William Penn Life, 2011 (46. évfolyam, 1-12. szám)
2011-10-01 / 10. szám
Tibor's Take Andropov was a Soviet diplomat in Budapest during the revolution. He would later become the longest serving chief of the KGB and eventually premier of the USSR. His experience in Hungary scarred him for life. His career was colored by the revolution, and, as a result, he aggressively isolated and neutralized any potential source of dissent. Yet, the second part of the Hungarian "victory" is not a military one. As Soviet tanks were invading Hungary, many more Hungarians were "invading" the West. Roughly 200,000 refugees fled to the West, resulting in a great drain on the talent and life force of the Hungarian nation. This "brain drain" was characterized best by novelist James Michener. He wrote a book called The Bridge at Andau, for me, a life-changing book. Sometimes, a reader gets lost in the statistics, so much so that they cease to mean anything. So I will put the drain on Hungary in terms that we all can appreciate. Let us say, for the sake of argument, that the United States has become a very bad place to live. Things are so bad that the percentage of the U.S. population that decides to flee our nation equals the percentage of Hungarians who fled Hungary in 1956. That would mean six million Americans, on average between the ages of 18-34, decide to flee the nation. And, as with their Hungarian counterparts of 1956, the U.S. refugees include many of the country's best and brightest. Among these six million people would be: • Half of the students and faculty of all the Ivy League colleges, • Angelina Jolié (or any other famous actress) with her entourage, • All the winners of this year's Country Music Awards, • The New England Patriots, the Los Angeles Lakers, and the New York Yankees, • The Boston Pops, • The staffs of the Guggenheim museum, the Cleveland Museum of Art, and the Smithsonian, • 10 percent of the executives who work for Fortune Did you know they're Hungarian? Did you know Suzi Quatro’s Mother was Hungarian? The decade of the 1970’s produced many eclectic rock music stars and groups. Bass guitarist Suzi Quatro was among one of the most flamboyant. Quatro was born in Detroit on June 6, 1950. Her father was a part-time jazz musician, and her mother was Hungarian. Her mom’s name was Helen Sanislay. Quatro’s first band consisted or herself and her three sisters. She has produced recordings in five different decades. She is the mother of two children and resides in England. Suzi appeared in several episodes in the popular television series “Happy Days” as “Leather Tuscadero.” The 61 year old still performs about 60 concerts per year. 500 companies across all industries, • The top engineers for GM, Ford, and Chrysler, • The last 10 Pulitzer Prize winners, • Half of the 2008 U.S. Olympic Team, and • Some one million newly born or unborn children, accompanying their parents on the way out of America. The loss of technological, artistic, cultural, athletic, and economic talent would be staggering to say the least. We all know men and women who escaped in 1956. Their individual and combined contributions to the United States are immeasurable. One can, however, begin to place a value on these Hungarians by looking at how much our nation has been enriched, even at the expense of our ancestral homeland. While it is unfortunate that so many had to flee the land of their birth, I think it is better for America, and for Americans, that we were able to welcome these men and women into our nation. The lasting legacy of 1956 will always be one of great promise cut short by power and cruelty. While the nation of Hungary lost the revolution, the spirit of the Hungarian people, in my opinion, sustained a great victory. The nation itself is on the mend, and our American-Hungarian communities have been enriched by the influx of the Hungarians of 1956. Their contributions to our cultural identity in the United States are too valuable to contemplate. While I do not take pleasure in the circumstances of their expatriation, I am glad that they have come to call America home. When one realizes that the nations of the United Kingdom, Australia and Canada also became the homes of many other '56ers, the impact becomes even greater. As we all remember two events so centrally important in defining in our national and personal histories, it is important to consider that all things are not absolutely bad or good. There are different sides to each and every tragedy, and as a result, it gives us all something to think about. Éljen a Magyar! Tibor II Tibor Check Jr. is a member of Branch 28 Youngstown, Ohio, and a student at Cleveland State University. He serves as host of the “Souvenirs of Hungary” weekly radio show broadcast on WKTL-90.7 FM in Struthers, Ohio. Let's hear your take Let me know how you enjoy my thoughts and views on growing up Hungarian Style. If you have any questions or comments about me or my column, please email me at: SilverKingl937@yahoo.com, or drop me a letter in care of the William Penn Association, 709 Brighton Road, Pittsburgh, PA 15233. William Penn Life 0 October 2011 0 7
