Anna Mazurkiewicz Receives OAH'S 2019 Willi Paul Adams Award for her Book

Barbara Kalabińska, author of index, and Prof. Mazurkiewicz with her award

During its annual meeting in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the Organization of American Historians (OAH) presented Prof. Anna Mazurkiewicz, University of Gdańsk, with their prestigious 2019 Willi Paul Adams Award, which is given every two years for the best book on American history published in a language other than English.

The book, Uchodźcy polityczni z Europy Środkowo-Wschodniej w amerykańskiej polityce zimnowojennej, 1948–1954 [Political Exiles from East Central Europe in American Cold War Politics, 1948–1954] was published by the Institute of National Remembrance and University of Gdańsk. This is an impressively detailed study of the origins and dynamics of U.S. involvement on behalf of East Central European exiles in the early years of the Cold War. Based on transatlantic archival work and covering exile groups such as Albanians, Romanians, Hungarians, Poles, and Slovaks, the book’s signal contribution is to join the literature of U.S. Cold War policy and propaganda formation with the literature on exile politics in these important but understudied regions of the Soviet bloc.

Prof. Earl Lewis, OAH President presents the award to Prof. Anna Mazurkiewicz

Mazurkiewicz presents a nuanced analysis of the two-way relationship between East Central European exiles and U.S. Cold War policy makers, especially through formation of the Free Europe Committee, an anticommunist Central Intelligence Agency–supported organization that established Radio Free Europe and served American propaganda interests. Documents from exiles and interviews with them demonstrate the compromises involved in becoming tethered to the U.S. propaganda mission and give voice to their complex and often-equivocal response to the partnership. The author concludes that the East Central Europeans’ integration in the Free Europe Committee became a model for U.S. relations with anticommunist exile groups from other regions of the world. Because exile and refugee politics are often tied to U.S. policy makers’ interest in regime change elsewhere, Mazurkiewicz’s history will remain a meaningful reference point for the present.

The award was presented on April 5 by OAH’s 2018–19 President Earl Lewis and 2019–20 President Joanne Meyerowitz. For more information, visit oah.org or call 812.855.7311.

Valdosta State University Conference to Celebrate 100 Years of Poland's Regained Independence

Conference Celebrating the Centennial of Poland’s Rebirth in Georgia

Valdosta – Students, faculty, and local citizens attended a conference celebrating the centennial of Poland’s rebirth on 9 November 2018.  Sponsored by the History Department of Valdosta State University (VSU), it was also supported by the Embassy of the Republic of Poland in Washington D.C., the Polish American Historical Association, the Kosciuszko Foundation, and the Faculty of History, University of Gdańsk (UG).

The conference featured four components:  academic papers, a Polish lunch and trivia game, a student essay competition, and a film screening.  Organized by visiting professor Anna Mazurkiewicz (UG) and John Dunn (VSU), their goal was to provide an introduction to Poland’s history and culture.  This started with a collection of posters graciously provided by the Polish Embassy in Washington.  These gave a real sense of the tremendous strides made by Poland in the last 30 years, along with enticing images that encourage students to consider a study abroad experience in 2019.

Mazurkiewicz established a focus of academic presentations, one that showed how America responded to crises in Polish history.  The keynote speaker, Dr. Neal Pease, University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee (UWM), started with a concise look at why Poland’s rebirth was important in an international context.  Dunn followed up with an account of Paul Eve, the only native-born American who served with insurgents during the November Insurrection (1831), while Dr. Mathew Adams, Savannah State University, told of the many American connections to Poland’s 1918-1921 struggles, ranging from the Grey Samaritans to the Kościuszko Squadron.  The academic papers concluded with Mazurkiewicz explaining 1980s America’s part in “Poland’s way out of Communism.”

With a sense that students were still hungry for knowledge about Poland, the next component featured an east-central European lunch.  Guests were offered barszcz, bigos (regular and vegan), piernik and of course pierogi. Dr. Yakov Woldman, VSU Chemistry, earned a special distinction for making 100 of the pierogi Russian style, while Ewa Barczyk gained honor for bringing a suitcase full of pierogi and sausage from Milwaukee.  An hour later, only a few slices of bread remained on the tables.

Barczyk, former director of the Library at UWM continued support for the conference by allowing students to submit encyclopedia entries for her upcoming book, A Guide to Polish Historical Sites in North America.  Two students produced entries worthy of reward:  Ms. Logan Mabey of Georgia, and Ms. Aylar M Chijayeva, a native of Turkmenistan.  Both obtained a certificate, plus an award of $50.

The conference concluded with a screening of the Fourth Partition.  This 2013 documentary directed by Adrian Prawica, tells the story of Polish emigration to America, all the way back to Jamestown.  Following this, select participants enjoyed a celebratory banquet.  Rumor has it Żubrówka, complete with bison grass, may have been served.

Participants judged the conference a success, as it helped cement the already good relations between Gdańsk and Valdosta Universities.  Future plans include continuing exchanges of professors and students, while furthering a mutual interest in Polish History.

Best Wishes for 2018 from PAHA President Dr. Anna Mazurkiewicz

Dear Members of PAHA,

I hope this email finds you well! Towards the end of the year I wanted to remind PAHA to you. Without its members no organization can survive. Thanks to you – your contributions to the field of the Polish American Studies as well as journal subscriptions – we go on thriving.

The year 2018 will mark the centennial of Poland’s rebirth, but also the 75th Anniversary of PAHA. We will inaugurate the celebrations during PAHA Annual Meeting which will take place in Washington DC on Jan. 4-7. The conference program is available here: https://aha.confex.com/aha/2018/webprogram/Symposium2241.html 

You may also see the 75th Meeting Program on this blog: http://pahanews.blogspot.com/2017/10/pahas-75th-annual-meeting-in-washington.htmlhttp://pahanews.blogspot.com/2017/10/pahas-75th-annual-meeting-in-washington.html

If you are in the area, or if you can travel to DC – please consider joining us for the conference. All audiences attending PAHA sessions enter for free (Presenters are required to register with AHA). The next year’s conference will take place in Chicago (January 2019). Our Call for Papers will be issued in January – deadline for submissions – April 15, 2018.

