Ambassador Simonyi visited San Francisco between February 4-7 to
meet with representatives of the Hungarian community on the West Coast and to
pay tribute to the legacy of one of the most prominent Hungarian Americans,
Edward Teller.
Ambassador Simonyi attended the 33rd Annual Scouts's Ball at the
invitation of the Ball Committee of the Hungarian Scouts of San Francisco. In
his speech he congratulated Szilvia Gilber, Commander of the 43rd Girl and 77th
Boy Scouts for the exemplary activity she has shown in nourishing of Hungarian
culture and language among young Hungarian Americans in the San Francisco area.
During his stay in San Francisco, the Ambassador visited the
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory founded by the renowned Hungarian-born
nuclear physicist Ede (Edward) Teller and Ernest O. Lawrence, in 1952. The
Ambassador was hosted by the Honorable Ronald F. Lehman, Director of the Center
for Global Security Research. Mr. Lehman and his colleagues at LLNL gave an
extensive overview of the Laboratory where Edward Teller worked as Director
until his retirement in the spirit of one of his most quoted lines: "I
believe in excellence. It is a basic need of every human soul. All of us can be
excellent because, fortunately, we are exceedingly diverse in our ambitions and
talents." The Ambassador paid tribute to Mr. Teller's memory by visiting
the Edward Teller Education Center, founded in 2001 with the goal of providing
professional development for K-12 teachers working in the greater Livermore
Tri-Valley area and the San Joaquin Valley.
Ambassador Simonyi also visited the headquarters of Google, and
gave a lecture at the European Forum at Stanford University entitled
"Hungary Two Years after EU Membership." He also paid a visit to
Congressman Tom Lantos' District Office in San Mateo, where he met with District
Representative Evelyn Szelényi and staff members.
Consul General Ferenc Bösenbacher, Honorary Consul General
Éva Voisin, and Amb. Simonyi at the 33rd Annual Scout Masquerade Ball
Éva Voisin, Amb. Simonyi and two scouts at the Ball
Amir Eshel, Director of the European Forum at Stanford
University, Ambassador Simonyi, Christophe Crombez, Professor of European
Political Economy, European Forum, and Tamara Danoyan, European Forum.
At Congressman Tom Lantos' District Office in San Mateo with
District Representative Evelyn Szelényi and staff members
At Google with Andrew McLaughlin, Senior Policy Counsel
