Fraternity-Testvériség, 2000 (78. évfolyam, 1-4. szám)
2000-01-01 / 1. szám
FRATERNITY Page 3 HRFA’S 36th Quadrennial Convention 2000 The 36lh Quadrennial Convention of the HRFA is convening this year in the city of Toledo, Ohio. “Why Toledo?” many of you may ask. Toledo played a significant role in the history of the Federation. The “Home Office” of the HRFA was in Toledo, Ohio during the years of 1902-1936. By tradition, small fraternal societies in the late 1800’s and early 1900’s did not have fulltime employees or full-time officers. The processing of new applications and serving the membership was the responsi- bilities of the National Secretary and Controller. That changed thanks to the efforts of a remarkable man named István Molnár. Mr. Molnár was bom in 1875 in Forró, Abauj county. He attended the secondary school of the Reformed College of Sárospatak and immigrated to America in 1892 at the age of 16. Upon his arrival here, he settled in Toledo, Ohio and started earning his living as an ironworker. By that time, the National Malleable Castings Company, a large factory in Toledo, was already employing many Hungarian immigrants, including those from his village. The Federation treasured Molnár’s talents, dedication and hard work. Throughout his activities with the Federation and the ethnic Hungarian community, he was always able to demonstrate his great vision. He felt that the Federation had a dual role to play among the Reformed Hungarian communities, namely to care for the sick, the elderly, the widows, and orphans and to guide and help the American Hungarian Reformed communities. He was instrumental in emphasizing the Protestant character of the Federation. On the other hand, he did not tolerate any exclusionary policies within the Federation. In 1939, after a more than forty-six year absence, Mr. f Molnár returned to Hungary as a delegate to the Conference of the World Federation of Hungarians. In recognition for his work and contributions to his motherland, the Hungarian government honored him with the “Magyar Érdemrend Kereszt.” Mr. Molnár died on January 25, 1944. During this year of the 36th Quadrennial Convention of the HRFA, we honor his memory. George Dózsa, President Mr. Molnár was one of the early immigrants who contributed significantly to shaping the ethnic Hungarian community in Toledo. After serving in the Mexican-American war, he returned to Toledo where he became a policeman and eventually retired from the police force in 1923 as a lieutenant. Shortly after his return from the war, Molnár also became a member of the HRFA. Because of his organizational skills and dedicated hard work in behalf of the Federation, the 1902 Convention, held in New York City, elected him Controller and President in 1905. According to our records, upon his election as Controller, Mr. Molnár organized a permanent “Home Office” in his house to serve the growing membership of the Federation. In 1908, he was elected Secretary and under his supervision, the office space was rented with full-time employees to care for the welfare of the society. Mr. Molnár served as Secretary until his retirement in 1943, having served the Federation for more than four decades. Füle Lajos: Húsvét hajnalán Húsvét hajnalán egy sir nyitva áll, az éj árnya messze száll, s angyal mondja már: Ne félj! JÉZUS nem halott, él: feltámadott, ime, minden leki szem látja és hiszen! Ige száll, mint drága hir kínra, gyászra ir, amit hallván bús szivek, zeng új éneket a hit.
