A hero is someone who turns ideals into life practices - Remembering Árpád Brusznyai

A hero is someone who turns ideals into life practices- said the President on Saturday in Veszprém at the memorial concert held on the centenary of the birth of Árpád Brusznyai, martyr of the 1956 revolution and war of independence.

Katalin Novák said: the greatness of our heroes' sacrifice also stems from the fact that they were not fundamentally different from us. They were also sons or daughters, fathers or mothers, ordinary people grappling with the everyday challenges of life.

What made them exceptional was that their hearts remained steadfast even when it was hardest to make the right decisions. They remained consistent in their yes and no, even when they knew they might pay with their lives for it.

In praising Árpád Brusznyai, the President said, "He was a hero of the heart," simultaneously a hero of his nation and his family. He was a husband and a father, a good-humoured, educated teacher who "spoke when he had to speak and acted when he had to act." This is why he became the President of the National Revolutionary Council of Veszprém County at the age of 32.

The President emphasized that Árpád Brusznyai was not initially sentenced to death, and if "evil" had not demanded aggravation, he would most likely have been released with the 1963 amnesty. His execution is a manifestation of deceit, villainy, disingenuousness, and the distortion of human nature- stated Katalin Novák.

Today, Árpád Brusznyai would have been a hundred years old, but he has been gone for 66 years now, she added. Instead, we must talk about the extinguishing of a young life, the disruption of a promising career, and the permanent silencing of an honourable, courageous man. 

The nation lost a true patriot, Hungarian science lost a talent, the students lost a fantastic teacher, and Veszprém lost an honest character, but the greatest loss befell his family, where he was irreplaceable - she said. She noted that today, Árpád Brusznyai's name is surrounded by glory and respect, while the communists are held in contempt. " Thus, victory belongs to those who are faithful, steadfast, and true." she emphasized.

At the end of her address, Katalin Novák announced that she would contribute a sum of an additional one million forints as presidential support to the Brusznyai Foundation, the organizers of the event, supplementing the funds raised at the event. The 33rd edition of the event saw the traditional presentation of the Brusznyai Awards, which were received by Ágota Bendik, a violinist and music educator, Rita Rostetterné Nagy, a solfège and music theory teacher and conductor, and Kata Németh, a graduating student from the Vetési High School in Veszprém.