Péter Kovalszki
President
He came to the US from Romania in 1986 with his wife Mária and their two daughters Anna and Katalin. They settled in the Detroit area and both established successful medical practices. After their arrival in the U.S., they joined Detroit-area Hungarian organizations. In 1989 they began attending the ITT-OTT Conference of MBK, where Peter Kovalszki was elected to serve on the Board, and in 2012 he became President (Gondnok) of the organization, along with being also co-editor of the Yearbook (Kalendarium). He followed a similar path at the Hungarian American Coalition: after becoming an individual member, he was elected to the Board where he served on the Executive Committee, and in 2013 he was Chairman of the Board.
Hajnal Minger
Ex President
Born in Tirgu-Mures, Romania and lived there until 1984. She studied mechanical design, and for twenty plus years worked as an engine designer for Ford Motor Company. More recently, she dedicated herself to the study of the environment and sustainability in general. Presently, she is a senior at University of Michigan, in a dual program of Environmental Science and Geology. She consciously works to preserve and strengthen the Hungarian diaspora. As such she is a founding member and vice president of the MAHAK, a group for preserving the Hungarian language and culture at the American Hungarian Reformed Church in Allen Park Michigan.
Erika Bokor
Pevious President
Erika is an active member of the Hungarian Communion of Friends since the 1970’s, and President of the organization for two terms between 2006 and 2012. She is a Chicago area community organizer, through leadership roles in several organizations. She works as a psychologist.
Lajos Éltető
Ex Secretary
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Panni Ludányi
Secretary
Born in Austria in a refugee camp into a Hungarian family. She came with her family to the USA, to Cleveland Ohio, when she was 3 years old. She was an active Hungarian scout there for 10 years. When she married Andrew in 1969, she became active in the work of the MBK. During those years she also helped type the monthly issue of the ITT-OTT periodical, which was published 10-12 times a year then.
In addition to the MBK activities, she has been on the planning committee of the Cleveland Hungarian Association. In the last 10 years she has traveled to Algyógy, Transylvania to a Christian Youth Camp as a volunteer to teach English to Hungarian children. She was a high school math teacher for many years.
Ottó Fazekas
Treasurer
I was born in Kolozsvar and I immigrated to the USA when I was 24. I received a degree in business administration in my home country and continued my studies in the USA. I find it very important to preserve and share the Hungarian cultural heritage this is why I try to play an active part in the Hungarian community’s live. I like sports, music, dance and being out in nature. I’m MBK treasurer since 2013. The MBK’s objectives are very close to my heart and I enjoy spending time at the yearly Itt-Ott conference.
Zsuzsanna Balla
Board Member
Zsuzsanna was born in Marosvasarhely, Transylvania. She started to study piano at young age in her home town and received a degree in piano performance from the Transylvania University of Brasov. As a piano and organ artist and piano teacher she strives to share her passion for music. She moved with her family to Michigan in 2001. Together with her husband and kids they play an active role in the local Hungarian community’s live. Her mission is to preserve the Hungarian heritage and to support initiatives that aim to strengthen the Hungarian community. She is a board member of the Hungarian Community of Friends, also organizer of the Csipke Folk Dance and Music Camp, member of the Csipke Ensemble and the Hungarian Heritage Preservation Circle.
Zora Ludwig
Board Member
Born in Bratislava, Slovakia. Arrived in USA with family. Completed education at Indiana University, Bloomington, IN. Social Worker. Organized and directed community, cultural programs, and a homeless shelter. Librarian. Took part in helping Hungarian emigrants settle in the USA. Worked with Hungarians researching the Hungarian diaspora. A particularly rewarding project was translating Dr. Julianna Puskas’ monograph, “Ties that Bind, Ties That Divide: 100 Years of Hungarian Experience in the United States”. Active member of the Calvin (Hungarian) Synod of the UCC and in the Hungarian life of Northwest Indiana and the Chicago area.
Judit Puskás
Board Member
Mihály Gödölley
Board Member
Born in Bacska Mohol, immigrated to Chicago in 1964. Joined the St. Stephen Hungarian church in 1965 in 1967 joined The Hungarian Magyar Club of Chicago He is a member to both organizations up to the present. He and his wife Inci participates in, and supports most Hungarian activities, in the Chicago area. Joined the ITT-OTT Conference in 2010 board member since 2012. He is a retired plastic injection mold maker. Loves to make movies of people and events.
Csilla Megyeri
Board Member
Csilla was born in Chicago. She grew up within the Hungarian community, participating as a member in Hungarian Scouting and Folk Dancing. She also attended the Itt-Ott conference every year with her family. Csilla completed her undergraduate degree in psychology at Lawrence University in Wisconsin. Even though she was hours away from the Hungarian community in Chicago, she always put effort into coming home to participate in Hungarian events in Chicago. She continued attending the Itt-Ott conference every year. After her undergraduate degree, she moved back to Chicago. She completed her master’s degree in social work at Loyola University Chicago. Csilla works at a hospital as a therapist in an outpatient setting. For many years, Csilla has held an MBK leadership position for many years. The hungarian community continues to be an important part of Csilla’s life. She helps wherever and whenever she can.
Tímea Nádas
Board Member
Szende Gereb
Board Member
Róbert Minger
Youth Counselor
Born in 1994 and spent the first few years of his life in Dearborn Michigan before moving to Ann Arbor. He graduated from Pioneer High School in 2012, and currently a junior at Michigan Technological University in Houghton Michigan, studying mechanical engineering.
