Condolences
Rather than trying to lengthen Bela’s impressive accomplishments and honors, I just want to remember some personal experiences the two of us shared.
We have met in the fall of 1959 while having a sunny lunch hour walk in down town Calgary, where we both worked at the time. Looking back, I was a first year forest engineering student in Sopron, Hungary in September 1952 and Bela was in his final year of petroleum engineering, so we are looking at a relatively short time frame between ‘52 and ‘59. Then the entire student body of this engineering school/university in Sopron was under 1000, and pretty well everybody knew each other at least by sight. As in the military, those in lower ranks, in our case classes, were expected to acknowledge and greet all those in the upper classes regardless of faculty affiliation. The first year students, balecks ( a semi derogatory term) pretty well had to greet everybody. As most of the students had their meals in one common dining hall near campus, we got to know and recognize each other rather quickly. Perhaps that lean/hungry look all of us students had in those years also helped. We might even had bread rationing at the time. While the Marshall Plan was helping western Europe returning to normal; in Hungary no such luck, moreover the Ruskies were also fleecing the country, including a good part of the agricultural production in the name of reparation, “ jovatetel”.
So I recognized and greeted Bela in Calgary, with the usual “Jo Szerencset” . He probably did not recognize me, as one generally only remembered senior students, but addressing him in Hungarian broke the ice. Never bother to ask him later if he indeed recognized me. Anyway, we started chumming around and our friendship endured.
Over the years, the frequency of our contacts varied. I remember in the same year, late ’59, Bela bought a Carmen Gia, and he invited me to go along on a west coast vacation all the way down to Mexico. I guess his boss forced him taking a vacation, as he was working virtually 24/7, and lived in down town Calgary next door to his office with two desirable attributes: close and cheap. How things changed in his later life!!!
We hit the highlights, Portland, the Oregon and California coast, San Francisco, the Hearst Castle, Los Angeles, San Diageo , Tijuana ( some experiences I would not want to repeat here); then returning Hoover Dam, Las Vegas ( virtually a new city then), Grand Canyon, Salt Lake City, then north through Montana, and Canada. It was just before Christmas, and I remember driving through the mountains almost getting stuck in the snow a few times. But the Carman Gia, with the rear engine/drive never let us down. Thinking back now it seems we were rather foolish to this in December. But as the saying goes “ no harm, no foul ”, although we could have run into some real trouble.
It turned out that at the time Bela already knew the local Sopron oil engineering crowd in Calgary, and introduced me as well. Among them the Zondas , who also became lifelong friends.
In those days, we did a fair amount of bird hunting -- mainly ducks—in the fall; although Bela started to become more interested in big game and trophies. Then in 1962 I moved away, and we had a bit of a hiatus in our relationship. I started working in Winnipeg in 1964 that lasted to 1967. Around this time Bela and Kathy had their daughter Darline, I had the honour to be invited to be her God Father, a post I had not been called upon to perform other than attending her wedding some 20+ years later. Actually, I hardly know the role of God Father is in the Hungarian context, it is certainly not like that in the Italian one.
We had more frequent contact in the 1970s, after I started working in Edmonton, and my wife and I often went skiing in Banff. On number of occasions we stopped over at Bela's on our way down, or more accurately crashed for the night; then head out to ski the following morning. They were always the most gracious and welcoming hosts, even though my wife Leslie, with her leftish U K leanings , had some arguments with Bela, the hard-nosed capitalist. All in good humor though, I think?! At the same time, Bela was quickly/successfully was climbing the corporate ladder, and had little time for skiing. But he started his big game hunting world wide, and proudly showing off his success in his trophy-room, in their new palatial spread in S W Calgary.
In the ‘80s, we were all busy with our careers/work, and our contacts became intermittent, to say the least. In the ‘90s, after regime change in Hungary, when the old regime miraculously morphed into a semi-democratic capitalism. Bela become involved/busy with Hungarian politics, as one may gather from the above obit.
Living in different cities, did not help keeping in touch, other then the occasional visits, or phone callas. Then in the late ‘90s, especially after retirement, I started to spend time Cross Country skiing in Peter Lougheed PP in Kananaskis, staying in William Watson Lodge. Bela did not go for XC skiing, but I manage to invite him for a day of Alpine skiing at Fortress Mountain, still operating at the time. Beautiful sunny day, great fun, good times. At the time I wondered why Kathy failed to join us, as she was a pretty good skier. Then it turned out she went out to their summer cottage/ come hunting lodge west of Cochrane, to prepare another of her famous dinners that we partook as we stopped on the way back to Edmonton. My travel companion/ski partner was a neighbour widow lady of exceptional skills on the slopes, Black Dimond level, and Bela was impressed, even suggested possible marriage. She indeed got married a few months later, and we are still good neighbours and share some ski-time in the local Alpine venue. I think the year was 2000, January. This was an ideal set up, staying at WWL, and if there was fresh snow, one could drive to Fortress in 15 minutes, before the XC trails were groomed at PLPP.
Remembering Kathy’s world renown culinary skills, my niece and her husband still talk about the “vadas” dinner we enjoyed at their house, heading back to Edmonton, after winding up our Rocky Mountain tour, as part of their visit in Canada from Holland. That was in the late ‘80s.
Recently, our contact were even less frequent, other then the usual Christmas greetings, and occasional phone calls. This probably happens, as life goes on, and one gets older. And then came the final call from Kathy on a Sunday morning, that Bela has departed for the Happy Huntinground, where we are all headed eventually. As it happened, I started to have some health issues when Kathy called, which is still under observation. But that is another story.
In all, Bela was a good, generous friend and I will miss him. So until we meet again, rest in peace Bela.
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