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Congressman Sam Johnson with Bela and Sandra Marton
Sam Johnson with Bela Marton
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Bela Marton Receives Long-Overdue Medal
On Armed Forces Day, May 16, U.S. Congressman Sam Johnson presented long-overdue medals to two local veterans in Richardson.
Started in 1949, the first Armed Forces Day was celebrated by parades, open houses, receptions and air shows. The purpose of Armed Forces Day is to honor Americans serving in the five services: the Army, Navy, Marines, Air Force and Coast Guard. Armed Forces Day is celebrated annually on the third Saturday of May; Armed Forces Week begins on the second Saturday of May and ends on the third Sunday of May.
Johnson presented Allen resident Bela Istvan Marton with the Navy Good Conduct Medal, the National Defense Service Medal, and the Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal (Dominican Republic)."It was certainly an honor, especially when the medals were handed over by Johnson, who was a hero himself," Marton said.
Marton served in the U.S. Navy from 1962 to 1966. Born and raised in Hungary, Marton moved to America in 1957 and to Texas in 1969. Marton has called Allen home for 31 years. He served on the USS Stormes DD-780. The USS Stormes prevented Fidel Castro from shipping arms to the Dominican Republic. Marton was joined by his wife, Sandra, and daughter Kathrine.
Desert Storm veteran and Murphy resident Gregory Kostrzewa will receive the Marine Corps Good Conduct Medal for his service between 1979 to 1982.
"I can't think of a better way to celebrate Armed Forces Day than to recognize those who wore the uniform for their honor, service and sacrifice," Johnson, a former prisoner of war in Vietnam, said.
Reprinted from the Star Community Newspapers - May 21, 2009
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Budavár Ostroma
Peter Vali
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Commemoration of the 1848 Hungarian Revolt
March 15, 2009
On March 15, the North Texas Hungarian community observed the commemoration of the March 15, 1848, revolt
at the Cistercian Abbey and School with a Hungarian Mass at
4 PM followed by a brief program and buffet dinner at the Cistercian School.
Agnes Csiffary addressed the gathering and introduced Peter Vali , who spoke of the significance of
March 15, 1848. Then, Gabor Simonfalvi played several classical selections to the delight of the assembly.
A highlight of the afternoon, was Bela Marton's display of a painting and clock depicting the Siege of
Buda (Budavár Ostrama) which a fellow clock enthusiast was kind enough to loan him for the Hungarian gathering. After some
research and information from Bandi Vágvölgyi ,
Louis Ott, Agnes Csiffary and Péter Váli, the history of the painting was
revealed.
The final battle of Budavár took place on May 21, 1849 with a resounding victory for the Hungarian army. This was one of the most decisive battles of the revolution.
· The painting depicts the battle as viewed from the present day statue of Dózsa György; just north and west of the Castle.
· In the distance the Citadella can be seen.
· The church visible on the right is still there at the present time.
· It was painted by a painter named Vogel. The other marking just below the name is not legible, however it may be
Wien.
· The entire piece was made in Vienna . A stamp ( pecsét) on the wood frame appears to be in the German language.
· The music box inside the frame plays 4 different tunes that could not be identified.
· This piece was most likely painted to honor the Austrian soldiers who lost their lives in the battle.
(A special thanks to Paul Gelencser of Austin for many of the photos posted on this page of the Dallas and Houston gatherings and
to Bela and Sandy Marton of Allen for several of the clock/painting pictures.)
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Vasile Beluska
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Vasile Beluska Receives Ellis Island Medal of Honor
Vasile Beluska’s first impressions of America were straight out of a John Wayne movie: Levis, cowboy boots, cowboy hats. And that was before he even got off the plane. Then it was big cars with fins on the back and cattle with long horns—a typical day in Amarillo, Texas, his first home in the United States.
For the violinist and political refugee from Romania, life in the U.S. was a whole new world.
Now Beluska, music performance studies, is being honored for helping other musicians from Eastern Europe come to the U.S. and develop their own careers. Both in the U.S. and Europe, countless students and others have benefited from his generosity, service and talents.
With his family at his side, (including Eva and Jack Beluska of Hurst, TX), Mr Valile Beluska received an Ellis Island Medal of Honor on May 10, on that small outcropping in New York Harbor that symbolizes the journey and the arrival of so many seeking freedom and a chance to make something of their lives.
The awards are sponsored by the National Ethnic Coalition of Organizations (NECO), a nonprofit organization created in 1984 on the conviction of its founder, William Denis Fugazy, that the diversity of the American people is what makes the U.S. great. NECO's stated mission is “to help create the world of the future today.” It does this through a number of philanthropic ventures.
Each year since 1986, NECO has sponsored the Ellis Island medals, which are presented to American citizens of diverse origins for their dedication to: community service, preserving the history of their ancestry group, supporting and defending American values, building bridges between diverse groups here and abroad, and sharing their personal and professional gifts for the benefit of humanity. Past recipients include six U.S. presidents, Nobel Prize winners, athletes, leaders of industry, artists and others whose work has made a lasting impact on humanity.
