William Penn Life, 2011 (46. évfolyam, 1-12. szám)
2011-03-01 / 3. szám
Did you know they're Hungarian? His name may not ring a bell, but his work definitely will. Gabor Csupo was the early brainpower behind “The Simpsons” animated television series. He also developed and directed “The Rugrats” animation series and directed the highly popular children’s film, “The Bridge to Terabithia.” Csupo was born in Budapest in 1952. Growing up in the austere conditions of Communist Hungary, this aspiring artist yearned to go to America, the world epicenter of studio animation. Upon graduation from The Pannónia Animated Art Studios, Csupo bided his time to orchestrate his escape from Marxist oppression. In 1975, he fled Hungary using deception and bribery as his mode of escape. He worked a series of laborious jobs in America until Matt Groening, “The Simpsons” originator, stumbled upon Csupo’s artwork at a gallery. Groening invited Csupo to his studio and a friendship of sorts sprouted to where Csupo was hired to help produce a new animated prime time television series, “The Simpsons.” Three years later, Csupo amicably left “The Simpsons” to pursue his own interests. Csupo is divorced and is the father of five children. D Tibor's Take and Tradesmans Club in Maple Heights. It was there-and through the cooking of the club's chef Ida—that my passion for veal and chicken paprikás developed. We would take Grandpa Endre to the West Side Market where he would buy smoked kolbász, csirke, sausage and szalonna at the Lovász and Dohár butcher stand. We then would go home and make a fire using the split maple logs harvested from our homestead. He was one of our instructors on how to prepare and make szalonna sütés. The fall before my Gramps passed, a neighbor from across the street came over to find out what was the savory smell permeating the neighborhood. We explained to him what we were doing. He stayed and became a fan of roasting bacon, Magyar Style. Even though my grandfather has been gone for nearly seven years, our neighbor still makes it over a few times each summer or fall to help partake in the roasting of disznó sütés. I remember experiencing with my gramps the St. Margaret's Bőgő Temető and gazing at the gigantic chandeliers at St. Elizabeth of Hungary in Cleveland. (My nagypapa, informed me that the huge conglomerate of light bulbs originally operated on natural gas and only later were these glorious light fixtures converted for electric illumination.) I also recall us attending Toledo's Hungarian festival (also known as the Birmingham Ethnic Festival) and eating at Tony Packo's. Together, we tasted the cucumber salad at the Rhapsody in Southgate, Mich., and watched the blessing of Easter baskets at St. Stephen of Hungary Church and the pageantry of Hungarian Heritage Day in Youngstown. Just a few of the memories! For almost seven years, my brother, sister and I have been shortchanged by not having any grandparent there to cheer us on when we triumphed nor there to console us when we lost. Of course, my siblings and I will survive and prosper, but it would have been great to see my grandparents in the audience when I was inducted into the National Honor Society or when I won the Regional National Geographic Bee five times in a row, or to watch me play varsity football. I cringe when I see friends and school mates show such little regard for their very own grandparents. I want to just grab them and tell them: "You are missing out on a great joy here. What's wrong with you?" I also feel badly for my grandparents. They were cut short of being able to experience the triumphs and tribulations of my maturation process. From observing others, I've noticed that as a person grows older, his or her enjoyment of life becomes more centered on the lives of their children and grandchildren. You may ask: "Don't you have other extended family members around to help celebrate your growing up experience?" Unfortunately for my immediate family, we are almost 100 miles away from where most of our relatives live in Youngstown. It is also unfortunate that most of the relatives that would have been a viable part of our extended family experience have either passed on, are old or frail, or have moved far away in quest of better employment opportunities. A word of wisdom to my generation: Cherish what you have in the way of parents and grandparents. If they ask you to go with them to a function or event, take them up on it and enjoy the ride. Ask questions about your family's history. Inquire through them if there is a written history of your predecessors. With the continuous expansion of the internet and the tools to do research, why not develop a database of relatives and ancestors in Hungary. With the help of your grandparents, begin a documented family tree. Remember the old adage: You have to know where you have been to know where you are going. Many of our Magyar communities will commemorate the 1848 War of Independence, take a loved one to such an event. It will be a lesson in Hungarian History and will make that loved one very happy that you went along. / Éljen a Magyar! Tibor II Tibor Check Jr. is a member of Branch 28 Youngstown, Ohio, and a student at Cleveland State University. He serves as host of the “Souvenirs of Hungary” weekly radio show broadcast on WKTL-90.7 FM in Struthers, Ohio. Let's hear your take Let me know how you enjoy my thoughts and views on growing up Hungarian Style. If you have any questions or comments about me or my column, please email me at: SilverKingl937@yahoo.com, or drop me a letter in care of the William Penn Association, 709 Brighton Road, Pittsburgh, PA 15233. William Penn Life ° March 2011 0 9
