I was born in Chicago of Hungarian parents, both of whom were also born in Chicago. My grandfather, James Kerekes, immigrated to the USA about 1905 and initially lived in Pennsylvania. I do not know when my grandmother arrived. They moved to Chicago, where he was a furniture upholsterer. My mother and her two brothers were moved from Chicago to Austria and Germany when their mother could not raise them. All three returned to the USA as teenagers. My father, also James Kerekes, never wanted my sister and I to learn of the Hungarian ways but to become Americans only. Now in retirement I finally have time to look for my “roots” in Hungary. My son, also a James Kerekes, lives in Cleveland and I am trying to get him involved in the Hungarian culture there. I am hoping to visit Hungary for the first time next year with my son and daughter.
