William Penn Life, 2003 (38. évfolyam, 1-12. szám)
2003 / Különszám
The Banquet An evening of fellowship Members enjoy the elegant yet relaxed atmosphere of the Convention banquet After two-plus days of meetings, the Convention delegates were ready for a relaxing evening. That's exactly what they enjoyed Sept. 2 in the ballroom of the Hilton Pittsburgh and Towers, when they gathered with their fellow members and friends of the WPA for the Convention banquet. The evening's festivities began with a pre-dinner social hour in the ballroom foyer. Members and guests enjoyed cocktails and a wide variety of delicious hot and cold hors d'oeuvres while listening to the music of the George Bátyi Continental Ensemble. Guests learned their table assignments by picking up miniature bottles of wine bearing labels personalized with each guest's name and table number. The simple, yet elegant, table settings were given a Hungarian touch: a set of small Hungarian and American flags, reminding guests of our Association's commitments to preserving our heritage and serving our nation and our communities. Each guest also received a porcelain vase featuring a Hungarian floral motif as a token of appreciation from the WPA. While guests were dressed in semi-formal attire, the mood of the evening was more informal. There was no head table and only a few short words of welcome from several officers. The only remarks of any significant length were presented by Dr. Zoltán Abadi-Nagy, vice rector for international relations and university advancement at the University of Debrecen, Hungary. He spoke on the ongoing cooperative efforts between Hungarian and American universities and on the language programs available at the University of Debrecen. After dinner, singer Paul Martincsak, accompanied by members of the George Bátyi Continental Ensemble, performed several traditional Hungarian tunes. The band continued playing into the night as guests took to the dance floor. We thank all our member and friends who joined us for this evening of good food and good fellowship. Hilton Scenes from the banquet: (left) Delegates try some of the tasty hors d’oeuvres during the pre-dinner social hour; (lower left) Evelyn Bodnar leads guests in the singing of our National Anthem and Hungarian Himnusz, accompanied by the George Bátyi Continental Ensemble; (right) Dr. Zoltán Abadi-Nagy of the University of Debrecen, Hungary, addresses the guests; (lower left) some of the approximately 250 members and guestspicture over the next three pages-who enjoyed the evening. 16 William Penn Life, Special Convention Edition, November 2003
