12/10/2015 – Geza Cseri, Father, Grandfather, Husband, Engineer, US Army Veteran, former science and technology advisor to NATO, AHF member, patriot, was born to Joseph and Mary Cseri on June 3, 1936 in Cegled, Hungary.
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Article by Géza Cseri
[6/10/2010 – “Maybe it is Time for a Danubean / Carpathian Federation.” June 4 marked the 90th anniversary of the Treaty of Trianon, the tragic event by which the dismemberment of historic Hungary occured in 1920. Hungarians in the four corners of the world commemorate the anniversary of the tragic event. This Treaty totally altered the political balance of Central Europe. [read more]
Previous AHF Statements:
- [AHF Trianon 94th Anniversary statement]
“Trianon 1920-2014: Not History Until Minority Rights Respected and Granted” - [AHF Trianon 91st Anniversary statement]
“AHF remembers the ill-advised treaty and publishes “Trianon Through British Eyes,” by Sir Bryan Cartledge who called the treaty “the greatest catastrophe to have befallen Hungary since the battle of Mohacs in 1526.” - [AHF Trianon 90th Anniversary statement]
“Trianon: A Relic of the Past or a Continuing Tragedy?” - [AHF Trianon 89th Anniversary statement]
“A Continuing Tragedy” - [AHF Trianon 88th Anniversary statement]
“Overdue Autonomy for Minority Hungarians! Time to Bury Trianon and Resurrect Democracy” - [AHF Trianon 87th Anniversary Statement]
“Trianon: Tragedy, Dissolution, and Remedy” - [AHF Trianon 86th Anniversary Statement]
“Trianon Binds No One Except Hungarians”
Geza lived in the town of Abony, along with his older brother, Zoli. They enjoyed a comfortable home with orchards and vineyards until they had to flee in September of 1944 due to advancing Russian forces. His family relocated to the most western part of Hungary, near Pozsony (now Bratislava, Slovakia) and from there to Germany and eventually France where they became refugees. Geza was 9 years old when he left his home in Abony.
The family endured many hardships and horrible conditions such as surviving a refugee train bombing, being shot at by soldiers and near- starvation. After many years, they arrived in America in 1955 where they settled outside of Chicago and later in Highland, Indiana. Geza received his American citizenship in 1958 and shortly after, in May of 1959, received his BS in civil engineering from Purdue University. After graduating from Purdue, Geza joined the 2nd Armored Division of the Army where he served for 6 years before being honorably discharged in 1965.
Geza married in 1961 and settled in the Washington D.C area with his wife and children in the late 1960s. He received his MSE in R&D Management from George Washington University and went on to enjoy a successful 40 year career with the Army Materiel Command for the DODG3 Division as Senior Engineer and Chief of Command Control, which included service as Science and Technology Advisor to the Allied Supreme Commanders of NATO in Stuttgart, Germany from 1998 to 2001. He received several leadership and commendation awards during his career. After retiring in 2005 as a GS15, Geza did consulting with LMI on several large defense contracts.
Geza loved to cook traditional Hungarian meals, his favorite being Porkolt and Chicken Paprikas and he made the most wonderful Dobos Torte. Christmas was his favorite holiday and the tree was decorated following the Hungarian Christmas Eve (Szent-este) tradition. Along with cooking, Geza was a big soccer fan and coached his son’s soccer team for several years. He loved woodworking, building cabinets, tables and doing tinkering in the garage. He was an avid history buff, enjoyed traveling, and was wonderful at taking spontaneous family day trips.
Geza has always fought against communism, especially concerning the plight of the Hungarian minority in Transylvania. In the early 1960s he wrote many letters to the State Department expressing concern for the people behind the Iron Curtain and their fight for freedom. He was very involved in the American Hungarian Federation and was in charge of the American Hungarian Gala Ball in 1975, which helped to raise funds to promote the American Hungarian Cultural Center, a chartered non-profit organization dedicated to the enhancement of American Hungarian culture and heritage.
Geza had a love for life and remained strong and positive throughout his battle with lymphoma. He was kind and friendly to everyone he met. He is survived by his wife, four children and eight grandchildren. He was laid to rest at Quantico National Cemetery on December 10, 2015. He is greatly missed.