of the awards process was a main point of discussion at the Scholarship Foundation’s annual meeting held May 27 in South Bend.

"We continue to experience an annual increase in the number of applications for scholarship grants,” said National President Stephen G. Danko. "This causes

problems in that the dollar amount of scholarships stays low because the number of awards granted increases.”

Presently, the Foundation awards grants ranging from $250 to $350. In 1987, 149 grants were awarded, out of which 56 went to first-time recipients.

"In today’s society, $250 is becoming less and less of a major portion of expenses encountered by students,” President Danko said.

Because donations to the scholarship fund have not kept pace with the soaring costs of attaining a higher education, other ways of increasing the dollar amount of grants have been explored.

By decreasing the number of grants awarded, the Foundation can increase the dollar amount of

each award, a move which would benefit both the recipients and the Association.

"When you give $250 to 56 people, you really aren’t making much of an impact,” President Danko said. "But if you give $ 1,000 to 20 people, you increase the value of the award to the student and you increase appreciation towards the William Penn and the scholarship program.”

Any decrease in the number of grants given annually would make it necessary to employ higher standards when reviewing individual grant applications.

This would include giving more consideration to the academic records of the applicant, President Danko said.

In addition to decreasing the

number of grants, the Executive Committee will consider a proposal raised at the Scholarship Foundation’s annual meeting to increase the Association’s contribution to the scholarship fund.

The Committee will also explore ways of obtaining larger donations from individuals and branches.

The Committee will forward its recommendations to the Board of Directors.

National Secretary E. E. Vargo noted at the Foundation meeting that letters will be sent to all branches seeking additional support for the scholarship fund.

"We are urging all those who can afford to donate more to do so,” Secretary Vargo said.

As a show of their support, the members of the Scholarship

Foundation pledged and donated more than $10,000 during the fundraising portion of the annual meeting.

President Danko thanked the members for their generosity saying they had made a "wise investment in the youth of the William Penn Association.”

During the meeting, the Foundation also observed a moment of silence for two of its most distinguished members who had died the previous year: John P. Balia and John S. Toth Sr.

Following the Scholarship Foundation meeting, the Louis L. Varga Scholars Guild held its annual meeting. Elected as officers of the Guild for a two-year term were: Stephen J. Ivancso, president; and Joseph P. Arvay, vice president.