Hungarian Heritage Review, 1991 (20. évfolyam, 1-11. szám)
1991-09-01 / 9. szám
A Hungarian-American to Remember: JULIUS BELSŐ (1918-1991) We recently attended his wake and funeral to pay our last respects. For he was a Hungarian- American we knew for many years, and a man with whom we closely worked last year on behalf of the Hungarian community of the State of New Jersey. So did many others, of course. But, afterwards, we couldn't help recalling an old Magyar saying and thinking about its relevance to the lifetime achievements of the deceased, and to our own times. This old Magyar saying in rough translation is as follows: "NOBODY IS A PROPHET IN HIS OWN VILLAGE/' This saying, in our considered opinion, is applicable in this particular instance. For, from what we observed and heard over a period of time, Julius Belső did not receive the kind of recognition for his contributions and achievements he should have from the Hungarian community in his "own village", and as he did elsewhere around the state and nation. To begin with, Julius Belső served for nine years as the representative of the Hungarian community of the State of New Jersey on the Ethnic Advisory Council of the New Jersey Office of Ethnic Affairs, Department of State. It was he, in fact, who spearheaded the idea of honoring his fellow Hungarian-Americans at the 1990 New Jersey Ethnic Festival, and for which he served with distinction as Chairman and Grand Marshal. He also helped to organize the Hungarian Liberty State Festival Committee, on which we also served, for the purpose of encouraging the state wide participation of Hungarian churches, organizations, and clubs, as well as for the presentation of an outstanding program of Hungarian entertainment. With more than 40,000 persons attending this two-day festival last year, it was not only the biggest and best ever held, but also the first time ever that the Hungarian contributions to the state and nation were "spotlighted". This is a matter of record. Much can be written about the life and times of Julius Belső, but space prohibits it. Suffice to say that, after emigrating to the U.S. and becoming a naturalized citizen, he settled permanently in New Brunswick, New Jersey, where he became actively involved in Hungarian community life and civic affairs. In 1984, he became the Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Magyar Savings Bank. Julius Belső was also honored with several important presidential appointments, and was the recipient of numerous citations, among them the "Outstanding Ethnic Man of the Year Award" and the "Dwight D. Eisenhower Award for Distinguished Service". More recently, he was one of the three Hungarian-Americans invited by the new Republic of Hungary to attend the opening session of the new Hungarian Parliament in which he once served as the representative of the Christian Democratic Party before the communist take-over of Hungary. It was his last visit to his native land. Paul Pulitzer Executive Editor-Publisher USPS 046-310 HUNGARIAN HERITAGE REVIEW ISSN 0889-2695 The HUNGARIAN HERITAGE REVIEW is published monthly by, and as the official publication of, the RÁKÓCZI FOUNDATION-INTERNATIONAL, INC. (USA), a non-profit organization, whose address is P.O. Box 2203, Union, New Jersey 07083 (Tel: 908-964-8464). EXECUTIVE EDITOR-PUBLISHER: Paul Pulitzer. SECOND CLASS POSTAGE paid at Union, New Jersey. SUBSCRIPTION RATES: USA and Canada, $25.00 a year; ABROAD, $35.00 a year USD. Trademark registered. Copyright 1985. All rights reserved. POSTMASTER: Please forward address changes to P.O. Box 2203, Union, New Jersey 07083. SEPTEMBER 1991 HUNGARIAN HERITAGE REVIEW 1
