William Penn Life, 2006 (41. évfolyam, 2-12. szám)
2006-11-01 / 11. szám
Branching Out with Endre Csornán Experience Profiles, Part 3 A look at some of the people who make our Hungarian Heritage Experience a truly wonderful experience What follows is another in our series of profiles of some of the members who attended the Hungarian Heritage Experience at Penn Scenic View. We hope you will enjoy reading about their lives as much as we enjoyed their presence and participation. Mary McCrone I was bom in Baja, Hungary, in Bács-Bodrog County, three years after the end of World War I. My first eight years were spent surrounded by family and friends in my hometown. In 1956, just six days shy of my eighth birthday, the revolution erupted on the city streets of Budapest. News spread fast and for a short time it seemed the people of Hungary would finally have the thing they wanted the most -- szabadság. However, on Nov. 4, when the tanks rolled into Hungary, the revolution was over, at a great loss to all Hungarians. In my case, it was a loss I would not be able to fully comprehend until many years later. Now, 50 years have passed and my loss has been profound. In 1956, when my family escaped through what was then Yugoslavia, we were put into a holding camp of sorts. And in 1957, we were brought to the United States and given asylum as political refugees. We were sponsored by St. Anthony's Church in Fairport Harbor, Ohio. There, a Mary McCrone wonderful group of parishioners — the Bemays, Belaks, Bodis, Toths, Fazekases and many more — took us under their wings and helped us with everything from grocery shopping to finding a place to live to finding jobs. We assimilated into our new homes, and I have lived in Ohio since. We moved to Painesville, Ohio, where I still live today. I attended school with my "bátyám" - my older brother - Louie Rendek. In 1958, my brother John was bom — my "öcsém." After finishing high school, I was married and raised my family. I have one son, Brian McCrone, and he and his wife Becky and their little girl, Madelaine, live in Ashtabula, Ohio. At this point in my life, I am taking it easy and enjoying time spent with family, especially my granddaughter and my niece and nephews. I enjoy traveling and doing new things, especially studying the Magyar language. I have returned to Hungary several times on visits, and I hope to do so again many more times in the future. I still have a lot of family living there and they look forward to seeing me as much as I do them. Budapest is my favorite city. There are so many interesting sites to see in Hungary. I have recently started researching my family tree. On my maternal side, I am researching the Kiss/Varga and Hodos families. On my paternal side, I am researching the Rendek/ Stanyty and Szarvas families. Anyone doing research on their family background knows that this is a very time-consuming project, but it is one that I enjoy. I also do watercolor painting and Hungarian embroidery in my spare time, [wpl] A Grand Celebration Indeed We wish to thank all those members and friends of the WPA who joined us Oct. 21 at Penn Scenic View for our Grand Celebration commemorating the 50th anniversary of the Hungarian Revolution of 1956. It was an event that lived up to its name, thanks to the participation of so many wonderful guests. We will publish a full report of the Grand Celebration in the next issue of the William Penn Life. William Penn Ufe, November 2006 7
