State awards on the occasion of Saint Stephen's Day

Among the awardees are several people with ties to Veszprém, whose work and life's work are not only significant for the local community, but also outstanding at the national level.

Progress starts with returning to our roots," said Róbert Zsigó, Parliamentary State Secretary of the Ministry of Culture and Innovation at the award ceremony. He stressed that it is our destiny and our task to preserve and enrich the immense amount of intellectual and cultural heritage that has been collected and enriched over a thousand years by the generations that have gone before us. It is this common store of intellectual and cultural treasures that makes us Hungarians and binds us together, wherever we live in the world.

He described the laureates as creators who preserve the values of the past, create the values of the present and prepare the values of the future, stressing that it is the task of the future generation to listen and the present generation to heed the admonitions of King Stephen.

Dr. László Mihalovics Árpád László, linguist, literary translator, retired university professor, who was also Vice-Rector of the University of Pannonia, was awarded the Hungarian Cross of the Order of Merit, civilian category

• Dr. Ildikó Hortobágyi, Vice Dean for Education and Adult Education, Faculty of Humanities, University of Pannonia, Associate Professor,

• Dr. Lajos Csaba Mihálykó, mathematician, computer scientist, associate professor at the Faculty of Computer Engineering, University of Pannonia,

• Dr. József Péter Tóth, Vice Dean for Science and Accreditation, Faculty of Humanities, University of Pannonia, Director of the Institute of German and Translation Studies,

were awarded the Knight's Cross of the Hungarian Order of Merit, civilian category.

Congratulations to our honoured colleagues!