Nominations for PAHA Awards Due in June and July 2019

CALL FOR NOMINATIONS FOR PAHA AWARDS AND PRIZES

Nominations are sought for the following awards that will be presented by PAHA at its 77th Annual Meeting, in January 2020. The following award nominations must be received by July 30, 2019, via email to Chair of the Awards Committee, PAHA's Second Vice President, Dr. Marta Cieslak, at mxcieslak@ualr.edu.

• Mieczyslaw Haiman Award is offered annually to an American scholar for sustained contribution to the study of Polish Americans.

• Oskar Halecki Prize recognizes an important book or monograph on the Polish experience in the United States. Eligibility is limited to works of historical and/or cultural interest, including those in the social sciences or humanities, published in the two years prior to the year of the award.

• Skalny Civic Achievement Award honors 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.

• Amicus Poloniae Award recognizes significant contributions enhancing knowledge of Polish and Polish-American heritage by individuals not belonging to the Polish-American community.

• James Pula Distinguished Service Award is given occasionally to a member of PAHA who has rendered valuable and sustained service to the organization. Since 2017, this award honors Prof. James Pula, PAHA's past president, current treasurer, and a long-time editor of the Polish American Studies.

• Creative Arts Prize 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.

• Established in 2018, the Joseph W. Zurawski Prize will be awarded for the best article or book published on the topic of Polish American screen images in films or television presented to audiences in the United States and released by American companies. To be eligible, works must have been published within the past three years. Nominations should be sent to the Awards Committee, Polish American Historical Association. Although there is no deadline, for the fullest annual consideration nominations should be made by June 1 each year. Awards will be presented at the awards ceremony during the annual PAHA conference in January.

JOSEPH W. ZURAWSKI PRIZE FOR STUDIES OF POLISH AMERICANS IN FILM OR TELEVISION IN THE U.S.

The Polish American Historical Association is pleased to announce creation of the Joseph W. Zurawski Prize. Consisting of a $500 award and a plaque, the  prize will be awarded for the best article or book published  on the topic of Polish American screen images in films or  television presented to audiences in the  United States  and released by American companies. To be eligible, works  must have been published within the past three years. Nominations should be sent to the Awards Committee, Polish  American Historical Association, Chair, Dr. Marta Cieslak, at mxcieslak@ualr.edu. Although there is no deadline, for the fullest  annual consideration nominations should be made by June 1  each year. Awards will be presented at the awards ceremony  during the annual PAHA conference in  January.

Joseph W. Zurawski has remained active in the Polish American community since writing his graduate thesis on Poland in 1960. He reviewed books on the Polish American community for several newspapers, was editor for Narod Polski, president of the Polish Museum of America, member of the Boards of the Polish Roman Catholic Union of America and the Polish Museum of America, and taught Polish American history and culture at Wright and Triton Colleges. He was an archivist of historical records for Saint Mary of Nazareth Hospital (known as "The Polish Hospital”), wrote several books including Polish American History and Culture: An Annotated Bibliography and, most recently, The Polish Presence in American Screen Images. Among the awards he received are: Outstanding Young Man of America, Chamber of Commerce (1963); Distinguished Service Certificate, Copernicus Quincentennial Commission (1973); the American Catholic Who’s Who (1976), Kosciuszko Medal, Kosciuszko Foundation (1977); Civic Achievement Award, Polish American Historical  Association (2002); “Wybitny Polak” (Outstanding Pole, culture category), Foundation of Polish Promotion, Chicago presentation a Chicago’s Polish Consulate, Warsaw culmination at Grand Theater and Polish National Opera (2017). He has been a proud member of the Polish American Historical Association for over 50 years.

GRADUATE STUDENT/YOUNG SCHOLAR TRAVEL GRANT, DUE JULY 30, 2019

PAHA encourages graduate students and emerging scholars (up to three years after graduation) to apply for a Travel Grant. Two such grants of $500.00 each will be awarded to offset travel costs to attend the 2020 PAHA Annual Meeting in New York. The grants will be awarded by the Program Committee for two best conference proposals dealing with the Polish American experience in any historical epoch, scholarly field, or aspect submitted by junior scholars.

To apply please submit the following documents to Chair of Awards Committee, PAHA's Second Vice President, Dr. Marta Cieslak, via email to mxcieslak@ualr.edu:

• your paper proposal (as required by the general CFP)
• a brief letter of application (no template will be provided)
• a complete CV
• one letter of recommendation from a senior scholar (e.g. thesis advisor).

