Contact: Maridith Geuder
Photographs, books, journals, newspaper articles, and other memorabilia reflecting the diplomatic career of a Mississippi State faculty member are on display through June 6 at a university exhibit.
The display at Mitchell Memorial Library chronicles the career of Janos Radvanyi, a professor of history and holder of MSU's Radvanyi Chair in International Studies. Among the displays located in the second- and third-floor library atriums are photos of Radvanyi with a range of international heads of state and diplomats.
A native of Hungary, Radvanyi entered diplomatic service in 1946, serving at posts in Turkey, France, Switzerland, and Syria. He headed the Hungarian embassy in Washington, D.C., from 1962 to 1967, when he cut ties with his country's communist-led government and sought political asylum in the United States.
After receiving a doctorate in history at Stanford University in 1971, he joined the MSU faculty. In 1982, he founded the Center for International Security and Strategic Studies, then the only one of its kind in the Mid-South.
An author and lecturer, Radvanyi also has organized multinational workshops to promote economic and social development in post-communist Central Europe, as well as on the threats posed by nuclear waste dumping in the Pacific Ocean that drew participants from Japan, South Korea, Russia, and the United States. In the latter case, the dialogue contributed to a Russian decision to ban further ocean dumping of radioactive wastes.
Currently Radvanyi's work focuses on global problems, particularly post-communist security issues.
For more information about the exhibit, telephone Mike Ballard at (662) 325-7680.