Amerikai Magyar Hírlap, 2017 (29. évfolyam, 1-50. szám)
2017-05-19 / 20. szám
Commissioner Frank De Balogh Recognized For Two Decades Of Distinguished Leadership And Service By The County Of Los Angeles On May 11, 2017, the Los Angeles County Commission for Public Social Services recognized one of its long time commissioners, Dr. Frank de Balogh, for two decades of distinguished service. Some 20 years ago, Commissioner de Balogh was appointed to County government by Supervisor Mike Antonovich as his representative on this important commission. His qualifications then included prior government service, a presidential appointment by President Ronald Reagan, and a PhD in public administration from the University of Southern California. This commission has advisory oversight responsibilities for the County’s Department of Public Social Services, an agency with 14,000 employees, which serves more than 3 million persons with various assistance programs with a budget of over $3 billion. The County is America’s “Super County” with a population of over 10 million persons and an economy that ranks 18th in the world if it were a country. Highlights of Commissioner de Balogh’s service include chairing the Commission for eight years (elected to 4 two-year terms) as well as serving as vice chair (2 years). His activities as a commissioner have not only focused on social programs for those in need. But, also arranging for recognition of various community and international delegations, organizations, and individuals by the County’s Board of Supervisors (governing body). Noteworthy of these activities have been: 1) message of solidarity for two decades from the Board to the annual commemoration at Cardinal Mindzsenty Square of the glorious Hungarian Revolution of 1956 where he has represented the Supervisor; 2) Board recognition of numerous leaders from various ethnic communities to include Hungarian, Polish, German, Austrian, Japanese, Chinese, etc.; 3) Board recognition for various community organizations (e.g., Kárpátok Dance Ensemble) and churches; 4) Board messages of solidarity in international tragedies such as the Polish plane crash in Russia which took the lives of almost half of the government leaders of Poland; 5) Board commemoration of the 200,h anniversary of the birth of Count Ágoston Harazsthy, founder of California’s wine industry; 6) Board commemoration of the 25lh anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall which honored of five consul generals and over 30 ethnic community leaders; 7) Board commemoration of the 60th anniversary of the Hungarian Revolution of 1956 and raising of the Hungarian flag at County headquarters; and, 8) persuading the Board to pass a political lobbying resolution in 1999, which he wrote, favoring the expansion of NATO through the inclusion of Poland, Hungary and Czechoslovakia when America’s ratification of that treaty was before Congress. That Board resolution was sent by the County to the U.S. President, the Vice President, and all members of the House and the Senate; and, 9) strong advocacy for America’s veterans, among many examples. In summary, Commissioner Frank de Balogh has served the people of the County of Los Angeles and the Hungarian community with commitment, energy and distinction over two decades. He continues to do so today. 382 Years Ago Hungary’s Oldest Still Operating University Was Founded The oldest still operating university in Hungary was founded by Archbishop of Esztergom Péter Pázmány (pictured above) on this day in 1635. In fact, there were two older Hungarian universities, one in Pécs (founded in 1367) and one in Óbuda (founded in 1395), but unlike Pázmány’s university they had not survived the country’s troubled history and were shut down in the 1410s. During the Ottoman occupation, the most tragic years of Hungary’s history, Archbishop of Esztergom Péter Pázmány established the university, because he was con- A campus today vinced that it was the only way to guarantee the survival of the nation’s moral and intellectual culture. The university he founded adopted both his intellectual heritage and his name. The institution was moved to Buda (now Budapest, Hungary) from Nagyszombat (now Trnava, Slovakia) by Queen Maria Theresa in 1777 in accordance with the intention of the founder. In the 19th century, in the spirit of the 1848 reforms the university became a modern and autonomous educational centre and by the beginning of the 20th century it became one of Europe’s greatest universities. In 1921, after the grisly calamities of World War I the “Royal Hungarian University of Science” in Budapest was once again named after its founder, Péter Pázmány, and it bore his name until 1950, when the communist state restructured the university by separating the Faculties of Medicine and Theology, and changed the name of the remaining institution to “Eötvös Loránd University of Sciences”. After the collapse of Communism in Hungary, however, the Hungarian Parliament and the Hungarian Catholic Church jointly established a new university in 1993 and named it “Pázmány Péter Catholic University”. The new Pázmány university inherited the old one’s Faculty of Theology, therefore today both the Eötvös Loránd University of Sciences and the Pázmány Péter Catholic University proudly claim that they are the oldest still operating university in the country. hungarytoday.hu Highest Quality Care at the Best Price! Elderly, Rehabilitating, Children, Newborn Beszélünk magyarul Is! Ingyenes konzultáció otthonában. Hívják Piroskát vagy Krisztinát! 