Recipients of State Honours on the occasion of Hungary’s 20 August National Day
On the occasion of Hungary’s National Day on 20 August, the President of Hungary, on the proposal of the Prime Minister, awarded
the Grand Cross of the HUNGARIAN ORDER OF MERIT (Civil Division)
- to György Cserhalmi, Actor of the Nation, recipient of the Kossuth and Béla Balázs Prizes, Meritorious Artist and a Full Member of the Hungarian Academy of Arts, in recognition of his artistic career spanning several decades, during which, as an outstanding figure in Hungarian drama, he has created lasting value in cultural life through his versatile talent and unforgettable performances in theatre and film roles;
the Commander’s Cross of the HUNGARIAN ORDER OF MERIT with Star (Civil Division)
- to Ildikó Pongor, a Kossuth and Ferenc Liszt Prize-winning dancer, Outstanding and Meritorious Artist, Permanent Member and Master Artist of the Hungarian State Opera House, and rehearsal and training ballet master of the Hungarian National Ballet, in recognition of her work as a ballet master, carried out with outstanding professional expertise and great dedication, combining classical traditions with a modern perspective;
- to János Rainer M., Széchenyi Prize-winning historian, Full Member of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Professor at the Institute of History, Faculty of Humanities, Károly Eszterházy Catholic University of Eger, Head of the Doctoral School of History, and Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the 1956 Institute Foundation, in recognition of his outstanding work in exploring and authentically presenting 20th-century Hungarian history, particularly the events of the 1956 Revolution and War of Independence and the period of the communist dictatorship, research and educational work that has created a lasting legacy in Hungarian historical scholarship;
the Commander’s Cross of the HUNGARIAN ORDER OF MERIT (Civil Division)
- to Mihály Balázs, DLA, recipient of the Kossuth Prize, the Pro Architectura, the Ybl Miklós Prize and the Kós Károly Lifetime Achievement Award, Full Member of the Hungarian Academy of Arts and the European Academy of Sciences and Arts, and Professor Emeritus at the Budapest University of Technology and Economics, in recognition of his outstanding architectural oeuvre, comprising numerous iconic buildings, and his four decades of pioneering teaching work;
- to Dr Tibor Berceli, State Prize-winning electrical engineer, Doctor of Technical Sciences and Professor Emeritus at the Budapest University of Technology and Economics, in recognition of his world-class achievements in research, development and innovation in the field of microwave telecommunications, as well as his outstanding contribution to establishing and developing a professional school of thought;
- to Dr Botond Fülöp, lawyer, in recognition of his dedicated work to strengthen the rule of law and public trust, and his active role in public life;
- to Dr Gábor Halmai, constitutional lawyer, Doctor of Political Science and Law, Professor Emeritus at Eötvös Loránd University, in recognition of his outstanding academic and teaching work in the field of constitutional law, as well as his highly influential professional activities as founding editor-in-chief of the human rights journal ‘Fundamentum’;
- to György Kiss, legal scholar, Full Member of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences, former Dean of the Faculty of Political Science and International Studies at the National University of Public Service, former Head of Department at the Faculty of Political Science and Law at the University of Pécs, and university professor, in recognition of his outstanding academic work, particularly his research into the institutional relationship between private law and labour law, European labour law, and comparative public service law, and in recognition of his dedicated teaching activities;
- to Imre Kovách, sociologist, Corresponding Member of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Chair of the Doctoral Council of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences, external corresponding member of the Académie d’agriculture de France, research professor at the Centre for Social Sciences Research at Eötvös Loránd University, and professor at the Faculty of Arts of the University of Debrecen, in recognition of his outstanding and internationally recognised scholarly work in the field of research into structural, power and integration changes amongst the political and economic elites and in Hungarian rural society, as well as his pioneering teaching activities;
- to András Sajó, legal scholar, Full Member of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences, founding dean of the Faculty of Law at the Central European University, former Vice-President and Judge of the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg, in recognition of his outstanding academic work in the field of constitutional law and his service as a member of the European Court of Human Rights;
- to Dr Andrea Szegedi, Corresponding Member of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Director of the Department of Dermatology at the Clinical Centre of the University of Debrecen, and Head of Department and Professor, in recognition of her outstanding scientific work in the fields of dermatological llergology and immunology, as well as her teaching activities that have shaped the thinking of a new generation of specialists, and her effective leadership;
the Officer’s Cross of the HUNGARIAN ORDER OF MERIT (Civil Division)
- to Dr Gyula Katona, Doctor of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences and Professor at the Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Informatics, Budapest University of Technology and Economics, in recognition of his decades of scientific work as an internationally renowned researcher in the field of hypergraphs, as well as his contribution the mathematical education of future generations of technical professionals;
- to Dr Zoltán Kovács, Associate Professor and Head of Department at the Institute of Educational Sciences, Kaposvár Campus, Hungarian University of Agricultural and Life Sciences, and Director of the István Szentandrássy University Roma College, in recognition of his community organising and network-building work, which has a nationwide impact and serves to nurture the talents of Roma students and promote their social inclusion;
- to Dr Zoltán Kövecses, Doctor of Linguistics, full member of the Academia Europaea and Professor Emeritus at Eötvös Loránd University, in recognition of his internationally outstanding academic work spanning five decades in the fields of cognitive linguistics and lexicography, as well as his dedicated work as an educator;
- to Nóra L. Ritók, teacher, recipient of the János Apáczai Csere Award, founder and professional director of the Igazgyöngy Foundation in Berettyóújfalu, and founder and former principal of the Igazgyöngy Primary School of the Arts, in recognition of her decades of exemplary dedication as a teacher, working to improve the opportunities for disadvantaged children and their families, and her value-creating and pioneering social work;
