Acta Ethnographica 28. (1979)

1979 / 1-4. szám - Gyula Ortutay

2 GYULA ORTUTAY In 1978 the Hungarian Academy of Sciences honoured Gyula Ortutay, academician and editor in chief of our periodical, by awarding him the highest scholar distinction, known as the Academy’s Gold Medal. The Hungarian Academy of Sciences’ president, János Szentágothai, was still able to tell Gyula Ortutay about the Presidium’s decision concerning the award. How­ever, it was only after his death that the Gold Medal could he formally pre­sented, during the Hungarian Academy of Sciences’ 138th general assembly on May 9, 1978. At this time Zsigmond Pál Pach, academician and vice-president of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences, praised Gyula Ortutay in his speech: During its session of February 28, 1978, the Presidium of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences decided unanimously to present the Academy's 1978 Gold Medal to Gyula Ortutay, academician and director of the Academy's Ethnographi­cal Institute. This decision was made in acknowledgement of his research in Hun­garian and general ethnography, and his prolonged activity concerning scientific policy and organization, in the Academy's leading bodies. Gyula Ortutay, academician, did research of enduring impact, partly in the area of theory and partly by means of his folklore collections tvhich he carried on through the course of several decades. In his works he examined general folkloric regularities, from the perspectives of sociology and the psychology of composition and performance. He also investigated those aspects which connect folk cultures of different nations. His many books, studies and articles which describe the life and culture of the Hungarian people were published in foreign languages, as well as in Hungarian. The Hungarian Academy of Sciences' Ethnographical Institute, led by Gyula Ortutay, today represents its own characteristic ethnographic school which is recognized throughout Europe. The periodical he edited, Acta Ethnographica, well reflects the results of the discipline of ethnography in our country. As president of the Hungarian Ethnographical Society and the Society for Popularization of Knowledge, he paid great attention to the spread of scientific information. From 1967 until 1973 he was the secretary, then the president of the Linquistics and Literary Science Section. In this capacity he successfully assisted the Academy's Presidium in its work. Many foreign academies elected him to their membership, and numerous international scientific organizations offered him leading posts. Starting in the 1930's, Gyula Ortutay participated in progressive political movements. After the liberation he presented his plan for the democratization of the Hungarian school system to the political leadership. From the point of view of the development of our scientific life, his work between 1947 and early 1950 as minister of religion and education was of major significance. The democrati­zation of the school system, the nationalization of the schools and many Hungarian educational reforms are associated with his name. The wide-ranged political activ­ity which he continued in his later years is of common knowledge. Acta Ethnographica Academiae Scientiarum Hungaricae 28, 1979

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