William Penn Life, 2008 (43. évfolyam, 1-12. szám)
2008-05-01 / 5. szám
Branching Out with Endre Csornán 122 Years of Fraternalism A brief history of the William Penn Association The Association was formally organized as the Verhovay Aid Association on the 21st day of February, 1886, in Hazleton, Pa. The aims and goals of the Association were to provide a social life for the area's Hungarians and, primarily, to financially assist those Hungarian coal miners of the anthracite region of eastern Pennsylvania who became sick or disabled. The charter was granted in December 1886. • Originally, the Association was founded to pay sick benefits only; however, at the annual meeting of 1887, a $30 death benefit was also provided. • The name of the Association was changed in 1907 to Verhovay Sick Benefit and Death Benefit Society. • With each annual meeting, as delegates from the several branches came together to make plans for the ensuing year, the delegates continually voted to increase benefits. In 1914, with World War I raging in Europe, the annual meeting~now known as the General Convention— was visited by Count Karoly Mihály, a well-known anti-monarchist, who appealed to the Society's members for funds so that the king of Hungary could be dethroned. Almost $18,000 was contributed to this fund. • As part of the restructuring effort, those who visualized where the Society was heading at the 1923 Convention, approved the American Experience Table of Mortality. • The first major effort to merge the larger Hungarian fraternal societies was made in 1930, when the officers of the Verhovay, the Bridgeport Association and the Hungarian Reformed Federation met to discuss the ways and means by which a merger could be accomplished. • During the Great Depression years of the 30's, when millions were unemployed, the Board of Directors established a fund from which grants were made to unemployed members to financially assist them in keeping up their Verhovay insurance dues payments. • In order to provide incentives for the second generation to become active in the Society, the Board authorized the establishment of English-speaking branches, which became quite active for years. These branches produced many of the future officers and directors of the Association. • In 1935, the corporate name was changed to Verhovay Fraternal Insurance Association. The name better identified what our business was all about-fratemalism and life insurance. • In 1938 and 1939, membership contests were sponsored by the Board. The winners were provided with an all-expenses-paid tour to Hungary. A total of 50 members enjoyed the trip. • As more and more members entered the armed forces, it became evident that many could not correspond with their parents in Hungarian and the parents could not correspond in English. To help the situation, the Association printed manuals which contained sample letters in English with a Hungarian translation next to it. In this manner, thousands of service people could correspond with their loved ones back home. • In order to assist its members to obtain American citizenship, the Association printed more than 20,000 handbooks and distributed them to anyone who would benefit from it. 6 William Penn Life, May 2008 On Jan. 24, 1918, the Association introduced its new monthly publication, Verhovay Lapja, as a means of keeping its growing membership informed and connected.
