us-005578-irn611799-irn619026
has or had holder: us-005578
identifier: irn619026
has record set type: Item
physical characteristics and technical requirements: Circular, tarnished, brass-colored metal medallion. On the front, in relief, is a man standing in profile with his right arm outstretched, holding a wreath of laurel leaves. He is bare from the waist up with fabric draped around the lower half of his body and tossed over his right shoulder. His left hand is by his side, holding a scroll. Behind him is an engraved low brick wall with foliage and mountains in the background. On the back are two laurel branches with looped stems that curve upwards to form a wreath shape. The ends of the branches are crossed at the bottom and tied with a ribbon. Engraved inside the wreath is a singular Roman numeral. A suspension loop and suspension ring protrude from the top of the medal.
date: before 1941
is or was included in: us-005578-irn611799
scope and content: Medal with a man holding a laurel wreath, presented to Kálmán Gutlohn in Budapest, Hungary, before he was conscripted into a forced labor unit in 1941. Kálmán worked in the Foreign Currency Department at the Budapest City Savings Bank and was an active athlete, competing in many shooting and rowing competitions. In 1939, Kálmán married American-born Anna Farkas and they lived in Pest, Budapest. In 1940, Hungary joined the Axis Alliance and passed race laws similar to Germany’s Nuremberg laws. In 1941, Kálmán and the other Jewish men in the community were conscripted for forced labor to work in multiple areas in and near Budapest. Anna used her American citizenship to get Kálmán released and he returned home on November 9, 1944. Days later, he was arrested, escaped a forced march, and found protection at an American internment camp. He later escaped the German S.S. takeover of the camp and went into hiding in his family’s apartment. During the Siege of Budapest beginning on December 25, 1944, Kálmán hid in the destroyed apartment with help from his wife. Russian forces liberated Pest on January 18, 1945 and in February, Kálmán went to Bucharest to work in the Identification Department at the American Joint Distribution Committee. Anna, her two sons, and their daughter joined him in June. Anna and the children sailed to the United States at the end of November and after his paperwork was approved, Kálmán joined them in January 1947. He changed his name to Clarence Grant and found work as a banker for a Hungarian firm in New York.
archival history: The medal was donated to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in 2018 by Mary Aviyah Farkas, the daughter of Kálmán Clarence and Anna Farkas Gutlohn Grant.
has or had identifier: http://lod.ehri-project-test.eu/units/us-005578-irn611799-irn619026/alternateIDs/1
title: Medallion awarded to a Hungarian Jewish athlete
conditions of access: No restrictions on access
conditions of use: No restrictions on use
record resource extent: overall: | Diameter: 1.375 inches (3.493 cm)
biographical history: Kálmán Clarence Gutlohn Grant (born Kálmán Gutlohn, 1910-1986) was born in Budapest, Hungary, to Zsigmond (1870-1937) and Janka Sonneschein (1877-1961) Gutlohn. Zsigmond served as a soldier in the Austro-Hungarian army during World War I, and owned a grocery store over which the family lived in an apartment. Kálmán had two siblings, Sándor (1909-1942) and Rózsa (1914-1979). Kálmán attended a traditional Jewish elementary school followed by a Jewish gymnasium, where he graduated in 1926. Following his schooling, Kálmán attended the Academy of Commerce for training in banking practices. Afterwards, he secured a job at the Budapest City Savings Bank, where he worked as a clerk in the Foreign Currency Department for 11 years. He was also an active athlete and competed in many shooting and rowing competitions. He spoke fluent English, German, and Hungarian. In 1939, Kálmán married American-born, Catholic, Anna Farkas (1912-1983), becoming stepfather to her sons, Gaston (b. 1932) and Rudolph (b. 1933). Anna’s parents had immigrated to the United States from Hungary around 1907, but moved back to Hungary when Anna was 9 years old. Anna had nine siblings, and at 17, she left home and moved with her older sister to Budapest, where she became an English tutor for wealthy children. In September 1938, Anna began working for the Totis family, teaching their daughter, Zsuzsanna, English. After Anna married Kálmán in 1939, her two sons lived with her parents on their farm in Bucsa. Between 1938 and 1941, Hungary passed race laws similar to Germany’s Nuremberg laws, and joined the Axis alliance in 1940. In 1941 Kálmán was conscripted for forced labor in the 109/36 Company. The company commander was Istvan Kovacs, a well-known Budapest lawyer, who tried to maintain decent living conditions for the laborers, and the guards for the company were often permissive and lenient. Their first assignment took them away from Budapest, but the company commander was able to get them assigned to …
results or resulted from: http://lod.ehri-project-test.eu/units/us-005578-irn611799-irn619026/acquisitions/1
type: RecordSet