Hungarian immigrants celebrate the sunflower harvest in Cleveland in 1913
The Hungarian American Coalition celebrated the 250th anniversary of U.S. independence and the contributions of Hungarians to American achievements at the Library of Congress on Monday, with the participation of two Hungarians who have traveled to space: Charles Simonyi and Tibor Kapu.
At the Washington, D.C., event known as the America250 Super Gala, Nobel Prize-winning research biologist and biochemist Katalin Karikó received the George Washington Award from the American Hungarian Coalition. Charles Simonyi’s life’s work (who is a software developer, engineer, inventor, and businessman) was recognized with the Spirit of America250 Award.
Leaders of Hungarian diaspora organizations from across the United States attended the gala dinner in Washington, D.C., along with prominent American public figures of Hungarian descent, including George Pataki, former governor of New York, and Katrina Lantos Swett, daughter of former Congressman Tom Lantos.
George Pataki spoke about how his Hungarian heritage has always been a defining factor in his life.
Andrea Lauer-Rice, president of the American Hungarian Coalition, told MTI that more than 420 guests were invited to the event, which had been in the works for months. She emphasized that the two honorees of the evening had made a positive impact on the lives of all humanity within their respective fields.
Piros Pazaurek, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the American Hungarian Coalition, emphasized that the organization is celebrating its 35th anniversary this year.
In addition to the celebratory event of the largest umbrella organization of the Hungarian diaspora in the U.S., a panel discussion on innovation, science, and investment was held at one of the Hungarian Embassy’s buildings, with astronaut-researcher Tibor Kapu in attendance.
Fact
The Hungarian American Coalition (HAC) was founded in 1991 in response to the evolving challenges during a pivotal period in Hungarian history. A group of dedicated Hungarian-Americans from the Washington, D.C. area—particularly those who had supported the anti-communist opposition in Hungary—recognized both the historic opportunity and the urgent need to establish an organization that could represent and promote the interests of the Hungarian-American community in the United States. The Hungarian American Coalition has made it its mission to pool and coordinate the capabilities and resources of its individual and organizational members to represent the interests of the Hungarian-American community.
In 2022, the organization received the “Friend of Hungary” award from the Friends of Hungary Foundation, publisher of our portals Hungary Today and Ungarn Heute.
Via MTI; Featured photo: commons.wikimedia.org/Hu Totya
