www.americanhungarianfederation.org / amsz.org / hungary1956.com
Top AHF National Headlines, April 2007
2007 Membership is due!
AHF is an ALL-volunteer, non-partisan, 501(c)(3) organization focused on common ground issues. Serving the community since 1906, we need your support! [join now]
- Dr. Ibolya Dávid, head of the Hungarian Democratic Forum (MDF / Magyar Demokrata Fórum) discusses current political affairs in Hungary
- INVITATION to the Hungarian May Ball in Washington to support Hungarian Scouts and AHF 2007 programs
- INVITATION to the Annual Memorial Day Commemoration at the Arlington National Cemetary’s Tomb of the Unknown Soldier!
- US Congress – Help build the Congressional Friends of Hungary (CFH)… ACTION ALERT
- 1956 National Memorial – A call for support and donations to finally have a fitting national memorial in the nation’s capital!
- Scouting celebrates it’s centennial. Help Washington Scouts attend the 100th Jamboree in England!
- Bela Bognar’s Scholarship Fund supporting ethnic Hungarians. Help!
Announcements / Member News
- FL: Hungarian Student’s project leads to $2M protection: Sarasota County prompted to build breakwater to protect bird species
- MD: Freedom Dance: the Movie is part of the Maryland Film Festival May 3-6, 2007. Freedom Dance, produced by AHF’s Steven Fischer and Craig Herron, chronicles Edward Hilberth’s escape from Hungary during the 1956 Hungarian Revolution
- MD: April and May 2007 debut performances in Baltimore, MD, of “Leaves with a Name” The inspiration for the theatre piece “Leaves with A Name” is AHF’s Barbara Lancier’s grandmother’s exodus from Hungary during World War II and her subsequent journey to the United States.
- MI: Csipke Folkdance and Folkmusic Camp, Sauk Valley, Michigan. July 21-28, 2007
- PA: Remembering the 1907 Darr Mine Disaster, one of the worst in US history, claiming 239 lives, most of whom were Hungarian American.
- Join AHF or Renew your membership
- Volunteers needed for AHF 2007 Events!
- Charles Simonyi returns to Earth!
Additional Features
- Featured Member
AHF / Amazon Store: New Books Posted!
- >> AHF eNews Archive
AHF NATIONAL NEWS
4/16/2007 – Dr. Ibolya David, head of the Hungarian Democratic Forum (MDF / Magyar Demokrata Fórum) discusses current political affairs in Hungary. In an event co-sponsored by the American Hungarian Federation (AHF) and the Hungarian American Coalition and hosted by the Hungarian Reformed Federation, Dr. David addressed concerns expressed by the organizing committee ranging from US-Hungarian bilateral relations to Hungarian energy policy and relations with Russia.
AHF has been sponsoring a series of political discussion forums featuring representatives from various political parties in Hungary. Last year AHF hosted Dr. Horvath Janos (discussing voting rights); and Nemeth Zsolt (Fidesz) and Szabo Vilmos (MSZP) who debated the political crisis due to remarks by Prime Minister Gyurcsany. Dr. David then traveled to New York City’s Magyar Haz. [read more]
INVITATION
May
5, 2007
The Annual Hungarian May Ball – A very special evening
benefitting AHF’s 100th Anniversary programs and the Hungarian Scouts
of Washington! The phenomenal New York Continental Band and
traditional dance performance by local scouts will make for another
very special evening. This year’s event also includes 5 debutantes.
Proceeds from the black-tie affair will be equally shared and used
for the commemorative events of the Federation’s 2007 100th Anniversary
programs and to cover the costs of the Hungarian Scouts participation
in the 21st World Scout Jamboree in England.
