Iren Piroska Bognar

Iren, wife and love of husband Lewis, passed away quietly on Jun 16, 2023. At her bedside, holding her hands until the last moment of her life, were her husband, and daughters Christina Bognar Hunt and Adrienne Bognar Wilson. Her two beloved and loving twin granddaughters, Amelia and Sophie Hunt, and her beloved son-in-law, Ron Hunt, were able to be with her a week before her passing, sharing life stories, memories and laughter with their Nana.

Iren was born on March 28, 1936 in Budapest, Hungary. Her parents were factory workers of limited means. While she did not have pleasant memories of her father, her mother and two aunts raised her with love. The best memories of her life from that time were spending summers with her aunts, Iren and Piroska, in a small village in the southern part of Hungary.

Iren entered high school in 1950 in Budapest. Early on she demonstrated that she had an outstanding grasp of principles of science, mathematics, physics, and chemistry, and she graduated with very high grades. Iren applied to continue her education in the field of engineering in 1954. She was accepted to enter one of the most academically demanding colleges in Hungary – The University of Heavy Industrial Technology. Thousands applied for admission, but the college only accepted 500 students – 495 men and 5 women as freshmen. Amongst the men in her class was Lewis, her future husband, whom she met on the first day of lectures. The school was famous for failing half of the students every semester. By the start of the third year in 1956, only 125 students remained – Iren and Lewis were amongst them and were able to continue.

Following the end of WWII in 1945, Hungary was occupied by the Soviet Union, supporting a brutal, oppressive government. In October 1956, a popular revolution broke out in Hungary. At first, the uprising succeeded, but it was crushed in a few weeks, overwhelmed by Russian forces superior in numbers and military equipment. Because students at the university participated in the revolt, it was shut down, and student leaders were arrested. The school did not reopen until September of the following year.

Lewis and Iren did not see a future for themselves in Hungary. The revolution opened up the “Iron Curtain” for a few weeks between Hungary and Austria. Lewis and Iren bravely used this opportunity to escape to Austria. After spending time in refugee camps, Iren and Lewis were married in Vienna on February 22, 1957, and looked forward to a bright future together.

Eventually Iren and Lewis were granted visas to enter the United States. Sponsored by the Presbyterian Church in Coral Gables, FL, Lewis and Iren worked in a factory in Miami, FL doing engineering design and learning English.

In September of 1958, Iren and Lewis were allowed to enter the University of Florida on full scholarships as third year engineering students based on their prior academic accomplishments in Hungary. Iren and Lewis both graduated in 1960 at the top of their class with degrees in engineering. Iren had the notable distinctions of being the first woman graduate in mechanical engineering at U of F, and with one of the highest GPAs in her class of 500 students.

Based on both of their academic accomplishments, Corning Glass Works, headquartered in Corning, NY, offered both Iren and Lewis a position in their Technical Staff organization. Iren was the first woman ever hired by the company as a mechanical engineer, and Iren and Lewis were the first married couple in their technology organization.

Iren worked for Corning for five years, and after the birth of their two children, left the company. Following her departure from Corning, Iren completed and received a master’s degree in Mathematics and Science from Elmira College and decided to teach engineering subjects at a community college in Corning. She later went on to teach advanced college preparatory courses in math and science in high schools in the area. She was honored numerous times by the school system and was loved by her students. Lewis continued to work for Corning for the next 37 years in various technical management positions in Corning, NY, which included a 3 year assignment in Paris, France, where Iren and their daughters joined him. Their time together in Paris was a family highlight, living by the Arc de Triumph and traveling throughout Europe together.

Iren and Lewis both retired in 1991 and 1993, respectively. They then moved to Naples, Florida where they purchased a home in a community named Pelican Bay. During that time, Iren spent time with her family, pursued her passions as a master gardener and painter, and was the greatest grandmother (Nana) to her grandchildren.

Iren led a beautiful life and brought love and light to all those that had the good fortune to know her. She will be missed, but her memory will live in the hearts of so many.

The family requests those who wish to express sympathy to consider making a donation to their favorite charity in Iren’s name, or to The Science and Discovery Center – The Iren Bognar STEM Fund for Girls (55 Ferris St., Suite 301, Corning, NY 14830, https://sciencediscoverycenter.org/donations/).

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.hodgesfhatnaplesmg.com for the Bognar family.