Hungarian Freedom Fighters Move In
Two Hungarian brothers, twenty-eight year old Zoltan and twenty-nine year old Lazlo Popp, moved into my building in 1965. It was eight years after they immigrated to Buffalo, NY from Kabesca, a city in The Communist Hungary, a year after the Hungarian Revolution ended. As protesters and fighters in their home country, to fleeing as refugees, they eventually found their way to freedom in the United States.
When they first arrived, they lived with their deceased father’s older brother, their Uncle Istvan (Stephan) Popp and his family, who were already settled in the U.S. Istvan had previously come under The Displaced Persons Act of 1948, which allowed certain people displaced by World War II, to qualify for Permanent Residence.
The day the brothers moved into my building, I thought they were flying up the stairs to their new living quarters! I didn’t know it right then, but it was a momentous time in their lives. How proud Zoltan and Laszlo were to be able to afford their own apartment together. The reason this was possible, is because they were both hired at The Mentholatum Company located at 1360 Niagara St., only a short distance away. The Mentholatum Company was an 80,000 sq. ft. factory built in 1919 that manufactured a product of menthol, camphor and petrolatum, used to alleviate muscle aches and to relieve congestion. Zoltan and Laszlo felt lucky to be hired as two of the seventy-five employees. When you read their full story in my book, Fred: Building of Dreams, you’ll learn more about how Mentholatum was made.
The brothers flight to freedom is an unbelievable tale. Thousands of Hungarians were killed, but the young men were fortunate enough to be among the youngest group of about 40,000 refugees who arrived in America with the help of the Hungarian Freedom Fund. There’s not enough time to share more details now, but their story will touch your heart and shows the power of hope, survival, and freedom.
Freds Publicity Update
Book Signing with Frances R. Schmidt, author of FRED: Buffalo Building of Dreams
Additional Announcements
Wednesday June 15th 7:00pm
Presentation from the Author of FRED: Buffalo Building of Dreams
Town of Tonawanda Public Library Kenmore Branch
160 Delaware Rd, Kenmore, NY 14217
Flyer of Event
Buffalo and Erie County Public Library Presents Author Talks with Frances R. Schmidt, Author of FRED: Buffalo Building of Dreams. This presentation will also be available on the Buffalo & Erie County Public Library YouTube Station.
Novel Receives International Recognition
It is an honor to share FRED: Buffalo Building of Dreams international recognition for receiving an Independent Press award as Winner/Distinguished favorite in the Historical Fiction category for 2022.
Best,
Frances R. Schmidt, Author
SECRETS
I’ve learned many secrets in my lifetime. Some are too hot to handle. To me a secret between two people is sacred. Only sometimes they reveal themselves in unexpected ways. I believe we all have secrets and some we never share with anyone except ourselves.
I don’t think secrets are bad if they keep people from despair. I was a secret for a hundred and twenty years. Now many of my historical secrets have been revealed while others will remain hidden within my walls. They can be happy or sad depending on one’s circumstances. They can even be serious or embarrassing. Sometimes saving lives or destroying them.
To tell or not to tell a secret is a question I’ve often asked myself while telling my tenants tales. I’ve learned what it is to be a human, although I’m really only a building with a human perspective. I’ve tried to be understanding and kind when privy to secrets. They have sometimes inspired and disillusioned me. I’ve learned to respect and at times fear knowing them.
Most of all I believe secrets can help us to survive tragic situations. And if the bearer of a powerful secret can make the world a better place, it would be worth sharing…
Best,
FRED
Message to FREDs friends, followers and post viewers. Wishing everyone a HAPPY NEW YEAR 2022 filled with hope
Hope warms the heart in times of need. Hope helps us survive to face our fears. Hope transcends our thoughts of loss. Hope is an invisible thread of steel that can be tapped into for a lifetime…
Best,
Fred
Hope is Priceless
Greetings to FREDs Friends and Followers:
FRED has had an extraordinary surprise and wants to share it. My author, Frances R. Schmidt, received a NYC Big Book Award for FRED: Buffalo Building of Dreams in the historical fiction category as a 2021 Distinguished Favorite.
The competition is judged by experts from different aspects of the book industry including publishers, writers, editors, book cover designers and professional copy writers. Selected award winners and Distinguished Favorites are based on overall excellence.
The New York City Big Book Award announces the 2021 Winners & Distinguished Favorites!
First Podcast Interview
I am happy to announce my first Podcast interview about FRED: Buffalo Building of Dreams on the Penny Wolfgang On Target Show.
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My Post Publication Adventure Begins
My new adventure is underway and my goal is to publicize heartwarming tales, memories, and experiences of twelve decades of life as a modest apartment building. I’m destined to share my tenants lives. They were culturally and ethnically diverse and came to America from all over the world to be free.
My mission is to pass on the power of hope my tenants displayed under stressful circumstances, during their historical lifetimes filled with unpredictability. Freedom was the common denominator and the glue that allowed tenants from many cultures to become lifelong friends and acquaintances.
During the past nine years I have gathered many friends and supporters who believed in me because many of their parents and great grandparents were immigrants, refugees, internal immigrants and descendants of enslaved peoples of Africa. They were Italian, Sicilian, German, Irish, Polish, Canadian, Jewish, Puerto Rican, Hungarian, and African Americans.
I believe “Everyone is special and deserves a life of freedom, truth, and choices.”