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The Fifth Annual Gala Dinner of the Hungarian American Coalition Pays Tribute to Former Deputy Secretary of State John C. Whitehead

Master of Ceremonies Andrea Lauer Rice Praised Whitehead for his Personal Courage and Lifelong Commitment to Supporting Hungarian Causes

Andrea Lauer Rice, gala emcee and founder and chief executive officer of the multimedia educational firm Lauer Learning, Inc., welcomed the crowd of over 100 attendees and thanked them for supporting the Hungarian American community and the Coalition. She also congratulated John Whitehead, for his "amazing generosity and support of causes, especially during the 1956 Hungarian Revolution."

"During the Hungarian Revolution of 1956 John Whitehead was so moved by the struggle of the Hungarian People for their freedom from communist rule that he provided supplies and equipment and delivered them personally to the freedom fighters in the heart of Budapest during the battle. He became an honorary Hungarian and founded the Hungarian American Enterprise Fund", said Lauer Rice, vice president of the Coalition. "He has been a long-time supporter of Hungarian causes - all without having a single drop of Hungarian blood running through his veins."

"As all of you know," Lauer Rice continued, "the Coalition works diligently to help address the vital challenge many ethnic communities face today - the challenge of how to pass on love of our ethnic heritage to the next generation and to the larger American community. This concept - Pass It On… and keeping rich, vibrant cultures alive for generations to come – is embodied in the lifelong work of our honoree, John Whitehead. He is an inspiration to all of us."

The evening began with a reception and private viewing of an exhibit of 21 Hungarian women photographers entitled ‘Picturing Progress, Hungarian Women Photographers from 1900-1945', which is part of Extremely Hungary, a year long festival showcasing contemporary Hungarian visual, performing, and literary arts in New York and Washington, D.C., throughout 2009. Numerous well-known diplomats attended the exhibit, including Nancy Brinker, founder of Susan G. Komen Foundation for the Cure; Kurt Volker, ambassador to NATO; and Daniel Fried, assistant Secretary of State for the Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs.

Dinner, a musical performance by the Kalman Balogh Gypsy Cimbalim Band and Tisza Folk Dance Ensemble and ceremonies followed.

As attendees were seated for dinner, Lauer Rice personally acknowledged many of the renowned guests including: the former Governor of New York George Pataki, Ambassador George Herbert Walker III and Mrs. Carol Walker, His Excellency Ambassador Ferenc Somogyi of Hungary and Mrs. Andrea Somogyi, Mrs. Annette Lantos, Mrs. Ina Ginsberg, The Honorable Mary Mochary, The Honorable Arnaud de Borchgrave and Mrs. Alexandra de Borchgrave, Ambassador Donald Blinken and Mrs. Vera Blinken, Ambassador Richard Solomon and the Honorable Mrs. Anne Solomon, The Honorable William Webster and Mrs. Webster, Mrs. Zsuzsanna Karasz Lipsky and Dr. John Lipszky, deputy managing director of the IMF, Mr. John Lauer, chairman of the board of Diebold Incorporated and Mrs. Edith Lauer, Chair Emeritus of the Coalition, Dr. August Molnar, last year's Gala honoree, and founder and president of the American Hungarian Foundation, Ambassador Thomas Robertson and Mrs. Antoinette Robertson, The Honorable Richard Swett and Dr. Katrina Swett, president of the Lantos Foundation for Peace and Justice, Mr. Steven Varga, chairman of the William Penn Association, The Honorable Dr. Lee Edwards, chairman of the Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation, and Dr. Anne Edwards, Mr. and Mrs. Laszlo Megyeri, president of the Hungarian Reformed Federation of America, The Honorable Joseph Bader and Mrs. Anne Bader, Ms. Julia Ernst, executive director of the Youth Orchestra of the Americas, Mr. Jeffrey Hovenier, director for Central & Eastern Europe at the White House National Security Council, The Honorable Tobi Gati and Charles Gati, Ambassador Istvan Gyarmati, president of the International Center for Democratic Transition, The Honorable Walter Cutler and Mrs. Didi Cutler, The Honorable Bonnie Macelveen Hunter, The Honorable Selwa Roosevelt, The Honorable Damon Wilson.

In addition Lauer Rice welcomed Laszlo Bojtos, chairman of the Hungarian American Coalition and Honorary Consul and Mrs. Gyorgyi Bojtos, Max Teleki, president of the Coalition and Mrs. Wendy Teleki and Mr. and Mrs. John C. Whitehead, the evening's award recipient. Co-sponsors of the Gala were Former Governor George Pataki, Ambassador George Walker and Mrs. Carol Walker.

Coalition President Maximilian Teleki introduced the 2009 Honoree, John Whitehead and on behalf of the Coalition and guests praised him for his service to his country in "wartime and peacetime, as a soldier, diplomat from D-day to Ground Zero". Whitehead was not only the deputy secretary of state under President Reagan; he served as chair of the World Trade Center Memorial Foundation and was former co-chairman of Goldman Sachs.

Following Whitehead's acceptance of the award, George Walker, the Honorable Mary Mochary, Former Governor Pataki, Ferenc Somogyi, Ambassador of Hungary, and Mrs. Edith Lauer gave tribute to the honoree.

Pataki thanked Whitehead for "his crucial role in rebuilding New York" after the events of September 11 as the chairman of the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation. "You are an extraordinary human being," Pataki said.

Lauer Rice ended the festivities with a final thank you to all the Gala participants, singling out the gala's major HAC sponsors including: the Charles Simonyi Fund for Arts & Sciences', William Penn Association, Diebold Incorporated, International Center for Democratic Transition, Victims of Communism Foundation, Goldman Sachs, The Danube Fund, Hungary-Missouri Educational Partnership, and The Lantos Foundation for Human Rights and Justice.