The Board of Directors of the Austro-America Association is very saddened to relate that Juliana Belcsak passed away on December 1, 2020 in Rock Hill, SC after a long battle with cancer that she courageously fought with strength and dignity.
Juliana was born in Austria, on July 8th, 1937 and came to the United States in the mid-sixties and quickly fell in love with this country. She was very proud of her Austrian heritage and always maintained close ties between the two countries. She was an extraordinary, compassionate, caring, and generous person who gave everything she could to anyone in need of help. Among these endeavors, she designed and implemented an international program that helps children whose families cannot afford heart operations to have them donated in full by Columbia Presbyterian Hospital in New York.
The A-AA was greatly honored to have her attend and speak at several of our events over the years. She recognized us with awards and on our 75th A-AA Anniversary she extended this message: “[…] We salute the A-AA for its outstanding work to support young people, and proudly show their Austrian heritage”. She therefore endorsed our dedication to promote the Scholarship Awards Program and stimulate the relationship between Austria and America. When she spoke at events, she was full of ideas and caring to encourage us to work together on our goals. Juliana appreciated conversing with us and the discussions where always engaging and interesting.