William Penn Life, 2009 (44. évfolyam, 1-12. szám)
2009-06-01 / 6. szám
Branching Out with Endre Csornán Remembering a great leader John Bencze OFTEN I STUDY the history of our Association, and I realize more and more that we had many dedicated leaders and members serving this great organization for nearly 125 years. Over the years, I have written articles about our branches, Hungarian settlements, churches, coal miners and others in the U.S.A. In this article, I would like to remember an outstanding leader—Hungarian-born editor of the Verhovay Lapok and supreme secretary and president of the Verhovay Fraternal Insurance Association, John (János) Bencze. John Bencze was bom in Bodva, Borsod County, Hungary, on Nov. 5,1882. He immigrated to the United States at the young age of 19. His destination was Newark, N.J., and he remained there until 1928. He became one of the great fraternalists and champions of the Magyar cause in America. Mr. Bencze became a member of the former Verhovay Fraternal Insurance Association in March 1926 at Branch 070 in Newark. He immediately became active in the branch by offering his services to those who were in need of help in a new, strange country. Mr. Bencze was a spirited citizen and always ready to assist in civic and charitable efforts. Because of his keen interest in the Association, he was elected as a delegate to the 1923 National Convention. Indeed, from that date on, he was at every convention of the Association. At the 1928 Special Convention, Mr. Bencze was elected to the full-time position of supreme secretary. He and his family permanently moved to Pittsburgh, Pa. At the 1943 convention, he was unanimously elected national president, the office which he held until his retirement on Dec. 31, 1955. He was dedicated to the steady growth of the Association. His greatest and most lasting contribution to the Hungarian cause in America was merging the Rákóczi Aid Association and the Verhovay Fraternal Insurance Association in 1955. The William Penn Association, which he helped to create, honored him by naming him "lifetime honorary president." Until his death, he was called "President Bencze," the patriarch of the William Penn Association. President Bencze was a member of many worthwhile Hungarian civic and fraternal organizations as was president of the American-Hungarian Federation as well as a very generous contributor and staunch supporter of cultural, welfare and social movements. Mr. Bencze married the former Klara Flaskay from Hungary in Passaic, N.J., in 1906. The Lord blessed them with three daughters. f\yp[] Spreading the Fraternal Spirit Mother and son share the lessons taught by family, their heritage & the WPA by Kati Csornán In March of this year, my son Otto Nagengast and I traveled to stay at Clairvaux Farm in Earleville, Md., for an alternative spring break. We were part of a group of 16 students from Juniata College and the college's director of community service and service-learning coordinator. I was asked to go as the assistant dean of the Center for International Education since 10 of the students who participated are from China. Clairvaux Farm is a part of Meeting Ground Ministry and houses about 40 people (families and children) who do not have a home. Meeting Ground is a Marylandbased, Christian non-profit organziation which provides emergency and transitional housing at Clairvaux Farm and other facilities in Cecil County, Md. The students, including Otto, were enrolled in a onecredit course, which included pre-trip meetings, academic readings and participation in the week-long service-learning component at Meeting Ground. During the week, our work focused on preparing the Mary Randall Center, a large house to be used as a day facility for the homeless community. The Center will offer counseling, shower and laundry facilities, and serve meals. Otto and I were on the digging crew for most of the week, but we also did cleaning, spackling, sanding, painting and various other activities. 4 William Penn Life, June 2009
