Fraternity-Testvériség, 1989 (67. évfolyam, 1-3. szám)
1989-04-01 / 2. szám
PAGE 22 TESTVÉRISÉG LETTERS FROM THE "BETHLEN HOME ALUMNI" FILE IN OUR ARCHIVES Our Bethlen Museum and Archives has a precious collection of the history of the Hungarians here in America. Upon visiting the Archives on the hill of "Moriah" in Ligonier and checking the titles of the containers, well-arranged on the shelves, we can find some that recall the golden days when the Children's Home or "Árvaház" took care of those children that were left without any parential support. Another important function of the Children's Home was that of organizing each year a successful Hungarian Summer School to teach the pupils our native language, the Hungarian dances and music—and naturally to raise in their hearts the enthusiastic feeling of patriotism. These functions of the Children's Home belong to the past, since in the late 70's we had to close the doors of the Home due to insufficient number of children. I remember very well the Hungarian Summer School of Ligonier, since I myself taught those children for more than a decade. Presently I am working in the Bethlen Museum and Archives, where I have many names on file, and therefore have a great opportunity of getting in touch with those persons who had attended the Hungarian Summer School in Ligonier. Two years ago I set up a file under the title of "Bethlen Home Alumni" in which I collect letters that were received in response to a request that was printed in the Fraternity, 1st issue, 1987, Vol. LXV. Having received the permission of the writers of the letters, I would like to share a few of them with the readers of the Fraternity in the future. Here are two letters which were written by Mrs. William E. Rogers: "Dear Sirs: Please include my name on your list of those who attended Summer School at the Children's Home in Ligonier. My maiden name was Arlene Gross and I attended with a group from Miami, Florida, led by Rev. Nagy-Paul Janos. I believe I was in Ligonier in the summers of 1965, 1966 and 1967. I still have many happy memories of those weeks at the Summer School, and I would love to visit again to see if things still look the same. As a child from Florida, the beautiful rolling hills of Pennsylvania were quite a fantastic sight. 'Helping' in the kitchen was something I looked forward to. I remember being shown how to skim the cream off the top of the 10- gallon milk can and how to pour the milk without waste. Is the Old Age Home still up on the hill? How about the beautiful little church? My best wishes to you and your project. I would be happy to help in any way I can. I also have a keen interest in history and research. I am a volunteer teacher at the Colorado State Museum and I studied history at the University of Colorado. Enclosed is a small donation to aid you in your work. Sincerely, Arlene Gross Rogers, Denver, July 22, 1987 PS. Just as a sidelight, I still speak and read Hungarian." "Dear Reverend Kovács: Thank you so much for your kind reply to my letter. What a pleasant coincidence that you were our teacher. The Children's Home—photo taken in 1924
