Dénes Dienes: History of the Reformed Church Collég in Sárospatak (Sárospatak, 2013)
János Ugrai: „THE PERIOD OF NATIONAL ADVANCEMENT” 1777-1849 - The school-forging law professor - Sándor Kövy
96 FROM THE ENLIGHTEMENT TO THE END OF THE WAR OF INDEPENDENCE THE SCHOOL-FORGING LAW PROFESSOR - SÁNDOR KÖVY Sándor Kövy’s presence and work in Sárospatak was of crucial signficance in the life of the College. His professional expertise was acknowledged throughout the country and it was exclusively thanks to him and his lectures that students from the most diverse regions flooded the banks of the Bodrog to enroll in the faculty of law. This brought with it a noteworthy increase in recognition and income for the College. But far beyond what his connections and accomplishments brought to Patak, the College also indirectly profited from other commissions undertaken by Kövy and, as a result, the name of Sárospatak became more deeply etched into the national conscience in the spheres of culture and public life than previously. The presence of Kövy within the teaching staff of the College did not only mean that the school had a renown teacher but also that he was able to integrate himself into the daily pulse of the community and appropriately apply his broad knowledge and influence to the local circumstances throughout his stay of many years, right until his death. In the carrying out of his duties, he never did this as an outsider but as an active participant of the local scene, and, in addition, he soon became a very manifest example of one who was able to forge the spirit of the College. Sándor Kövy was born in the town of Nádudvar in Hajdú county, in 1763, to parents who belonged to the noble class. He began his studies in his hometown and then moved on to the Reformed Church College in Debrecen where he completed the typical school program to become, according to the program’s final phase, an elementary school teacher. After completing his two years of teaching in Sarkad in Békés county, he enrolled in the faculty of law in Pozsony in 1784. After completing his internship, he crowned his studies by acquiring lawyer’s qualifications from the Royal High Court of Pest. Despite having completed one of the most prestigious programs of study in the land and acquired its related qualifications, Kövy did not stay in the legal profession. Instead, he returned to the field of pedagogy and worked as a private teacher. As such, he became acquainted with influential families of the Reformed faith, families like the Vays, the Bernáths and the Telekis, upon all of whom he made a good impression. It is through these channels that he came to the attention of the Reformed Church College in Sárospatak when, in the summer of 1793, in Professor Sándor Kövy Storm clouds often gathered above the College in Patak