This January, during the Washington conference, we will inaugurate a special volume on PAHA’s history which has been edited by James S. Pula. If you are interested in obtaining a copy - please let us know. We will notify you once it is available for purchase,

More information about our plans for 2018 will follow in January. In the meantime, please share the joy and stay tuned to more PAHA News. (Spoiler alert: watch out for the new web page! We are modernizing for Your enjoyment!)

While working on the updates to our website we have decided to expand the “teacher resources” section. Should you have a link to a resource/website that you believe we should include in it for the sake of advancing Polish American studies (teacher/researcher use) – please pass it along. As always, please remember to submit your updates (new books, career updates, projects and events) for our communication outlets. Help us make PAHA even stronger and do not forget to renew your membership!

May Your Holidays be merry, peaceful and filled with hope! May the New Year be filled with enthusiasm, reinvigorated interest in all-things-Polish/Polish American and success in all your personal endeavors!

Wesołych Świąt i Szczęśliwego Nowego Roku!

Dr. Anna Mazurkiewicz
PAHA President

PAHA's New Officers, Council, and the Call for Papers for 2016 Conference

PAHA OFFICERS AND COUNCIL

The new leadership of the Polish American Historical Association was announced after the 72nd Annual Meeting, when the new President, Dr. Grazyna Kozaczka was presented. The leadership will lead PAHA through 2015 and 2016.

THE OFFICERS: Dr. Grażyna Kozaczka of Cazenovia College was  elected the President, Dr. Anna Mazurkiewicz of the University of Gdańsk – the First Vice President, Dr. John Radzilowski of the University of Alaska-Southeast – the Second Vice President; and Dr. Maja Trochimczyk of Moonrise Press – the Secretary. She will continue serving as PAHA Newsletter Editor and Online Communications Director.  Dr. Jim Pula of Purdue University North Central will continue in his role as Treasurer and Dr. Pien Versteegh of Avans University, The Netherlands, as Executive Director. Dr. Anna Jaroszyńska-Kirchmann of Eastern Connecticut State University will be the new Editor of Polish American Studies.

THE COUNCIL MEMBERS will include: Dr. M. B. Biskupski, Central Connecticut State University; Dr. John Bukowczyk, Wayne State University; Dr. Mary Erdmans, Case Western Reserve University; Dr. Ann Gunkel, Columbia College-Chicago; Dr. Iwona Korga, Józef Piłsudski Institute; Dr. Dorota Praszałowicz, Jagiellonian University, Kraków; Dr. Marta Cieślak, Independent Scholar; Dr. CzesławKarkowski, Hunter College and Mercy College; Dr. Stephen Leahy, Shantou University, Shantou; Dr. Thomas Napierkowski, University of Colorado, Colorado Springs (Past President, 2013-2014); Dr. Neal Pease, University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee; and Mr. Robert Synakowski, Syracuse Polish Home.

Detailed information about our Officers and Council is below the Call for Papers.

PAHA Officers and Council in Warsaw, June 2014. L to R (front): Iwona Korga, Pien Versteegh, Grazyna Kozaczka, Maja Trochimczyk, and Jim Pula. L to R (back): Angela Pienkos (guest), Tom Napierkowski, Stephen Leahy, Don Pienkos (guest), Anna Jaroszynska-Kirchmann, Ann Hetzel Gunkel, Anna Mazurkiewicz, Tom Dusiak, Mieczyslaw B.B. Biskupski.

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CALL FOR PAPERS FOR PAHA'S 73RD ANNUAL MEETING IN JANUARY 2016

PAHA's 73rd Annual Meeting will be held on January 7-10, 2016 in Atlanta as part of the 130th American Historical Association's Annual Conference. The theme for the 2016 AHA conference is “Global Migrations: Empires, Nations, and Neighbors.” It provides an excellent opportunity for the Polish American Historical Association to showcase research carried out by its members, as well as to present it in a comparative perspective. Therefore we invite scholars who work on the Polish American experience as well as those who deal either with migration, ethnic, or regional studies and would like to present their findings within the forum presented by the PAHA. We invite session proposals that foster international, comparative perspectives which include the Polish American experience, as well as individual papers dealing with the above mentioned themes. 

 This year, we specifically look for proposals in the following areas: 

- Polish American experience – all aspects (history, sociology, literature, art, music, etc.) 

 - Migration patterns, ethnic experience – comparative perspective 

 - Immigrant women - Labor activism among the ethnics 

- Experiences of foreigners in the American Civil War 

- International activism of the anti-communist groups in the U.S. during the Cold War 

The deadline for submissions is April 15, 2015. Abstracts for papers and panel proposals are now being accepted and should be submitted to the Chair of the Program Committee: Dr. Anna Mazurkiewicz Faculty of History University of Gdansk, Poland ul. Wita Stwosza 55, 80-952 Gdansk email: anna.m@polishamericanstudies.org 

Electronic proposals in email and word format are strongly preferred. Individuals and session organizers should include the following information when submitting a proposal: 

• Paper/Session title(s) (of no more than 20 words) 

• Paper/Session abstract(s) (up to 300/500 words, respectively) 

• Biographical paragraph or c.v. summary (up to 250 words) for each participant 

• Correct mailing and e-mail address for each participant 

• Chair (required) and commentator (optional) for the session 

• Audiovisual needs, if any. 

