Stephen Szabo
(09/10/2011)
was born in Hungary in the town of Szerencs, on
March 5, 1927. His parents Istvan (Stephen) Szabo
and Julianna Szegedi. His father was the Chief
Elder at the old Protestant Church and wanted to
give his son a good education to become a
Protestant Minister. Soon he started to study at
the College of Sarospatak a famous school where
Comeneus once was teaching.
After graduation
Stephen went to Budapest, to study to become a
Film Maker against his fathers wish, but his
studies were interrupted by the communist
takeover.
He married Eva (nee Nemes) a Librarian
in December 1951; they had a son Stephen born on
July 30, 1953.
After the 1956 revolution we left
Hungary with our three year old son and came to
the United States of America.
Settled briefly in Dayton, Ohio and came to New
York City. He worked with the Freedom Fighters
Association (Hungarian) with General Bela Kiraly,
then the Savoy Hilton, the Presbyterian Center’s
Media Group out of 120 Street, New York City,
Where he made some “TV Spots” about children, and
hunger in different parts of the world, worked in
Rockefeller University in New York also in MSKCC
Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center and other
places and finally in Dominican College in
Orangeburg, New York.
During the 1960’s he took and completed Master
courses at Columbia University. In 1989- 1990 when
the Russians left Hungary, he was able to get his
Diploma from the Fine Arts College in Budapest.
He was a Professor and Director of Audio Visual
Department at Dominican College where he taught
for twenty years. During all this time he was
very active in his Hungarian Church.
He was
offered a position as Lay Minister and voted by a
small Hungarian Protestant Congregation in
Cliffside Park, NJ to have Sunday services for 20-
25 years. During the same time he had the
Hungarian Radio Program at Rutgers State
University in New Brunswick, New Jersey on Sunday mornings
called the “Hungarian Hour”.
At the Hungarian Reformed Church in New York City
at 82nd Street he became an Elder, then Chief
Elder of the New York Classis, and Chief Elder of
Synod in the Hungarian Reformed Church in America
for twelve years, first with Bishop Rt. Rev. Dr.
Andrew Harsanyi, later with Rt. Rev. Bishop
Alexander Forro.
He was editor of Magyar Egyhaz –
Hungarian Church for eight years (1994-2002).
In 1996 the Hungarian Consultative Synod was
formed in Hungary (Budapest and Debrecen) Istvan
(Stephen) Szabo served as Clerical President until
2003 with President Rt. Rev. Kalman Csiha Bishop
which included all Hungarian Protestant Churches
around the world.
In 2003, Stephen became Vice
President of the Consultative Synod with Dr. Rt.
Rev. Geza Erdelyi Bishop.
Funeral Service Friday, September 16, 2011 at
11:00 AM at the Hungarian Reformed Church, 220 4th
Street, Passaic, NJ 07055.
Interment George
Washington Memorial Park, Paramus. Family will
receive friends on Thursday, September 15, 2011
from 4:00 – 8:00 PM at the Vander Plaat Memorial
Home, S-113 Farview Ave., Paramus, NJ.
In lieu of flowers donations may be made in his
memory to the Hungarian Reformed Church or charity
of your choice.