William Penn Life, 1990 (25. évfolyam, 2-10. szám)

1990-03-01 / 3. szám

PENN LIFE WILLIAM PENN ASSOCIATION Volume 25 MmmnmmmmmKmmmm March 1990 Number 3 After serving for 39 years as a secondary school under the Communist government of Hungary, this building may soon become again the home of Theological studies for a reestablished Sárospatak Reformed Academy. Association joins national effort to reopen Sárospatak Academy Pittsburgh gets ready to welcome WPA bowlers PITTSBURGH — The William Penn Association has joined the American Hungarian community in an effort to help reestablish the ancient college at Sárospatak, Hungary, as a church-run school. A movement to return the school to the Reformed Church of Hungary took root in Hungary last year as political- changes occurred in the country and East­ern Europe. Organizers of the effort hope to reopen the Sárospatak Reform­ed Academy and Theological Seminary sometime this year, thus ending 39 years of govern­ment control of the school. The Sárospatak Reformed A- cademy, Hungary’s first evangeli­cal school, opened its doors in 1531 during the early years of the Reformation. During the next 400 years, it earned a reputation as one of the finest schools in Europe and was often referred to as Hungary’s Cambridge. Among its many famous stu­dents was Louis Kossuth, who first embraced the American idea of democracy while attending the old college. The academy served not only the Reformed Church in Hungary but the entire country and congre­gations across the Atlantic Ocean. Its famous English college pre­pared hundreds of young pastors for their duties in America. In 1951 church officials, feel­ing the pressures of the time, agreed to give control of the school to the Communist govern­ment. The venerable 420-year­­old Christian institution was re­named the Rákóczi Gymnasium and became a secondary school for teenagers where atheism was the official creed. Now, 39 years later, there are new leaders in the church and state, new laws legitimizing new organizations and societies, new discussion of alternative ways of doing things, and an openness to new ideas. The government is now willing to give schools back to the church if there is a desire for their return and if the church is able to maintain them. The desire for the return of the Sárospatak Reformed Academy is strong, but economic condi­tions in Hungary are such that the Reformed Church congrega­tions there can not bear the bur­den of maintaining the school alone. In response to this need, a Committee for the Reestablish­ment of the Sárospatak Reformed Academy has been formed to head up a drive for funds to enable the school to function as a Christian institution again. The William Penn’s Board of Directors in January passed a resolution offering the Associa­tion’s support for this effort. National Secretary E. E. Vargo and National Director Elmer W. Toth were named honorary co­­chairmen of the William Penn fund drive. The Board also agreed that the Association will match the a­­mount of funds collected by the William Penn. Anyone wishing to help in this worthy cause should send their contributions to: William Penn Association Sárospatak Fund, 709 Brighton Road, Pittsburgh, PA 15233. We urge our members to join us in the efforts of the American Hungarian community to finan­cially help the people of Hungary achieve their goal. PITTSBURGH - The Home Office and members in the Pitts­burgh area are getting ready to greet hundreds of William Penn members and guests to the 47th Annual National Bowling Tourn­ament and Scholarship Days to be held here May 25-27. Already the first bowling en­tries have been received with many more coming in each week. It appears the Association is well on its way to hosting another successful tournament. Those attending last year’s tournament should have little trouble familiarizing themselves with the site of this year’s tourna­ment since both the hotel and lanes reserved for this year’s tournament are the same ones used last year. Hotel accommodations for bowlers and guests will be at the Pittsburgh Hilton Hotel located in downtown Pittsburgh next to Point State Park. The hotel will also serve as the site for the annual meetings of the William Penn Fraternal Asso­ciation Scholarship Foundation and the Louis L. Varga Scholars Guild. Both meetings will be held Friday, May 25. Following the meetings, a spe­cial reception for bowlers and their guests will be held in the hotel, featuring plenty of free food and refreshments. The bowling events will again be held at Princess Lanes in Whitehall Boro, just south of the city. Free bus transportation be­tween the hotel and bowling lanes will be provided. The five-man and five-woman team events will be held Saturday, May 27. This is the day everyone will be hoping to roll a perfect 300 game, for any qualifying member that does can win an extra $10,000. To be eligible for the $10,000 prize, a bowler must be a life­­benefit member of the William Penn by April 1, 1990, with at least one year’s premium paid. If two or more eligible bowlers each roll a 300 during the team event, then the $10,000 will be divided equally amongst the winners. Whether or not anyone wins the $10,000 prize, the annual bowling awards banquet on Sat­urday evening at the hotel will be a fun, fraternal event everyone will enjoy. The evening will begin with a cocktail hour followed by dinner, a free door prize drawing, live music and dancing. The next day it will be back to Princess Lanes for the singles and doubles competitions. Bowlers should note that the tournament is being sponsored under the moral support sanction of the ABC and WIBC with high score recognition. Both bowlers and non-bowlers will want to note that there is plenty to see and do in Pittsburgh, making it a wonderful place to spend the holiday weekend. One event in particular our members may wish to keep in mind is the annual Pittsburgh Folk Festival which will be taking place the same weekend as the tournament. The Folk Festival will be presented at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center downtown and will feature the music, dance, crafts and food of about two dozen nationalities, including Hungarians. Those bowlers interested in entering our tournament are re­minded that their entries must be postmarked no later than April 13, 1990. We hope to see you in Pitts­burgh for this fun-filled fraternal weekend. Inside ■ Hungarian children’s choir to tour U.S..................Page 2. ■ The status of Hungarians in Yugoslavia.................Page 3. ■ A look at Szeged, another stop on our tour................Page 4. ■ The latest news &. notes from our branches .... Pages 6-7. ■ Minutes from recent Board meetings..........Pages 10-12. Next Deadline March 23

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