Please be advised that it is unlikely that PAHA will be able to use PowerPoint in its sessions, due to the high cost of rental, or that presenters will be permitted by the hosting conference hotel to bring their own. You may wish to consider distribution of paper handouts as an alternative. The Polish American Historical Association holds its Annual Conference in conjunction with the American Historical Association (AHA). The full information about the AHA conference can be found at www.historians.org. PAHA members who plan to attend PAHA conference only do not need to register for the AHA conference, but are required to register for the PAHA conference by November 15, 2015. Registration may be done on-line at www.polishamericanstudies.org.

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BIOGRAPHIES OF PAHA OFFICERS AND COUNCIL

PAHA OFFICERS

Dr. Grażyna Kozaczka,  President 

Grazyna J. Kozaczka received her Ph.D. in American Literature from the Jagiellonian University in Krakow, Poland. She is a Professor of English at Cazenovia College and the director of the All-College Honors Program. Her book–length publications include William Dean Howells and John Cheever: Their Views on the Failing of the American Dream (Universitas, Krakow, Poland) and Old World Stitchery (Chilton Book Co. Radnor, PA). Among her research interests are American ethnic literature, women’s literature, literature of the Holocaust as well as traditional Polish folk dress and adornment. She has published scholarly essays as well as short fiction.

Dr. Anna Mazurkiewicz, First Vice President

Dr. Anna Mazurkiewicz works at the Faculty of History at the University of Gdańsk where from she graduated summa cum laude in 1999, and where she defended her Doctoral Dissertation in 2006. She also studied at the California State University, Fresno (1997-1998), was a APRF Fellow at the Notre Dame University (2002-2003), and a Kosciuszko Foundation Fellow at the IHRC at the University of Minnesota (2007-2008), Visegrad Fellow at the Central European University, Open Society Archives in Budapest (2010). She taught at State University of New York (Buffalo, 2012-2013) and gave guest lectures at the University of Primorska, Koper (Slovenia). Her scholarly interests include: the Cold War; the United States after World War II; U.S.-Polish diplomatic relations; media system in the United States; U.S. policy towards the countries of East Central Europe; political activity of refugees from East Central Europe in the United States after World War II; political emigration from East Central Europe in 1945-1989.

She has published two books related to the American response to elections in Poland (1947,1989): Dyplomacja Stanów Zjednoczonych wobec wyborów w Polsce w latach 1947 i 1989, Neriton, Warszawa 2007; Prasa amerykańska wobec wyborów w Polsce w latach 1947 i 1989, Wydawnictwo Uniwersytetu Gdańskiego, Gdańsk 2009. She edited a two-volume publication: East Central Europe in Exile, vol. 1: Transatlantic Migrations and vol. 2: Transatlantic Identities (Newcastle upon Tyne: Cambridge Scholars Publishing, 2013) which won the Oskar Halecki Prize bestowed by the Polish American Historical Association (2015). The most recent volume edited by her has just been printed as part of the series: Od exsilli do exile. Migracje przymusowe w perspektywie historycznej, Studia Historica Gedanensia, Vol.5 (Gdańsk: University of Gdańsk Press, 2014). Member of a number of Polish and foreign scholarly associations, Mazurkiewicz is the First Vice-President of the Polish American Historical Association. She is the recipient of a few awards including: The National Centre for Culture’s award for best doctoral dissertation in history (2007) and Swastek Award for best article printed in the scholarly journal Polish American Studies in 2012, Krzysztof Celestyn Mrongowiusz University of Gdańsk Distinction for Excellence in Teaching (2010), and the Medal of the Commission of National Education (2014). Since 2006 she has been working on the Assembly of Captive European Nations (ACEN) in the context of American foreign policy during the Cold War.

Dr. John Radzilowski, Second Vice President 

Dr. Jim Pula,  Treasurer

James S. Pula is Professor of History at Purdue University North Central. The author and editor of more than a dozen books on the Polish diaspora and the American Civil War, he served as editor-in-chief of The Polish American Encyclopedia and was the editor of the academic journal Polish American Studies for some 33 years. He has for many years been a member of the Boards of Directors of the Polish American Historical Association and the Polish Institute of Arts & Sciences of America. His work has been honored with the Mieczysław Haiman Award for sustained scholarly contributions, the Distinguished Service Award from the American Council for Polish Culture, three Oskar Halecki Prizes for various books, the Rudewicz Medal, and the Officer’s Cross of the Order of Merit of the Republic of Poland.

Dr. Maja Trochimczyk, Secretary and Communications Director  

Maja Trochimczyk is a Californian poet, scholar, translator, photographer, and non-profit director from Poland. She studied musicology at the University of Warsaw, Poland (M.A. 1986) and sound engineering at the Fryderyk Chopin Academy of Music in Warsaw (M.A. 1987). In 1988 she emigrated to Canada and in 1994 she earned her Ph.D. in musicology from McGill University in Montreal. She held Postdoctoral Fellowships from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (1994-1996),and the American Council of Learned Societies (2001-2002). She published six books of music studies, including: Frederic Chopin: A Reserch and Information Guide (Routledge, 2015, co-edited with William Smialek), The Lutoslawski Legacy (Polish Institute of Art and Sciences in Canada, 2014, co-edited with Stanislaw Latek), and Polish Dance in Southern California (East European Monographs, Columbia University Press, 2008). Her articles appeared in American Music, Contemporary Music Review, Musical Quarterly, Computer Music Journal, Muzyka, Studia Musicologica, Leonardo, Polish American Studies, Polish Review, The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians II (Macmillan), Women Composers: Music Through the Ages (G.K. Hall), Lutoslawski Studies (Oxford University Press), and The Age of Chopin (Indiana University Press). Her musicology work was translated into Polish, German, French, Swedish, Chinese and and Japanese.

