2015 Congressman Clement Zablocki” Civic Achievement Award”

Awarded annually by the Polish American Congress – Wisconsin Division

Mrs. Teresa Jankowski is a dedicated fraternalist who has been active for many years in the Polish National Alliance. In 2011 Teresa was elected District Commissioner of the Polish National Alliance fraternal for Wisconsin and Minnesota. In the greater Milwaukee area, she is a longtime leader in her home PNA lodge and Council and is a supportive member of the Board of Directors of the Wisconsin State Division of the Polish American Congress. Teresa is a strong and always cheerful promoter of cooperative activity within our Polish American community and is a visible force in the Polonia Sports Club and in the annual Polish Fest.

Mr. José G. Pérez was elected Alderman for District 12 of Milwaukee in 2012. A native of Milwaukee’s near South Side, Jose Perez is a grandson of immigrants from Puerto Rico who came to our city to work here in the 1950s. As Alderman, Jose Perez has distinguished himself as a friend of Polonia, in particular by his leadership role in supporting the restoration of the Kościuszko Monument, which is in his district’s Kosciuszko Park. Alderman Perez’s interest in political service dates back to his college years at Cardinal Stritch University, his duties as an intern in the Washington, DC office of Congressman Gerald Kleczka, his  work under Mayor John Norquist, and in his many-sided involvements in Hispanic American organizations. As Alderman, Jose Perez has been dedicated to his District’s economic and community development.

Mrs. Gloria and Mr. Jim Shire have both been devoted volunteers with the Polish Heritage Alliance since the Polish Center was dedicated in 2000. Both have worked at every Polish Fest since then and have been fixtures in the annual Lenten Season Fish Fry fund raisers. Their volunteer spirit has been expressed in other ways as well. As Jim puts it, “When we get a call; we go.” Gloria’s volunteerism led to her appointment to the Management Committee of Polish Fest. The Shirer’s giving ways go beyond PHA service too. Jim, a veteran of the Korean War, is Commander of the Alonzo Cudworth Post of the American Legion. Gloria is active in the Girl Scouts of America. Both are involved in Holy Family parish of Whitefish Bay, where Jim has been an usher for forty years. Dr. Waclaw Szybalski is Professor Emeritus of Oncology and an eminent scholar in the fields of molecular genetics at the McArdle Laboratory for Cancer Research of the University of Wisconsin in Madison, WI. Dr. Szybalski’s contributions to medical science over the past sixty years have been extraordinary and his scientific achievements have merited at least one Nobel Prize in the view of his colleagues, some of whom have been Nobel Prize winners themselves. Among his many honors over the years, Dr. Szybalski has received Honorary Doctoral Degrees from five Polish universities, including Maria Curie-Sklodowska University in Lublin and the Universities of Gdansk and Kraków, the UW Hilldale Award and the Grand Cross of the Order of Polonia Restituta from President Komorowski of the Republic of Poland in 2011 for his “extraordinary and distinguished service.”   Dr. Szybalski was born in 1921 and educated as Ch.E. in Lwów, Poland.  He lived through six years of the inhumane Soviet-Russian and Nazi-German WW II occupations of his homeland and found his way to the United States in 1950.  His research in molecular biology commenced soon after at the Genetics Laboratory at Cold Spring Harbor, New York.  One of his primary research collaborators has been his wife, Elizabeth Hunter Szybalska. Dr. Szybalski is a member of the Polish Heritage Club of Madison.

The University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee Libraries is honored for its commitment to preserving and digitizing the Roman Kwasniewski Photographic Collection of interwar Milwaukee Polonia. This collection, acquired in the late 1970s, includes more than 25,000 photographs and is the best and most comprehensive visual historic resource for the study of Polish American urban life in the United States. Significantly, the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Libraries’ involvement in preserving and disseminating Poland’s heritage goes beyond its extraordinary actions with the Kwasniewski collection. The Libraries house the American Geographic Society (AGS) collection, which includes a number of invaluable historic maps of Poland and many other materials of benefit to students of Poland’s history, its geography, its place in European art and culture, and to members of the community interested in genealogy. In addition, the UW-M Libraries has hosted a long list of memorable exhibits, films, and lectures over the years that focus on important themes and events in Polish history, working in cooperation with the UW-M Polish Studies Committee and Polonia groups. In 2010 it hosted a grand reception for participants in the national meeting of the Polish Institute of Arts and Sciences of America. In short, the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Libraries represent

libraries at their best and is a living, coherent, and readily accessible repository of culture and in

particular here, the Polish and Polish American experience.

Civic Achievement Award

The Congressman Clement Zablocki Civic Achievement Award
Awarded annually by the
Polish American Congress – Wisconsin Division

Annually the Polish American Congress – Wisconsin Division awards the prestigious Congressman Clement J. Zablocki “Civic Achievement Award” to deserving individuals and organizations. These awards are presented at the Polish Independence Day/Veterans Day event.

Congressman Clement J. Zablocki served in the U.S. House of Representatives from Milwaukee’s Fifth Congressional District for 35 years. During his long tenure in office, he diligently and effectively responded to his constituents’ needs and concerns. In Washington, Congressman Zablocki was devoted to working on behalf of his country’s national security and defense. He was deeply committed to the freedom of Poland and the well-being of its people. Congressman Zablocki worked closely with the Polish American Congress in all of these areas.

