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In Memoriam

AHF President Attila Micheller honoring Gabriella Koszorus-Varsa  with AHF's highest award, the Col. Commandant Michael Kovats Medal of Freedom for "her lifetime accomplishments and dedication to the preservation of our Hungarian heritage." Heralded as a master of portraits, figure compositions, as well as sculptures.3/17/2007 - Great Painter, Sculptor and Hungarian, Gabriella Koszorus-Varsa passes away in her home in Washington, DC. Heralded as a master of portraits, figure compositions, as well as sculptures, Ms. Koszorus FamilyKoszorus-Varsa's depiction of the charge of the cavalry during the battle of Charleston in ``Fidelissimus ad Mortem'' is a magnificent master work and hung in the US Capitol and was displayed at the AHF Congressional Reception in honor of the 50th Anniversary of the Hungarian Revolution. In 2007 she was honored with AHF's highest award, the Col. Commandant Michael Kovats Medal of Freedom for "her lifetime accomplishments and dedication to the preservation of our Hungarian heritage." A supporter of AHF for many decades and responsible for the design of some AHF stamps during its 1956 relief efforts and beyond.

AHF 1956 Commemoration, Congressional Reception and Awards Ceremony - Congressman and Mrs. Lantos, Frank Koszorus, the Embassy's Viktor Szederkenyi and the artist Gabriella Koszorus-Varsa at her Col. Michael Kovats masterworkMs. Koszorus-Varsa and her husband, Colonel FerencKoszorus who was one of the great heroes of the Hungarian Holocaust, immigrated to the United States in 1951 with their son, Frank.She had been commissioned to paint some of theAHF 1956 Commemoration, Congressional Reception and Awards Ceremony - Gabriella Koszorus-Varsa Michael Kovats Masterwork most important moments and persons in American history. Services were held at the Chapel of the Presidents, National Presbyterian Church, in Washington, DC on March 17, 2008. This was followed by her internment at Columbia Gardens Cemetery in Arlington, VA and a reception at the family's home. She will be sorely missed.

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A TRIBUTE TO MS. GABRIELLA F. KOSZORUS-VARSA -- HON. TOM LANTOS
(Extensions of Remarks - February 15, 2005)

HON. TOM LANTOS OF CALIFORNIA IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 15, 2005

  • Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Speaker, I invite my colleagues to join me in paying tribute to an extraordinary and remarkable artist, Ms. Gabriella F. Koszorus-Varsa. Ms. Koszorus-Varsa's work has been displayed internationally, from Santa Cruz, California, to Munich, Germany, including being featured prominently in the U.S. Capitol and the Hungarian Embassy in Washington, D.C. and in the Carnegie Hall in New York City. She has been heralded as a master of portraits, and figure compositions as well as sculptures.
  • Ms. Koszorus-Varsa's depiction of the charge of the cavalry during the battle of Charleston in ``Fidelissimus ad Mortem'' is a magnificent painting. Highlighting the contribution of Colonel Michael Kovats de Fabricy in the Revolutionary War, this painting was displayed in my office in the Capitol for many years. Using the closing line of the letter Colonel Kovats wrote to Benjamin Franklin when he offered his expertise in fighting for our independence, ``Fidelissimus ad Mortem'' (most faithful unto death) symbolizes how far a foreign national would go to help us achieve the ideal of freedom. After meeting with General Washington, he was given the charge of training the American Light Cavalry. Colonel Kovats led the light cavalry; the hussars, which were a legion made up of French, German, Poles and other nationalities. Colonel Kovats died in the battle of Charleston, South Carolina, on May 11, 1779.
  • Mr. Speaker, Ms. Koszorus-Varsa displayed her deft touch in creating this magnificent painting. Wanting to replicate the battlefield charge truthfully, she researched everything down to the most intricate detail--from the color of the uniforms to the kind of horses that would have been ridden and the formation that the hussars would use when attacking. The blue cloaks of the men flanking Colonel Kovats came from a book in the Library of the ``Daughters of the American Revolution'' as they paraded through Philadelphia. Colonel Kovats wears the prominent red uniform which he wore in one of his services as commander of the ``Free Hussars'' in the Army of Frederick the Great, King of Prussia.
  • Ms. Koszorus-Varsa, who memorialized the heroic deeds of Colonel Kovats, grew up in Budapest, Hungary as the daughter of the renowned art professor Elemer Fulop de Felsoeor. Following in her father's footsteps, she earned a Master's Degree from the Academy of Fine Arts in Budapest, Hungary, and began teaching at the American University in Heidelberg, Germany in 1947. Ms. Koszorus-Varsa and her husband, Colonel Ferenc Koszorus who was one of the great heroes of the Hungarian Holocaust, immigrated to the United States in 1951 with their son.
  • Mr. Speaker, she was commissioned to paint some of the most important moments and persons in American history. Dr. Robert Hutchings Goddard and his wife's bas-reliefs, commissioned by the Ramsey Fund at the National Air and Space Museum were made by Ms. Koszorus-Varsa. Her ``Composition in Memoriam of the Late Astronauts: Virgil Grissom, Edward H. White, and Roger B. Chaffee'' is currently being exhibited at the Alabama Space and Rocket Center. The Fleetwood Cover Service commissioned three First Day Cover designs from her: ``O! Say, Can You See'', ``Civil War Centennial'', and ``Champion of Liberty, Lajos Kossuth''. I also recall her wonderful painting of the first king of Hungary, Saint Stephen that was displayed at the Hungarian Embassy in Washington, D.C., which also houses her life-sized bust of Lajos Kossuth.
  • Mr. Speaker, Ms. Gabriella F. Koszorus-Varsa's work is inspiring and has the enduring quality that many artists seek. She has ensured that Colonel Kovats is properly remembered, as well as the astronauts who lost their lives in our quest to go to the moon. I invite my colleagues to view all of her wonderful paintings and sculptures.

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