She published three books of poetry (Rose Always - A Court Love Story, rev. 2011; Miriam's Iris, or Angels in the Garden, 2008, both from Moonrise Press; and Slicing the Bread, Finishing Line Press 2014). She also edited two anthologies of poetry: Chopin with Cherries: A Tribute in Verse (Moonrise Press, 2010) and Meditations on Divine Names (2012) and published poetry and photographs in numerous journals. Dr. Trochimczyk is a recipient of PAHA's Distinguished Service Award for 2014 and of the 2007 Swastek Prize for her article about Polish Dance in Southern California. In 2012 she was presented with a medal for the promotion of Polish culture "Zasluzony dla Kultury Polskiej" from the Minister of Cultural Heritage of the Republic of Poland and received numerous city and county honors celebrating her 15 years of volunteering for the Polish-American community.

Dr. Pien Versteegh, Executive Director 

Pien Versteegh has written her thesis on Polish miners in Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands studying their position on the labor market and in the society in the period of 1920-1930. Her postdoctoral work compares Polish migrants in Germany and the United States focusing on mobility, migrants’ coping strategies, gender, and the second generation. She has received grants from the Balch Institute for Ethnic Studies, the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission and the Dutch Research Council. She has had several positions at Dutch universities and will be Dean of Avans School of International Studies at the Avans University of Applied Sciences in Breda, the Netherlands as of March 2015. Her involvement with PAHA has started in 2001 and she is the executive director since 2008. 

Dr. Anna Jaroszyńska-Kirchmann, Editor of Polish American Studies

PAHA's former President (2007-2009), and first Vice President (2004-2007), a former member of Awards Committee, Associate Editor of the Polish American Encyclopedia (ed. by James Pula), serves on the editorial board of Polish American Studies. Dr. Jaroszynska-Kirchmann teaches at the Eastern Connecticut State University, continuously rendering excellent service to PAHA; PAHA board member for many years she has been instrumental in developing new strategies, alert in PAHA's PR activities. Recipient of many prestigious awards, Dr. Jaroszynska-Kirchmann has devoted her time and her skill to the organization caring for the study and promotion of the Polish- American history and culture with visible, positive results.

PAHA COUNCIL

Dr. John Bukowczyk

John Bukowczyk (B.A., Northwestern University; A.M., Ph.D., Harvard University) is Professor of History at Wayne State University in Detroit. Bukowczyk's publications include And My Children Did Not Know Me: A History of the Polish Americans (Indian University Press, 1987); A History of the Polish Americans (Transaction, 2008); and, as editor, Polish Americans and Their History: Community, Culture, and Politics (University of Pittsburgh Press, 1996). Bukowczyk is the editor of the Journal of American Ethnic History and the Ohio University Press Polish and Polish-American Studies Series. He also is the recipient of the Gold Cross of Merit of Republic, several PAHA awards, and a number of publication prizes.

Dr. Mieczyslaw B. B. Biskupski

The Stanislaus A. Blejwas Endowed Chair in Polish and Polish American Studies at CCSU, Prof. Biskupski is the author of nine books, numerous journal articles, and a specialist in modern Central Europe. Before his appointment at CCSU, Dr. Biskupski was Professor of History and Graduate Professor of International Studies at St. John Fisher College in Rochester, NY. He earned his doctorate at Yale, where he was a student of Piotr Wandycz, and he has held Visiting Professorships at the University of Rochester, served as Fulbright Research Professor at the University of Warsaw, and, in 1997, he was a Fellow of the Central European University of Budapest. Bolek is the recipient of many academic and national awards, including the Honor Roll of Polish Science by the Polish Ministry of Education and the Officer's Cross of the Order of Merit of the Republic of Poland. He is a member of the Board of Directors of the Polish Institute of Arts and Sciences, and a past president of PAHA. Since 2013, Prof. Biskupski has served as the President of PIASA. 

His books include: The United States and the rebirth of Poland, 1914-1918 (Yale University Press, 1981); American Polonia and the resurrection of independent Poland, 1914-1918 (Polish Studies Program, Central Connecticut State University, 1989); Re-creating Central Europe: the United States "inquiry" into the future of Poland in 1918 (Simon Fraser University Press, 1990); Poland and Europe: historical dimensions (Columbia Univ. Press, 1993); The history of Poland (Greenwood Publishing Group, 2000), and Hollywood’s War with Poland, 1939-1945 (Knoxville: University of Kentucky Press, 2010; winner of the Halecki Prize). He has also shared editorial credits with other eminent scholars; with James S. Pula he co-edited the Polish democratic thought from the Renaissance to the great emigration: essays and documents (East European Monographs, 1990); with Piotr Wandycz he edited Ideology, politics, and diplomacy in East Central Europe (University Rochester Press, 2003); and with Antony Polonsky he co-edited a special issue of Polin, vol. 19, Polish-Jewish relations in North America (Littman Library of Jewish Civilization, 2007).

Dr. Marta Cieslak

Marta Cieślak received Master’s Degrees in Polish Literature and Language and in American Studies from the University of Warsaw, Poland. In September 2014, she completed her doctoral degree at the Department of Transnational Studies at the University at Buffalo. Her dissertation titled “From Peasants to Workers: Class, Nation and Progress in the United States and Poland, 1865-1914” investigates the transnational transition of Polish rural migrants into the American industrial working class in the aftermath of the simultaneous abolition of serfdom in partitioned Poland-Lithuania and slavery in the United States. Her research interests focus on the questions of transnationalism, nationalism, and nation building. 

Dr. Mary Patrice Erdmans 

Mary Patrice Erdmans received her PhD in sociology from Northwestern University in 1992. Her areas of interest include immigration and ethnicity (with research on Poles and Polish Americans), the intersection of gender, class, and race (with research on Polish immigrant home health care workers, Polish American working-class women, adolescent mothers, and, currently, aged auto workers), and narrative research methods (e.g., life stories and oral histories). Her research has been published as book-length manuscripts -- On Becoming A Teen Mom: Life Before Pregnancy with Tim Black, (University of California Press, 2015); The Grasinski Girls: The Choices They Had and the Choices They Made  (Ohio University Press, 2004); and Opposite Poles: Immigrants and Ethnics in Chicago, 1976-1990 (Penn State Press, 1998). Her articles have appeared in The Sociological Quarterly, Journal of American Ethnic History, Sociological Inquiry, Qualitative Health Research, Polish American Studies, Humanity and Society, and North American Review.

