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Imre Kalanyos
I was born in Hungary in 1941. The village of my birth, Sivo, ruined during WWII and later relocated to the flood plane of a little creek in a segregated area of Gordisa, vanished without a trace a...view moreI was born in Hungary in 1941. The village of my birth, Sivo, ruined during WWII and later relocated to the flood plane of a little creek in a segregated area of Gordisa, vanished without a trace and forever. The people of my village called themselves “Básh.” They were known to most Hungarians as Gypsies.
Discriminated against as a minority, I was disheartened by the Communist system’s failure to integrate my community into Hungarian society. I decided, at age twenty-six to leave my country and to seek freedom in America.
Because it was illegal to leave Hungary, my escape was demanding and dangerous. On one hand, if caught during the planning stage of my escape, I would have faced imprisonment and would have been black- listed for life. On the other hand, if caught during crossing the border, I could get killed. Aware of this but encouraged by Ady Endre’s poem From the Rill to the Ocean, I told myself “LIVE FREE OR DIE.”
I now live in Chapel Hill North Carolina, where I share and enjoy freedom with my dear wife Kathy and our freedom- loving dogs, Jesse and Buddy.view less