William Penn Life, 1989 (24. évfolyam, 1-12. szám)
1989-09-01 / 9. szám
WILLIAM OFFICIAL PUBLICATION PENNI I FI WILLIAM PENN ASSOCIATION Volume 24 September 1989 Number 9 Refugee relief agencies welcome WPA funds Money raised by the Association to aid Hungarian refugees fleeing Rumania is now being put to use by relief agencies in Hungary. In July, more than $16,000 raised by the William Penn’s Erdély Fund was delivered to representatives of both the Reformed and Roman Catholic churches in Hungary. Delivering the gifts on behalf of the Association was the Rev. Louis Illés, ecumenical secretary of the Hungarian Reformed Church in America and pastor of the Hungarian Reformed Church of Duquesne, Pa. According to Rev. Illés, the reaction of those who received the Association’s gifts was, to say the least, emotional. "To the members, directors and officers of the William Penn I am delivering the warm hugs and kisses 1 have received on your behalf from the representatives of the churches who received your gifts,” Rev. Hies said. Attila Komlos, editor-in-chief of the weekly newspaper of the Reformed Church of Hungary, "was elated to be chosen to forward William Penn’s generous gift to aid the refugees,” Rev. Illés said. Later, he met with Dr. Elemer Kocsis, Reformed bishop of Debrecen, to discuss the gift. "Both (Dr. Kocsis and Mr. Komlos) had tears in their eyes as they talked about such a fraternal deed by Hungarian brethren in America,” Rev. Illés said. Rev. Hies also met with the Rev. Dr. Endre Gyulay, Roman Catholic bishop of Szeged, who accepted the Association’s gift on behalf of the Catholic church in Hungary. Bishop Gyulay expressed his and the entire church’s thanks for the gift, Rev. Hies said. Both gift presentations were "equally gratifying” for Rev. Hies. "It would be impossible to describe the feelings I have experienced,” he said. "There is a tremendous, almost superhuman, effort by the Hungarian people — authorities and individuals equally — to aid their brethren fleeing the insane terrorism raging in Transylvania,” he said. Continued on Page 8 Presidents meet President Bush welcomes National President Stephen G. Danko to the White House July 9 for a meeting between the President and leaders of the American Hungarian community. Others attending the meeting were the Rev. Imre Bertalan (center) of the Hungarian Reformed Federation of America, Gabor Bodnar of the Hungarian Scouts Association and László Hamos of the Hungarian Human Rights Foundation. Home hosts successful Festival Hungarian Room ready to celebrate 50th anniversary WELLSBURG, WV — Hundreds of members and friends of the Association gathered here on a warm and windy August afternoon for the 67th Annual William Penn Home Family Festival. The good spirits and generosity of all those who came made this year’s Festival one of the most successful ever. Proceeds from the Festival totalled more than $8,200, a 10 percent increase from the total raised at last year’s festival. All of the proceeds will go toward the purchase of a new van which will be used to transport the elderly residents of the Home. While a financial success, the Festival was an even greater success in ways that could never be accurately measured. Throughout the grounds, one could see parents and their children having fun together: sharing a meal of barbeque chicken and homemade Hungarian food, taking a hayride around the Home, playing a game of bingo. Among the most popular of the day’s activities were the special children’s games. As their parents looked on, dozens of children competed in various events which had them kicking off their shoes, scrambling for candy and nuts, and digging through sawdust for hidden coins. The children’s favorite attraction was the pinata. For those not familiar with this Mexican custom, a pinata is a papier-mache figure filled with candy. On festive occasions, a pinata is hung from a tree or ceiling and the children are invited to try to break open the pinata using a stick, thus releasing the candy hidden inside. On this festive occasion, the pinata was in the shape of a blue cow. One by one, the children Continued on Page 4 PITTSBURGH — Since 1939 the Hungarian Room of the University of Pittsburgh has served as a prime example of Hungarian architecture and symbol of intercultural understanding. On Sunday, Sept. 10, the Hungarian Room Committee will sponsor a dinner-dance at the university to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Hungarian Room’s dedication. The dinner will be held in the Schenley Hall Ballroom located on Bigelow Boulevard between Forbes and Fifth avenues in the Oakland section of Pittsburgh. The evening will begin with a social hour at 6:00 p.m., followed by dinner at 7:00 p.m. After dinner, guests will be treated to performances by local Hungarian dancers and Stephen Somiak of the Pittsburgh Opera. Guests will then be invited to dance to the music of the George Bátyi Continental Ensemble. The Hungarian Room is one of nearly two dozen Nationality Rooms housed in the university’s towering Cathedral of Learning. The room’s origins date to the mid-1920’s when the Hungarian community joined many other ethnic communities in a desire to contribute to the construction of the new Cathedral. In an effort to underscore its status as a truly international institution, the university provided each nationality with a room which each could design to represent the culture and heritage of its own nation. In 1928, the Hungarian Room Committee was formed to raise funds, select a design and oversee construction of the Hungarian Room. The room was dedicated on Sept. 29, 1939. Since then, major changes have been made in both the room and the committee’s focus. In 1956, five stained glass windows depicting important figures and events in Hungarian history were installed, replacing the original clear glass windows and several deteriorating curtains. After the university assumed responsibility for maintaining the room, the committee shifted its focus toward establishing a scholarship fund to aid University of Pittsburgh students studying in Hungary. The William Penn and its predecessors have played a major role Continued on Page 8 Inside ■ WPA thanked for donation to shrine.........................Page 2. ■ Scenes from the 67th annual Family Festival..........Page 4. ■ Pittsburgh prepares to greet Ambassador Hazi ... Page 4. ■ The latest news and notes from our branches............Page 5. ■ Minutes of the March Board meeting............. Page 6. Next Deadline September 15