In order to receive the travel grant it is mandatory to present the paper at the conference in person. Awardees will receive remuneration during the Awards Ceremony at the Annual Meeting. Failure to present the paper in person at the annual meeting shall result in the immediate cancellation of the grant.

The deadline for application, to be submitted with the paper proposal, is JULY 30, 2019.

Please send your application packets by email to chair of the Awards Committee, Dr. Marta Cieslak, at mxcieslak@ualr.edu, with the subject line "Graduate Student Travel Grant."

Call for Nominations for PAHA Awards and Prizes for 2018

Nominations are sought for the following awards that will be presented by PAHA at its 2019 Annual Meeting, in January 2019 in Chicago, Illinois. Kindly send all nominations to the chair of the awards committee, Dr.Iwona Drag-Korga (Pilsudski Institute) at i.korga@pilsudski.org.

The following award nominations must be received by July 30, 2018.

Mieczyslaw Haiman Award is offered annually to an American scholar for sustained contribution to the study of Polish Americans.

Oskar Halecki Prize recognizes an important book or monograph on the Polish experience in the United States. Eligibility is limited to works of historical and/or cultural interest, including those in the social sciences or humanities, published in the two years prior to the year of the award.

Skalny Civic Achievement Award honors 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.

Amicus Poloniae Award recognizes significant contributions enhancing knowledge of Polish and Polish-American heritage by individuals not belonging to the Polish-American community.

James Pula Distinguished Service Award is given occasionally to a member of PAHA who has rendered valuable and sustained service to the organization. Since 2017, this award honors Prof. James Pula, PAHA's past president, current treasurer, and a long-time editor of the Polish American Studies.

Nominate Scholars, Artists, Writers, and Community Activists for PAHA Awards - by June 1, 2017

Painting by Julian Stanczak, winner of the 2014 Creative Arts Prize

The PAHA Awards Committee seeks nominations for awards and prizes to be granted by the Polish American Historical Association at its 75th Anniversary Meeting in Washington D.C. in January 2018. We ask all interested parties to send nominations until June 1, 2017, so a slate of candidates may be presented at the PAHA Board Meeting in Kraków in June 2017.

Self-nominations will be accepted. The nomination should consist of name of the candidate, his/her biography note and the reason that they deserve the specific award they are nominated for, as well as the contact information for the candidate (in case of awards being made).

All nomination should be sent by email to the Chair of the PAHA Awards Committee, Dr. Iwona Drag-Korga: I.korga@pilsudski.org

PAHA seeks nominations for the following awards:

• Mieczyslaw Haiman Award is offered annually to an American scholar for sustained contribution to the study of Polish Americans.
• 
  
• Oskar Halecki Prize recognizes an important book or monograph on the Polish experience in the United States. Eligibility is limited to works of historical and/or cultural interest, including those in the social sciences or humanities, published in the two years prior to the year of the award.
• 
  
• Amicus Poloniae Award recognizes significant contributions enhancing knowledge of Polish and Polish-American heritage by individuals not belonging to the Polish-American community.
• 
  
• Distinguished Service Award is given occasionally to a member of PAHA who has rendered valuable and sustained service to the organization.
• 
  
• Creative Arts Prize  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.

• Skalny Civic Achievement Award honors 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.

In addition at its 75th Anniversary Meeting in Washington, D.C., PAHA will also present the Swastek Prize for the best paper published in the Polish American Studies, and the Graduate Student Travel Grant that was announced earlier.

PAHA's 2016 Awards and Awardees in Denver, Colorado

At the conclusion of its 74th Annual Meeting in Denver, CO, held on January 5-7, 2017, the Polish American Historical Association announced the winners of its 2016 Awards and Prizes.  Prof. Grazyna Kozaczka of Cazenovia College, NY, PAHA President in 2014-1016 presented the following awardees.

THE OSKAR HALECKI PRIZE

Mieczysław B. Biskupski

PAHA President Grazyna Kozaczka presents the awards. 

The Oskar Halecki Prize recognizes an important book or monograph on the Polish experience in the United States. Eligibility is limited to works of historical and/or cultural interest, including those  in the  social sciences or humanities, published in the two years prior to the award. The 2016 Halecki Prize was awarded to Prof. Mieczysław B. B. Biskupski, for his book The Most Dangerous German Agent in America (NIU Press, 2015). The Stanislaus A. Blejwas Endowed Chair in Polish and Polish American Studies at the Central Connecticut State University, Prof. Biskupski is the author of nine books, and numerous journal articles.  A past president and a long-time Council member of PAHA, Prof. Biskupski currently serves as the President of the Polish Institute of Arts and Sciences of America. He previously received the Mieczyslaw Haiman Award, and the 2010 Halecki Prize for , Hollywood's War With Poland, 1939-1945 (Knoxville: University of Kentucky Press, 2010).