Tickets may be ordered ONLINE and are $120 and $75 (students
w/ID)
THE AMERICAN HUNGARIAN FEDERATION
and the
HUNGARIAN SCOUTS of WASHINGTON
Cordially invite you to the
HUNGARIAN MAY BALL
Benefit event on May 5, 2007, 6 pm
at the Embassy Suites Hotel
44610 Waxpool Rd, Ashburn, VA 20147
[Google
Map]
6:00 – Cocktails
7:00 – Opening ceremonies
7:30 – Dinner
8:30 – Dancing
11:00 – Raffle
Music and cocktails until Midnight
Music by the New York Continental Band
Black tie Raffle Bar
Elsobálozók – Debutantes
Sári Bárczay
Olívia Fedor
Viktória Hutter
Krisztina Kárpáthy
Andrea Kölus
For more information call Irén Högye
at 703-671-2153 9 a.m. – noon or
Judit Kölus at 703-481-5386
AZ AMERIKAI MAGYAR SZÖVETSÉG
és a
WASHINGTONI 4. SZ. BÁTORI JÓZSEF CSERKÉSZCSAPAT
Szeretettel meghívja Önt és kedves családját a
MÁJUSI MAGYAR BÁLRA
Jótékonysági est
2007. május 05. szombat
az EMBASSY SUITES HOTEL báltermében
44610 Waxpool Rd, Ashburn, VA 20147
Az est tiszta bevételét a két szervezet megosztva, a Szövetség százéves fennállására tervezett jubileumi ünnepségre, a washingtoni Cserkészcsapat pedig az Angliai Cserkész Világtalálkozón való részvétel költségeinak fedezésére kívánja fordítai. Mindkét szervezet továbbra is folytatja a kisebbségi magyarok támogatását.
6:00 – Poharazás, zene
7:00 – Ünnepi köszönto
7:30 – Vacsora
8:30 – Bál
11:00 – Tombola
Éjfélig zene, poharazás
Zene: New York-i Continental Zenekar
Estélyi Tombola Bár
Elsobálozók – Debutantes
Sári Bárczay
Olívia Fedor
Viktória Hutter
Krisztina Kárpáthy
Andrea Kölus
Informácio:
Irén Högye at 703-671-2153 9 a.m. – noon
Judit Kölus at 703-481-5386
INVITATION
5/27/2007– The American Hungarian Federation announces Memorial Day Commemoration Ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery on Sunday May 27, 2007. This year, AHF is honored to have received an United States Honor Guard Escort and slot for a wreath laying at the Tomb of the Unknown soldier at 2:15pm.
Representatives from NATO, both the US and Hungarian military, Hungarian American leaders, and the Ambassador and representatives from the Hungarian Embassy are expected to attend. Arlington National is the final resting place for a number of Hungarian American Congressional Medal of Honor recipients.
The California Hussars will escort us on our walking tour of Hungarian American gravesites. Tentatively, we will meet in the parking area at 1:30 pm next to Arlington House and walk to the Tomb of the Unknowns for the 2:15 pm ceremony. Vehicle access is limited, please let us know if you need special assistance. [read more]
3/5/2007 – ACTION ALERT: Help build the Congressional Friends of Hungary (CFH)… On February 12, Congressman Tom Lantos (D-CA), Chairman of the U.S. Committee on Foreign Affairs, and Congressman Christopher Shays (R-CT) circulated a “Dear Colleague” letter inviting Members of Congress to join the Congressional Friends of Hungary (CFH). The purpose of the caucus, as noted by the co-chairs, is “to recognize the contributions of Hungarian-Americans to the United States and to strengthen the ties between the United States and Hungary.”
How can you help?
1) Copy the sample letter below, paste it into a document and fill
in the blanks
2) Save the document to your hard drive, print it and sign it
3) Find your local state representatives by entering your zip code
in the tool on our Website at [ALERTS].
This legislative tool will provide addresses, emails, fax and phone
numbers.
IT IS BEST TO CALL and then FAX the letter.
What to Say?
“Hello, my name is _____. I am a constituent of Representative
_____ and also a member of the American Hungarian Federation. On
February 12th, Congressmen Tom Lantos and Christopher Shays distributed
a “Dear Colleague Letter” entitled
“Join the Congressional Friends of Hungary.” I am calling
to ask the Congressman to join the CFH. I and the other Americans
of Hungarian descent in his/her district would be grateful for his/her
support. I will fax you a letter that also includes the contact
name in Congressman Lantos’ office should you need more information.”
The Letter:
The Honorable [name of your Congressman]
United States House of Representatives
Washington, D.C. 20210
Dear Congressman ________:
I am one of your constituents who lives in ______. I
call your attention to the “Dear Colleague Letter” distributed
on February 12, 2007 by Congressmen Tom Lantos and Christopher Shays,
titled “Join the Congressional Friends of Hungary.” I
urge you to consider joining this Congressional Caucus, whose main
purpose is to strengthen the ties between the American and Hungarian
people and to recognize the Hungarian-American community. There
are a number of Hungarian-Americans in your district and our community
would be grateful for your support. Your wise counsel would be an
asset in the operation of this caucus, particularly in the areas
of human rights and minority rights. Maryamu Aminu in Congressman
Lantos’ office (at x6-7766 or
maryamu.aminu@mail.house.gov) will be able to provide further information.
