On Thursday, November, 25 1954, snow was falling lightly but that did not stop
enthusiastic citizens from the borough of Freedom, Pennsylvania, with a population of 3,500,
from greeting two Romanian refugee children, and their mothers, in the local Thanksgiving
Day celebration. Freedom’s enthusiastic pageantry gained nation-wide newspaper attention
and could be seen as a textbook example of how to rally Americans in support of Cold War
broadcasting in the 1950s. Below, we will look at Thanksgiving Day 1954 in Freedom, Pennsylvania, a borough in Beaver County located along the Ohio River about 25 miles northwest of Pittsburgh.
Dr. Constantin V. Teodoru, his wife Mirela, and Mr. and Mrs. I. Pop “escaped” Romania in
1951 and settled in New York with their families in 1952. Reportedly, broadcasts from Radio
Free Europe inspired them to “escape” from Romania. The Teodoru family later said they
“got through the Iron Curtain safely” by bribing a railroad guard; the Pop family did not
explain how they “pierced the Iron Curtain.”
On October 27, 1954, Frank Smith, president of Ambridge radio station WBVP, hosted a
luncheon at the Penn-Beaver Hotel in Rochester, Pennsylvania. Those in attendance included
representatives from Freedom’s borough government, schools, churches and civic groups.
Smith announced plans for the Thanksgiving Day festivities in behalf of two refugee children
Nicolas Teodoru (12) and Alina Pop (14), who were to be “entertained as guests of the people
of Freedom and Beaver County.”
Frank Smith told the assembled group in Freedom that Nicolas and Alina, at their request,
were to appear on the popular CBS television program “Strike it Rich” in New York on
November 24, 1954 so they could win money to donate to the Crusade for Freedom. “Strike it
Rich” (“Strike in Lucky in the UK) has been described as “A game show where people relate
their unfortunate situations (fatal disease, injury, their house burned down, etc.) in hopes that
someone will take pity on them, call the show and give them money or merchandise.“ The
producer of the show was Walter Framer formerly of Pittsburgh.
The American Heritage Foundation arranged to fly the children to Pittsburgh on Thanksgiving
Day as a “Flight to Freedom” to symbolize the Romanian family’s flight to freedom.
Arrangements would be made by the American Heritage Foundation to take them to Freedom,
including a possible helicopter flight.
Burgess (mayor) Thomas W. Harrison was named chairman of a committee that was formed
to arrange for a community dinner and program for the children. Harrison called for a
planning meeting in the Freedom High School Home Economics House on the evening of
November 4, 1954 of the borough’s schools, churches, civic clubs and fraternal
organizations.
Smith concluded the meeting with the hope that there would be national television and radio
coverage of Freedom’s Thanksgiving Day activities.
The November 24, 1954 editorial in the grass-roots newspaper Beaver County Times began
with this headline, “We Should Be Thankful for American Freedom.” The editorial went
on: "Tomorrow, Thanksgiving Day, the good people of Freedom, U.S.A., will pay tribute to
the continuous efforts of the “Crusade for Freedom” and Radio Free Europe to liberate the
downtrodden people of the Iron Curtain countries behind the yoke of the Red horde. As a
symbol of the freedom so earnestly desired by those people held captive in their own
countries by the Communist dictators, residents of Freedom will stage a community welcome
for two children who fled from Romania with their parents to escape the Red oppressors."
Nicolas and Alina appeared on the television show “Strike it Rich” on Wednesday night and
won $210 for the Crusade for Freedom. They left New York Thursday morning with their
mothers and Normal H. Pader from the American Heritage Foundation. After their arrival at
Greater Pittsburgh Airport, they all traveled via a motorcade to Freedom.
Freedom school children, waving American flags and singing “God Bless America” greeted
Nicolas and Alina as they entered the borough. Burgess Thomas W. Harrison presented them
with the “keys to the city” as a symbol of their "freedom to enter and leave without question.”
Harrison said he was “proud of the enthusiastic response of local civic and municipal groups
in arranging the Thanksgiving fete at a demonstration of American freedom and liberty in the
name of our community."
After a parade down Freedom’s main street Nicolas' and Alina sat down with 150 guests at a
Thanksgiving Day banquet in the Freedom High School gymnasium. Freedom housewives
dressed in pioneer costumes served the guests.
Nicolas and Alina then watched with 600 Freedom residents and guests a pageant depicting
early Pilgrim and pioneer days. School groups and Boy Scouts demonstrated Indian dances
and scenes from early American history. Alina Pop was asked if there was a difference
between “nothing but lies” of Communist propaganda and “the truth this side of the Curtain.”
She replied, “There is, oh, such a big difference.” Afterwards, Nicolas and Alina visited a
typical American turkey farm and then returned to New York.
Associated Press and United Press reports provided newspaper coverage throughout the
United States. The Associated Press reported, for example, “The community not only was the
scene of the actual festivities but symbolized the liberty found in every American town. And
the children represented freedom-loving peoples throughout the world”.
