Magyar News, 2002. szeptember-2003. augusztus (13. évfolyam, 1-12. szám)
2003-04-01 / 8. szám
to lettuce, tomatoes, com and beans, there were large amounts of potatoes, beets and carrots which could be stored for the winter in the root cellar. John noted that the family ate lots of potato pancakes, potato soup and galushka (potatoes and noodles). Betty would especially remember the egg sandwiches, the crepe suzettes or palacinta, and the sütni szalonna. Church was an important part of Kassay life. Sunday mornings the family would get dressed in their best clothes and walk to the Hungarian Evangelical Church on Kings Highway, now known as the Calvin United Church. There the children attended Sunday school, where the Bible was taught in Hungarian. Marge, Helen, and Betty sang in the choir. They also attended youth fellowship meetings one night a week. Calvin United, also the church of my mother's family, remains an important part of the lives of many Hungarian- Americans in this area. Marge noted that "We were poor and didn't know it!" Yet, in spite of the poverty, the Kassays saw that others were even more needy. One Thanksgiving a turkey was given to the family by Town officials, as part of a program to assist needy families. Marge recalled that Pop said: “Take it to someone who is poor. We have chicken. We're O.K.” Hungarian self-sufficiency, pride and independence were certainly reflected in that statement. A New House Through hard work, prayers, and with the help of the First National Bank, the immigrant family was able to purchase a new seven room house. In 1930 the Sears Roebuck pre-cut home was erected on the property by family and friends. Standing today on Black Rock Turnpike, in our last issue we had an unintentional technical mistake that resulted in a poor quality print of one picture. We feel obligated to correct it, the people in the photo are hard working leaders of the Hungarian community of our area. this sturdy blue house marks a significant turning point in the life of the family. Out of the bam and into the modem home they moved. In this house, Zoly (my school classmate), his brother Steve and sister Barbara were bom. Betty recalled that unlike the bam, the new house was warm in the winter, heated by a coal furnace. However, the upstairs bedrooms were not heated at night to save fuel. This is where the quilts (dunas) came into play. The children enjoyed jumping onto the dunas and then covering themselves against the cold. Like the Kassays', I remember the duna which my Grandma Agnes made for me. No blanket can compare with a duna on a cold winter's night. Frank Kassay passed away in 1962, but not without asking his children to love one another and to take care of each other. Anna lived to visit her birthplace, now in Czechoslovakia, where a joyous reunion took place with her brother and sister after some sixty years. Less than a year later, at age 82 she passed away on the very day that she and Frank would have been married 58 years. The Reverend Dr. Alex A. Gondola, Jr., Anna's first grandson, who is the Minister of the Union Church in Dennis, Massachusetts, wrote a wonderful tribute to Anna which he delivered as a sermon in the spring of 2001. He told of how Anna set aside her very first paycheck, earned as a domestic - a $5.00 gold piece - to give to her first grandson. She held off giving the piece until he became a minister. The Reverend Dr. Gondola said "My grandmother never had much formal education. Nor did she accumulate much wealth. But, she had a deep faith. That faith was grandma's real gold, which she passed on." Members of the Kassay family still live in the house on Black Rock Turnpike, although the family has grown larger and larger, and in the third and fourth generations has spread across the nation. Though scattered, they remain a closely knit extended family of more than one hundred and thirteen.. Thanks to their parents' struggle, these generations have grown up to achieve the American dream. Marge Kassay Balogh mentioned that "We celebrate our family reunion every July. Family come from all parts of the country to enjoy seeing the changes in the children and to celebrate being together." In John Kassay's basement recreation room, just a few feet from the "Kassay" bam, there is a long wall containing hundreds of photographs. On a recent visit, John gave me a guided tour of the wall. It is a pictorial history of four generations of the Kassay family, and a colorful tribute to Frank and Sophie and Anna. One can see the evolution of this Hungarian-American family, generation by generation. Like another wall I visited a while ago, it communicates something very significant. John's wall recapitulates a small, but worthy part of American history. It typifies the courage, the struggle, and the success of Hungarian immigrants who made a new life in America for future generations of their family. It also reflects the melding of Hungarian and American values in this family which has come so far. The Kassays are deservedly proud of their heritage and their achievements. As I write this, the "Kassay" bam off Baros Street seems to be leaning a bit more in the cold and the snow. Soon it will be gone. Another artifact of an older time which is part of our history will have disappeared. But the memories of life in that now decrepit structure will not soon fade. □ First hand information on Hungary and the Hungarian tourism A very interesting program will take place at the Wallingford Hungarian Community Hall, 147 Ward St. Wallingford, CT Ambassador Gábor Horváth, Consul-General of the Republic of Hungary, also Éva Márkus and Anikó Sárközi from the Tourist Agency will present a program about Hungary and tourism there. “Question and answer” session will follow the presentation. SUNDAY, MARCH 30, 2 PM Lunch is offered at 12:30 Admission: Free donation, With Lunch $10.00 For reservation and information call Barbara 203-269-9768 or Kathy 203-639-0511 SPRING , FLEA MARKET Sat., April 12, 2003, 10:00AM-4:00PM Bessemer Center 2200 North Avenue Bridgeport Hungarian Food And Baked Goods Misc.-Collectibles-Crafts (2 Floors) Dealers- Call 367-5213 Page 5