Dr. Ann Hetzel Gunkel
Dr. Ann Hetzel Gunkel (Ph.D., Philosophy, DePaul University) is Associate Professor of Cultural Studies & Humanities at Columbia College Chicago where she is a founding member and past Director of the innovative program in Cultural Studies, a leading center for undergraduate research and pedagogy in the field. A winner of multiple major grants, she is a two-time Fulbright recipient for both Research (Germany 1992) and Teaching (Poland 2012) and the Harmonia Research Grant from the Polish National Science Center. She was Visiting Professor of American Cultural Studies at the Jagiellonian University in Krakow in 2011-12. Dr. Gunkel has lectured widely in North America, Russia, Western and Eastern Europe; she is an Editorial Board Member of the journals Ad Americam (Poland); Polish American Studies (US) and Cultural Landscapes (US). She is a native Chicagoan, active in Cultural Studies and Polish/American Studies; winner of the PAHA's Joseph V. Swastek and Creative Arts Prizes in the latter field. An award-winning designer of educational multimedia, Dr. Gunkel is a public intellectual who has appeared frequently in national and local media. She is also a published documentary photographer and award-winning graphic designer; her photos and digital artworks have been widely published and exhibited. Formerly Director of Online Communications and Vice President for PAHA, Dr. Gunkel has served on the PAHA Board since 2001.

Dr. Czeslaw Karkowski

Czeslaw Karkowski, Ph. D – born in Wroclaw, Poland, received his Ph. D. in philosophy from the University of Poznan, Poland. Living in the U.S. since 1986, he worked for "Nowy Dziennik" (Polish-language newspaper based in New York City) for more than 20 years  Since 1995, Dr. Karkowski has taught at Mercy College, Dobbs Ferry, NY, and since 2011 – at Hunter College, New York. He published seven scholarly books : Bruno Schulz i krytyka inteligencji /Bruno Schulz and the Critique of Intelligentsia (Wroclaw: Ossolineum, 1980); Neo-Kantyzm. Wybór tekstów /Neo-Kantianism. Selected articles (The Wroclaw University Press, 1982); Boleslaw Wierzbianski. Wybor pism / Boleslaw Wierzbianski. Selected papers  (Nowy Jork-Opole, 2007). Ze wszystkich śmiertelnych najokrutniejsi. Iliada dzis /The Cruellest From All Mortals. The Iliad Today (Wroclaw: DSWE, 2007); Iliada współczesna (New York 2013);  Iliada na nowo opowiedziana (New York, 2014);   Ethics and the Family (Cognella Academic Publishing, 2015). He also wrote two novels: Drugi w sztuce (Torun: Adam Marszalek, 2006) and Kamienna drabina (Lublin: Norbertinum, 2007). Other works include translations of Richart Rorty, Andrew Nagorski and Walt Whitman (into Polish), as well as chapters in volumes of collected studies  on various topics from sociology philosophy and political sciences to journalism and literature.

 Dr. Iwona Drąg Korga

Born in Poland, came to New York in 1991 after graduating in MA in History from Pedagogical University of Krakow. From 1994 associated with the Pilsudski Institute of America, a research center for East-Central Europe, first as a volunteer, than from 1998 part time librarian, assistant to the President and since 2005 Executive Director. From 1996-2001 she served as a teacher and volunteer in  the Polish Saturday School in Maspeth, NY In 2004 she received her Ph.D. from Pedagogical University  of Krakow. Korga specializes in Polish-American relations during World War II, especially in propaganda and information policies. She takes part in international conferences, as well as gives lectures on Polish history for children, high school students and college students. In 2008 she graduated from Queens College (CUNY) with Masters of Library Science degree. She wrote many articles for Polish-American newspapers, periodicals in Poland and USA and is the author of the book: Poland fights! Propaganda activities of the Polish Government in Exile towards American society 1939-1945 ( 2011). Dr. Korga is the recipient of the scholarship from the Kosciuszko Foundation in NY and Polonia Aid Foundation Trust in London. She is active in professional organizations: Pilsudski Institute, Polish Institute of Arts and Sciences and Polish American Historical Association.

Dr. Stephen Leahy

Stephen M. Leahy is an Associate Professor of History in the Center for Global Studies at Shantou University. He has written on Polish Americans in Milwaukee. He won the Halecki Award for his biography of Clement J. Zablocki in 2002. He is currently writing a book about Polish Americans and Civil Rights in Milwaukee from 1958 to 1968.

Dr. Thomas Napierkowski

Professor of English at the University of Colorado, Colorado Springs, Dr. Napierkowski is the Past President of PAHA (2012-14) and member of the organization's Council. His research interests and areas of specialization include: medieval literature, especially the works of Geoffrey Chaucer, scholastic theories of authorship, and the fifteenth century; minority and immigrant American literature, especially Polish American literature and Black American literature, Slavic literature; and the grammar and history of the English language. He has taught courses on Chaucer, The History of the English Language, British Survey, Part I, Introduction to Literature and other classes. He is a Fulbright Scholar and holds a M.A. and Ph.D. from the University of Colorado at Boulder, as well as a B.A. University of Wisconsin.  In 2014, he  was presented with the Knight's Cross of the Order of Merit of the Republic of Poland. The Order of Merit is a Polish order awarded to those who have rendered great service to the Polish nation and is granted to foreigners or Poles resident abroad. It is a traditional diplomatic order created in 1974.

