Magyar Herald, 1989 (1-3. szám)
1989 / 1. szám
1st QUARTER, 1989 MAGYAR HERALD Page 3 The Picture gallery of th^Lßade of our Magyar — Miniature verbal portraits from pasted presenf WILLIAM KÖTELES GENOCIDE V, 1 He is from the front-line of our most effective leaders: president on two terms, on the Board of Directors longer than anyone else, even when off the Board still gracious host of most of Board meetings. Without any exagération: no one has done as much for promoting the aim of our Club or has ever given as much as he has given in time and money to ‘perpetuate Magyar Culture’ within our Club and without in our City of Cleveland, the cradle of American Hungarian Life. The splendor and dignity of our 50th Anniversary Celebration can never be forgotten as it was conducted by him as president. Let that be an inspiration for us at the present in this year of our forthcoming 65th Anniversary Celebration. He is a second generation Hungarian, who was born right here in Cleveland. His parents were simple Magyar immigrants, who came here with the first wave of immigration from the town of Tenke in Bihar County of Hungary. Their ancestors in Tenke were noted already in the year of 1770 as the records run as “hard-working, honest and reliable citizens following the Calvinistic Religion” Harry Emerson Fosdick said: “Democracy is based upon the conviction that there are extraordinary possibilities in ordinary people.” Our Béla Köteles is the exemplification at the highest level of that terminology. The well-known French proverb: “noblesse oblige” offers itself here to be quoted. “Nobility obliges”. The original Latin word ‘nobilis’ realy means: reknowned. People of high birth or high social position should behave nobly toward others. Man of distinction, known of his nobility of his character should be magnanimous and dedicated in giving time, talent and treasure. William Köteles is one of the foremost Magyar Nobles in our Amie^» can Magyar Debrecen, surrounded in his home with wife Marianne, one son and two daughters and a number of grandchildren. His spacious country-home in Broadview Heights, a perfect replica of a Magyar Kúria, has been the most gracious hosting ‘Bonneville’ to all Hungarian visiting dignitaries and community leaders for well over a half-a-century. He is a self-made, enterprising businessman, who by the industrious work of his two hands and keen mind reached the highest possible level of American achievements. His PEMCO heart-lung Units made his name known world-wide. In the footsteps of his forefathers he has shown unfailing loyalty to First Church and with his unfaltering work in building the Cleveland ‘Reformed Cathedral’ he had engraven his name into the history book of the very first Magyar Church in this New Land of the Free. He did the same with all his participations in universal American-Hungarian activities into the century-old history-book of the Magyars in America. E„ 1 mer son places before us the ever-present question: “What builds the cities glorious and what raises the Nation’s pillars high?” He also gives the ever-right answer: “Not gold... but men, who work while others sleep, and who dare while others fly. ” Cultural* genocide is now being stepped, up by the dictatorship of Rumania against the Hungarian peopjé ÍK that ancient Hungarian land 0%Xransylvania (Erdély), currently under Rumanian political controll. It started .with attacks against the cultural identity of the Hungarians, against the Hungarian language, schools, and churches. This did not do the job. Now it is being stepped up against the areas of habitations of the Hungarians. The latest ploy was the destruction of Hungarian communities in various cities under the guise of urban renewal. Now the planned destruction of thousands of Hungarian villages is in the making. World wide revulsion against this perhaps has slowed the timetable. Many Hungarian churches and organizations as well as non Hungarians are rallying to their aid. The Congress of the United States has adopted Doran Resolution (H. Res. 505) “Condemning the Systematic Violation of Internationally Recognized Human Rights by the Government of Rumania”. Some of our influential Magyar Club members would like to be more informed so that they might assist these unfortunate Hungarians. One of the many organizations which can readily supply you with information is: Hungarian Human Right Foundation P. O. Box J Grade Station New York, NY 10028 Jurist Rapheal Lemkin who initiated a move for the Convention on Genocide stated that genocide does not mean immediate killing of a group or nation “...but is intended to signify a coordinated plan of different actions aiming at the destruction of essential foundations of the life of national groups, with the aim of annihilating the groups themselves.” Dr. John Palasics
