New York City, NY—November 12, 2002---Hungarian-Americans have had an incredible impact on the daily lives of all of us. The American Hungarian Foundation recognizes that annually by honoring Hungarian-Americans for their exceptional contributions to the global community. This November 12th the fortieth annual George Washington Awards Dinner will honor software creator Dr. Charles Simonyi. The black tie event takes place on Tuesday, November 12, 2002 at the Waldorf-Astoria in New York City.
The George Washington Award annually recognizes those persons whose eminent contributions are in the broad field of human knowledge, the arts and understanding among men and nations. In name and symbolism this award was inspired by the statue of George Washington erected in the City Park of Budapest in 1906 by the Hungarian immigrants living in America. Previous award winners include: James A. Michener, Gerald R. Ford, George Pataki, Judith Leiber, Joseph Pulitzer and many others. Foundation President, Dr. August J. Molnar, notes,” the erection of the George Washington statue was an act of generosity of Hungarian immigrants in America and that generosity is evident today to the foundation.” Charles Simonyi recently co-founded Intentional Software Corporation. Prior to that he had a direct impact on our computing needs by the design work he did at Microsoft Corporation. There he held the title of Director of Application Development, Chief Architect and Distinguished Engineer. Simonyi was responsible for the teams that developed such commercial favorites as Microsoft Multiplan, Microsoft Word, Microsoft Excel and others. He was elected to the National Academy of Engineering in 1997 for his contributions to “widely used productivity software.” We can all say “what you see is what you get” while we work at our computers because Charles Simonyi created the first WYSIWYG text editor called Bravo! Simonyi earned his B.S. in engineering mathematics from the University of California at Berkeley, and a doctorate in computer science from Stanford University. He received a honorary doctorate from the University of Pecs in Hungary in 2001. Simonyi serves on the Board of Trustees of the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton, NJ and endowed a chair for the Public Understanding of Science at Oxford University in England. He has also endowed a chair for Theoretical Physics at the Institute for Advance Study.
The American Hungarian Foundation, devoted to furthering the understanding and appreciation of the Hungarian cultural heritage in the United States, applauds Charles Simonyi. The non-profit organization with its national headquarters and world-class museum is located at 300 Somerset Street, New Brunswick, NJ. For specific information about the Foundation and its activities call 732.846.5777.
Contact
Linda Hauck
732.846.5777
