July 11, 2007

Farewell Reception for Ambassador and Mrs. Simonyi

Ambassador András Simonyi and Mrs. Náda P. Simonyi hosted a reception at the Embassy of Hungary to bid farewell to representatives of leading American and Hungarian political, economic, and cultural circles as well as to the diplomatic community in Washington. The distinguished guests first had the opportunity to listen to Ambassador Simonyi reflecting on the "extraordinary experience" of his five-year post as Ambassador of Hungary to the United States, followed by a solemn speech given by Secretary of the Department of Commerce Carlos Gutierrez, and a surprise footage of a notably lighter tone featuring Comedy Central media guru Stephen Colbert compiled especially for this occasion. Towards the end of the reception Congressman Tom Lantos (D-CA) made a heartfelt speech in honor of Mr. and Mrs. Simonyi, emphasizing the invaluable work they have done both for America and Hungary during their placement in Washington.

Ambassador Simonyi opening the reception (photo taken by Gene Carl Feldman)

Secretary of the Department of Energy Samuel Bodman with Mrs. Náda Simonyi and Ambassador András Simonyi (photo taken by Gene Carl Feldman)

Ambassador Simonyi told the invitees that this occasion was a time for celebration. "The Simonyis are leaving. We've had a great time, we have some achievements, too", he continued. The Ambassador thanked family and friends for their devoted support in the past five years: "Thank you to all of you. Thank you to my friends in the administration, congress, business, the arts and wherever they might be. A big thank you to my wonderful staff at the Embassy." He also said thank you to his band, the Coalition of the Willing, and assured everyone that although he and Mrs. Simonyi are leaving, they are not leaving his guitars behind.

Ambassador Simonyi and Mrs. Simonyi during the keynote speech (photo taken by Gene Carl Feldman)

The Secretary of the Department of Commerce, Carlos Gutierrez, spoke about how grateful he and the Cuban opposition were for all what Ambassador Simonyi had done so far in order to help advance the transition to democracy in Cuba. "Ours is a deep, life-long friendship, which will outlive the duration of Ambassador Simonyi's post in Washington", Mr. Gutierrez told the guests. Ambassador Simonyi then thanked Secretary Gutierrez for his kind remarks, and once again underscored Hungary's staunch support for Cuban democratization: "We, Hungarians are deeply committed to a democratic regime change in Cuba, and will do everything in our capacity to contribute to it."

Secretary of the Department of Commerce Carlos Gutierrez giving remarks

Carlos Gutierrez and Ambassador Simonyi (photo taken by Gene Carl Feldman)

After the speeches given by Ambassador Simonyi and Secretary Gutierrez, the screen in the middle of the room suddenly rolled down, and a special surprise video message was played by Steve Colbert of the Colbert Report, who could not make it to the reception but thought his presence should be guaranteed in some other way. The inimitably Colbert-style footage included scenes from the two shows in which Ambassador Simonyi was Mr. Colbert's special guest. Everyone was amused by Mr. Colbert's truly idiosyncratic way to pay tribute to his friend, the "Rock Ambassador".

	A scene from Steve Colbert's video message
	Ambassador Simonyi watching the show, with Deputy Mayor of Budapest Csaba Horváth in the background (photo taken by Gene Carl Feldman)

Congressman Tom Lantos, Chairman of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs, took the opportunity to say a wholehearted thank you to the Simonyis in the name of Washington's political leadership. "It makes me incredibly sad that I have to say goodbye to this exceptional ambassadorial couple, whose devotion and work is truly unprecedented." The Hungarian-born congressman added: "The Washington community never had the privilege to have such an energetic and creative ambassador before, and I am absolutely certain that no one can outperform Ambassador Simonyi's unparalleled achievements." Mr. Lantos also pointed out that the task at hand for Ambassador Simonyi was not at all the easiest: "Some countries are obviously easier to represent than others. Now, if you have a tiny Central European country whose language nobody speaks to represent, that's apparently a huge challenge." Ambassador Simonyi undoubtedly lived up to this challenge, he concluded.

Congressman Tom Lantos at the podium with the Simonyis by his side

Ambassador Simonyi listening to Tom Lantos' remarks

Ambassador Simonyi and guests during Mr. Lantos' speech, with Carlos Gutierrez in the background

Secretary-Treasurer of the Hungarian Reformed Federation of America Leslie Megyeri and his wife, Kathy Megyeri with founder of the Katzen Arts Center Dr. Cyrus Katzen

Curator of the exhibition FOTO: Modernity Matthew Witkovsky was also among the guests

Curator of the Modernity and Tradition film series Sonja Simonyi talking to Shauna Lawhorne, Director of the film RockIn' the Beltway

Among the distinguished guests were Secretary of the Department of Energy Samuel Bodman, Congressman Spencer Bachus (R-AL), former Ambassador of the US to Hungary Nancy Brinker, Susan Eisenhower, President of the Eisenhower Institute, Commissioner of the Los Angeles Fire Department Andrew Friedman, Deputy Mayor of Budapest Csaba Horváth, Executive Director of the Jewish Institute for National Security Affairs Thomas Neumann, President of the Capital Development Company Mark Palmer, Assistant Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security Paul Rosenzweig, Congressman Tom Tancredo (R-CO), Edith Lauer, Chair Emeritus of the Hungarian American Coalition, Acting Commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration Andrew von Eschenbach, and ambassadors of Norway, Slovenia, Austria, Cyprus, Slovakia, and Greece.