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CHAPTER 5 BACKGROUND INFORMATION
THE NC HUNGARIAN CLUB
According to Papp’s comprehensive study of all present-day Hungarian¬
American communities, three organizations function in North Carolina”®.
Relying on my empirical observations, there are actually two active Hungarian¬
American organizations, one based in the Triangle area, the NC Hungarian
Club, the particular subject of my research, and another one, ‘Meet up’, set
up by two families living in Elkin, NC. There are also many Hungarians,
having temporary jobs and working illegally, who prefer to stay away from any
transparent Hungarian-American organization and not to expose themselves
to any publicity.
When conducting this survey, the subjects have been selected mostly from
among the members of the NC Hungarian Club. However, the two founding
member families of the ‘Meet Up’ organization, who usually participate in
the events organized by the NC Hungarian Club as well, have also been
interviewed.
The exact number of the NC Hungarian club members is difficult to
define, however, the most active core of the club is made up by about 100 and
150 members. As there are no written sources reporting the history of the
Hungarian club in North Carolina, I must rely on the oral accounts of members
of this community. On the basis of the information provided by the subjects
of the survey, I have learned that the Hungarian Club in North Carolina was
founded by a close circle of friends with the aim of congregating with fellow
Hungarians on a regular basis. (The exact date is unidentifiable.) These friends,
the majority of whom left Hungary in 1956, met regularly and exchanged their
accounts of and reasons for leaving their country of origin. Gradually, this ad¬
hoc group of friends grew into a Hungarian Club. However, at the beginning
of the history of the club, reminiscing about the past still prevailed as the
main theme of club events. As a result of that, the club was often criticized by
younger Hungarians for attracting mainly the older generation and not being
active enough.
Recently, though, parallel to the constantly growing number of Hungarians
in the area as well as due to the club new management’s success in addressing
young Hungarian parents by offering more child-friendly activities, the
number of Hungarians regularly visiting the club has been rising.
Club members meet ona monthly basis, recently, in a club house in Durham,
NC, except when there are some special events such as the annual International
State Fair, where various ethnic groups cook and sell their special dishes as
well organize cultural exhibits about their countries, or the Hungarian picnic
at the end of May.
265 Papp, Beszédből világ, 312
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