William Penn Life, 2000 (35. évfolyam, 1-12. szám)
2000-03-01 / 3. szám
WPA Chairman named recipient of Distinguished Service Award NEW BRUNSWICK, NJ - WPA Chairman of the Board Anthony C. Beke was recently named one of three recipients of this year's Distinguished Service Award presented by the American Hungarian Foundation. The three will be honored during the Foundation's 37th Annual Carousel Ball to be held June 10 at the Shackamaxon Country Club in Scotch Plains, N.J. The other two individuals to be honored are Andrea Horvath Alstrup, vice president of Johnson & Johnson, and New Jersey State Sen. John A. Lynch Jr., a former mayor of New Brunswick. The award recognizes those persons who have distinguished themselves through their accomplishments in business, the arts, the sciences, civic affairs, community service and service to the American Hungarian community. Chairman Beke is the eighth WPA member to receive the award. Other laureates with ties to the WPA were National Director and former National President E. E. Vargo (1994), former Board Chairman Michael J. Hrabar (1996), former National Vice President-Treasurer Frances A. Furedy (1991), late Board Chairman Joseph P. Arvay (1988), and members George Dózsa (1988), Ernest W. Docs (1980) and Joseph J. Staudt (1980). The WPA itself received the award in 1992. Chairman Beke Niki gets house call from WPA In our January issue we recalled the story of Niki Pécsvárady, the Hungarian girl who came to America for a liver transplant in 1988. This January, former Home Office employee Maria Bistey traveled to Hungary and, while there, visited Niki and her family. by Maria Bistey There are no words to describe how I felt upon seeing Niki Pécsvárady and her family. Seeing Niki again-nearly 12 years after her second liver transplant--was incredible. Twelve years ago she came to the United States a frail, frightened, but spirited little girl. Now, she is a beautiful young lady who is very much interested in boys (as her daddy Kont told me). She is a healthy teenager who will be 17 this July. My visit was unexpected. I could not get in touch with the Pécsváradys before my arrival since they can't afford a telephone. I also had an old address listing their street as "Kun Béla Út," a name that was changed after 1989 when the Russians left Hungary. It also didn't help that the % Niki Pécsvárady, now nearly 17, with her father Kont and former Home Office employee Maria Bistey. weather on Jan. 4, the day of my visit, was a bit snowy. Although I talked with the Pécsváradys only briefly, I still could detect how many obstacles they had to overcome and how many ' hey still face. But, the strength and love in the family is remarkable; the support Niki receives from her parents and two older brothers is extraordinary. I wish I could have spent more time with the Pécsváradys. Maybe I will return someday for Niki's wedding. I am looking forward to that. I would like you—my fellow members-to know that a family's love and your support did make a difference. 'Ketik S' Hotk Br. 89 Homestead, PA The Absolute Sound: The High End Journal of Audio and Music, recently awarded a "Golden Ear Award" for best recordings in 1999 to Keith S. Toth, minister of music at the Brick Presbyterian Church in New York City, for his CD entitled "Paris on Park Avenue." The Golden Ear Awards are given annually to audio equipment and recordings that concentrate "not on the new and whiz-bang, but the magical, moving, astonishing-on those things that bring lasting pleasure." Other Golden Ear Award winners for 1999 included Ella Fitzgerald, Renee Flemming, Ben Heppner, Ton Koopmanand Robert Shaw. The Absolute Sound critic Michael Alan Fox said Keith "plays assuredly and with obvious affection for both the organ and the music.... This is a rare example of an organ record more likely to persuade by eloquence rather than impress by terror." Keith is the son of Vice Chairman of the Board Elmer W. Toth and Ruth Toth. Congratulations, Keith. Keith S. Toth 2 William Pm Life, March 2000
