Happy Birthday, Dad
Today would have been my father’s birthday. Ferenc Kovács was born on February 18, 1958, in a small village called Pányok. It wasn’t a place full of opportunities, but he was surrounded by a loving community. That’s where he started, and as the headlines once wrote, he became a millionaire. And he really did.
He built everything from nothing—for himself, for us, for his family. It took hard work, perseverance, integrity, and dedication. His story is one to look up to, a testament to what is possible when you commit yourself fully to a goal.
I often wonder what he would think now, what he would do now. But one thing I know for sure: we have always walked our own path, never letting the world, politics, or circumstances define our goals.
There’s a story I’ve been telling a lot lately because it feels more relevant than ever. After the regime change, every person who changed jobs received a file about them, passed on to their new employer—a kind of official “character reference.” But he didn’t switch jobs; he became an entrepreneur. So, when he saw his own file, it read: anti-establishment, strong-willed, must be monitored.
He told me this proudly when I was a kid, and honestly, I’m proud of him for it. He was a revolutionary in his own way. He didn’t care about labels, didn’t let others define him. He came from a small village, a place where he was loved, but he never let that limit him. He focused not on where he was from, but where he was going.
And that’s his legacy. That no matter where you start, you can achieve whatever you set your sights on. It takes effort, dedication, and an immense amount of work, but in the end, it pays off. And how you achieve success—that is entirely up to you. Some do it by stepping over others, by deception, by shortcuts. Others, like him, do it by lifting people up, by creating opportunities.
That was him. That’s the man he was.
Happy birthday, Dad—wherever you are. One day, we’ll meet again.
