William Penn Life, 2011 (46. évfolyam, 1-12. szám)
2011-06-01 / 6. szám
Branching Out with Endre Csornán A brief history of William Penn Association Part Five: After the 'Great Merger' by Endre Csornán The membership of the newly formed William Penn Fraternal Association (1955) stood at nearly 90,000 members. By the centennial celebration (1986), the membership shrank by nearly 21,000. However, the assets grew from $25 million to nearly $75 million, while the insurance in force increased from $74 million to more than $164 million. The increasingly intense competition from major American insurance companies siphoned off many members and potential members. The disintegration of Hungarian urban neighborhoods (1960-1970), the consequent integration of many Hungarian Americans into mainline American society and the lack of willingness on the part of the post-war immigrants to join the Hungarian fraternal associations founded by the earlier immigrants also contributed to the lack of membership growth. The capable leaders of WPA - Coloman Révész, Elmer Charles, Albert Stelkovics, John Sabo and Gus Nagy - attacked these problems using both old and new methods. Membership drives and mergers with other Hungarian and even non-Hungarian fraternals were some of the ways used to increase membership. During the period of the 1950's through the 1960's, William Penn Association underwent considerable change. One of the most important features of this change was that it became less of a fraternal association and more of an insurance company. The so-called Americanization phase was simply a byproduct of the effort to survive in the increasingly competitive environment. But, under the leadership of President Elmer Charles, a "re-Hungarianization" drive took place. He intended to take WPA back to its ethnic roots and its fraternal origins. One of the most significant steps taken by the leadership of WPA in the area of fraternalism was the establishment of the William Penn Fraternal Association Scholarship Foundation. In addition to granting scholarships to college students, the Association supported the Hungarian Scouts, the Calvin Youth Center, the Bethlen Home, the Lorantffy Care Center, the American Hungarian Foundation and the American Hungarian Federation. The Association also increased its financial support for Hungarian related projects. The leadership of WPA also honored its own great retired leaders, such as John Bencze, former president; Albert Kocsis, former president of Rákóczi; and Dr. Samuel Gomory, the Association's medical director for nearly half a century. The leadership also paid attention to the youth which went hand-in-hand with renewed interest in Hungary. The improved relationship with Hungary did cause some internal disagreement among the leaders and members of the Association. The climax of this improved relationship came in 1978 when National President Elmer Charles was asked to be one of the official members of the U.S. delegation that was returning the Holy Crown of Hungary (St. Stephen's Crown) after spending over three decades in the United States. Needless to say, WPA naturally found itself in an emotional political controversy over the "Crown affair." Many 56er's objected to the idea of returning the Holy Crown to the Communist government of Hungary. I was one of them! Next month: Celebrating a century of service. \Z\ 4 0 June 2011 0 William Penn Life Among the capable leaders who guided William Penn Association in the first decades after the Great Merger were (from left): Colomon Révész, Elmer Charles, Albert J. Stelkovics, John Sabo and Gus G. Nagy.
