William Penn Life, 1997 (32. évfolyam, 1-11. szám)
1997-01-01 / 1. szám
Volume 32, Number 1 Address Correction Requested January 997 Members of the Tisza Ensemble perform at the recent Heritage-Expo held at the Monroeville Expo-Mart near Pittsburgh. Members’ bright idea for tool earns patent Magyars well-represen at recent Heritage-Exp< This display of embroidery and artifacts, like the rest of the Hungarian representation at the Heritage-Expo, was sponsored by the WPA. By Richard Marosi From The News-Tribune Frank Hrabar, an operating engineer, has spent most of his working life elbow-deep in machinery of one sort or another. That’s why it’s not uncommon for the member of WPA Branch 16 Perth Amboy to reach into the unlighted extremities of a broken machine, tool in hand, and struggle to find a nut that needs twisting. Searching in the dark is an occupational inconvenience for Hrabar, as well as others like him, who in all of their years of routine toiling, never dreamed there was an alternative. But Hrabar’s daughter, 10- year-old Kristin, did. And the result, the newly patented illuminated nut driver, the Hrabars hope, will make thousands of mechanics and technicians see the lights and provide the Hrabars a nice profit for helping them do so. Good thing Kristin, a fifthgrader at Ravine Drive Elementary School and Branch 16 member, would rather do homework than be daddy’s helper. One day in early 1995, Kristin found herself crouched on the laundry room floor shining a light into the guts of the family dryer while her father struggled to remove the motor. The work was slowgoing and Kristin was bored. Besides, she had to get back to her math homework. "You know dad, you wouldn’t need me if that tool had a light in it,” said Kristin, who was in third grade at the time. When he got up, Hrabar gazed upon the nut driver with new eyes. "Hey, you know, that’s not a bad idea,” he thought. Adds Kristin about her moment of inspiration: "I thought it was an easy thing to do, and it would be helpful to people all over the world.” Her father, especially, likes the global theme. After doing some research with Kristin that turned up no similar products in existence, he invested $ 11,000 in getting a patent and putting together a marketing package. The patent came through a few months ago; now come part two: finding a manufacturer. The illuminated nut driver is a simple modification to a commonly used tool. It is so simple it took Hrabar, the chief engineer at U.S. Life in Neptune, N.J., two hours to fashion a prototype from a regular nut drive. The differences are twofold: inside the handle, a tiny bulb and AA battery are inserted; and the shaft is hollow instead of solid, enabling light to shine through the tip for a spotlight effect. A switch for turning on the light is located at the end of the handle. Once the tool is placed on a nut, the spotlight effect disappears, but the nut driver continues to provide light from the shaft and handle to illuminate the desired area. Hrabar hopes it will be marketable to computer technicians, auto mechanics, electricians and Continued on Page 2 By Donna Nagy The Hungarian representation at the recent Heritage-Expo was definitely one of the most outstanding at the three-day event. The William Penn Association sponsored the Hungarian group and was one of the sponsoring organizations of the Expo itself. The Heritage-Expo was held at the Expo-Mart in Monroeville, Pa., on Oct. 24 through 26. About 20 different ethnic groups participated. Although attendance was lower than anticipated, the William Penn-sponsored participants did an excellent job of representing the Magyar culture. The Hungarians were the only ethnic group to participate in all aspects of the Expo. There was a market place booth selling Hungarian goods, a café-style food booth purveying outstanding food, a display of Hungarian artifacts, a children’s craft area and two performances of Hungarian music and dance on the last two days of the event. William Penn members from as far away as Cleveland, Baltimore and Akron, as well as many members from the Pittsburgh area, came to the Expo. And what a show they got to PITTSBURGH — At its December meeting, the Board of Directors elected Diane M. Torma as national vice president-treasurer. Mrs. Torma, 32, has been serving as acting national vice president-treasurer since October. She fills the unexpired term of Frances A. Furedy who retired Oct. 5. Mrs. Torma has been employed in the Association’s treasury department for more than nine years. She had served as assistant treasurer since October 1995. She earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration, majoring in accounting, from Indiana University of Pennsylvania in May 1986. o She first joined the WPA staff in May 1987 as a treasury departsee. The Tisza Dance Ensemble from Washington, D.C., was sensational, giving the audience a fast-paced and energetic performance of three different sets of Hungarian dances. Violinist George Bátyi and his group, featuring Ante Phillips on cimbalom, captivated the audience with their excellent and varied selections. The audience was very responsive to the performances and wanted them to play longer than the schedule ment supervisor, primarily responsible for administering mortgage loan processing as well as managing the society’s credit union. Later, she became responsible for the accounting of the Association’s investments, producing many financial reports and assisting with the production of annual and quarterly statements. During her year as assistant treasurer, Mrs. Torma assume additional responsibilities. Among those was assisting in the development of the Association’s investment policy. A member of Branch 34 Pittsburgh, Mrs. Torma and her husband, John, reside in New Kensington, Pa. allowed. On Sunday afternoon, Bátyi and his ensemble were featured in a much longer show. The Three Rivers Junior Tamburitzans also did two sets of Hungarian children’s dances. The food booth was one of the busiest at the Expo. It was very interesting to see some of the National Officers, Directors and retired officers taking "orders” for a change. Their volunteer efforts, as well as those of many members and Home Office personnel, helped to make the Hungarian portion of the Expo a success. A special thank you goes to Walter Bugielski of Branch 34 Pittsburgh for the fantastic banners and signs that he made. Special thanks also go to former National Director Bill Kohut and former National Auditor Violet Lenart for their generous help in handling ticket sales and publicity in their areas (Homestead and McKeesport). Inside ■ WPA branches celebrate the holidays..........Pages 3-5, 8. ■ Itinerary announced for 1997 tour to Hungary ___Page 7. ■ Rules for WPA scholarship applicants..................Page 7. Next Deadline Januar^j7^^^^^ Diane Torma elected Treasurer by Board T 6 T Itv
