William Penn Life, 2010 (45. évfolyam, 1-12. szám)
2010-08-01 / 8. szám
tion on Hungarians in America. This is a rather significant collection and a valuable resource about Hungarian-Americans. The collection is a glimpse into the lives of Hungarian-Americans-a treasure trove for those researching this ethnic group. The project of microfilming and cataloging these items was one of many projects which Prof. Molnár has overseen throughout his tenure. We settle in the Foundation's library, which is used in conjunction with the library of Rutgers University, also located in New Brunswick, where Prof. Molnár was professor of Hungarian Studies. He still has a close affiliation with Rutgers and is pleased that the AHF continues its relationship with the university, seeing it as a benefit for anyone who wants to use this library for their own research. As we sit in the library, I immediately recognize the hand-carved matching tables and chairs. They were originally created specifically for the Verhovay Aid Association as its board room furniture and graced WPA's board room for many years before becoming part of WPA's archival collection at the AHF. This furniture definitely works well with the room and has found another life within the walls of the Foundation. As I begin to ask questions of Prof. Molnár, I am struck by the fact that he is the face of the American Hungarian Foundation. But, he is quick to point out that "the job is bigger than one person", and credits all of the individuals and institutions that have made the Foundation a reality and not merely a dream. To examine Prof. Molnár's life's work, you have to begin with his father, the first August Molnár. "I really want to do a story on his life," Prof. Molnár said. "This is one of the things, if the good Lord gives me the time, I'd like to go to Hungary and get all of the details." It is here one has to wonder: "What if?"—as in, what if his father had not decided to emigrate from Hungary to the United States in 1910? So, in effect, Prof. Molnár's story is rooted in his father's decision to leave his homeland. The elder August was raised in Ózd in northern Hungary. Typically, few people left this region of Hungary because there were plenty of jobs available in that industrial town. He was a bricklayer and stone mason by trade, but the time came when he was required to enter the military and eventually was trained as an officer. "But, he wanted no part of the next war," Prof. Molnár remembers. "If he stayed, he felt he would never make it through the war. So, he served his three mandatory years, and he left and came" to America to pursue his trade in an enterprising, new country. Settling first in Virginia, Mr. Molnár worked in the mines alongside other immigrants. He quickly made friends and established contacts for other types of work, always looking to achieve his goal of having his own business. The Nemeth family in particular, who would eventually settle in Bobtown, Pa., became close with him, and Prof. Molnár recalls as a child often visiting the Nemeth's in Bobtown. Mr. Molnár moved to Philadelphia and stayed for several years where he took work in a hat factory. Ever mindful that hat making was not his life's work, he decided to travel to western Pennsylvania where his skills could be put to better use. His sights were on Pittsburgh and Aliquippa where steel mills were under construction. While working in the mills, Prof. Molnár's father was a bricklayer assigned the dangerous task of replacing bricks in the open hearth ovens of the furnaces. Not afraid of hard work and maintaining his goals, he was able to use his tradesman's abilities and learned how to use them in the hellish environment "on the American scene," as Prof. Molnár says. After saving some money, conversing with co-workers, and reading Hungarian- American newspapers, Mr. Molnár was next drawn to Cleveland. There, more work was to be found, as he continued practicing his trade under the tutelage of American contractors and builders. By 1918 Mr. Molnár had established himself as an independent contractor. "He built the Hungarian Baptist Church in Cleveland, and that was his first major construction job," Prof. Molnár proudly stated. It would be the first of numerous construction jobs on Hungarian churches that Mr. Molnár oversaw throughout Cleveland and Lorain, Ohio. His father developed relationships along his path. These relationships led to business referrals and enduring friendships as well, so his businessman father was in demand. Prof. Molnár also credits the Hungarian language newspapers that his father read with providing leads for available work. "Cleveland was an attractive place for all walks of life, even tradesmen, as he could use opportunities," explained Prof. Molnár. Throughout his career, Mr. Molnár built houses, stores, apartment buildings and even mansions in the Shaker Heights section of Cleveland. "I grew up with this," said The Hungarian studies program at Elmhurst received both support and recognition from the Verhovay Aid Association. Hungarian Student Group Welcomed To Elmhurst College August Molnar's parents, August and Mary, on their wedding day. rt»* President ot Fljohanrt t ©M«-ec »iko«hM th< Hangariaa ntudent gro«ip: I I« r: Ih. IMnkmeyrr; Ronald hovarli, Cleveland; Litla Fiakry. V J.; Joan Nary. Detroit; Allere Walther, Chicago Ranuthas Veres Mphr. N. J ; BAth Zoltani. Chicago: Piroska AMinrn. Schenectady. V Y.J Robert lkak. Dwibwiw, Da.: A«*a» J. Molnár, protestor: Secoid ro» : John Molnár. Cleveland; Fred NoM. Pellevillr. III.; Marth:» Korpa». Chicago; Margaret S*akac>. Detroit; Joseph AfWOwfcy. Cleveland; Mining from the pirtsre: Dolores Bahj ik. Detroit: George CoUny, Kankakee. III. 16 0 August 2010 0 William Penn Life
