On November 19, the Association for Common Goals (SZAKC) held its 20th anniversary celebration in the Tiszti Pavilion in Komárom, where the Erzsébet Pogány Award, established in memory of the late director of SZAKC and out of respect for her life path, was also presented.
At the award ceremony, which will be held for the first time, two persons who have performed exemplary activities for the Hungarian community in the highlands, in community building and organization, were honored. The posthumous laureate of the first year of the Erzsébet Pogány Award was Klára Tóth, while the laureate was Piroska Gál.
The ceremonial event of the award ceremony began with Johann Sebastian Bach's Toccata in D minor performed by violinist Ödön Kulin, and then the host of the evening, Éva Bíró, greeted the participants. The widow of the award's namesake, Tibor Pogány, and their daughter Eszter Németh Pogány were present at the ceremony. At the award ceremony, they paid tribute to the memory of the namesake with a minute's silence.
Irén Fekete, the chairman of the board of trustees, reported on the establishment of the Erzsébet Pogány Award in memory of Erzsébet Pogány, the late director of the Association for Common Goals. "Everyone has an Elizabeth, we also have an Elizabeth," he said.
"Consistency, awareness and commitment to the fate of Hungarians in the highlands characterized his personality. He never stood in the front row, he left it to others, and until the end of his life he remained what he considered himself to be: a background person," he emphasized.
From now on, the award named after him will be awarded annually to the person who earned this honor "with his exemplary activities in community building and organization", said Irén Fekete.
As he said, there are strict conditions for winning the award. "Personalities can be nominated for the award who have been involved in civil life for at least ten years, who are engaged in exemplary activities in community building and organization, and who carry the fate of Hungarians in the highlands in their hearts," he noted.
"Many people refer to Hungarians from the highlands as little Jews and complacent. Sometimes there is a reason for it, but in the case of such a nomination, when we are looking for a worthy bearer of an award or recognition, we can make people aware that there is a valuable, active, committed background person working in their own field," Irén Fekete pointed out.
After that, Xénia Molnár, an actress at the Komáromi Jókai Theater, performed an excerpt from Sándor Petőfi's poem The Apostle, and then the chairman of the board of trustees announced that the first Erzsébet Pogány award would be awarded posthumously to Klára Tóth.
Source: aelvidek.ma
The posthumous laureate of the first year of the Erzsébet Pogány Award, Klára Tóth, became one of the tireless members of the cultural and community life of the Hungarians in Zoboralja, who was tragically taken away from her loved ones in May 2020, at the age of 50. Lajos Ladányi, the director of Zoboraljai Kht., highlighted in his praise that Klára Tóth created value during her life, and her dedication is exemplary. "Klára Tóth was everything to the Hungarians of the region, when needed, she took photographs, wrote articles, washed dishes, made coffee, gave speeches, organized, wrote and accounted for tenders, and even served as a tour guide". As a municipal representative, he carried the fate of his native village, Nagycétény, close to his heart. He repeatedly initiated the creation of an independent Hungarian kindergarten in the local government.
Gál Piroska/Source/Felvidek.ma
After the touching moments of the posthumous award presentation, Irén Fekete announced: Piroska Gál is the winner of the first year of the Erzsébet Pogány Award. In his eulogy, Ferenc Auxt, president of the Rimaszombat district of the Association - MKP platform, said that Gál Piroska is extremely committed to culture and Hungarian affairs. He also said that Gál Piroska has been an active and helpful member of the Csemad since 1961. "Since 2007, he has also been active as an old scout, and today he also manages the fund for old scouts. And he proudly wears the scout's tie to wreaths," he noted. In 2018, at the MKP, on the occasion of the 20th anniversary of its establishment, he received a Loyalty Award in Dunaszerdahely. Piroska's role is also important when applying to Hungarian schools, said the lecturer. "He goes from door to door announcing, let's stick together, let's enroll our children in Hungarian schools, let's take part in cultural events in order to keep our Hungarianness". Piroska Gál personally received the award from the president of SZAKC, the chairman of the board of trustees, and the widow of the award's namesake.
Source, full article and image: velvidek.ma
