William Penn Life, 2010 (45. évfolyam, 1-12. szám)

2010-08-01 / 8. szám

While still at Elmhurst and pursuing his doctorate at Columbia University, another opportunity arose. In 1957 he became a Cholnoky Research Fellow in Europe for five months. While there, his duties were to interview Hungarian refugees from the 1956 Revolution. "They were Hungarians who should be interviewed," he said. Visiting sites in Germany, Austria, France, Switzerland and Italy, Prof. Molnár experienced the oral recollection of many displaced Hungarians; asking questions and recording their role in the events and listening to what freedom meant to them. The Cholnoky Research project became one of the best studies of this historic event and one that Prof. Molnár is proud to have represented. A book retelling these oral histories was later published.

Priscilla and their baby son traveled with him to Europe. It was a rare opportunity to travel abroad and to sightsee during some free time, while allowing Prof. Molnár to dive into a vast research project involving people of his and his wife's ancestry. Again, memories resurfaced as Prof. Molnár spoke of Priscilla's preparation before their trip abroad. Anticipating that baby food may not be readily available, Priscilla had the foresight to pack plenty of jars just in case. She was a hit with the other young mothers who had accompanied their husbands with their small children on the trip, as she was able to share their bounty of baby food with them for their children. The Molnár's saw the trip as a great educational tool for them because of their shared Hungarian ancestry, and both would see it as an experience of a lifetime.

Meanwhile, the seeds of the American Hungarian Foundation had taken root. As Elmhurst's Hungarian Studies Department flourished, the late Dr. Dienes' vision of all of this extending beyond a college major of study became the genesis for the Foundation. Within two years after Prof. Molnár's return to Elmhurst, a small committee of like-minded individuals decided that "out of a small seed, something much bigger" had to be created, Prof. Molnár said. With financial assistance from the Verhovay, other organizations and an array of ecumenical Hungarian religious groups, the idea came together for

August Molnár at work, reviewing a copy of an old Hungarian newspaper maintained in the AHF’s archives.

what was originally to be called the American Hungarian Studies Foundation. Following Dr. Dienes' ideals, the goals were broad, combining Hungarian history and culture. There would be plans for a museum to be housed in a physical building as well.

It took 15 years from the time Dr. Dienes planted the first seeds until the Foundation held its first Board of Directors meeting in January 1955. Among the board's first actions was electing Prof. Molnár as its first president. "I knew I was going to be elected; I was doing all the paperwork." This role presented him with new challenges, but the opportunity to follow through on Dr. Dienes' vision was exhilarating. "We created something that had to be done." The Board's instructions to him: "Go run with it!"

Like his mentor, Prof. Molnár proceeded in exploring all options and avenues relative to the Foundation: a location for the building, and the ever-present solicitation of funds. Discussions arose regarding where to move the Foundation, since funding for the program at Elmhurst College had run out. It was decided to accept an offer in 1959 from Rutgers-The State University of New Jersey, at the invitation of its president, Dr. Mason W. Gross, to start a Hungarian Studies program at their school. New Brunswick, N.J., would be the new home for the Foundation as well as for the Molnár Family. Prof. Molnár also became a professor at Rutgers in addition to his duties with the Foundation.

Before the move to New Jersey, Prof. Molnár received a lesson in extraordinary fundraising. With a goal of $500,000 in mind to kick-start efforts for what would lie ahead, Prof. Molnár oversaw several classical music benefit concerts to boost donations. The first of these concerts was an exceptionally large undertaking, one that Prof. Molnár expressed that he could not even conceive of doing today. Beginning in 1955, Prof. Molnár wrote to world renowned maestro Antal Dorati of the Minnesota Symphony Orchestra, asking if he would be willing to perform a benefit concert with the symphony for the Foundation.

"I told him we would like to introduce the Foundation to the community of America, and we'd like to introduce it at a level where these are the kind of things we'd like to do, cultural events," Prof. Molnár explained. The appeal began to take on a life of its own when the Budapest-born and educated conductor responded to Prof. Molnár's request with plans for an all-Bartók concert to be performed at Carnegie Hall in New York City, in February 1957. Dorati also included in his letter that he would donate his income for this performance as his contribution to the cause.

Béla Bartók-a Hungarian and one of the 20th century's most significant composers-up to that time had never had a concert solely dedicated to his music. His style had a distinctively Magyar folk music tradition to it. Dorati had also arranged for violin virtuoso and Bartók master Yehudi Menuhin to be the guest artist for this concert. It was an event not to be missed. "Here we have one of the great violinists of the day, a great symphony orchestra, a great Hungarian-born conductor and Carnegie Hall all together," Prof. Molnár said.

All of this was excellent news. But, the Foundation needed start up money to pay for various expenses, so Prof. Molnár turned to the one person who had guided him along his path so many times before. "We had no money, and the only person who had money was my father," Prof. Molnár says with a laugh.

William Penn Life 0 August 2010 ° 19