- to Dr György Amadé Németh, an ancient historian, classical philologist, Doctor of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences, and professor at the Faculty of Humanities, Eötvös Loránd University, in recognition of his decades of academic work in the field of Classical Studies, as well as his activities as a research organiser and educator;
- to István Ulbert, Doctor of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Full Member of the Academia Europaea, Director of the Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience and Psychology at the HUN-REN Research Centre for Natural Sciences, and university professor, in recognition of his teaching, mentoring and institution-building activities, which have made an outstanding contribution to the development of neuroscience in Hungary and internationally, as well as his commitment to the professional community;
the Knight’s Cross of the HUNGARIAN ORDER OF MERIT (Civil Division)
- to sociologist László Bass, Assistant Professor at the Faculty of Social Sciences, Eötvös Loránd University; for his work spanning several decades in the fields of child poverty, inequalities and the living conditions of disadvantaged families, as well as his dedicated teaching activities;
- to Dr Rózsa Mária Papp Beregszászi-Nagyné, plastic and burn surgeon, paediatric surgeon, paediatrician, and Head of the Department of Paediatric Surgery, Traumatology and Burns at the Borsod-Abaúj-Zemplén County Central Hospital and University Teaching Hospital, in recognition of her work of the highest standard in the field of paediatric surgery and burn and plastic surgery;
- to Dr Kornél Czimber, Deputy Dean and Professor at the Faculty of Forestry, University of Sopron, in recognition of his outstanding scientific and educational work in higher forestry education, research as well as his role in the development and practical implementation of geospatial software supporting modern forestry management operations;
- to Dr Jolán Csiszár, Associate Professor at the Faculty of Natural Sciences and Information Technology, University of Szeged, in recognition of her outstanding research and teaching activities in the field of plant biology, her dedicated work in the organisation of education, and her contributions to the professional life of the academic community;
- to Dr Ottó Dóka, former Vice-Chancellor of Széchenyi István University and professor at its Faculty of Information Technology and Electrical Engineering, in recognition of his outstanding scientific work, teaching and leadership activities, and his pivotal role in coordinating university research and regional development;
- to Dr Diana Judit Hay, Chief Archivist at the Library and Information Centre of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences and former Director of the Academy Archives, in recognition of her many decades of versatile, high-calibre professional and managerial work, as well as her role in organising the Hungarian Academy of Sciences’ 200th-anniversary celebrations;
- to Lívia Pápai, a Ferenczy Noémi Prize-winning textile artist and honorary professor at the Faculty of Arts, University of Pécs, in recognition of her artistic work spanning several decades, which has contributed to the high standards of Hungarian art and culture, as well as her teaching activities;
- to Dr Imre Péter, specialist pharmacist and retired Director of Quality Management at Richter Gedeon Plc., in recognition of his outstanding professional and managerial work carried out over several decades to develop quality assurance in the domestic pharmaceutical industry and to strengthen the international recognition of Hungarian pharmaceutical manufacturing;
- to Kati Zsurzs, actress, in recognition of her versatile artistic work, which has enriched Hungarian theatre and film culture through her exceptional talent and sensitive characterisation;
the Knight’s Cross of the HUNGARIAN ORDER OF MERIT (Military Division)
- to Brigadier General Zoltán Németh, Chief of Staff of the Joint Forces Operational Command of the Hungarian Defence Forces, in recognition of his exemplary professional and leadership work, carried out with outstanding competence over several decades of military service in the interests of strengthening our country’s security and defence capabilities;
the HUNGARIAN GOLD CROSS OF MERIT (Civil Division)
- to Balázs Lóránt Csépányi, agricultural engineer, retired director of the living collections at the Budapest Zoo and Botanical Garden, in recognition of his decades of high-calibre work in the fields of zoology, animal husbandry and animal nutrition, as well as his pivotal role in the development of the institution;
- to László József Hoczek, Director-General of the Kisalföld Agricultural Vocational Training Centre, in recognition of his dedicated, high-calibre work in the field of secondary agricultural vocational education;
- to Gábor Kardos, Conductor of the Szeged National Theatre, in recognition of his artistic work, carried out with exemplary dedication over four decades in the service of Hungarian opera culture,
- to Dr István Komáromi, Németh László Prize-winning teacher, research lecturer, former principal of the Eötvös József Primary and Secondary School at the University of Nyíregyháza, and honorary senior lecturer, in recognition of his work as a teacher and head of institution, carried out with great dedication,
- to János Lingauer, retired Director of Nature Conservation at the former National Directorate-General for Environmental Protection, Nature Conservation and Water Management, in recognition of his outstanding professional and managerial work in the field of nature conservation and the development of domestic ecotourism;
- to Zoltán Imre Molnár, trumpeter, section leader of the Hungarian National Philharmonic Orchestra and lecturer in trumpet at the Faculty of Music, University of Debrecen, in recognition of his outstanding work as an orchestral musician, chamber musician and soloist,
- to László Rossa, composer and musical director, in recognition of his outstanding creative work over several decades in the fields of folk music and composition, which has enriched both domestic and international cultural life, and his exemplary professional dedication,
- to Béla Szemán, actor and director, in recognition of his decades of work as an actor and his activities as a director, particularly in the creation of youth theatre productions;
the HUNGARIAN SILVER CROSS OF MERIT (Civil Division)
- to Lajos Szabó, horticultural engineer and plant pathologist, and retired technical adviser to the former Ministry of Agriculture, in recognition of his more than three decades of high-calibre work in the fields of plant health and plant protection, as well as his contribution to the professional public life of his scientific community;
- to Borbála Winklerné Petri-Kiss, costume designer, traditional costume maker and head of the costume department at the Hungarian State Folk Ensemble, in recognition of her outstanding work in the field of Hungarian stage folk dance,