Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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16 JUNE/JULY 2021 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED A TRIBUTE TO LOU SOMOGYI "This is not goulash," Somogyi complained, presumably with his bold Hungarian accent. "It's good, but it's not ****ing goulash! If you want real goulash, I know a lady who can get you some real goulash." And while Morris is able to share several personal stories about Somo- gyi's kindness, he admits there are infinite examples that nobody will ever hear because Louie rarely shared. "The private persona was very private," Morris explained. "I wouldn't find out about some of the great things that Louie did for years after they happened because he was so damn modest. "Louie would always talk about people who did nice things, which was great, but they were the first ones to hold a press conference after they did it. Louie detested that type of attention, and that's what made him the man he was." HUNGARIAN PRIDE Many untold stories of kindness and love come from Somogyi's de- votion to his Hungarian heritage and a bond with Our Lady of Hungary Church in South Bend. Somogyi was a parishioner at St. Joseph Catholic Church, but he also moonlighted as an important member of the Our Lady of Hungary congregation. Since the mid-1980s, Somogyi do- nated his time playing the organ for early morning masses that were spoken exclusively in Hungarian, a language Somogyi spoke fluently be- cause of his upbringing. Both of Somogyi's late parents — Louis Somogyi Sr. and Irene Hor- vath — were Hungarian immigrants who came to America in 1957 after the Hungarian Revolution of 1956, a movement to fight against restric- tive Soviet-imposed policies that ul- timately left the country leaderless and poverty-stricken. Louis Somo- gyi Jr., their only child, was born on Aug. 8, 1962. True to his roots, Somogyi Jr. rou- tinely and generously volunteered his time helping countless church parish- ioners and other members of the local Hungarian community — many of whom were elderly and without fam- ily — with basic services such as gro- cery runs, doctor visits, help around the house or just a listening ear. "It was kind of an old-school, old-world collection of people," ex- plained Morris, who would periodi- cally accompany Somogyi on these Samaritan missions. "These people didn't speak English, they only spoke Hungarian and Louie was oft times their link to the outside world." Morris shared several stories of how Somogyi would routinely stop and visit needy parishioners on a whim for a simple welfare check. "They had nobody else, Louie was all they had," Morris said. "He wasn't going to disappoint them." Somogyi became such a conduit and ambassador for the local Hun- garian community, he bordered on celebrity. "Louie would walk into a Hungar- ian bakery next to the church and the greeting when he walked in the door was like Norm from 'Cheers,' and he'd just brush it off," Morris said. "He was so skinny. We would walk out of there with five pies and three dozen cookies, all on the house." Morris also shared a story of how his friend was asked one morning to play organ at a Hungarian funeral mass with the priest, an alter boy, the deceased and Somogyi as the only four attendees. Morris asked, "What did you do?" Somogyi responded, "I played the best I have ever played in my life." These touching anecdotes are too many to share on just a few magazine pages. For 25 years without fail, Somogyi wrote a Happy Mother's Day letter to Morris' mother and who knows how many other moms out there. "Who does that?" Morris rhetori- cally asked. A Christmas delivery of Hungar- ian Kifli cookies baked by Somogyi's mother became a seasonal stop at the Morris household. "I walked Louie out to his car one time, looked in his backseat, and he had 15 other rows of cookies he still needed to deliver," Morris shared. "That's who he was." Somogyi confessed one time that he put about 20,000 miles a year on his vehicle. "And he never left St. Joseph County!" Morris exclaimed. CHASING A DREAM Ernie Galos is Somogyi's first cousin. The two grew up closely together. Like Somogyi's parents, Galos' folks also immigrated to South Bend after the Hungarian Revolution so their families remained close and connected. "We spent a lot of time together," said Galos, who at 56, is two years younger than his cousin. "I always "What a testament to the breadth, reach and kindness in which Lou Somogyi operated. He had the respect of the players, coaches and media around ND for more than a generation. A true institution. RIP." YAHOO! SPORTS NATIONAL COLLEGE FOOTBALL AND BASKETBALL WRITER PETE THAMEL Above: Lou with his friend Mike Morris in 2007. At right: Lou with Christopher Rigaux in the ND press box in 2011. PHOTO COURTESY MIKE MORRIS PHOTO COURTESY RIGAUX VIA FACEBOOK