American Hungarian Foundation (Hungarian Heritage Center) - Melissa Katkó Pepin

Material Information

Title:
American Hungarian Foundation (Hungarian Heritage Center) - Melissa Katkó Pepin
Series Title:
Oral History of Middlesex County
Creator:
Schwarz, Eric ( interviewer ) ( Interviewer )
Katkó Pepin, Melissa ( interviewee ) ( Narrator )
Espinoza-Wulach, Cristóbal ( advisor )
Place of Publication:
Edison, NJ
Publisher:
Middlesex College
Publication Date:
Copyright Date:
2026
Language:
English

Notes

Abstract:
Melissa Katkó Pepin, Executive Director of the American Hungarian Foundation (AHF), discusses the foundation's current operations, activities, and history. The foundation operates the Hungarian Heritage Center, which includes a museum, an art gallery, a museum store, a research library, and archives. The AHF also holds multiple events throughout the year, including the Hungarian Festival, the Festival of Trees, artisan markets, art classes, and lectures. Other topics of discussion include: - The AHF’s partnerships with the City of New Brunswick, New Brunswick’s sister cities, and with individuals, organizations, businesses, and schools. - The history of Hungarians in the United States, particularly in New Jersey and New Brunswick, and the Camp Kilmer refugee camp for Hungarian Americans that operated from 1956 to 1957. - Traditional Hungarian food. - Artifacts, books, and archival materials collected by the foundation. - Prominent Hungarians and Hungarian Americans in American history. - The current Hungarian and Transylvanian community in New Brunswick and its religious and secular organizations. - Ms. Katkó Pepin's own Hungarian family history. - The architecture and maintenance of the Hungarian Heritage Center. - Variants of the Hungarian language as spoken in New Brunswick. - Ms. Katkó Pepin's history with the AHF and her relationship to its founding executive director, August Molnar. ( English,,,,,,,,,, )
Scope and Content:
This is a transcript and video and audio recordings of an oral history interview was completed to meet requirements for the Oral History and Digitization Certificate in Spring 2026. The audio interview recording is approximately 1 hour, 13 minutes, 36 seconds. The video presentation is slightly longer (1 hour, 16 minutes, 13 seconds) because it includes title, chapter, and credit slides with underscoring music. The video includes still photographs that complement the photographs attached to this record. The transcript is a 34-page PDF file.
Biographical:
The American Hungarian Foundation (AHF) was founded in 1955 (chartered in 1954) as the American Hungarian Studies Foundation at Elmhurst College in Elmhurst, Illinois. The foundation moved to New Brunswick, New Jersey, in 1959. In 1974, the AHF dropped the word “studies” from its official name. The AHF opened its Hungarian Heritage Center in New Brunswick in 1989. The AHF collects, conserves, and celebrates the contributions, traditions, stories, history, heritage, and culture of American Hungarians to the American way of life since 1776. A symbol of Hungary in America, the building, designed by architect László Papp, includes a museum, library, and archives. A special focus of the archives is documentation of the refugees who arrived through Camp Kilmer in 1956, an important chapter deeply tied to the local community. Hungarian settlers have been part of New Brunswick since the 1880s, helping build the vibrant community in Middlesex County today. Melissa Katkó Pepin, an American with Hungarian ancestors, has been the organization's Executive Director since 2015.
Venue:
Recorded on 20 May 2026 at the Hungarian Heritage Center, 300 Somerset Street, New Brunswick, New Jersey 08901.
Citation/Reference:
A collection of historical photos is available at https://njdigitalhighway.org/njdh/advanced-search. Select "American Hungarian Foundation" and "Results per page: 50," then click Search.
Creation/Production Credits:
All files produced by Eric Schwarz (including recording, photography, and video production). Software used in the video production includes: Microsoft Camera, Subtitle Edit, Microsoft Clipchamp, and Canva.
Citation/Reference:
Credits for one image (the Lajos Kossuth bust at the U.S. Capitol) and for the music used in the video (The Peacock, Rubato by Béla Bartók, performed by Chris Breemer) are included at the end of the video, as follows: Image credit: Lajos Kossuth by Csaba Kur, 1986. Collection of the U.S. House of Representatives, Gift to the People of the United States from the American Hungarian Federation (https://bit.ly/kossuth-bust). Music credit: The Peacock (Rubato) from 3 Hungarian Folksongs from Csík, Sz. 35a by Béla Bartók. Performance by Chris Breemer, obtained from IMSLP/Petrucci Music Library (https://bit.ly/peacock-bartok). Used under Creative Commons license CC BY-SA 4.0 (https://bit.ly/cc-by-sa-4).

Record Information

Source Institution:
Middlesex College
Holding Location:
Middlesex College
Rights Management:
This item is licensed with the Creative Commons Attribution No Derivatives License. This license allows for redistribution, commercial and non-commercial, as long as it is passed along unchanged and in whole, with credit to the author.