Northwest College is pleased to host Andrew Laszlo, Jr. for a special presentation on Thursday, February 1 in honor of National Holocaust Remembrance Day. This free event, sponsored by the NWC History Department and the Northwest College Foundation & Alumni, will take place in the Yellowstone Building Conference Center beginning at 6:30 p.m.
Laszlo, Jr. is the son of renowned cinematographer Andrew Laszlo, Sr., a Holocaust survivor who is best known for his work on productions such as Rambo: First Blood, Shogun, and Star Trek V: The Final Frontier. The younger Laszlo worked for Morgan Stanley in Billings for 42 years before retiring in 2021 as an Executive Director in the Wealth Management Division.
Since then, he has published his father’s memoir, “Footnote to History”, which documents Andrew Sr.’s time in German concentration camps during World War II and his post-war immigration to the United States. With Andrew Sr. keeping his past a secret for 50 years, Laszlo, Jr. only learned about those experiences in 1997 when he received a leatherbound book from his father, who had recorded everything that happened.
“My Father told me his secret when I was in my forties, that his family were all victims of the Holocaust and only he survived. Fifty years after arriving in New York Harbor, he presented me with his memoir sharing every detail of his story. He came to America with two dollars in his pocket and became a world-famous cinematographer. His life was a triumph over persecution and evil. His will to survive gave me and my children the gift of life. I present to honor my father. Keeping the story alive may help prevent it from happening again.”
The retired Laszlo now speaks across the country as a commitment to keeping his father’s memory alive by sharing his story of hope and resilience.
A reception and book signing will follow the presentation, and books will also be available for purchase on site.