Dates

• Majority of material found within 1969 - 1991

Extent

5 boxes Linear Feet (Dr. Edward Chaszar (September 29, 1920-September 11, 2011) was born in Nagyrákos, a small Hungarian town at the intersection of Austria, Hungary, and the former Yugoslavia. He actively participated in Boy Scouts and attended the World Jamborees in Hungary (1933), the Netherlands (1937), and in Canada (1955). He studied law and political science in Budapest, when in 1944, he was drafted into the Hungarian Army during World War Two. His unit chose to surrender to the United States Army in Austria rather than to the advancing Society Army. In 1950, he was sponsored to immigrate to the United States and lived in Ohio. Edward Chaszar remained active in the Boy Scouts of America and troops in Cleveland, Ohio. He married Maja Hartmann, and had three children. In the aftermath of the Hungarian Revolution of 1956, he reached out to young refugees, providing counseling and acting as interpreter. His commitment to help the advancement of young people was one of the hallmarks of his life. He pursued graduate studies in politics and government at Case Western Reserve University to focus on international law, international organizations and world politics. In 1969, he joined the faculty of Indiana University (IUP) to teach those subjects. He earned his Ph.D. from George Washington University in 1972. After teaching at IUP for more than 22 years, Dr. Chaszar retired as Professor Emeritus of Political Science of Indiana University of Pennsylvania in 1991. His professional and personal life was dedicated to the rights of ethnic, religious and linguistic minorities throughout the world. While teaching international law and politics at IUP for over 22 years (1969-1991), Dr. Chaszar was engaged in research on the human rights of national and ethnic minorities. His many published articles, papers and books include Decision in Vienna: The Czechoslovak-Hungarian border dispute of 1938 (1978) and The International Problem of National Minorities (1988 and 1999). For 14 years, he participated in the work of United Nations Commission on Human Rights in Geneva. Dr. Edward Chaszar was also a human rights activist who spoke up and provided assistance to minority politicians such as Miklós Duray, the ethnic Hungarian leader persecuted under the Communist regime of Czechoslovakia, and later sponsored Duray’s visit to the United States. He was a founding member of Hungarian American Coalition and was Secretary General of the National Committee of Hungarians in Slovakia, a human rights organization focusing on the human rights of the Hungarian community of Slovakia. In recognition of his concern for minorities, in 1992 he was awarded the Officers’ Cross of Merit by the President of Hungary “for meritorious service on behalf of national minorities.” For many members of the Hungarian communities in the Americas and Europe, “Csede ba” will be remembered as an engaging scout leader, with a song in his heart, who looked forward to attending the annual Hungarian scout camps in upstate New York. Dr. Edward Chaszar was an internationally known political science teacher for 22 years at IUP (1969-1991). He was heavily engaged in research and activities involving human rights of national and ethnic minorities. The collection documents his career in three series, and includes manuscripts, and correspondences. Some items in this collection are restricted, and permission is needed for their use.)

Language of Materials

English