PAHA Presents its 2018 Awards at the 76th Annual Meeting in Chicago, January 5, 2019

PAHA Buttons made by Valdosta State University students in Georgia

At its 76th Annual Meeting at the Hilton Chicago in Chicago Il. (January 3-6, 2019) the Polish American Historical Association announced the recipients of its Annual Awards for 2018. The Meeting also included many scholarly presentations in nine sessions on diverse aspects of Polonia’s culture, presented from historical, sociological, critical, and literary perspectives with a focus on immigration issues and the theme of “loyalties and communities.” The meeting was held in conjunction with the 131st annual Meeting of the American Historical Association. Dr. Anna Muller of the University of Michigan, Dearborn, PAHA's new President (for 2019-2020) presented the Awards at the Chopin Theatre, a Chicago landmark that celebrated its 100th anniversary last year.

The Miecislaus Haiman Award is offered annually to an American scholar for sustained contribution to the study of Polish Americans. The 2018 Award was presented to Dr. Anna Mazurkiewicz of the University of Gdańsk, the first Poland-based president of PAHA and an outstanding scholar who advances the field and is recognized on both sides of the Atlantic by various prizes and prestigious fellowships.

Anna Mazurkiewicz

Her research is particularly significant for its comparative aspect that helps us better understand the complexities of the era and issues she studies. Her scholarly reputation will no doubt be enhanced by her forthcoming book East Central European Migrations During the Cold War: A Handbook. According to Ulf Brunnbauer from the Leipzig Institute for East and Southeast European Studies: “Eastern Europe is an emblematic space of mobility; also its Cold War history cannot be told without considering migration from and into the countries of the region; presently, migration is again one of the defining political and economic issues. This volume comes timely and provides a uniquely comprehensive account, full of useful information for further research. It will be a must-read both for migration studies scholars and for area specialists.” In the words of her colleague: she is an “exemplary scholar who is determined to hunt down the last archival scrap of paper for her project.” Additionally, this award recognizes her energetic leadership of PAHA, her generosity, and her unwavering commitment to bring together scholars from both sides of the Atlantic.

Dr Stephanie Kraft

The Amicus Poloniae Award recognizes significant contributions enhancing knowledge of Polish and Polish-American heritage by individuals not belonging to the Polish-American community. The 2018 Award was presented to Dr. Stephanie Kraft, a journalist who visited Poland for the first time 28 years ago and, after that visit, she decided to learn Polish. She is recognized as a translator of such novels as Emancypantki (Emancipated Women) by the 19th-century Polish novelist Boleslaw Prus, and Stone Tablets by Wojciech Zurkowski, and co-translated Marta by Eliza Orzeszkowa (2018). In one of her interviews, Stephanie Kraft said “I really want Polish literature to be better known… that’s really why I got involved in this.”

Prof. Neal Pease

The Joseph Swastek Award is given annually for the best article published during the previous year in a given volume of Polish American Studies, the journal of the Polish American Historical Association. This award, established in 1981, is named in honor of Rev. Joseph V. Swastek (1913-1977), the editor of Polish American Studies for many years, and a past president of PAHA. The PAS Editorial Board has decided to award the Swastek Prize to “Mighty Son of Poland: Stanislaus Zbyszko, Polish Americans, and Sport in the 20thCentury,” by Prof. Neal Pease, PAS, 74/1 (2017): 7-26. This well-written and well- organized study of professional wrestler Stanislaus Zbyszko (Jan Stanislaw Cyganiewicz) makes a persuasive argument based on extensive use of primary resources.

Prof. James S. Pula

The James S. Pula Distinguished Service Award is given to a member of PAHA who has rendered valuable and sustained service to the organization. The 2018 Award was presented to Prof. Dorota Praszalowicz of Jagiellonian University in Poland, who has been contributing to the success of PAHA for a long time, including her role in securing Polish grants for PAHA’s 75th Anniversary Conference. The series of conferences titled American Ethnicity that she organizes every two years offers an outstanding opportunity for PAHA members to present their work, advance their expertise and knowledge, and connect with distinguished European scholars.

President Anna Muller

The Creative Arts Prize recognizes contributions in the field of creative arts by individuals or groups who have promoted an awareness of the Polish experience in the Americas. The 2018 Prize was presented to Ken Peplowski who, in the words of Russell Davies, is “arguably the greatest living jazz clarinetist.” Born to the Polish parents in Cleveland, Ken grew up to the tunes of Polish music. In a 2013 interview, Ken Peplowski said: “When you grow up in Cleveland, Ohio, playing in a Polish polka band, you learn to think fast on your feet.”