Dr. Neal Pease

Neal Pease is Professor of History at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.  He is a past president of the Polish American Historical Association, and a member of the editorial board of its journal Polish American Studies.  He has received the PAHA Haiman and Swastek prizes.  He serves as editor in chief of The Polish Review. He wrote a prize-winning book on the Roman Catholic Church in interwar Poland: Rome's Most Faithful Daughter: The Catholic Church and Independent Poland, 1914-1939 (Ohio University Press, 2009). 

Dr. Dorota Praszalowicz


Mr. Robert Synakowski

Robert Synakowski, of Syracuse, New York, a teacher of English Language Learners in the Syracuse City Schools, is active in Polonia as President of the Syracuse Polish Community, Inc., a Board Member of the Polish Scholarship Fund, Inc., and the American Council for Polish Culture. He has received degrees from Westminster Choir College and Le Moyne College and has studied at the Jagiellonian University and taught English in Poland for several years. He is a church organist at two Syracuse churches and he is actively researching the history of Syracuse Polonia and travels frequently to Poland.

PAHA Announces its Annual Awards at the 72nd Meeting, New York, Jan. 2015

Times Square, NY.  Photo by Maja Trochimczyk

The 72nd Annual Meeting of the Polish American Historical Association began with the Award Ceremony and Dinner Reception at the Consulate General of the Republic of Poland in New York, on January 2, 2015. Consul General, Hon. Urszula Gacek welcomed the guests and recounted the history of PAHA and its role in the documentation and promotion of Polish American history and culture.

Consul Hon. Urszula Gacek. Photo by Scott Whittle

PAHA President, Dr. Thomas Napierkowski, assisted by Dr. Pien Versteegh, PAHA's Executive Director, presented the awards and prizes to the following awardees. These remarks are based on the presentation speeches.

Photo by Marcin Mazurkiewicz

Mieczyslaw Haiman Award “offered annually to an American scholar for sustained contribution to the study of Polish Americans” was presented to NEAL PEASE  – Professor of History, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.

Neal Pease has an extensive record of valued publications in the field of Polish and Polish American history, including a well-received book on the Roman Catholic Church in interwar Poland: Rome's Most Faithful Daughter: The Catholic Church and Independent Poland, 1914-1939. (Athens: Ohio University Press, 2009). Neal was also an associate editor and major contributor to The Polish American Encyclopedia (2011). His contributions to the study of the Polish-Americans includes research in the area of American sports: “Diamonds Out of the Coal Mines: Slavic Americans in Baseball” (in The American Game: Baseball and Ethnicity, 2002) and “Big Game on the South Side: A Milwaukee Baseball Mystery Decoded."  His article on “The Kosciuszko Reds, 1909-1919: Kings of the Milwaukee Sandlots,” published in the Polish American Studies (2004), won the Swastek Award.

Photo by Scott Whittle

Furthermore, Pease's publications include numerous works on Polish history that have greatly contributed to the expansion of knowledge about Poland and thus actively encouraged the study of the Polish history, culture, and tradition in the United States. Notably, Neal Pease has been active in presenting academic papers and organizing panels at PAHA meetings for decades. He has served as President of PAHA and been active on its Board for a number of years. He is currently a member of editorial board, Polish American Studies. He is the newly appointed editor of The Polish Review and previously did excellent work as Book Review Editor for this same journal. He is also a member of the Board of Directors of the Polish Institute of Arts and Sciences of America.

In Milwaukee and Wisconsin, Neal has been a member of the Polish Studies Committee of the University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee for more than twenty-five years and has served several stints as chair of this very active and respected committee.  At UWM he teaches courses in Polish history. He is active in Milwaukee Polonia, both in the Polish Heritage Alliance of Wisconsin and its annual Polish Festival and in the Wisconsin Polish American Congress. He is ever ready to volunteer his time and talents whether invited to lecture on Polish and Polish American themes to local communities or to national and international academic audiences.

Photo by Marcin Mazurkiewicz.

The Distinguished Service Award “given occasionally to a member of PAHA who has rendered valuable and sustained service to the organization” was presented to Dr. MAJA TROCHIMCZYK - Editor, PAHA Newsletter and Online Communications Director

 Dr. Trochimczyk joined the PAHA Board as Editor of PAHA Newsletter in 2009 and has redesigned and expanded the newsletter to include a variety of short articles about the Polish American experience, including features on personal immigration histories, Polonia organizations, anniversary celebrations, new or forthcoming books, and other items of interest to the organization. The newsletter is illustrated and well designed.  In 2012, in order to provide a more efficient and faster communications resource to the organization, Dr. Trochimczyk created  a blog called PAHANews.blogspot.com, which to date has 38 posts that include information about PAHA awards, program deadlines, and reprints of selected general interest stories from the PAHA Newsletter. The blog has had over 13,700 views and has become an important venue for publicizing the activities of the organization. She has also contributed to the expansion of the PAHA Facebook page and is one of its co-facilitators, making frequent posts and comments. The Facebook page has over 1950 readers. In 2014, Dr. Trochimczyk redesigned PAHA's print publicity materials (a trifold flyer and a postcard) that used artwork by Julian Stanczak, PAHA's Creative Arts Prize winner.