Robert learned to speak Hungarian from his mother and grandmother at a very young age. He spoke Hungarian before learned English, even though his father is American and cannot speak Hungarian. Throughout his childhood he had the opportunity to visit both Hungary and Transylvania. Through his travels he made close connections with his family there. In the summer of 2014 at Lake Hope, Robert became a Hungarian citizen, strengthening the bond with his culture and identity.
Álmászt Bedroszián
Columbus, OH
Álmászt was born in Szabadka (Bácska) former Yugoslavia. Her father was Armenian, her mother Hungarian. At the Belgrade Music Academy she earned a degree in Solo Singing. In 1975 with her family she immigrated to Ohio, USA. Since 1977 they have been attending the ITT-OTT Hungarian conference at Lake Hope in Ohio. She has always tried to be a connecting link between Hungarians at home and Hungarians in the USA, preserving the knowledge of the Hungarian language amongst Hungarians and nurturing the language and the culture.
László Bőjtös
Cleveland, OH
Laszlo immigrated to the United States two years after obtaining his degree in architecture. After a few years of employment, he opened up his own business and worked within that for 40 years. He became familiar with the ITT-OTT movement and recognized it to be an important vehicle of defining life outside of the borders of Hungary. He became board member and two-term president of the organization and besides administering the Lake Hope Conferences, he also helped organize lecture tours for ITT-OTT Conference overseas guests. He is three-term president of the Cleveland Hungarian Club, and Board Member and past president of the American Hungarian Coalition. He has been Honorary Consul of Hungary since 1992.
Ágnes Sylvester Fülöp
Minneapolis, MN
Agnes was born in Budapest and attained the majority of her education there. As a chemist, she had worked at varieties of Industrial Research Laboratories. She raised two children in Hungary. Married to Laszlo Fulop in 1988 and joined him in the USA. They have been living in Minneapolis, Minnesota for 26 years. She worked at the University of Minnesota, Agronomy Research Laboratory for 18 years. She became an active member of the Minnesota Hungarians Organization (MH), and the Hungarian Communion of Friends (MBK) in 1990. From 1998 to 2007 she worked as elected President of the MH, also as a board member of MBK. Later became liaison between the two organizations. She is member of the MBK, Board Member of the Hungarian American Coalition (HAC) and she has continued working in the MH leadership.
András Ludányi
Budapest, HU
András was born in Szikszó, Hungary February 12, 1940. He is married to Anna Mária (Márika) and has two daughters in the United States : Csilla Anna in Nassau Bay, Texas and Anikó Ilona in Bolingbrook, Illinois. Most of his formal education was completed in the United States: B.A. at Elmhurst College (Illinois) 1963; M.A. at Louisiana State University (Baton Rouge) 1965; Ph.D. at Louisiana State University, 1971. He joined the faculty of Ohio Northern University in 1968. In the Hungarian Communion of Friends he has been one of the founding members, and his favorite topic has been differentiating emigré from Diaspóra loyalties. His most recent edited volume is „From Csernaton to Lake Hope: The Collected Writings of Tibor Cseh (2014).” This provides to the present, the best summary of the principles on which the Hungarian Communion of friends is founded. András has been elected a number of times to the Executive Council of MBK and was its Gondnok (President) from 1988-1991. At present he is an associate editor of the MBK Yearbook.
József Megyeri
Chicago, IL
Born in Magyarcsernye Vojvodina, and immigrated to Chicago with his parents in 1974. Since 1975 he is a regular participant of the annual ITT-OTT Conference. In Chicago, as the representative of the Hungarian Communion of Friends, he takes on active leadership roles in the Hungarian community, including the Hungarian Club of Chicago, the Borozda Dance Ensemble and the Hunyada Mátyás Scout troop. Besides his engineering carrier, he spends his free time as a nature photographer.
Balázs Somogyi
US Eastern Shore
He was born in 1938 in Győr, Hungary. He completed his high school education at the Ferenc Kölcsey Gimnázium in June of 1956. He attended the Semmelweis Medical University in Budapest until the outbreak of the Hungarian Revolution. Along with his parents, sister and brother, he left Hungary in December 1956. After a nearly two-year stay in Vancouver, BC, the family settled in the United States in 1958. He completed his education in New York and became a medical doctor in 1965.He served in the United states Air Force for two years. He became board certified in Orthopedic Surgery in 1974 He is married to CsillaMakay and is the proud father of Zsuzsanna, Ilona and Judit. The family resides in Cheshire, CT , while Judit has settled in Reno, Nevada.
Between 1963 and 1978, he was the director of the New York Hungaria Folkdance Ensemble. He has been director of the Hungarian Cultural Society of Connecticut since the mid 1970-s. He joined MBK in 1975 and served as “gondnok” for two terms .He has participated in the work of the Hungarian-American Coalition (HAC) and served as Chairman of the Board for one year. He is member of the of the Diaszpora Council. He serves as executive council member of the Széchenyi István Társaság of New York and is vice-president of the New York based Memorial (Emlékmű) Committee. He is member of the executive council of the Wallingford Hungarian Club, and serves on the Consistory of the Hungarian E.&R Reformed Church of Wallingford.