Sincerely yours,
[Your name]
Continuing News: AHF continues call for support of a 1956 Statue for the Nation’s Capital…AHF’s 1956 Commemoration Committee is seeking your help to erect a statue in Washington, D.C. devoted to the heroes of the Hungarian Revolution. The AHF plan calls for an actual-size statue to be placed prominently in Washington while we raise funds for its bronze replacement. Seen here with his prototype design is renowned sculptor Gyuri Hollosy, who was responsible for the Boston Liberty Square memorial. At the recent Capitol Reception honoring 1848, Congressman Tom Lantos mentioned his intent to place a 1956 memorial in Washington. We must ensure this remarkable design is selected! Contact bryandawson@americanhungarianfederation.org and join the 1956 Commemoration Committee!
100
Éves a Nemzetközi Cserkészmozgalom!
Celebrating the 100th Anniversary of International Scouting: 1907
– 2007.
Scouting started in 1907 when Robert Baden-Powell, Lieutenant General in the British Army, held the first Scouting encampment at Brownsea Island in England for 20 boys from a wide variety of social backgrounds. Today, Scouting is a million times bigger than when it first started. It involves girls and boys, men and women from every race, religion and culture, and nearly every country in the world.
The Magyar Cserkészszövetség, the primary national Scouting organization of Hungary, was founded in 1912. Help AHF help the Washington Scouts cover the costs of their participation in the 21st World Scout Jamboree in England! [read more]
Continuing news – A Centennial Celebration! The American Hungarian Federation turned 100 – Join and help us represent the interests of our community! The American Hungarian Federation (AHF), was founded in 1906 in Cleveland, Ohio. Among the oldest ethnic organizations in the US, AHF was established as an association of Hungarian societies, institutions and churches to “defend the interest of Americans of Hungarian origin in the United States.” The American Hungarian Federation strives to unite the American Hungarian community through work that supports common goals. AHF is a national, non-partisan, independent umbrella organization representing the interests of the Hungarian American community. [more about us]
AHF Store on
Buy ALL your books, videos, electronics and other gifts on AHF’s Amazon Store. It costs nothing extra to you, but Amazon contributes a small percentage to AHF. The AHF store features books and articles written by AHF members on both our main site and our 1956 Portal for publications devoted to 1956.
The latest member books added:
Professor
Peter Hargitai’s Daughter
of the Revolution: A Novel (2006 – A story of a brave freedom
fighter – a 14 year-old girl) Buy it now on 
Rebecca
McEldowney’s “Soul of Flesh: A Novel of the 1956 Hungarian
Revolution” [read
more]
Dr.
Katalin Kadar Lynn’s “Tibor Eckhard in His Own Words: An
Autobiography” [read
more]
Buy all your products through our Amazon store and help AHF!
Strength can only be found in unity! Please join AHF and work together on common ground issues!
There are two easy ways to Join and Support us!
1) Online Processing (fastest):
Join online! AHF accepts all major credit cards and checks. AHF is a 501c(3) non-profit organization. Your donations may be tax deductible. Your information is secure not shared with anyone. [Join Online Here]
2) The Old-Fashioned Way:
If you are uncomfortable or unable to process an Internet transaction, download the AHF Membership Registration Form and mail it in with your check payable to “American Hungarian Federation.” NOTE: If you are sending a donation for a specific fund, please be sure to include that on the form. (You do not need to become a member to donate):
American Hungarian Federation
C/O Sandor Murray, Treasurer
2805 56th Place
Woodside NY 11377
For technical assistance, contact bryandawson@americanhungarianfederation.org
AHF Special Announcements
It’s
2007 and time to renew your membership! Only
in unity can we find strength. AHF is an all-volunteer organization
that focuses on common-ground issues. We need your support! JOIN
AHF online!
or download the AHF
Membership Registration Form
AHF needs volunteers and sponsors for its 2007 events:
1) Memorial Day Commemoration at Arlington National Cemetery
2) AHF 100th Anniversary Celebration
3) AHF May 2007 “Magyar Bal”
4) Darr Mine Disaster Commemoration
5) The Economic Affairs Committee
There’s more too! We need your help – Contact Bryan
Dawson-Szilagyi
Can’t
see this in full color?
