Bethlen Almanac 1997 (Ligonier)
Halottaink
WILLIAM BELA PUSKAS 1926-1997 William Bela Puskas, Honorary Treasurer of the Federation, passed away on April 23, 1997. He was born in Szamosszeg, Szatmár County, Hungary. He graduated from the Reformed Gimnázium of Debrecen in 1946 and came to the United States in 1947. He joined the U.S. Army in 1950 and was honorably discharged in 1952 after two years of active service with the First Army as Medical Technician. After receiving his Bachelor of Science degree from Rutgers University in 1957, he began a career of more than 30 years’ service in the fraternal life insurance industry, of which nearly 25 years were spent with the Hungarian Reformed Federation of America. He retired from the HRFA in 1992 as National Treasurer. He was a member of the Magyar Reformed Church in New Brunswick and a member and past president of the Hungarian American Athletic Club in New Brunswick. He is survived by his wife of forty-five years Onerva Ullven, his son William, daughter-in-law Linda, his granddaughter Katherine, and his sister Julianna Pajor. President of the Federation George Dózsa addressed the following words to family members and friends of William B. Puskas, Sr., at the memorial service on Saturday, May 17, 1997 that was attended by approximately 150 people. “We are assembled here to pay homage to the memory of your loved one, our friend, Bill Puskas, who belonged not only to his immediate family but to us all who are gathered here in grateful remembrance. Bill came from a family that believed in and emphasized the values of a higher education for their children. In fact, all three children of the family went to boarding schools in Hungary with scholarships. All three received college degrees, and two earned doctorates. Bill entered boarding school in 1937 at the age of 10, achieving excellency every year. Therefore, from his second year on, he received a full scholarship from the Reformed Gimnázium of Debrecen, from where he graduated in 1946 with highest honors at the top of his class. During the high school years at the Gimnázium, Bill participated in a school “legátus” program and because of that he preached at many of Reformed churches in Szatmár County. He was known among his peers 266
