Verhovayak Lapja, 1947 (30. évfolyam, 1-24. szám)

1947 / Verhovay Journal

BOWLERS HAD GRAND TIME

AT SOUTH BEND TOURNEY

Workingmen Join V erhovay

— Merger of Workingmen’s Sick Benefit Federation in Verhovay Fraternal Insurance Association approved. —

Cleveland Men, South Bend Women Champions of Tournament — Over $1,500 Awarded In Prizes — South Bend Hospitality Leaves Happy Memories

South Bend is way above the Mason-Dixie line but its hospitality is something that not even the South can match. This is the unanimous testimony of all bowlers and visitors who had the privilege of attending the Verhovay National Bowling Tournament on the Memorial holiday weekend.

The invasion of South ilend by Verhovayans from points East began on the previous evening. They came by cars, trains and busses, but the reception committee was ready for them. Some of the visitors were housed at the Hotel La Salle in South Bend, others at the Hotel Elkhart in Elkhart, Ind., 15 miles away. But bus-transportation was provided for all placed in Elkhart.

The program started on Friday, at 1:30 P.M., with a three hour sight-seeing tour on four busses. The greatest part of the time was spent at the famous University of Notre Dame.

Dinner was served at the Verhovay Home at 5:30 and then the bowlers and boosters proceeded to the Waters Alleys where the Tournament commenced at 7 o’clock. Adjournment came after midnight and the turney was continued on Saturday at 9 o’clock in the morning. It was six o’clock in the evening when the last ball rolled down the alley.

23 men’s and 10 women’s teams took part in the Tournament, the highest number yet in the history of Verhovay’s bowling tourneys. Scores and prizes of the various events are published elsewhere in this issue.

All bowlers attended as guests of honor the grand banquet given by Branch 132 at the Verhovay Home at 8 o’clock. Msgr. John Sabo offered grace and Manager Frank’ Wukovits deliverered the welcoming address. A feast fit for kings was served and then Albert B. Ari, Vice-President of the Association and chairman of the Bowling Committee took over as Master of Ceremonies. Supreme Auditor John Sabo conveyed the greetings of the Supreme Officers, the Board of Directors and highly commended Branch 132 for its marvellous hospitality and its many contributions to the success of the Bowling Tournament.

Directors Joseph Prince M.D., Richard Phillips and Charles Smith took turns in awarding the prizes to the winning teams and individual bowlers.

Mr. Ari, then, introduced the senior-Vice-President of the Association, Mr. Joseph Szalay from Cleveland, who congratulated the winners and invited the next bowling Tournament to the City of Cleveland.

Branch-President Stephen Nyers delivered the closing address which was followed by a dance. Music was furnished by a Hawaian orchestra, and hilarity, good fellowship and youthful happiness prevailed throughout the evening until the as yet undetermined closing hour arrived.

This editor was not privileged to attend the bowling Tournament, but the Home Office was well represented. In addition to John Sabo Supreme auditor, official representative of the Supreme Officers, Mr. Lorant Györffy, Mrs. Andrew Simcho (the former Ethel Cincel), and the Misses Mary Erdeky, Margaret Evans, Helen Erdeky, Ethel Chonko, Sári Masztics, Mary Kazar, Ethel Prekup and Gizella Stefurovszky made the trip from Pittsburgh to South Bend. Upon their safe, though tired, return to the Home Office we hoped to gather sufficent impressions for what could have amounted to an eyewitness report. But in this instance, our hopes, justified by past experiences, came to naught. As a rule, a successful affair inspires the eloquence of the participant^. However, there seem to exist a degree of success when the opposite happens. Our witnesses couldn’t report anything beyond exclaiming: ‘‘Oh ... it was wonderful!” The only interpretation for the exaltation transforming their faces while-^uttering their unvarying replies is that they had been rendered speechless . . . While this is tough on the editor, it certainly ‘speaks well of the hospitality of our South Bend folks and the success of the event to ably handled by them. It is a proof, also, of a great job well done by the Bowling Tournament ) Committee, Messers. Ari, Prince, Phillips, Smith and the two men ] who attended to all technical and | administration details, Supreme Auditor John Sabo and “Pop” Dillinger, the Tournament Secretary. •

What impressed the visitors most of all, however, was the happy spirit of sportsmanship, brotherliness and comradery prevailing throughout the entire Tournament. That did more than anything else for the strengthening of ties in bonds of fraternal unity and understanding, which is the most promising sign for the future of the Verhovay.

We hope that some of our contributors who had been present at the Bowling Tournament, will add their recollections and impressions to our admittedly incomplete story of Verhovay’s 1947 National Bowling Tournament.

