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Department of History Appalachian Hungarian
Heritage Project
Eberly College of Arts and Sciences

Meet Our Team Members

Meet our international team of scholars who are working together to explore, preserve, and share literary remains, narratives, and images regarding the important role Hungarian immigrants played in the Appalachian region.

Briane Keith Turley

Adjunct Professor of History at West Virginia University

Briane Turley is an Adjunct Professor of History at West Virginia University where he directs the Appalachian Hungarian Heritage Project. He graduated from the University of Virginia (MA and PhD).

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Anna Fenyvesi

Associate Professor and Director of the Institute of English and American Studies, University of Szeged

Anna is a sociolinguist with an interest in the Hungarian language use of American Hungarians, language contact, bilingualism, and digital language use.

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Lou Martin

Associate Professor of History at Chatham University

Lou Martin is a co-founder of the West Virginia Mine Wars Museum and an Associate Professor of History at Chatham University.

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William Hal Gorby

Teaching Associate Professor of History, and Director of Undergraduate Studies at West Virginia University

William Hal Gorby is a Teaching Associate Professor of History, and Director of Undergraduate Studies at West Virginia University. His book, Wheeling’s Polonia: Reconstructing Polish Community in a West Virginia Steel Town was published by WVU Press.

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Cathy Cassady Corbin

Cathy is the editor of Martin Himler's autobiography, The Making of an American: The Autobiography of a Hungarian Immigrant, Appalachian Entrepreneur, and OSS Officer.

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Man with glasses, short grey hair, and a mustache pose for a photo.

Doug Cantrell

Professor of History in the Kentucky Community and Technical College System

He teaches American History, Kentucky History, Appalachian Studies, and World History at the Elizabethtown, Kentucky campus where he has worked for 35 years.

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Man with short grey hair and glasses in front of a bookshelf full of books.

Róbert Péter

Associate Professor, Department of English at the University of Szeged, Hungary

Róbert Péter, an associate professor in the Department of English at the University of Szeged, Hungary, holds master's degrees in English and Mathematics. He completed his MA thesis at the University of Oxford for the University of Szeged.

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Male with grey hair outside in the sun.

Huba Bruckner

Project Advisor

In 1992, Brückner organized and became the first Executive Director of the Hungarian Fulbright Commission (Hungarian-American Commission for Educational Exchange).

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Man with grey hair wearing glasses while standing in front of a bookshelf.

András Ludanyi

Project Advisor

András (Andrew) Ludányi was born February 12, 194O in Szikszó (Abaúj County) Hungary. His family fled from Hungary to Austria during the Winter of 1944-45 to avoid the Soviet occupation.

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Man with short hair, beard and mustache stands outside wearing a windbreaker jacket.

Péter M Török

In Memoriam

While visiting one of the Hungarian language cemeteries in southern West Virginia, Dr Péter Török told those gathered with him that “here in these hills is a story that must be told.” We dedicate this project to his memory.

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