The Skalny Civic Achievement Awards honor individuals or groups who advance PAHA's goals of promoting research and awareness of the Polish-American experience and/or have made significant contributions to Polish or Polish-American community and culture. The 2018 Skalny Awards recognize five outstanding individuals.

Stephen Kusmierczak

1. Stephen Kusmierczak made numerous contributions to the flourishing of Polish and Polish American culture: he serves on the Board of the Polish Museum of America and together with his wife Jamie actively invests time and funds for its advancement. Among the various charitable organizations and cultural institutions are the Gift of the Heart Foundation and the POLIN Museum of the History of Polish Jews.
 

2. Joseph A. Drobot Jr.’s devotion to the cause of sustaining Polish-American communities spans over 50 years. Born in Detroit, he serves a number of esteemed economic institutions in Michigan, including the Polish Roman Catholic Union of America. He also serves as the Chairman of the Executive Board of The Polish Museum of America.

3. Edward Rajtar Edward Rajtar has been the Artistic Director, choreographer and dancer for the Dolina Polish Folk Dancers in the Twin Cities area, Minnesota, for the past 22 years; he also established dance groups for children and teenagers. He served on the board of directors of the the Polish Folk Dance Association of the Americas. In the 1980s and 90s, Rajtar served as president of the Polish American Cultural Institute of Minnesota (PACIM). Under his direction, PACIM represented the Polish community at the annual Festival of Nations in the Twin Cities and established a Polish Library.Since 2008, Edward Rajtar became one of the founding members of a tremendously popular Twin Cities Polish Festival, which for a few days in August gathers audiences of several thousand people from Minnesota and elsewhere in the Midwest to celebrate the Polish culture. Rajtar served as both co-chair and chair of the Festival, which is now in its tenth year.

Mary Lou Wyrobek

4. Mary Lou Wyrobek received the Award for her role in advancing knowledge and appreciation of Polish history and culture in the United States. There is not enough space to mention all the initiatives she has been involved in, Mary Lou Wyrobek arranged many concerts by local and internationally recognized Polish artists, coordinated movie festivals and exhibits, as well as various scholarly events. Since 2007, she has also served as the President of the Central Administration of the Polish Singers Alliance of America.

Anne Gurnack

5. Anne Gurnack has undertaken a number of efforts to mobilize both the Polish American community and to engage the Polish institutions to study, protect and promote Kaszub heritage in Milwaukee. She fostered cooperation between the Milwaukee Public Library and the Emigration Museum and contributed to the international cooperation between the Universities of Gdańsk and Wisconsin - Parkside. The hours of lobbying, perseverance and commitment extended to our students made this exchange a success.

Florence Vychytil-Baudoux and Weronika Grzebalska

The Graduate Student/Young Scholar Travel Grant to young and promising scholar in the humanities or social sciences. The winner receives a travel grant to present the paper at the PAHA Annual Meeting. This year PAHA recognized two young outstanding scholars: Weronika Grzebalska and Florence Vychytil-Baudoux.

Books from Ohio University Press's Polish and Polish American History Series were on display

Bozena Nowicka McLees receives books from Moonrise Press's Maja Trochimczyk

for Loyola University Chicago

Anna Muller, Neal Pease, Dominic Pacyga and Bozena Nowicka McLees.

NEW BOARD OF DIRECTORS

The 76^th Annual Meeting also included the presentation of the new Board of Directors of the Polish American Historical Association, to serve in 2019-2020, under the newly elected President Dr. Anna Müller of University of Michigan at Dearborn. The Officers include: Dr. Neal Pease, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee – First Vice President; Dr. Marta Cieslak, University of Arkansas – Little Rock, Second Vice President; Dr. James S. Pula of Purdue University – Treasurer; Dr. Maja Trochimczyk of Moonrise Press – Secretary and Communications Director; Dr. Pien Versteegh, The Netherlands – Executive Director; Dr. Anna Jaroszyńska-Kirchmann of Eastern Connecticut State University - Editor of Polish American Studies.  PAHA Council will also include Dr. John Bukowczyk, Wayne State University; Dr. Mieczysław B. B. Biskupski, Central Connecticut State University, Dr. Mary Patrice Erdmans, Case Western Reserve University; Dr. Ewa Barczyk;  Dr. Grażyna Kozaczka, Cazenovia College; Dr. Anna Mazurkiewicz, University of Gdańsk, Dr. Hubert Izieniecki, Purdue University Northwest, and Dr. Kathleen Wróblewski, University of Michigan.

Winter in Chicago, January 5, 2019. Photo by Maja Trochimczyk