Labor Day is a time to celebrate work. When better, to talk about a family whose very happiness was rooted in the
ir work? This article ran September 2nd, 2012 on the Op-ed page of the Baltimore Sun.
A Labor of Love
Despite criticism of organized religion, there are times when The Church gets it right. Such was the case in 1957 when a middle-class congregation made a difference in the lives of a family from halfway around the world. Who would have thought that an act of kindness could have such a lasting impact on a family and a community?
The 1956 Hungarian revolution was an uprising against a Stalinist government and Soviet-imposed policies. It resulted in the deaths of 2500 Hungarians and a mass migration of 200,000 men, women and children into Austria. They lived in refugee camps until they were gradually accepted into other countries. Thirty thousand were brought to the United States, where churches played a crucial role in their future.
Sponsoring immigrants was an ambitious undertaking for a church with limited resources. It meant finding employment, providing shelter, food, and clothing. In short, it meant caring for them until they were self-sufficient and part of the community.
It was risky. There was a possibility of illness — mental or physical, poor behavior, laziness… Yet, the congregation of Kenwood Presbyterian Church in Baltimore, pledged to be responsible for a couple in their thirties, and their nine-year-old daughter.
The church rented a small apartment in an older house for $50 a month. A teenager at the time, I made countless trips to the apartment, helping my parents to deliver donated furniture, and food for the pantry shelves. The churchwomen filled the tiny closet with clothing.
Lewis and Paula Varga and their daughter, Paula, had made a harrowing escape from their home in Hungary and across the border into Austria. After four months, they were chosen by sponsors and brought to the United States, the country of their choice. They spent several days in Camp Kilmer, N.J. Then, with the $50 they had earned working in Austria, and speaking no English, they climbed into a car with strangers for the final leg of their journey — to a place called Baltimore.
With the help of a church committee and an interpreter from the Hungarian community, Lewis Varga began a job in the field he knew best. His daughter (now Paula Nyitrai) recalled that on the day after their arrival in Baltimore, her father went to work in a barbershop a block from their new apartment. He worked side by side with the owner, Mr. Walter Stevens, who would grow to appreciate not only his barbering skills, but his hard work and commitment to the job. Mr. Varga was embraced by the clients as well, for his calm, friendly manner.
When the second mont
h’s rent on the apartment came due, Mr. Varga told the church committee that he was ready to take over. The church had made its first and only payment on the rent.
Soon after young Paula was settled into the 3rd grade at a nearby school, Mrs. Varga began a job in a beauty shop, using the skills she had learned in Hungary.
Kenwood’s congregation looked upon the quiet, industrious family living far from their native land, with affection and wonder. Churchwomen maintained daily contact, and in some cases, established lifelong friendships with the family. Lewis and Paula were given Kenwood’s blessing to attend services in a Catholic Church, the church to which they had belonged in Hungary – though they would be frequent visitors to Kenwood.
When I asked Paula Nyitrai if she remembered those early days with her parents, she responded, “Like it was yesterday.” She described a terrifying, late-night game of follow the leader through a darkened forest – 100 people marching single file — falling silently to the ground from time to time like a row of dominoes — scarcely breathing, until it was safe. “Some thought we had been betrayed by our leader, and wanted to hang him. My father said, ‘no!’”
She remembered her mother being so thirsty that she drank the Vodka meant to bribe Russian soldiers, had they been captured. “It was her first alcohol,” said Mrs. Nyitrai. “She was the only happy one in our group.
“And when we finally got to America, I remember two parents who gave new meaning to the word frugal. We lived on potatoes and, on a good day, there was a chicken in the pot.”
The Vargas’ work ethic was impressive. From the minute their shops opened in the morning, until they closed at night, Lewis and Paula were on the job — six long days a week. In short, their happiness was rooted in their work.
A year and a half after arriving in Baltimore, the Vargas left their cramped apartment to realize the great American dream. They made a down payment on a new $12,000 semi-detached house, where they would live for the next twenty-nine years.
Dealing with the public in their jobs had eased the transition to a new language, especially for Lewis and young Paula, and in 1963, the Varga family achieved what had once seemed unimaginable. They became American citizens.
In an attempt to pay forward the kindnesses shown to them, they, too, would sponsor refugees. When they discovered that the house with the tiny apartment where they had first lived was for sale, they bought it, and eventually, the house next door.
“They never missed an opportunity to work,” said Mrs. Nyitrai. “Sundays were spent making repairs to the two older houses they now owned.”
In the early 1970s, Walter Stevens, Mr. Varga’s employer and friend, had to retire. With the future of the barbershop uncertain, Lewis Varga purchased the business and continued serving the people of the community until his wife’s poor health hastened his retirement in the late 1980s.
The couple who 
didn’t know the meaning of immediate gratification were still clipping coupons and shopping the sales at the end of their lives. Said Mrs. Nyitrai, “It was their life: hard-work; thrift; and generosity. They thanked God every day just for the opportunity to work in this great country.” The couple lived well into their eighties.