3* Hour InnniBtr Kcwm • LimwJ a ImH it * Companions * Assistants (CNA, CHHA) * Nurses (RN, LVN) * Newborn Nurses * Nannies & Babysitters * Group Child Care * Live-in or Live-out * Temporary or Permanent * Qualified & Screened * Flexible Payment Plans * Most Insurances Accepted * Worker Coop. It Loag Ten« Car AdvantagePlusAgency.com 800 687-8066 VA Medical Center Long Beach Renamed From a Hungarian Born Holocaust Survivor The Department of Veterans Affairs’s medical center in Long Beach was officially renamed the Tibor Rubin VA Medical Center on May 10, 2017 in honor of the Garden Grove resident, Medal of Honor recipient and Holocaust survivor. Rubin died in December 2015 at 86 years old. The massive U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs hospital in Long Beach will be known as the Tibor Rubin VA Medical Center, to honor a man who stared down death at several points in his life. There is no other governmental building named after a Hungarian in Southern California. President Barack Obama signed December 2016 into law legislation introduced by Congressman Alan Lowenthal (CA-47) to rename the Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Long Beach, California, as the Tibor Rubin VA Medical Center in honor of Holocaust survivor and Medal of Honor recipient Tibor Rubin. The bill, H.R. 6323, was introduced with the support and backing of the entire 53 member California House Delegation. California’s two Senators, Diane Feinstein and Barbara Boxer, also supported the renaming effort, along with numerous veterans groups in California including, the American Legion, AMVETS, DAV (Disabled American Veterans), Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, Jewish War Veterans of the U.S. A., and the Veterans of Foreign Wars. About Tibor Rubin Mr. Rubin was born in Hungary on June 18, 1929. Born to a Jewish family in Hungary, Rubin and his entire family were sent to a Nazi concentration camp in Austria during World War II. His parents and sisters died, but Rubin survived for 14 months until the U.S. Army liberated his camp.. Inspired by the American soldiers who rescued him, he enlisted in the U.S. Army, eventually being deployed in early 1950 as a member of the U.S. Army’s 8th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Cavalry Division during the Korean War. Despite facing religious discrimination from his sergeant — who sent Mr. Rubin on the most dangerous assignments and withheld his commendation — Mr. Rubin fought valiantly in several notable engagements. In one such engagement, Mr. Rubin enabled the complete withdrawal of his fellow soldiers by solely defending a hill under an overwhelming assault by North Korean troops. He was awarded the Medal of Honor, the nation’s highest commendation for combat valor, for his actions in protecting his regiment in Unsan, North Korea, in the fall of 1950. Rubin is credited with standing alone for 24 hours to hold off attacking forces, allowing for the regiment’s successful withdrawal. In the 2005 Medal of Honor ceremony for Rubin, President George W. Bush, described the incident: “When Corporal Rubin’s battalion found itself ambushed by thousands of Chinese troops, the Americans’ firepower soon dwindled to a single machine gun. The weapon was in an exposed position and three soldiers had already died manning it. That was when Corporal Rubin stepped forward. He fought until his ammunition was gone. He was badly wounded, captured and sent to a P.O.W. camp.” When Rubin and fellow soldiers were taken prisoner, he risked his life to sneak out of camp and gather food and medical supplies to bring back to the wounded and starving. Rubin spent 30 months as a prisoner of war in North Korea. His Medal of Honor was delayed by decades due to anti-Jewish sentiment among some he served with, according to his New York Times obituary. It came only after then-President Bush ordered a review of the records of 137 Jewish veterans who were seen as having been denied medals that they deserved. Rubin was 76 when he received the award. Congressman Alan Lowenthal sponsors legislation: “I am honored and humbled to see the President sign into law my legislation to name the VA Medical Center in Long Beach after an American hero,” Congressman Lowenthal said. “Throughout his life, Tibor Rubin was dedicated and devoted to helping others through acts of kindness, courage and bravery. When challenges came his way he remained steadfast and determined to help others around him. I am proud to have met and represented such an honorable man like Mr. Rubin; I know the VA Medical Center in our community will pay tribute to his legacy and it is my hope that it serves as an inspiration to those that come after him.” Mr. Rubin was also fiercely proud of his adopted American heritage. He once said that America is, “the best country in the world and I am part of it now. I do not have to worry about the Gestapo knocking on my door tonight. I have shalom peace; people die for it.” Mr. Rubin was a long-time resident of Garden Grove, California and received services from the Long Beach VA Medical Center. He passed away almost one year ago on December 5, 2015. ocbreeze.com ©Május 19,2017 AMERIKAI tjagyar Hírlap
