Helen M. Szablya, a refugee from Hungary in 1956, is now Honorary Consul General of the same country, Hungary for WA, OR, and ID, based in Seattle, and Past President of the Washington Press Association. She is an award-winning author, columnist, translator, and lecturer. She has two university degrees, speaks six languages, and many of her more than 700 publications have won awards. Helen co-authored "Hungary Remembered", an award-winning, oral history drama/lecture series for the 30th anniversary of the Hungarian Uprising. "The Fall Of The Red Star," won the first prizes of the Washington Press Association and the National Association of Press Women in 1996. It is based on true stories of an illegal scout troop during the 1956 Hungarian Uprising, published for its 40th anniversary. Her newest book "My Only Choice 1942-1956 Hungary" is the story of her life and through that the story of her native land, as seen by a 7-year old growing up and becoming a mother of three. Szablya recently received the Presidential Order of Merit of Hungary for her consular and cultural work and the Spirit of Liberty award from the Ethnic Heritage Council. Szablya and her late husband, Dr. John F. Szablya, escaped Hungary and Communism in 1956 with two toddlers and a newborn. They have seven children, 16 grandchildren, and five great-grandchildren. She currently lives in Seattle, WA and is active in her community, including the Hungarian-American Coalition, the Hungarian ¬American Association of Washington and the Seattle-Pécs Sister City Association.