After our two hour interview, Mrs. Nyitrai looked at her watch. At 65, the wife, mother, and grandmother is still a busy real estate agent. “I just have this compulsion to work,” she told me, her eyes glistening. “I can’t imagine why.”
She had been wrong about one thing, of course. The Varga family did not come to America with only $50 and the clothes they wore. They brought so much more – an incredible attitude about work, and a willingness to sacrifice for a better life.
24 Comments
Peg, this was a story I remember well, but needed to have brought back into my memory. Being a little older than you, I was in college when they came, but saw them numerous times on my visits home. Mother and Dad were so very fond of them and they were an inspiration to so many. Paula was darling! I am amazed at the number of your fans who actually knew and remembered the family and are now reliving those past memories because of your story. Beautifully done!
Love, Jan
This is a wonderful, heart-warming story…not only about the virtue of hard work but about the spirit of generosity that is at the heart of the Christian faith, and the willingness of the Kenwood congregation to embrace it. We could use more of that spirit in our land today.
Peggy,
I enjoyed your story about the Vargas. It was neat that you got to see the story unfold firsthand for so many years, and could tell us about it. The generosity and care of the church was gratifying, especially today when so much of religion seems motivated by political maneuvering rather than true interest in the welfare of fellow travelers. It’s good to remember how essential hard work is to any endeavor, but I also thank you for illustrating how important it is that we bravely offer our generosity to others. Hard work so often inspires the next act of generosity, which helps us keep the good stuff going.
I hope you continue to have success as a writer. Thank you for your gentle spirit.
Kind Regards,
Martha
Hi Peggy
That was very inspiring, and the comments from your readers touching.
We need more good families as such in USA,
I know of many here in Texas, most from Centrial America, but in the same situation.
Unfortunately, some in this country look down on those families and want them deported.
It’s sad.
Rich
Hi Peggy,
I just finished reading your wonderful story on the Varga family. I asked my husband (a dentist) if he remembered the barbershop on Belair Road. He immediately said he remembered Lewis Vargas and that he had come from Hungary.
He needed some dental work but didn’t have much money. My husband saw him and didn’t charge him or the church for the service. So Mr. Varga became his barber and would not charge him for his haircuts. They were both just starting out and were so kind and considerate to each other……
We both loved the story…..
Thank you.
Eunice
Peggy:
I just read your story in the Baltimore Sun about the Varga family, and I wanted to let you know that I thought it was very, very well written. Each paragraph prompted me to the next and by the time I got to the end, I had tears in my eyes – a testimonial to a great storyteller. Not tears of sadness, but tears of joy for the life these people lived here in the U.S. and of their work ethic. If only more people were like the Varga family!
Thank you for telling their story — it really made my day!
Jeanie
Peggy,
Great article about Mr. Varga. I’m a longtime resident of Overlea (past 50 years) and went to Mr. Varga for my haircuts as a teen and later a rookie Baltimore County police officer.
I remember one time as a teen coming home after getting a haircut from him and realizing that I forgot to pay him. I immediately went back to pay and was greeted by a very understanding Lewis who was not the least bit worried about it knowing somehow that I would be back. Later when I bought my own old house in Overlea we would discuss renovation projects and he would give much needed advice to a 23 year old new homeowner.
Through the years I have often wondered how he was doing and wishing I knew a little more about his personal history.
My brother called me this morning to tell me about the article with the belief that he is the one in the photo being given the haircut. When I saw the photo I called him back with certainty that it was him, however unless it is a grainy photo my brother resembles the one in the photo more so now than he would have 30 years ago in 1980.
As I look at it now I still believe it is my brother. In the meantime we will try to find other photo’s of him from that time period to try to determine if it is him.
More importantly thank you for your work on this story. In light of today’s constant discussion and contention over immigration and being the Labor Day weekend it is a very timely story.
I was hoping to read the conclusion of the story and learn that he is still alive and well so I could visit him.
He was a very good man.
Dennis
Thanks for the wonderful story on Lew Varga and his family. I was a customer of his during the 1970s when I was dating my wife-to-be who lived on Kenwood Avenue.
I remember Lew telling me he was Hungarian (in answer to my question), but never knew the struggles he and his family went through and the success he made in his life with the initial and critical help of the Kenwood Presbyterian Church.
Lew was an excellent barber and a wonderful man. We sometimes spoke of music and he would say how beautiful the Hungarian language is, and would give me examples of how their words flowed so smoothly. After my wife and I married in 1977 (at St. Michael’s church in Overlea), we moved to Ellicott City and I never saw Lew again.
Don
Dear Mrs. Rowe,
Just a note to tell you how much I enjoyed your article on the Vargas family. This is the kind of story I would love to see more of, and with it having local flare for me, it was even more enjoyable. And then I saw your byline.
Thanks for a story that made me smile.
Lorraine
Hi Peggy,
I went out and purchased a Sunday paper so I could read your article. How wonderful! My mother’s family is from Slovenia, and I relate to the struggle they made when they came to this country. They, however, did not have a church membership supporting them.
