William Penn Life, 1977 (12. évfolyam, 1-4. szám)

1977-10-01 / 4. szám

1977 Tour To Hungary...

(Continued from Page One)

Before departing Budapest we had the privilege of laying a wreath at the statue of St. Stephen and Mr. Gus G. Nagy, Vice President of Membership Services with eloquent words paid honor to this great Hungarian. The same day we laid a wreath at the Statue of George Washington and it was my privilege to remember the deeds and honor of this great American.

On August 21st it was time for individual tours to depart. Before the 8:45 A.M. departure many of the people attended mass and services. Seeing the real Hungary, tasting the outstanding Hungarian foods now would begin. They fed us till we were bursting. Wine tasting, forts, and cities explored, experiencing the tradition of the Hungarian people each and every day. For many it was visiting towns and villages where their ancestors came from or from where they themselves departed for America. The people who were our hosts did everything possible to make our tour exciting, enjoyable and pleasant.

We saw Hungary old and new. We rode on a subway in Budapest which is the pride of Hungary and we walked through some of the muddy streets of village life in Hungary. We dodged cars in Budapest (there seemed to be thousands of them) and we admired horse

drawn carriages. We saw Hungary as it is with no punches pulled, with no pretense of what is not and we loved every minute of it.

When we left we were a group of strangers or at best acquaintances. At the conclusion of our tour we were a group of friends. Certainly there were some complications, something we could have done without, but overall the tour was great, much more than I had anticipated and I am looking forward of going on another one in the near future. Please join me!

It took a lot of work and preparation to arrange the tour. From this side and the other side of the Atlantic, Mr. Nagy was an excellent tour leader who worked hard and so did the people who worked on this in the Home Office, but from the compliments and praise that we have received we know it was worth it.

To those of you. who came along, thank you. To the Hungarian World Federation, we appreciate your effort in our behalf. And to the employees of the William Penn who were involved in making this possible, our deepest gratitude.

Stephen T. Szilagyi Vice President-Marketing

V V 'Í'

Plans are being formulated for our Third Annual Tour to Hungary. Article on details elsewhere in this issue.

In Memóriám

EDMUND VASVARY

Edmund Vasvary. research historian, editor, writer and minister, died yesterday (July 12) in Washington, D.C. He was 89 years old and the “Grand Old Man” of Hungarian immigration history in the United States.

In 1976 the Rockefeller Foundation awarded a grant to the American Hungarian Foundation to microfilm, catalog and develop the Vasvary collection, which has been described as the foremost collection of materials on Hungarian immigration and Hungarians in the United States.

Gathered over more than 50 years of effort by Edmund Vasvary, the collection consists of 400 notebooks, over 20,- 000 file cards, 1,000 articles, and countless items of unique historical, bio- and bibliographical value. For the American Hungarian Foundation and its research center in New Brunswick, New Jersey, the Vasvary collection forms the basis for its project to write a definitive history of Hungarian immigrants and their descendants in America.

Born in 1888 in Hungary, there Vasvary received his education. As a minister of the Reformed Church of Hungary, his church sent him to the United States in 1914. Until 1936 he served pastorates in Buffalo, Pittsburgh and Cleveland.

In 1936 he became the comptroller of the Hungarian Reformed Federation of America, a fraternal organization with headquarters in Washington, D.C., a post he retained until he retired in 1957. He continued to reside in Washington, where his research and literary output increased. He has published more than 1,000 articles mainly about Hungarians in America.

His major work is the book, Lincoln’s Hungarian Heroes, published in 1939. His current research involved co-authoring a book about Colonel Commandant Michael Kovats, the first Hungarian to give his life for this country. Kovats was killed in action at Charleston, S.C. in 1779. The drill field of the Citadel Military College is named in honor of Kovats.

In 1975 Vasvary received the Abraham Lincoln Award of the American Hungarian Foundation.

He is survived by his wife, Elizabeth Kalassay Vasvary; a daughter, Mrs. Elizabeth Shapiro, Washington, D.C.; a son, Edmund C., Lynchburg, Va.; four grandchildren and eight great grandchildren.

Pictured on the steps of St. Emery's Roman Catholic Church of Fairfield, Connecticut are the Officers and Directors, their wives and guests who attended the Memorial Maes offered by Rev. Father George Mészáros on Tuesday, September 13, 1977.

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