Photo by Scott Whittle

As a scholar, Dr. Trochimczyk has previously received the PAHA's Swastek Prize in 2007 for the best article published in the Polish American Studies, “The Impact of Mazowsze and Sląsk on Polish Folk Dancing in California” that appeared in Vol. 63, No. 1 (Spring 2006). Article URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/20148738. A musicologist and a poet, in 2014, Dr. Trochimczyk co-edited two books on Polish music: Frederic Chopin: A Research and Information Guide  (with William Smialek, for Routledge in New York) and The Lutoslawski Legacy (with Stanislaw Latek, for the Polish Institute of Arts and Sciences of Canada).  Her  books  include: Polish Dance in California (East European Monographs, distributed by Columbia University Press, 2007) and her most recent poetry publication, Slicing the Bread (2014) based on childhood memories of her parents who survived WWII in Poland. The Polish American Studies published three articles, including, in addition to the folk dance project, also studies of poetry about Chopin and images and myths about Ignacy Jan Paderewski.  Results of her research on Polish and Polish-American music of the 19th and 20th centuries  have been published in a range of books and journals, including the Polish Review, Musical Quarterly, Muzyka, Journal of Musicological Research, Contemporary Music Review, Computer Music Journal, and books published by Oxford University Press, Indiana University, Cambridge Scholars, Musica Iagellonica, among others. She also contributed 38 entries on music and dance to the Polish American Encyclopedia in 2011, and edited the Polish Music Journal for six years. (www.trochimczyk.net).

Terry Tegnazian with her most recent book and Anna Mazurkiewicz.

Photo by Scott Whittle.

The Amicus Poloniae Award “recognizes significant contributions enhancing knowledge of Polish and Polish-American heritage by individuals not belonging to the Polish-American community” and was presented to Ms. TERRY TEGNAZIAN, the co-founder of the Aquila Polonica Publishing.

Ms. Tegnazian was recognized for her devotion to printing books about Poland in World War II which nurture interest in and have an impact on the perception of Poland and Poles among the American audiences. A graduate of Brown University and Yale Law School, Terry Tegnazian became interested in the Polish experience of World War II as a result of research for a book she was working on about a Polish airman in the Battle of Britain. Reading memoirs of key Polish Underground leaders, she was moved by the stories of the Poles’ incredible courage during World War II—an aspect of the war she had not previously been aware of. Terry co-founded Aquila Polonica Publishing because she felt it was important that such lost stories be restored to history and the wider public.

Photo by Scott Whittle

She has visited Poland several times in recent years.  In addition to being a hands-on publisher involved in all aspects of each Aquila Polonica title, Terry has written about Poland in World War II for the Wall Street Journal Europe and the Warsaw Business Journal, she's been interviewed on national television, and has presented numerous live programs in a wide range of venues, including museums and libraries, university courses, and the Polish Consulate (Montreal) and Embassy in Canada.

Dr. Anna Mazurkiewicz with Pres. Tom Napierkowski. Photo by Scott Whittle

The Oskar Halecki Award “recognizes an important book or monograph on the Polish experience in the United States” and was presented to Dr. ANNA MAZURKIEWICZ of the University of Gdansk, Poland.

Dr. Anna Mazurkiewicz served as the editor of East Central Europe in Exile, vols. 1-2: Transatlantic Migrations, and  Transatlantic Identities (Newcastle upon Tyne: Cambridge Scholars Publishing, 2013). This outstanding two-volume work, published under the general editorship and direction of Dr. Anna Mazurkiewicz of the University of Gdansk, takes up an extremely significant area of research in the broad field of Polish American studies, namely the experience of emigration and resettlement in a new homeland. The product of a recent academic conference held in Poland, these books include contributions by thirty-eight scholars from North America and Europe. Their contributions have a broadly comparative character, inasmuch as they include a number of presentations by scholars who examine aspects of both the Polish emigration and settlement experiences, along with those of other peoples from East Central Europe. There are also historical pieces as well as presentations having a more contemporary character. All in all, Dr. Mazurkiewicz's effort makes an inestimable contribution to scholarly research and knowledge in the important field of emigration studies - and with special attention to the experiences of peoples who are all too often overlooked in discussions of this subject.

Anna Mazurkiewicz with her books. Photo by Scott Whittle

 The Swastek Award, “awarded annually for the best article published in a given volume of Polish American Studies, the journal of the Polish American Historical Association”  was presented to LEONARD KURDEK.

The Editors recommend Leonard Kurdek’s article “The Real-Life Story Behind ‘Call Northside 777’: The Crime, the Conviction, and the Search for Justice” from Polish American Studies, Vol. 70, no. 2 (Autumn 2013): 5-78. The Editors stated: “The subject matter is particularly important given the prominence of the Hollywood movie, its influence on how Polish Americans are viewed, and the many Polish American aspects that were left out of the film. The editors consider it a meticulously researched reconstruction of a story with compelling human interest which also deals with the interplay of life with art and Hollywood’s depiction of Polish Americans. A very detailed piece of detective work, it holds the interest of readers from start to finish, is clearly written, and raises a number of very serious and provocative questions about the character of American justice and the consequences of injustice as experienced by a family of poor, working class Polish Americans during the worst times of the Great Depression—a topic that has implications for all disadvantaged peoples. The treatment is objective, with ample evidence provided to support its assertions. The article brought to light an important chapter in Polish American history that had been largely forgotten even within Polonia.”

Rachel Rothstein. Photo by Scott Whittle

The Graduate Student Research Paper Award “recognizes outstanding research into Polish-American history and culture by a young scholar in the humanities or social sciences” and was presented to RACHEL ROTHSTEIN – Ph.D. Candidate at the University of Florida, Gainesville.

Ms. Rothstein submitted her paper entitled  “Defending the Remnants: American Jews Respond to Poland’s 1968 Anti-Zionist Campaign.”  As the title suggests the Rothstein paper deals mostly with the actions by the organized American Jewish community in response to the Polish communist dictatorship's "Anti-Zionist" campaign in 1968. Based on primary sourcesit is relevant to the story of the Polish Americans as the Communist anti-Semitic campaign led to a wave of emigration from Poland comprised of roughly two-thirds of the remaining Polish Jews with thousands, mostly intelligentsia, immigrating to the U.S. Rothstein relates it to the Polish Communist government reactionaries’ turn against the country’s liberals, intellectuals, students – all in the relevant context of the Cold War. It’s not a paper that discusses anti-Semitism in Poland. It discusses the efforts of the American Jewish leadership to end the state-sponsored anti-Semitism in Communist Poland as a form of repression of freedom and democracy by the issuing of public statements and organizing protests, to calling for the revocation of Poland’s Most-Favored-Nation (MFN) status and allowances for Polish Jews wishing to immigrate to the United States. The efforts of the American Jewish organizations also included a push for exceptions to American immigration policy. The text is very descriptive and aptly discusses tensions around Most-Favored-Nation status, immigration laws, former Communist party members.

