Verhovayak Lapja, 1953 (36. évfolyam, 1-12. szám)

1953 / Verhovay Journal

Matters of General Interest From The September 1953 Board of Directors Meeting

The fall session of the Board of Directors of the Verhovay Fraternal Insurance Association was held beginning Monday September 21 and was concluded Saturday September 26, 1953.

Present were the National Officers and the Board of Directors.

Attending the first day of the meeting were GÁSPÁR PAPP, WILLIAM

C. KOHUT and ANDREW BANDY, members of the Auditing Committee, who were spending the last two weeks of September in their semiannual audit of the Home Office.

During the course of the meeting, STEPHEN J. MATASY, Legal Counsel, appeared at several sessions.

REPORTS

The Board of Directors heard the respective department reports of the National Officers, whose reports covered the foregoing half year. The Board of Directors itself was divided into three committees to facilitate various studies and investigations, and each committee made its report to the Board of Directors.

IMPORTANT DECISIONS AFFECTING ORGANIZATION AND PROMOTION

The Board of Directors made a very thorough study of the financial and organizational results of the previous six months. It also considered the various aspects of our new types of insurance. Finally, the Board of Directors heard a detailed report from Elmer Charles, Field Assistant to the National President.

CHANGE OF NAME

At its special meeting held May 30, 1953 in Toledo, Ohio, the Board of Directors found it advisable to wait until the next regular meeting, in September, to render final decision on the directive of the 1951 Verhovay Convention, that the name of our society be changed. The Board of Directors, recognizing the wishes of the delegates, directed the National Officers to clear legally and otherwise the new name.

NATIONAL VERHOVAY BOWLING TOURNAMENT IN 1954

At its second regular meeting of the year the Board of Directors deliberates and decides on the site, and so forth, of the National Verhovay Bowling Tournament the following year. These tournaments have become part of what we term NATIONAL VERHOVAY FELLOWSHIP DAYS, truly the pinnacle of fraternalism in our organization.

The next NATIONAL VERHOVAY FELLOWSHIP DAYS and NATIONAL VERHOVAY BOWLING TOURNAMENT will be held in New York, New York, Memorial (Decoration) Day week end. May 29-30, 1954.

As has been the worthy custom for the past few years, a membership drive will precede this great national Verhovay sport- festival and brotherhood celebration and will end at the beginning of the two days. This membership drive is named for and will be held in honor of two veterans on The Board of Directors, Vice President JULIUS MACKER and Director LOUIS VIZI.

The National Executive Tournament Committee will, as hitherto, play a leading role in assuring the success of the giant 1954 event. The resignations of Directors Richard J. Phillips and Gay B. Banes, the former1 because of the pressure of business and the latter because of his new position as Verhovay General Counsel, from the National Executive Tournament Committee, made a replacement in the person of Director Albert Ibos. National Auditor John Sabo continues as Tournament Administrator and Vice President Dr. Andrew Kovács contiunes as Committee Chairman.

New York City, largely because of its grandeur and allure, promises a tremendous turnout of the membership at the 1954 NATIONAL VERHOVAY FELLOWSHIP DAYS and NATIONAL BOWLING TOURNAMENT. DECORATIONS

The ILLUSTRIOUS CITATION and companion GOLD EMBLEM were awarded by the Board of Directors to the following:

Dr. Samuel C. Gomory, Chief Medical Adviser Stephen J. Matasy, Legal Counsel Emery Készéi, Branch 45 officer William Bodosy, Branch 91 vice president.

AMERICAN HUNGARIAN FEDERATION CONGRESS

The Board of Directors ordered the official representation of our society lit the convention of the American Hungarian Federation, October 6-7, 1953, Washington, D. C., at which meeting the 100th anniversary of the American Hungarian Free Press was to be simultaneously observed, by the sending of Vice Presidents JULIUS MACKER and DR. ANDREW KOVÁCS, and Directors ALOYSIUS C. FALUSSY, ALBERT IBOS, STEPHEN LANG and LOUIS VIZI and the National Officers, to the American Hungarian Federation Congress. NEW GENERAL COUNSEL

The Board of Directors regretfully accepted the resignation of Stephen J. Matasy, as of September 30, 1953, who found it necessary to yield his position as official legal adviser to the Association because of compelling duties elsewhere. Attorney Matasy had been with us approximately ten years.