For more information visit the NECO website.
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Daniel Song and Syuzanna Kaso
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Young Pianists Perform in Fort Worth
On the evening of June 5, Piano Texas and the Fort Worth Sister Cities Budapest Committee presented a
wonderful piano concert at the home of Roz Rosenthal in Fort Worth. The concert featured two young and talented musicians,
Syuzanna Kaso and Daniel Song. The pianists were introduced by Dr. Tamás Ungár, founder and Executive Director of Piano Texas .
Syuzanna Kaso was born in the Ukraine and began her music education at the age of 6.
After studies at the Uzhgorod State Music School,she was admitted into the prestigious Kiev Special Secondary Music
Boarding School, studying under Professor Valery Kozlov, with whom, she continued her studies at the National Music
Academy of Ukraine.
Syuzanna has been successful in competitions, including the 1st prize at the A. Zatin International Piano Competition,
and the Grand Prix at the “XXI Century Hopes” International Chamber Music Competition. She has performed throughout
Europe including the Purceli Room in London and the Petit Palau in Barcelona. She has made several recordings and was
recently the subject of a documentary on Hungarian TV.
Daniel Song is a 12 year old from Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania. He started
learning the piano at the age of 5 and has been under the guidance of Professor Igor Resnianski for the past 5 years.
At the age of 8, he played at Carnegie Hall as a winner of a Young Musician Competition. He has won many prizes in
competition, including the Westchester University Piano Competition for Young Artists. After his initial appearance on the radio show “From the Top”, he was invited to perform on “From the Top Live from Carnegie Hall” TV recording.
Daniel is also a violinist and the concert master of his school orchestra.
Photos of the concert
Selections from the concert included works by Liszt, Chopin, and Mozart.
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Dr. András Simonyi, Hungarian Ambassador to the United States |
Hungarian Ambassador Visits Fort Worth
Fort Worth Sister Cities International and its
supporters sponsored a reception for His Excellency András Simonyi,
Hungarian Ambassador to the United States on Monday, June 27 at
the Fort Worth Club on West 7th Street. During his one day visit,
Ambassador Simonyi, an avid promoter of American Hungarian trade
and commerce met with Paul Harrell and the Fort Worth Star Telegram Editorial Board; Ann Kothman, Director of RadioShack
International; Executives at American Airlines - Don Casey and Bennie Bracken and Mayor Mike Moncrief. The Ambassador
also had a tour of the Kimbell Art Museum with Curator of Non-Western and Asian Art - Jennifer Casler Price.
At the reception in the evening, Budapest Committee Chair Karen
Kroh greeted the Ambassador and guests and presented
the Ambassador with a rondell by local artist David Gappa.
Dr. András Simonyi spoke of the mutual need to
translate the friendship between Fort Worth and Budapest into economic,
cultural and social benefits for the citizens in both cities.
The evening was an opportunity for DFW Hungarians
to meet with the Ambassador. On behalf of the Metroplex Magyar Cultural
Circle, Imre Gazda presented the Ambassador with a gift bag, which
the Ambassador thanked with sincere friendship and posed for an
impromptu photo with Imre
Gazda and Péter Váli.
The highlight of the evening was when the Ambassador played a few
numbers with
City Manager Charles Boswell's band "The Mootown Rockers". The
Ambassador was presented with a Fender
Stratocaster guitar by the band and Mayor Moncrief, which Dr.
Simonyi "broke in" at the spot with an unforgettable performance.
The band, featuring with the Ambassador on a lead guitar, played
the songs "Hoochie-Coochie Man," "Killing Floor," and "Wild Thing,"
the latter sung both in Hungarian and English.
Thank you Mr. Ambassador, thank you Fort Worth Sister Cities International
for an evening to remember.
Read an article about the Ambassador's visit to
Dallas / Fort Worth on the home page of the Embassy of Hungary >>.
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Films
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| Race for the Oscars!
This powerful, bold,thought-provoking film directed by Klaudia Kovacs about the 1956 Hungarian Revolt
features, in archive footage or in person, Dr. Henry
Kissinger, Otto von Habsburg, Ronald Reagan, Mikhail Gorbachev, George Vassiliou, Árpád
Göncz, Gyula Horn, János Berecz and Imre Pozsgay.
In the Los Angeles debut in November of 2007, Torn from the Flag was screened in the "Milestones" section of the American
Film Institute Festival along with Ingmar Bergman’s and Michelangelo Antonioni’s films.
With the aim of entering this important film in the upcoming Academy Awards competition, an effort is underway to
raise funds to accomplish this purpose.You can actively help Torn from the Flag's Oscar race by making a charitable, taxdeductible
donation to:International Documentary Association, Torn from the Flag, 1626 North Wilcox Avenue #393,
Hollywood, California 90028
Take a look at this trailer on YouTube !
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This
book is a unique collection of Ft. Worth and area photos by noted
Hungarian photographer,
