William Penn Life, 2016 (51. évfolyam, 1-12. szám)

2016-12-01 / 12. szám

Branch News Youngstown held its event on Oc­tober 23, hosted by the Youngstown American Hungarian Federation and Youngstown Freedom Fight­ers. A memorial service was held at the Shrine of Our Lady, Com­forter of the Afflicted, on Belle Vista Avenue with a dinner following at St. George's Croatian Hall. The day included a tribute to those who took part in the Revolution along with a memorial candle service for those who have passed away. The Rev. Joseph Rudjak conducted a prayer service with all of the children in attendance. It was very touching to see almost 15 children participate, including two foreign exchange students from Hungary. On Oct. 22, the Cleveland Mu­seum held its 1956 event. It featured a lovely display and a lecture by Edith K. Lauer, Chair Emerita of the Hungarian Coalition, who spoke of her personal memories of 1956. She concluded her presentation by inviting other 1956ers to share their experiences. She stressed all these experiences need to be documented so we do not lose them. What a wonderful performance was witnessed by those attending the recent "Spirit of Hungary" tour of North America. The tour stopped in the Pittsburgh area on Oct. 21. The dance tribute to the 1956 events was very moving. The talented group of performers included highly trained dancers. The music provided by a live Hungarian band let us fully experience a roomful of Hungarian energy. We thank WPA and the Bethlen Communities for bringing this dance troupe to our area and for sponsor­ing the dessert table served follow­ing the performance. We thank all who donated sweets for that day. It was very nice to meet Kalman Magyar, the tour's promoter, and Dr. Imre Szakacs, Consulate General of Hungary from New York. I was privileged to welcome the audience prior to the performance. Congratulations to the Bethlen Communities on celebrating their 95th anniversary. The Monte Carlo Lucky Spirit Night was a wonderful evening of entertainment, historical facts, good food and good friends. The spirit of fraternalism truly filled the room. What a moving ceremony we wit­nessed as the Calvin Synod installed the Rt. Rev. Dr. Csaba Krasznai as its new bishop. The First Hungarian Reformed Church in Walton Hills, Ohio (Bishop Krasznai's congrega­tion) hosted the event. It was so nice seeing so many members of the Calvin Synod in attendance offering their support for Bishop Krasznai. A wonderful dinner and social was held after the service. The Youngstown Area March of Dimes recently held a fundraising event. An article in the local news­paper covering the event included a photo featuring WPA member Daniel Stack sharing a moment with his grandmother Barbara Stack. A thank you goes out to the Home Office for encouraging and supporting the annual WPA Holi­day Basket Program. Branch 28 finds it spiritually uplifting to be able to offer assistance to others. With all of the festive holiday celebrations taking place, we don't want to forget to wish everyone hav­ing a birthday or anniversary a very special day. Get well wishes and healing thoughts go out to those not feel­ing up to par these days, especially Mary Rose Purton, Margie Sams, Su­san Willis, Julie Purton, Violet Sarosi, Arlene Csornán and Alice Nagy. As always, we remember with thoughts and prayers those who have recently lost a loved one. May the peace and love of this holy season be shared by all our members, their families and their friends. Best wishes for a joyous Christ­mas season. Branch 40 Martins Ferry, OH Branch 349 Weirton, WV by Joyce Nicholson Hello from the WPA branches in Martins Ferry, Ohio, and Weirton, W.Va. We hope everyone had a heart­warming and delicious Thanksgiv­ing holiday with family or friends. As Christmas rapidly approaches and Old Man Time makes way for Baby New Year, we want to take this opportunity to thank everyone who helped throughout 2016 with our William Penn Association Join Hands Day project, picnics, outings, meetings and parties. Our branches were happily busy all year. And we are grateful to be able to be of assistance to many of our local com­munity projects, events, fundraisers, and people-in-need while having a great time in fellowship, too. As we look forward to 2017, we wish everyone a blessed Christmas and a Happy New Year filled with love, peace, joy and good health. I had the opportunity to attend the "Spirit of Hungary" dance per­formance by the Hungarian National Dance Ensemble in West Mifflin, Pa., in October. It was a fabulous show. It was such an amazing experience and a touching tribute to traditional Hungarian folk dance and the 1956 Revolution. The skill and emotion embodied in the dancers and musi­cians made the performance unfor­gettable. They were so full of energy and passion, the two-hour perfor­mance just flew by. One wished it would never end. To those who donated baked goods for the after-performance meet-and-greet, thank you! Follow­ing the reception, the performers attended an afterglow hosted at Huszar's Restaurant. Even then, they were still full of energy, talking and singing the night away. I want to recognize the beautiful speeches that Congresswoman Mar­­cy Kaptur (OH - 9th District) and Congressman Dennis Ross (FL - 12th District), co-chairs of the Congres­sional Hungarian-American Caucus, gave in the House of Representa­tives of the United States Congress honoring and commemorating the 1956 Hungarian Revolution on the 60th anniversary of the Freedom Fight. In their speeches, both Rep. Kaptur and Rep. Ross referred to the Congressional resolution previously submitted to the House floor that will serve to recognize, celebrate and memorialize the enduring friendship between Hungary and the United States. Ken Toth (my brother) and his wife Debbie returned to their Ari-WILLIAM PENN LIFE 0 December 2016 0 17

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