Fraternity-Testvériség, 1982 (60. évfolyam, 1-4. szám)
1982-04-01 / 2. szám
FROM THE PRESIDENT: CONSOLIDATION: At the spring Board of Directors meeting the plan of consolidation with the William Penn Association came to a sudden halt. The proposed By-Laws did not receive the required two-thirds vote (8 for; 7 against) In order to reach a full understanding of what transpired we have to quote from the resolution of the special Board meeting on December 16, 1981: “Be it resolved by the Board in meeting assembled that the form of consolidation agreement as negotiated, amended, re-drafted and read at this meeting is approved and incorporated herein by reference: resolved further that the joint Committee is authorized to complete the proposed By-Laws and Charter and present the same at thé spring Board meeting for approval: resolved further that at such meeting, provided the By-Laws are approved, the Board fix the date, time and place and call a special convention into session to consider the consolidation of the two societies.” What happened? While the Board of Directors of the Hungarian Reformed Federation of America unanimously accepted the basic principles of Consolidation, it was sharply divided in the proposed time table, which called for a special convention in 1982. These are the two facts, anything else is speculation and pointing fingers. The future course must be guided by these facts alone. We firmly believe that the consolidation negotiations were not in vain. It took our two organizations closer to an old dream of creating one great and strong society which can better serve the needs of the members and can remain competitive in our changing world. Members of the two Boards developed better understanding and a true fraternal spirit toward each other. What is still lacking is the same spirit on the part of the membership — on grass roots level. This is the time to hold confidence building programs on the local level such as fraternal days sponsored together and social activities in order to get-acquainted with each other. This is the time to work together whereever it is possible in serving our American Hungarian community and in fostering Hungarian heritage. BOARD RESOLUTION: During the time of the consolidation negotiations, many urgent tasks were placed on the ‘back burner’. Now our Federation must move into action. At the spring meeting, resolutions were passed — directing the revitalization of the field force; the study of an improved portfolio and the compensation system. A study of the home office operation will also he made, including the possible upgrading of equipment. The Building Committee is re-activated. The implementation of the Board resolution began without delay. Reports will be given at the September Board meeting. FRATERNAL PROGRAMS: Improvement of our fraternal programs will be among the priorities of the near future. It is hoped that such programs will give the Federation wide-spread publicity and thus encourage the keeping of members and be instrumental in the enrollment of new members. It was resolved that the Board members should be active in the branches in their respective areas, and they should also make certain that the branches arc carrying out their fraternal activities, as required by the IRS. Summer is a good opportunity for fraternal activities, trips, barbecues in the park, etc., with the two-fold purpose in mind — foster fellowship and help support our Bethlen Home, Museum and Archives Fund, and the Scholarship Fund with donations. Bethlen Collection is ready to move into its new quarters built by the Federation at a cost of over $20,000.00. May we urge members and friends, churches and societies to come to our aid in recovering these expenses. Help us so we can do our best to preserve the documents of early American Hungarian life. It is a very rich collection. The last time I was in Ligonier, Béla Oláh, our curator, showed me two handwritten Kossuth letters! A copy of the English one is reproduced in this issue. These are priceless treasures! There are 15 flags in our museum of various Hungarian societies throughout the country. They are in deplorable conditions and in desperate need of restoration. We call upon Sewing Circles, Embroidery Classes — would your organization please take one and do the restoration? Please call my office — for further information. Hungarian Language Schools planned for the summer. We have been asked to give publicity to the language camp of the Hungarian Boy Scouts which will be held at Fiimore, N. Y. The other program is the Hungarian Studies at Ada, Ohio. For additional information read the announcement in the Hungarian section of this issue. We whole-heartedly 3