In my job as an export paralegal, one of my duties is obtaining foreign national licenses so the companies we represent can hire non-US citizens to work. Many of them dream of coming to this country to enjoy our freedoms, and truly all they want to do is work, and work hard, like the family in your story.
You were a good citizen to let people know they should appreciate our Labor Day holiday!
Mary-jo
Mrs. Rowe,
This was such a moving and honest portrayal of the Varga family. Paula, Lou and their son Steve have been very close and dear friends of our family for over 35 years. We know first hand the hard work, determination, love and generosity of the Vargas. Paula is a product of her parent’s deep convictions of helping others and always being the most honest people you will ever meet. There is almost nothing Paula with her big heart would not do for any living sole especially those in need. It took Paula’s parents incredible courage to leave a known environment (even if that environment was harrowing) and face the fears that all immigrants face of unknown consequences. This is where we all can say how lucky we are that your church sponsored their family. The Vargas were always so incredibly appreciative of being able to come to the United States and proud to become citizens. Thank you for sharing their story.
Rich & Kay
Hello Ms. Rowe,
I was delighted to read your article concerning the Vargas family. It brought back a lot of memories for me since my family had a similar immigration history. We were also sponsored by a congregation from Annapolis and received support from them. My family left Hungary in the winter of 1956 and arrived in Camp Kilmer, N.J. at Christmas time.
If you could share my e-mail address with Ms. Nyitrai, I would greatly appreciate it.
Tibor
Thank you for a meaningful article.
As a fellow immigrant, arriving as WWII refugee 8 years before the Varga family , i felt a great kinship with them. I came with nothing and accomplished as much as my U.S. contemporaries. Yes, we worked hard, scrimped and saved. Yes, I still darn my socks, turn shirtcollars, make my own bread and clip coupons and much more. I have yet to meet any of my of my compatriots who did not become as good an American citizen as the native born. I would like to enclose with a partial translation of the “Fare-well” note I received as I departed the refugee camp to embark on my journey to the U.S. This may explain why we, natives of Hungary, did our best for ourselves and for our new country.
“May the Almighty’s blessing accompany you on your difficult journey. Do not forget that you are and shall remain the son of a “Thousand-year old” nation. Your holy homeland’s passionate love will always be with you and this sentiment ties us together.
Bring honor to the Hungarian name. Serve your new country steadfastly. Be thankful for your life and your future. Be an outstanding citizen, honest and moral, prove that the Hungarian can be an asset and that you contribute to the spiritual and economic advance of your new counrty. Grow and advance with honorable work.
But do not forget that you were born a Hungarian, do not forget the many who remained in our homeland, from where you were fortunate to escape in good health and unhurt.”
Sincerely,
Margaret
Thanks, Mrs. Rowe! What a great testimony to the value of Work. We know jobs are necessary. But Jobs are Jobs. And Work is Work. And there is no substitute for the non-monetary benefits received from a hard day’s work—you can get those with, or without, a job. And I thought that came through perfectly.
And thank you for quoting Mrs. Nyitrai the way you did. It revealed so much: ““I just have this compulsion to work,” she told me, her eyes glistening. “I can’t imagine why.”
Thanks, again!
All I can say is ‘awesome’. And take Mike’s offer!!
So encouraging and so true. It HAS worked in the past, as Mike posted. And it is working right now.
My step-sister has helped sponsor several young men through her church. They have become known to the world as the “Lost Boys” of the Sudan. One of them lives in the basement of her home.
She also has an adopted Chinese daughter along with her 3 birth-sons. She went to China to get her.
Since I have known my sister since she was 4, I’m doubly pleased to see how she has grown into such a beautiful and giving person.
You are right Mrs. Rowe. The Varga family did come to America with more than $50. And they were greeted with love.
Thank you Peggy for recounting the story of our family in such a touching and professional way. Many years ago, the kindness of your family and fellow Church members changed the life of one family that needed help to restart their lives. We will always remember and be grateful for the opportunity all of you gave us for a better life. Stay “Dirty” Mike! Paula Nyitrai (Varga) and family.
That is a wonderful example of the opportunity that is America. Thank you for sharing their inspiring story. Sometimes, we need to be reminded. I look forward to your book, Mrs. Rowe.
Wonderful story. Simple and yet so powerful. As usual beautifully written. We’re you a professional writer before this blog? I hope to see your stories in a book someday soon (hint). So, yes Mike, get your mom an agent quick!
Mother -
That does it. I’m getting you an agent.
Mike
Thanks for sharing their story Peggy, it’s perfect for Labor Day. I don’t know if you realize how well you write, you really have a gift. I always am so happy to see Shari’s notice on the board, “Peggy’s new blog.” I come running over here to read, your stories are like a little present.
Thank you for this, Mrs. Rowe. This account of the Varga family is so encouraging and so timely. We need to be reminded of what is possible with the support of loving friends, hard work, sacrifice and determination. And their example of paying it forward is something each of us can learn from.
What a wonderful story & truly inspirational!! Thank you Mrs. Rowe for sharing these wonderful people’s journey.