István Serényi
István Serényi (German: Istvan Schlesinger, December 13,1917 – March 27, 2015) was a Hungarian [athlete], journalist, and political protester.
He was born in Trencsén and died in Vienna.
Serényi was a nationally ranked long distance runner. As a journalist, he was imprisoned for his editorials protesting Communism, spending two years in a detention center. He fled to Austria and then America.
He continued to speak out against Communism in America, running and walking long distances to bring attention to the cause.
In September 1959, Serényi blindfolded the Statue of Liberty with a black cloth just as Nikita Khrushchev's ship was entering the harbor.