 

2013 Recipients

Waldemar and Susan Biniecki, community activists

“Waldek” Biniecki served as president of the Polish American Congress – Wisconsin Division from 2010 to 2012 before relocating to Kansas with his wife, Susan, and their son. As a PAC member and officer, Waldek made many valued contributions to advance the PAC mission in Wisconsin. Currently, Waldek is organizing a PAC state division in Kansas. Susan Biniecki worked at U.W.-Milwaukee for more than a decade and organized a number of excellent educational programs about Poland and its place in European affairs before her faculty appointment at Kansas State University.

Jeanette Holmquist, fraternalist

Jeanette is a long-time leader and officer in our Polish American fraternal insurance organizations. First, with the Federation Life Insurance of America where she served as President and then after its merger with the Polish Roman Catholic Union, another great fraternal organization. Jeanette has continued her strong leadership currently serving as the financial secretary of PRCUA Lodge 2308 (Young Milwaukeeans). Jeanette frequently shares her energies volunteering for various organizational activities. Jeanette is a stalwart activist and officer in the Casimir Pulaski Council of Milwaukee County and currently serves as a Director for the Polish American Congress – Wisconsin Division.

Claude Krawczyk and Members of the Kosciuszko Monument Restoration Committee

Atty. Claude Krawczyk has played a key role with his dedicated committee to raise funds necessary to restore the great monument to General Thaddeus Kosciuszko in Milwaukee’s Kosciuszko Park. This magnificent monument, which was erected in 1905 by our Polish community, was in very poor condition and required massive repairs. Atty. Krawczyk and his committee worked for over three years on this project which will benefit the people of Wisconsin for generations to come.

Members of the Restoration Committee are: Judy Ramazzini (Vice Chair), Susan Mikos (Secretary/Treasurer), Cindy Arbiture, Diane Buck, Dan Diliberti, Clare Ann Gaouette, Russ Jankowski, Tamara Johnston, Donald Pienkos, Susan Plewa, and Kathy Wieczorek.

Scott Potopa, presenter of Polish culture

Scott, who lives in the Green Bay area, is not only a collector of memorabilia that highlights Poland’s great historical heritage, he is always ready to showcase these materials at school events and festivals. For example, Scott brought the armor and weapons of the famed Polish winged horsemen (heavy armored cavalry) of the 16th and 17th centuries to our Polish American Congress – Wisconsin Division’s display at Polish Fest in 2012. Scott’s display received many fine comments from those guests visiting our cultural exhibit. Scott’s work is included in the book entitled: Polish Re-Enactors Handbook: A Guide To 17th Century Living History In The Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth by Eryk Stefan Jadaszewski.

Ron and Patricia Witkowiak, community leaders

Ron is a long-time Polonia activist in the Milwaukee Society of the PNA (Lodge 2159), the Polish Heritage Alliance of Wisconsin, and is a Director for the Polish American Congress – Wisconsin Division. In addition to serving as an outstanding officer in the Milwaukee County Court system, Ron has made many valuable contacts with public officials that benefitted the Polish community in metro Milwaukee. Pat is very active in various Polonia organizations and served as a member of the Board of Directors of the Polish Heritage Alliance. Ron and Pat have been an instrumental team working to advance Polish pride in our area.

PAC-WI Special Recognition

SPECIAL RECOGNITION

The Polish American Congress – Wisconsin Division salutes three outstandingorganizations on the anniversaries of their founding. We congratulate these organizations for their many contributions to our Polish American community, in Wisconsin and nationally.

 

POLISH ROMAN CATHOLIC UNION OF AMERICA
140 Years of Service

This year marks the 140th anniversary of the founding of the Polish Roman Catholic Union of America, in 1873, as the very first fraternal society created to serve the needs of the Polish people in America. Through the years the PRCUA has been very active and visible in Wisconsin.

POLISH WOMEN’S ALLIANCE OF AMERICA
115 Years of Service

The year 2013 also marks the 115th anniversary of the birth of the
Polish Women’s Alliance of America, the first national fraternal
society of Polish women in the U.S.A. The PWA, like the
PRCUA, has long been an important force in our state.

POLANKI
60 Years of Service

In 1953, the Polish Women’s Cultural Club of Milwaukee, POLANKI, one of this
country’s leading organizations devoted to the promotion of knowledge of
our cultural heritage in America, was established by four farsighted
individuals: Harriet Gostomska, Felicia Kwasieborska,
Maria Laskowska, and Angela Dubiel Mischke.
(Due to a scheduling conflict, POLANKI will be honored at
the 2014 PAC-WI Polish Independence Day/Veterans Day event.)

Congratulations to all and our very best wishes to your members!

Medal of Paderewski

Awarded by the Polish Army Veterans Association of America
and is given to individuals whose actions have
demonstrated their extraordinary commitment
and service to Poland and Polonia.

Awarded to:

Katarzyna Murawska – a native of Poland, believes that a nation’s language is its history. She has collected materials of distinguished Polish-American activists, especially those from Milwaukee. Researching many generations of soldiers and veterans of Polish descent – reaching back to the times of Washington and Lincoln – Murawska has found these individuals’ hearts remain Polish. Her educational background is that of a philologist and teacher. She has authored books about immigrants who through their great work ethic earned the appreciation of the American community. Murawski’s hope is that through her work as a teacher of the Polish language, she will contribute to her students the desire to grow to be activists in Polonia and continue the work of Paderewski and other great Poles.