William Penn Life, 2004 (39. évfolyam, 1-12. szám)
2004-06-01 / 6. szám
-L Magyar Matters Statue honors Hungarian-born hero of the American revolution CLEVELAND ~ On May 11, a delegation of the Cleveland Hungarian Heritage Society (CHHS) presented a statue of Colonel-Commandant Michael Kovats de Fabriczy, an American Revolutionary War hero, to the citizens of his birthplace, Karcag, Hungary. The date marked the 225th anniversary of Kovats' death. Kovats, known as "The Founding Father of the U.S. Calvary," was killed May 11, 1779, while leading the calvary he had trained in Hungarian hussar tactics against British troops at Charleston, N.C. Each year on this date, the citizens of Karcag gather for memorial services, games and festivities to commemorate Kovat's as a hero of the American Revolution. The statue is a smaller replica of a life-size statue of Kovats dedicated last October on the grounds of the Hungarian Embassy in Washington, D.C. The statue, scuplted by Paul Takacs and executed by Attila Dienes, depicts Kovats-holding a 13-star American Flag-and his horse at the moment they were mortally wounded in battle. Its title, "Fidelissimus ad Mortem (Faithful unto Death)," comes from a letter Kovats wrote to Benjamin Michael Kovats de Fabriczy, Hungarianborn hero of the American Revolution. Franklin on Jan. 13,1777. In the letter, Kovats offers his services to the forces of the American Revolution. Kovats was one of at least 140 Hungarians known to have fought as Americans during the revolution. Poll finds three-fourths of Hungarians want soldiers in Iraq brought home from The Budapest Sun BUDAPEST — What started off as broad support for the Hungarian deployment in Iraq has seemingly developed into a maelstrom of mixed political and public opinion. The Hungarian Gallup Institute conducted a poll at the end of April which showed nearly 77 percent of Hungarians were in favor of calling back the soldiers serving in Iraq. Only 15 percent felt that the Hungarian contingent should continue its efforts. The poll was conducted before reports on the torture of Iraqi prisoners broke in the world media. Almost half of those polled (44 percent) believed the Iraq mission was less about combatting terrorism and more about the U.S. keeping its own interests in mind. There are currently 290 Hungarian transport troops serving in Iraq. The dangers to Hungarian soldiers serving in the wider "War on Terror" were highlighted last week when the base housing the Hungarian military medical contingent in Afghanistan was hit by a missile. No one was injured on that occasion. In Brief Hungary to adopt Euro in 2010? from The Budapest Sun BUDAPEST — Finance Minister Tibor Draskovics is to recommend that Hungary adopt the European common currency in 2010. ”lf economic growth is better than expected, it could happen in 2009,” Draskovics told Hungarian businessmen recently. Analysts said the market had already priced in the change, and the decision would therefore have little impact on the financial markets. The cabinet is due to decide on the target date for Hungary’s eurozone accession on May 13, when Draskovics’ recommendation is likely to carry the day. Hungary set 2008 as the target date last year, but the government decided to review this after the 2003 budget deficit overshot its target, coming out at 5.8 percent of GDP. AHF extends acclaimed exhibit NEW BRUNSWICK, NJ - The American Hungarian Foundation recently announced that its acclaimed exhibit-”Everywhere A Foreigner and Yet Nowhere A Stranger: 19th Century Hungarian Art from the Salgo Trust for Education”—will be extended through Sept. 12, 2004. The exhibit is comprised of 70 paintings and works on paper which are part of a collection of Hungarian art that previously could only be seen by visiting the home of the collection’s owner, former Ambassardor Niceht Salgo. The AHF exhibit includes works by Mihály Munkácsy, József Rippl- Rónai, Béla Kádár c,nd Pál Szinyei- Merse. For more information, call 732-846-5777. William Pen Life, June 2004 9
