György Pándi
1956erALL MATERIAL: COPYRIGHT CALIFORNIA EUROPEAN CULTURAL INITIATIVE/MEMORY PROJECT
György Pándi, 1956er
Just 13 when he escaped from Hungary in 1956, György Pándi first lived in an orphanage in Austria for 7 years before coming to the U.S. He left Hungary because he and his friend János thought it would be a great adventure. He arrived to the U.S. without any specific plans or goals, but soon became very active in the Hungarian community in Passaic, New Jersey, joining the Hungarian scouts, running a Hungarian book store with Sándor Püski, as well as the Hungarian scout store. He was host and tour guide for a number of Hungarian intellectuals who came to the U.S. from Hungary and Romania in the 1970's and 80's.
Interview filmed by Réka Pigniczky in Fillmore, New York in August of 2015.