This vacancy was filled by the unanimous choice of the Board of Directors from one of its body, Gay B. Banes, a lawyer by profession, who resigned his seat on the Board of Directors to accept the position of Verhovay General Counsel. The appointment became effective October 1, 1953.

NEW DIRECTOR

The resignation of Director Gay B. Banes upon receiving the position of General Counsel left the Board of Directors minus a member.

In this case, according to our Bylaws, the vacancy is filled by the alternate of the departing director. Former director Mike Korosy, the alternate, is now Director Korosy for the remainder of the term, or until the next convention in 1955.

PRESIDENT ACCEPTS GIFT

President Eisenhower accepts in name of Mrs. Eisenhower a beautiful silver goblet and tray from Mrs. Frank Chase. The President received a handsome cigarette case. These gifts were gtfen by Mr. and Mrs. Chase in the name of the Hungarian Americans of this country. Mr. Chase is an Honorary Vice president of the Federation. The above photograph also shows other prominent members of the Presidential delegation, Dr. Andrew Leff.er and Stephen Gobozy, Esq., Cleveland, Ohio and Ft. Julius Kish, Trenton, N. J.

AMERICAN HUNGARIAN FEDERATION CONGRESS

The 16th Triennial Congress of the American Hungarian Federation, held October 6-7- 1953, at the Willard Hotel, Washington, D C., was the oldfashioned type of meeting at which the delegates demanded assurances and adopted plans not only to continue the existence of the federation of ail Hungarian churches, fráternál societies, social clubs and other simliar organizations but to spur their worthy efforts to new heights.

Certainly the 144 delegates, converging from ail parts of the country upon the Capital, had in mind to set new goals for the American Hungarian Federation. They came to help, they did help, and they went home with great enthusiasm to carry on the program of their organization in their individual communities

The Verhovay Fraternal Insurance Association, as a member of the American Hungarian Federation, had representation at the meeting in the persons of John Bencze, National President, Coioman Revesz. National Secretary, John Szalanczy, National Treasurer, John Sabo, National Auditor, Louis Vizi. Aloysius Falussy, Esq. (counselor of the Federation) am: Albert Ibos, members of the Board of Directors. The press of business kept officiallydelegated Vice President Julius Macker, Vice President Dr. Andrew Kovács and Director Stephen Lang from attending.

The most important question before the congress was the request, almost a demand by everyone, that the position of the Executive Secretary be filled on a full-time basis. Stephen Balogh, present secretary, resigned his position to accept other duties, but indicated that he would be willing to continue on a part-time basis if the delegares so wished. Disposition of the filling of this position will be in the hamis of the newly-elected Board of Directors when it meets Thursday, October 29, 1953, in Washington, D. C.

Another very important, in fact the most important matter, was the need for additional financial support for the Federation. The operations of the organization have been limited somewhat in recent years because of decrease in contributions. To help this situation it was stressed that all the members be urged to make regular payments, also to induce additional individual members to contribute more than they have in the past. A very healthy financial situation would result if more members, who in the past have been giving $2.00 yearly, would pay $12.00 annually. Of course new membership on either the $2.00 or the $12.00 per year basis is highly desirable, especially new membership from among the members of the second and third generations, as well as the recently-arrived Hungarian displaced persons. The problem, though a big- one, is NOT insurmountable, and the delegates saw to it that the future planning in thoir home towns would provide for additional financial support.

It is worth while to note that the Verhovay Fraternal Insurance Association Board of Directors, at its September semiannual meeting, adopted a plan which could place additional funds in the treasury of the American Hungarian Federation, if the Federation could find ways and means of putting the plan into affect. This plan was presented to the congress and turned over to the newly-elected Board of Directors for study and deliberation.

It w'as heartening to note the many officialiy-active Verhovay members who attended this congress as delegates from their local organizations. We do not attempt to list all those we had the good fortune of meeting because our memories may fail us, but we dc> specifically recall talking with Joseph Toma, Field Supervisor of New Y'ork City; John P. Kelemen, former Verhovay

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