Fraternity-Testvériség, 1999 (77. évfolyam, 1-4. szám)
1999-04-01 / 1. szám
Page 4 TESTVÉRISÉG Today, during this historical ceremony in Independence Missouri, Hungary’s new Pro-American Group has been awarded the privilege to sign the NATO alliance on behalf of the new Republic of Hungary of which we, the ethnic Hungarians throughout the United States, are very happy and proud. Finally, after a century and a half, the Republic of Hungary can take its place among the peace loving nations of the world.” Guests assembled at the Home Office THE BUST OF LAJOS KOSSUTH AT THE U.S. CAPITOL In 1985, Csaba A. Kúr was commissioned by the Hungarian Citizens’ League of Cleveland, Ohio, to restore the statue of Lajos Kossuth, which stood in the University Circle of Cleveland. The 12-foot-tall statue was made in Hungary in 1903 in honor of the centennial of Kossuth’s birth. To accomplish the restoration, Mr. Kúr conducted extensive studies of Kossuth’s facial features as well as his personal history, particularly the fascinating events of his journey in the United States in 1851-1852. Upon completion of the restored statue, Mr. Kúr presented a portrait of Kossuth to Ohio Governor Richard Celeste. He then began to prepare a bust of the Hungarian statesman and asked a local resident of Warren, Ohio, Phil Arbie, to model for the bust. Mr. Arbie’s facial and cranial characteristics are very similar to Kossuth’s. At this stage, Mr. Kúr’s work gained substantial support from the Rt. Rev. Tibor Dömötör, the Bishop of the Free Hungarian Reformed Church in Akron, Ohio and the national president of the American Hungarian Federation. Aided by a grant of $6,000 from these organizations, the artist completed the bronze bust of Kossuth in the spring of 1986. KJ. Unsuccessful efforts were undertaken to place the bust permanently on public display, first at the Ohio State House, in Columbus, then at the White House in Washington. D.C. Dr. Z. Michael Szaz, national director and congressional liaison officer of the American Hungarian Federation, suggested that the bust be offered as a gift to the United States Congress with the intent that it be permanently placed in the Capitol in Washington, D.C. The Kossuth bust formally was offered for placement in the Capitol. Hungarian-born Congressman Tom Lantos of California, with the help of his wife, Annette, enthusiastically took the lead in arranging for the placement of the bust in the Capitol and arranging the ceremony in the Capitol Rotunda to unveil it. At the request of Congressman Lantos, Senator Claiborne Pell of Rhode Island, then the Chairman of the Joint Committee on the Library, won the approval of the other members of the Committee to accept the bust for permanent placement in the Capitol. 1 180? I8<W .. ' FATHER OF HUNGARIAN DEMOCRACY HUNGARIAN STATESMAN FREEDOM FIGHTER 1848 ^ 1849 Bronze Bust of Lajos Kossuth presented to the Congress on March 15, 1990
