Agnes Valkay Persson

Agnes Valkay Persson was born in Budapest, Hungary in 1925. She studied art with Istvan Szonyi, at the Hungarian Academy of Art. In Hungary during World War II she survived the senseless cruelties of the fascist and communist occupations and succeeded in escaping to study and work in Stockholm, Sweden. She worked as a multilingual science librarian at Lumalampan, in Stockholm.



She married a Swedish scientist, Karl Persson, and travelled to the United States when he received a Swedish-American fellowship at Princeton, and subsequently earned his PhD in physics at MIT. She went on to earn her Masters in librarianship and built a library in Ballston Spa, NY. She and her husband became naturalized citizens of the United States, and in turn they sheltered multiple refugees from the Hungarian uprising in 1956, aiding each of them in their pursuits of US citizenship and careers.



At the University of Colorado, in Boulder, after earning her PhD in English literature, she was rewarded by a fulfilling career teaching students to engage literature, art and music. She deeply enjoyed her friendships with teachers, poets, artists and musicians, especially the Hungarian Quartet and then the Takacs Quartet. Even after her retirement, she continued to foster and challenge students, taking great joy in their successes.



She is survived by her son, Anders Persson. Remembrances may be given to the Montana Chamber Music Society, PO Box 1506, Bozeman, MT 59771-1506.