William Penn Life, 2006 (41. évfolyam, 2-12. szám)
2006-10-01 / 10. szám
Revolution and Relief At a time of greet need, the WPA responded in true fraternal spirít by Endre Csornán, ‘56 Refugee his year marks the 50th anniversary of the 1956 Hungarian Revolution on that cold day of October 23. The yearning for freedom flared up in the hearts of the Hungarians that had been stronger than the fear of tyranny. The courageous Magyar people had fought, suffered and died in an attempt to throw off completely the yoke of Communism. Determination and hope brought them success for a few wonderful days, and when permanent freedom seemed a lasting reality, the familiar Soviet method of negotiation (a stab in the back!) struck. Freedom was short lived. "Rotten" is a complimentary word in describing the devils of the former Kremlin. Throughout this great nation of ours, sympathetic citizens-Americans of every persuasion-joyfully contributed sums of money to the much-needed Hungarian relief. Our Association and the Hungarian Reformed Federation of America (HRFA) responded nobly by forming the Coordinated Hungarian Relief, Inc. (CHR) in Washington, D.C. During the organizational meeting, Coloman Révész, national president of the William Penn Fraternal Association, was elected president of CHR, and Dr. Francis Újlaki, president of the HRFA, was elected vice president. Among those serving on the CHR's Executive Committee were Emery Király, László Eszenyi of the HRFA and John Sabo of the WPFA. The CHR agreed that President These women spent the holiday season of 1956-57 away from home, aiding refugees of the Revolution. They were (I- r): Violet Lenart, former member of the WPA National Auditing Committee and currently a member of Branch 226 McKeesport, Pa., who went to Camp Kilmer, N.J.; the late Julia Cher, WPA member and volunteer social welfare aide, who went to Munich, Germany; and Airs. William B. Horosz, Pittsburgh Red Cross nurse, who went to Camp Kilmer. Volunteers in South Bend, Ind., sort and pack clothing and other articles in November 1956 to aid Hungarian refugees. Pictured (l-r) are: Airs. Joseph Sary; Airs. Stephen Piacsek; Mrs. Andrew Bikfaldi; Airs. Julia Domonkos; Barbara Koloszar; Airs. Stephen Nyers; then-WPA Field Supervisor (and later National Director) Frank J. Wukovits, Sr.; Nicholas Piacsek (front); Mrs. Julia Lukacs; and Andrew Jambos, thenpresident of WPA Branch 132 South Bend. Révész should travel to Austria to lend his abilities and influence to aid the Hungarian refugees. The WPFA Board of Directors granted him a three-months leave of abscence to accomplish this mission. To increase its efforts, the CHR established many branches. The already established branches of our Association and the HRFA eagerly and energetically supported this cause by sponsoring benefit dinners and sparking the refugee aid program throughout the United States. Many officers and members of both fraternal societies also volunteered their services to aid Hungarian refugees at Camp Kilmer, N.J., and in Austria and Germany. At the same time, all of our Hungarian churches— Reformed, Catholic, Lutheran and other denominationsbegan sponsoring refugees. Members of these congregations helped secure jobs and apartments for the newcomers, shopped for food to nourish them, and provided clothing to replace their tattered garments. Motivated by compassion, our Association offered $300 worth of burial insurance for all Freedom Fighters. Moreover, both fraternal societies employed a number of the newcomers, some of whom remain employed with them to this day. Often we still talk about the Grand Welcome shown to us by the clergy, church members, fraternal societies and their branch members. The memory still warms our hearts today and will for many years to come. |wpl| William Penn Life, October 2006 3
