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.” Unfortunately, as the Appalachian Hungarian Heritage Project got under way in 2020, Török was diagnosed with cancer, and within two years died. We dedicate this project to his memory.
In many ways, Török’s personal narrative reminds us of the lives of countless others who emigrated to North America from Central and Eastern Europe during the last century and a half. Facing Soviet-era persecution due to his religious faith, Török left Hungary and made his way to an Austrian refugee camp. Although he did not speak English at the time, he was accepted at the University of Toronto where he quickly picked up the language and several years later received his PhD in the Sociology of Religion.
Török published a wide range of articles, and his book, Hungarian Church-State Relationships: A Socio-Historical Analysis appeared both in Hungarian and English. Between 2010 and 2017, he held the position of president of the Religious Sociology Department of the Hungarian Sociological Society. Along with Briane Turley, Török was a founding editor of the Journal Religion and Society in Central and Eastern Europe (RASCEE), which was sponsored under a Fulbright grant and originally published at West Virginia University. At the time of his death, Török was the head of the Department of Social Work and Social Studies at Kàroli Gàspàr University. He leaves his widow, Ági, and their two sons, András and Kristóf, Turley’s godchildren.
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