Go online to [AHF
Publications] and
[AHF
News Archive]
AHF Members Corner!
Featured Member
Major
General Robert Ivany, Ph.D.
(b. Hungary, 1949)
West Point Graduate; West Point (Army) Football Coach; Commanding
General, Military District of Washington; Commandant of the War College;
and currently President of the University of St. Thomas, Houston.
Three-year-old Robert Ivany, the son of World War II refugees from Hungary, immigrated to the United States with his parents following the war. He grew up in Cleveland and eventually graduated from the United States Military Academy in 1969. Over the course of his 34 years of dedicated service in the United States Army as an armored cavalry officer, he led soldiers in the United States, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Germany and Vietnam where he was wounded in action and decorated for valor. He assisted several nations in the transformation of their armed forces. In 1990, Robert Ivany was the first senior military officer invited to Hungary to contribute to the democratization of their defense establishment.
General Ivany taught history at West Point, coached the West Point football team, spent 2 years as an aide to President Ronald Reagan, and commanded forces throughout the world. In July 1998, Major General Ivany was assigned as the Commanding General, Military District of Washington. General Ivany’s career culminated with his appointment as the 45th Commandant of the War College at Carlisle Barracks, the Army’s foremost institution for educating its leaders. Dr. Ivany retired from the Army on September 30, 2003 and is now President of Houston’s University of St. Thomas.
Dr. Ivany is a recipient of the 2006 Col. Commandant Michael Kovats Medal of Freedom from the American Hungarian Federation. He is also recipient of the General Dwight D. Eisenhower Award for Excellence in Military Writing. An expert on leadership development, he is presently conducting research on the leadership attributes of 20 generals and admirals who have transitioned to corporate leadership. In addition to earning a Bachelor of Science degree from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, he received a Ph.D. in Modern European History from the University of Wisconsin in Madison.
AHF is especially pleased to congratulate him and wife Marianne on their son’s upcoming graduation from West Point! Brian Ivany, the 6’1,” 200 lb midfielder, is a two-year letterwinner in Lacrosse. He is majoring in American Legal System. His brother Chris Ivany is a captain in the U.S. Army while another brother, Mark, is a 2nd Lt. in the U.S. Army.
See other [Featured Members] or other great Hungarians on the amazing [Nobel Prize Winners and Famous Hungarians]
Florida
Hungarian Student’s project leads to $2M protection: Sarasota County prompted to build breakwater to protect bird species.
Viktoria Hutter, daughter of AHF member Judit Zambo, with the help of fellow student Aubry Tucker, spent more than 400 hours researching and documenting how erosion from motorboats had eaten away at the islands’ mangroves, endangering the birds roosting there. The work was the continuation of Viki’s project that won 5 special awards at the 2006 science fair.
County officials decided to build a breakwater around the Bird Colony Islands last year, based partly on the students’ findings. The project is expected to begin in August 2007. [read more]
Maryland
- April and May 2007 debut performances in Baltimore, MD, of “Leaves with a Name” a theatre piece that questions the ideologies involved in war, while exploring the timeline of war’s ripple effect. The inspiration for Leaves with A Name is about AHF’s Barbara Lancier’s grandmother’s exodus from Hungary during World War II and her subsequent journey to the United States. [read more]
May
3-6, 2007 – Freedom Dance was selected for the Maryland Film Festival.
Check out http://www.md-filmfest.com/
for screening schedules. Freedom Dance: The Movie, produced by AHF’s
Steven Fischer and Craig Herron, chronicles Edward Hilberth’s escape
from Hungary during the 1956 Hungarian Revolution. [read
more about Freedom Dance]
Michigan
July 21-28, 2007
Csipke Folkdance and Folkmusic Camp, Sauk Valley, Michigan
The Csipke Ensemble was founded in 1998 by dancers from Toledo and Detroit.
