Dr. Agnes Gáti, psychologist

For 25 years I attended Dr. Géza Kovács's gymnastics classes, which cannot be compared to anything else.

Uncle Géza has proved that staying physically fit is a way of life; moreover, it is always possible to exercise anywhere, and in fact it is imperative that people do so throughout their entire lifetimes.

The exercises are diverse, surprising, and tailored to each person's needs. In addition to the joy of moving together as a group, each person can feel important and accepted as an individual. Anyone who is familiar with the Professor's way of thinking can never again be satisfied with the usual narrow-minded thinking of most health professionals. The universality of his vision and his ever-inquiring mind are imposing. Anytime I turned to him with a question, his counsel was entirely different from what one would typically hear; his answers were never textbook-derived, but were fostered by real-life experience. Uncle Géza's courage was most extraordinary and unusual. We are all familiar with the doctors' clichés, "take it easy," "you can start moving a little," and "don't overdo anything." But there was always uncertainty lurking behind these comments.

Uncle Géza would always hear each person through patiently, listening to their complaints. Then, paying detailed attention to the whole person, he gave precise assignments, assuming responsibility through determining what and how much, but also naturally respecting the advice-seeker's integrity with that secret proviso: always only as much as feels right, and good to the individual.

What a difference!

He was a living example of the fact that the passing of time does not necessitate deterioration. We can all draw from his love of life and his optimism.