Búcsúbeszéd Radó Sándor (1899–1981) ravatalánál

Summary

This funeral address commemorates Sándor Radó (1899–1981), an internationally renowned Hungarian geographer and cartographer, emphasizing his scientific, educational, organizational, and public contributions. Drawing on the author’s decades of professional collaboration with Radó and on assessments by academic institutions and contemporaries, the speech reviews his leadership in the Hungarian Geographical Society and committees of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences, his professorship at the Karl Marx University of Economics, and his role in establishing Marxist political geography and advancing economic-geographical education in Hungary. It highlights his commitment to applying geographical research to national economic planning and public education, as well as his influential textbooks, reference works, lectures, and International Almanac. Particular attention is given to landmark cartographic projects conceived or directed by Radó, including the National Atlas of Hungary, the six-volume atlas of Hungary’s planning and economic regions, and the 234-sheet International Map of the World at a scale of 1:2,500,000. The address also stresses his extensive international activity within organizations such as the IGU, United Nations, UNESCO, and FAO, and his decisive role in strengthening cooperation between Hungarian and Soviet geography. His honorary memberships, decorations, and major state awards are presented as evidence of broad recognition. The speech concludes that Radó’s revolutionary convictions, innovative energy, tireless institution-building, and integration of scholarship with social practice secured his enduring place in Hungarian and international geography and cartography.