Fraternity-Testvériség, 2003 (81. évfolyam, 1-4. szám)
2003-04-01 / 2. szám
FRATERNITY Page 3 From the President/CEO’s Desk Special Independence Day Celebration at The Kossuth House Ever since the Hungarian Reformed Federation of America was established, every one of its office buildings has been named after the great Hungarian Patriot, Louis Kossuth, the leader of the 1848 Hungarian uprising. With this comes the responsibility of paying tribute to the sacred date of March 15th. This past March 15th celebration was no different. This year’s celebration was set for Tuesday, March 18th. This date was chosen for a very important reason. Dr. László Mezei, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Kossuth Wreath Foundation, addressing the guests at the Kossuth House. To his left is Rev. Stefan M. Torok, President/CEO of the HRFA. Earlier this year, a small delegation of the recently founded Kossuth Wreath Foundation, headed by its Chairman of the Board of Trustees, Dr. László Mezei, visited us at the Kossuth House. We were informed that a sizable number of its members will be making a trip to the United States from Hungary. Let me take this opportunity to say a few words about the Foundation itself. The organization was chartered on December 17, 2001, on the occasion of the bicentennial of Kossuth’s birth. It set as one of its goals “to increase both the national and international reputation of Kossuth’s home village (Monok) and the homeland by familiarizing the general public with the pilgrimage that took place in March, 1928, on the occasion of the unveiling of the statue of Kossuth in the United States with participation of 488 Hungarian citizens representing the homeland.” (Taken from the article which appeared in the November 9, 2002, issue of the publication bearing the name of the organization “Kossuth’s Wreath”.) The preparations for this trip consumed a great deal of time by the organizers. Only 36 people were able to make the trip due to stricter American visa regulations. The tour group arrived to the shores of this great country on March 12th and after a day’s rest, they began their participation in the independence celebrations of the American-Hungarian communities. Their first stop was in New York on the actual Day of Independence, March 15th. I cannot express the tremendous outpouring of ethnic fervor by the hundreds of people who came together for this special celebration. The festivities in Washington, D.C. started with the wreath laying ceremony at the statue of Louis Kossuth at the United States Capitol. Along with the above mentioned group from Hungary, we had great representation by the Embassy of Hungary with the Hon. András Simonyi, Ambassador of the Republic of Hungary to the United States, being right in the front row. It was truly a memorable experience to hear our native language resounding in the Rotunda of the great Capitol. It felt like the roof was lifting up as we sang our Hungarian National Anthem. Following the celebration at the Capitol, the tour bus came to the Kossuth House. We, at the Home Office, looked forward with great anticipation to the arrival of our Hungarian Compatriots, who set aside the time and made the great financial sacrifice to be with The guests at the March 15th Celebration at the Kossuth House. us, Hungarians, on these shores. They paid tribute and remembered the sacrifices of so many, burning their own lives on the altar of our home country to secure and enjoy the freedom that we here on this land so often take for granted. On behalf of the Hungarian Reformed Federation of America, I, Rev. Stefan M. Torok, President, Mr. William B. Puskas, Jr., Secretary-Treasurer, Mr. George Dózsa, Chairman of the Board, together with the members of the Audit and Examining Committee, and Home Office staff welcomed our guests and the members of the Kossuth Wreath pilgrimage tour to the Kossuth House.