Our dancers come from different backgrounds: Hungarian, American, and
Polish. Our goal is to preserve and spread Hungarian folk music and
dance traditions. First, by performing; and second, by promoting Hungarian
bands touring the United States. For more information, contact Salamon
József (Sala) tabor@csipke.org
Tel: 734-783-1012
Cell: 734-323-6823
[read
more]
Ohio
Support the Hungarian Scholarship Fund (HSF)
The American Hungarian Federation added $1000.00 (thanks to AHF member Dr. Katalin Kadar Lynn) to its effort at raising funds to the Hungarian Scholarship Fund that supports ethnic Hungarian students in the successor states in the Carpathian Basin. The Federation gave $5000.00 in 2005, and needs your support to surpass that number. Known as the “Professor Paprika,” Bela Bognar grows and sells paprika to raise money. [read more] about the Hungarian Scholarship Fund and DONATE!
Pennsylvania
The Darr Mine Disaster is known as one of the worst in US history. On December 19, 1907 a gas and dust explosion killed 239 coal miners in the dark tunnels of the Darr Mine. The majority of the dead were Hungarian-American. The American Hungarian Federation (then known as the Hungarian American Federation) placed the memorial seen here in 1909. An inquiry into the disaster afterwards concluded, as was usually the case in that period of Pennsylvania coal mining, that the Pittsburgh Coal Company was not at fault. But within six months the US Geological Survey created the Mine Accidents Division and on July 1, 1910 an Act of Congress established the US Bureau of Mines. AHF is still in planning stages. Please contact Rev. Imre Bertalan, Jr. of the Bethlen Home and get involved! [revimre@bethlen.com] or (724) 238-2235
For more about the disaster, see the US Mine Rescue Association and on Rootsweb with photos and some names of those who died.
Featured Link
The Hungary Page and its “Nobel Prize Winners & Famous Hungarians”
Charles
Simonyi returns to earth! Charles Simonyi (b. 9/10/1948, Budapest)
is a billionaire computer Scientist and was Chief Architect of Microsoft
Corporation
Father of WYSIWYG, Hungarian Notation, and Microsoft Office products.
During the 1970s at Xerox PARC, Charles Simonyi led a team of programmers in the development of Bravo, the first WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get, pronounced wizzywig) word processing editor. Bravo was a fundamental departure from the way information was previously displayed and organized and it was part of PARC’s contribution that changed the face of computing and ultimately led to personal computing.
Simonyi joined Microsoft in 1981 to start the development of microcomputer application programs. He hired and managed teams who developed Microsoft Multiplan, Word, Excel, and other applications. In 1991, he moved to Microsoft Research where he focused on Intentional Programming. He was generally thought of as one of the most talented programmers at Microsoft.
Dr. Simonyi, whose long career has made him independently wealthy, has endowed two chairs: the Charles Simonyi Professorship For The Understanding Of Science at Oxford University which is held by the evolutionary biologist Richard Dawkins; and the Charles Simonyi Professorship in Theoretical Physics at the Institute for Advanced Study.
Simonyi paid $25 million for a 13-day trip to outer space and returned to Earth on April 21, 2007 in a space capsule that also carried a cosmonaut and a U.S. astronaut, making a soft landing on the Kazakh steppe.
AHF’s Executive Committee Chairman, Bryan Dawson-Szilagyi issued the following statement: “A New Hungarian-American Trailblazer – When Nobel Laureate Enrico Fermi was asked if he believed in extraterrestrials, he replied, “They are already here…they are called Hungarians! Charles Simonyi’s accomplishments are a matter of great pride to the American Hungarian Federation and to the Hungarian American community – and to those 1956 freedom fighters we honored last year on the advent of the anti-Soviet revolution’s 50th anniversary. It is a testament to the genius Hungary has lost to war and occupation and to what a Hungarian can accomplish in a free society.
It is also a testament to the Hungarian pioneering spirit. Charles Simonyi carries on the torch of the great Hungarian explorers who blazed a trail from the African steppes and Mt. Kilimanjaro, to the hidden worlds of Tibet and the Himalayas, to the great plains of the United States. The Hungarian zeal for discovery has now left our Earth in Human form to join another Hungarian space explorer, the NASA moon rover. We have all followed Charles’ career and have been waiting in anticipation of his blast off into history. We are pleased to see Enrico Fermi’s theory proven.
As a US-born son of a 1956 Hungarian freedom fighter, I remember well the hope that the Apollo-Soyuz space mission symbolized. How fitting it is that another son of 1956 should board a Soyuz craft. He is a great role model and we all wish him a safe return.”
See the Duna TV Website “Charles in Space / Magyar az Ürben” or read more about him and other great Hungarians on The Hungary Page’s “Nobel Prize Winners and Famous Hungarians” at www.thehungarypage.com
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