The Mária Hári Memorial Room was inaugurated in a festive ceremony, attended by the leaders and students of the András Pető Faculty, in honour of the former head of our institution.
The Memorial Room is a fitting tribute to the exceptional professional Professor Mária Hári, who led the teaching, research and development work of the institution for many decades. She was an extraordinary person who, through her dedication and professionalism, served and continues to serve as an example not only for her students but for the entire institution. The furnishings and exhibits in the Memorial Room faithfully reflect the life and work of Mária Hári. Photos, documents and memorabilia help to preserve her memory and evoke her spirit.
Gallery
At the ceremony, Dr. Miklósné Dr. Andrea Zsebe, Dean of the András Pető Faculty, welcomed the guests:
Ladies and Gentlemen!
The Mária Hári Memorial Room was founded by our predecessors only 3 years after death of Dr. Hári in 2004. Dr. Dezsőné Horváth, head of Institute of Conductive Pedagogy and Margit Balogh, head of our library together created the exhibition in the library. They considered it important that her objects, notes and writings should not only be preserved but also made available for viewing.
In the nearly 20 years since then, it is as if time has stood still in the Memorial Room. The objects, documents, pictures and artifacts have stood alone in the shelves. We had to do something. The 100th anniversary of the birth of Dr. Maria Hári gave us the necessary strength and momentum to renew the memorial room from our own resources. After a long planning process, this renovation provides sun protection and proper heating, thanks to the head of our technical department, Zoltán Gönczöl, chief engineer.
After that, the professional revival of the Memorial Room could begin under the direction of Dr. Renáta Földesi, Director of the Institute. The director of the institute tried to design this room in such a way that when we enter it, we feel as if we are entering Dr. Hári’s office. Here we see her desk, her notes, her most important objects. In the cabinets are her medals and papers from her studies. And in the display cases, gifts and mementos from her many international meetings. We are grateful for the artistic guidance and assistance of Dr. Róbert Mascher, Director of the Institute, in arranging the objects, books and pictures and in renovating the cabinets.
Dr. Mária Hári had barely graduated from high school when she met András Pető and together they started planning the future Pető Institute in 1945. She graduated as a doctor and dedicated her life to the Pető Method, its international dissemination, to the needs of disabled people and to the training of conductors. As head of the Institute, she has given numerous lectures at home and abroad, which have led to the award of the Hungarian Heritage Prize for the Pető Method and its international recognition. In her honour, our institution launched the Mária Hári competition and established the Mária Hári University Prize. Our library bears her name.
It was with pleasure and respect that we undertook the necessary renovation and refurbishment of the Memorial Room, the importance of which was demonstrated by the fact that my fellow directors and the directors of the Institute themselves were responsible for its design and implementation. The Memorial Room remains in its rightful place within the Mária Hári Faculty Library and Resource Centre, because for Dr Hári, books and the knowledge they provided were above all her own.
The renovated and renewed Mária Hári Memorial Room is hereby solemnly opened and handed over to the interested public.
Thank you for your kind attention!