Presidents Tom Napierkowski and Grazyna Kozaczka. Photo by Marcin Mazurkiewicz

There were several Skalny Civic Achievement Awards presented to “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.”

Karen Majewski with Tom Napierkowski. Photo by Scott Whittle

A. Dr. KAREN MAJEWSKI was recognized for her unwavering efforts to revitalize Hamtramck, one of America’s oldest and most interesting Polonia’s communities located in the heart of Detroit. Her efforts include preserving and promoting Polish cultural heritage in this community. Majewski was elected Hamtramck’s first woman mayor in 2005, since then re-elected twice (2009, 2013). Former executive director of PAHA, she has also organized exhibits devoted to the Polish presence in Detroit, published works related to the Polish-American identity, and continues to work on community revitalization programs.  She is also being recognized for her work as the Curator, of Polish and Rare Books at Polish Mission of the Orchard Lake Schools. Dr. Majewski has previously received the 2004 Halecki Award for her book Traitors and True Poles:Narrating a Polish-American Identity, 1880-1939 (Athens: Ohio University Press, 2003). The book was also recognized by the Kulczycki Prize in 2000 for its unique contribution to the history of Polish-American literature. In 2001 she organized the Detroit Historical Museum exhibit, The Polish Presence in Detroit. Dr. Majewski is also the Piast Institute Fellow and a Board Member of the Dekaban Foundation.

Photo by Scott Whittle

B. Mr. TIMOTHY J. KUZMA of Pittsburgh was honored with the Skalny Award for his many faceted, highly productive, and forward looking work as President of the Polish Falcons of American fraternal, his guidance in making the Falcons publication an outstanding fraternal vehicle promoting the Polish heritage that it is, and for his impressive work in making the March 2014 Polish American Summit of national Polonia leaders a success.

Photo by Scott Whittle

C. Mr. FRANK MILEWSKI of New York – Chair of the Anti-Bigotry and Holocaust Documentation Committees of the Polish American Congress was recognized  with the Skalny Award for his continuing and longtime efforts as a Polish American Congress activist in New York, notably his time-consuming work of monitoring American mass media for themes related to Poland and the Polish American community, correcting  errors, and fighting defamatory comments in a professional and informed manner.

D. Dr. ALEKSANDRA ZIOLKOWSKA-BOEHM received the Skalny Award for her role in advancing knowledge and appreciation of Polish history and culture in the United States. Ziółkowska-Boehm is a Polish born writer who now lives in the United States. Her widely acclaimed works published in English deal mostly with the Polish experience in Second World War.

E. Dr. ALEX STOROZYNSKI was presented with the Skalny Award for his past leadership of the Kosciuszko Foundation. Due to his efforts and incentive, the Kosciuszko Foundation moved its operations and communications system to the 21-st century. Modernization, enhanced efficiency, greater outreach must also be paired with his widely read and very well publicized biography of Thaddeus Kosciuszko which has generated renewed interest and appreciation of Kosciuszko as an American and Polish hero of historic stature.

Adrian Prawica with Tom Napierkowski. Photo by Scott Whittle

The Creative Arts Award „recognizes the contributions in the field of creative arts by individuals or groups who have promoted an awareness of the Polish experience in the Americas” and was presented to ADRIAN PRAWICA, director and executive producer of the film The Fourth Partition: Chicago (2013).

The Fourth Partition: Chicago tells a unique and rarely talked about history of Chicago’s Polish Community at the dawn of the 20th century.  It examines economic and political reasons for the migration of over 4,000,000 Poles to the United States between 1870 and 1920. Starting with the first Polish settlers in the Jamestown colony in 1608, this documentary focuses on Polish immigrant workers in heavily industrialized Chicago neighborhoods, their community, as well as their political activism, which aided Poland in her fight for independence during WWI.  The Fourth Partition: Chicago features interviews with some of the most known Polish-American historians in the United States [including PAHA’s James Pula, Don Pienkos and Dominic Pacyga]. The film shows rare images of Poles in the Unites States and their communities, which they built while working in some of the heaviest industries such as steel and meatpacking.  Most of all, it tells a history of one of the largest ethnic communities in Chicago, that is still ever present today”. Trailer of the documentary mayh be seen at:  http://www.amerykafilm.com/thefourthpartition/.  Mr. Prawica was accompanied at the Award Ceremony by Associate Producer Rafał Muskała and PR Representative Paulina Szymczak from Krakow, Poland.

Jim Pula with Tom Napierkowski. Photo by Scott Whittle

At the end special appreciation was expressed for the work of Dr. Jim Pula as Editor of the Polish American Studies in 1996 to 2014, and to Mr. Thom Duszak for his service as PAHA Secretary.

Thom Duszak with Tom Napierkowski. Photo by Scott Whittle

The Award Ceremony and Reception were coordinated by Dr. Anna Mazurkiewicz, Chair of the Awards Committee and Dr. Iwona Drag Korga, Director of the Pilsudski Institute in New York. Thanks to the generosity of the Consulate and the hard work of all involved the ceremony was enjoyed by all attendees - who started the New Year by celebrating achievements of scholars of Polonia.

Photo by Pien Versteegh.

Photo album from the event may be found on Picasa Web Albums (authored by Maja Trochimczyk, with photos by different authors).