DISTRICT MEETINGS

Pre-Convention Meetings Held In June By 60 Verhovay Districts

It is hardly necessary to emphasize the importance of the District Meetings held during this month by the sixty districts to which the branches of the Association, together with the lodges of the former Workingmen’s Sick Benefit Federation, had been assigned. The delegates to the National Convention will be elected and innumerable suggestions and motions originating in the branches will be discussed and decided upon at these sessions. A substantial part of the business matters to be placed on the schedule of the National Convention being determined by the district sessions, they have an important share in the responsibility for whatever will be accomplished by the National Convention.

The election of the delegates to the National Convention is a matter of great consequence. Of course, the qualifications of a canditate for a mandate to the National Convention are defined in the By-laws of the Association, but, obviously, not everyone meeting these requirements is fit to

represent the membership at the highest governing body of our organization. Interest in the progress of the Association, participation in its fraternal and promotional program, experience in the management of its affairs, a fair knowledge of the problems of insurance business, sincere devotion to the fundamental principles of fraternalism, familiarity with democratic procedure, integrity and common sense are the essential attributes qualifying for delegacy to the National Convention. The past record of each and every district representative is the index of his qualifications. Not the pusher, not the lobbyist, not the intriguer, not the ‘politician’, but the cooperating fellowmember, the efficient worker, the persistent producer, the successful leader is the logical choice for the most important assignment in the government of the Association. What the Association needs is builders, not wreckers, leaders not dictators, representatives, not selfseekers, men and Continued on page“ 2

As briefly announced in the last issue of the Journal, the Merger Agreement between the Workingmen’s Sick Benefit Federation and the Verhovay F. I. Association has been approved by the Insurance Department of the State of Pennsylvania, and effective immediately, the Workingmen’s Sick Benefit Federation joined the Verhovay. Two pictures taken at the historic moment of the signing of the agreement appeared in the last Hungarian issue of the Journal, and were scheduled to appear also in this issue. However, due to technical reasons the publishing of these pictures had to be postponed. Therefore, the text of the document of approval signed by the Insurance Commissioner is printed in the following:

COMMONWEALTH OF PENNSYLVANIA INSURANCE DEPARTMENT

I, JAMES F. MALONE JR., Insurance Commissioner of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, do hereby certify that I have examined the annexed Agreement of Merger and Reinsurance between the VERHOVAY FRATERNAL INSURANCE ASSOCIATION, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and WORKINGMEN’S SICK BENEFIT FEDERATION, East Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and find this instrument to be in accordance with the provisions of the Act approved July 17, 1935, P.L. 1092, and the same is hereby approved.

(SEAL)

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand, and affixed the Official Seal of this Department at the City of Harrisburg, this 21st day of May, 1947.

(Signed) JAMES F. MALONE JR.,

Insurance Commissioner

With the issuance of the above Certificate of Approval, signed by Hon. James F. Malone Jr., Insurance Commissioner of the State of 'Penhsylvania, the merger of the Workingmen’s Sick Benefit Federation in the Verhovay Fraternal Insurance Association went into effect on May 21st, 1947. On that day the 41 year old Workingmen’s Sick Benefit Federation assumed the name of the Verhovay, and its entire membership joined our Association. They will not have come among strangers. The Verhovay, senior of the Federation by 21 years, was founded by workingmen — just like the Federation. Thirteen immigrant Hungarian miners founded the Verhovay in Hazleton, the center of Pennsylvania’s Eastern-middle anthracite coal fields, and a handful of skilled Hungarian mill-workers organized the Workingmen’s Federation in East Pittsburgh, one of the most important industrial communities in Western Pennsylvania. Similar in both background and purpose, the two organizations operated for 41 years side by side, in mutual respect, fraternal understanding. It is not surprising, therefore, that, finally they met deciding upon the merger.

It is a great pleasure to extend, at this time, a cordial welcome to the members of the former Workingmen’s Sick Benefit Federation. Hereafter we shall walk together, equally sharing in all of our fraternal responsibilities and privileges, labors and their fruits.

For EQUALITY is the most important feature of the principles of this merger. The Association has no privileges reserved exclusively for the original membership of the Verhovay, nor are any demands made of the members of the former Workingmen’s Sick Benefit Federation which are not met by the pre-merger membership of the Verhovay.

This already has become apparent at this month’s most important events in the field, the District Meetings, where the lodges of the former Workingmen’s Sick Benefit Federation are assured of representation on the same basis as the original branches of the Verhovay. And at the District Sessions, any representative meeting the requirements set forth in the By-laws of the Association, is eligible as delegate to the National Convention, regardless of the origin of his membership.

The lodges of the former Federation, also, are granted equal rights with the branches of the Verhovay. Those with less than 15 adult members are obliged to merge in the nearest Verhovay branch, while lodges having more than 15 adult members are Tree to choose between joining any of the local branches of the Verhovay of continuing operations as separate branches. Already several of the larger lodges of the former Workingmen’s Sick Benefit Federation

(Continued on page 2.)

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