THE AMICUS POLONIAE AWARD

Dr. Alvin M. Fountain II & Brenda Bruce

Dr. Maja Trochimczyk, Dr. Alvin M. Fountain II, Brenda Bruce and Prof. Grazyna Kozaczka

The Amicus Poloniae Award recognizes significant contributions enhancing knowledge of Polish and Polish-American heritage by individuals not belonging to the Polish-American community. It was presented to Dr. Alvin M. Fountain II and Brenda Bruce who co-founded the Paderewski Festival in Raleigh, North Carolina in 2014 (paderewski-festival.org). Dr. Fountain, the President of the Festival, is a former administrator with the State of North Carolina and for more than 25 years he taught history at North Carolina State University. In 2008, Dr. Fountain was appointed as an Honorary Consul of the Republic of Poland. The Vice-President and Secretary of the Festival, Brenda Bruceis an accomplished pianist, harpsichordist, acclaimed teacher, and accompanist dedicated to the promotion of classical piano performance of the highest quality.

THE DISTINGUISHED SERVICE AWARD

Dr. Stephen Leahy

Dr. Stephen Leahy of Shantou University, China, received the Distinguished Service Award, given occasionally to a member of PAHA who has rendered valuable and sustained service to the organization. Dr. Leahy’s crucial role as the co-founder and moderator of PAHA’s Facebook group is just one of his many achievements as a long-time PAHA Board member, dedicated to the promotion of the association and its research interests world-wide.

THE SWASTEK PRIZE 

Prof. Paweł Ziętara

The Swastek Prize is awarded annually for the best article published in a given volume of PAHA’s peer-reviewed journal, the Polish American Studies. 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 Editorial Board of the Polish American Studies recommended that the Swastek Prize be presented to Prof. Paweł Ziętara of Warsaw, Poland for “Troubles with ‘Mela’: A Polish American Reporter, the Secret Services of People’s Poland, and the FBI” (PAS 72, No 1, Spring 2015). Prof. Ziętara’s article assembles massive, painstaking research and presents a portrait of communist activity in the USA in the postwar period that is not well known. It brings to light a subject both significant and fascinating, and is based almost entirely on original archival sources.

THE CREATIVE ARTS PRIZE

Dr. Maja Trochimczyk

The Creative Arts Prize was bestowed on Dr. Maja Trochimczyk, for her achievements as a poet, especially her two books dedicated to Polish victims of WWII, Slicing the Bread (Finishing Line Press, 2014), and The Rainy Bread, (Moonrise Press, 2016). Her books of poetry include Rose Always, 2008; Miriam’s Iris, 2008; Into Light, 2016; and two anthologies,Chopin with Cherries, 2010, and Meditations on Divine Names, 2012. Dr. Trochimczyk served as Poet Laureate of Sunland-Tujunga, Los Angeles in 2010-2012, and received many honors for her work, including a Polish government’s medal for the promotion of culture, fellowship from the American Council of Learned Societies, and PAHA’s Distinguished Service Award and the Swastek Prize.

SKALNY CIVIC ACHIEVEMENT AWARDS

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.  Established in 1989, the Awards are named after the Skalny family (Aniela, Anna, Ben, John and Joseph) that donated the funds to support this project. The 2016 Skalny Awards recognized the following individuals:

Marta Alicja Swica

President Grazyna Kozaczka with Marta Alicja Swica

Marta Alicja Swica of Minneapolis, MN, a former Business Manager, Scholarship Program Chair, and member of the Executive Board of the Polanie Club Minneapolis and St. Paul, an important cultural association of Polish women, active since the 1927 and distinguished through their vast publishing activities. After the dissolution of the Club, Ms. Swica led the effort to secure its historical records and successfully negotiated their placement at the Immigration History Research Center, University of Minnesota, and the Polish Museum of America in Chicago.

Honorary Consul Tomasz Skotnicki

President Kozaczka with Tomasz Skotnicki 

Tomasz Skotnicki Honorary Consul of the Republic of Poland in Denver, CO, since 2005, is strongly linked to local Polonia communities, first in Santa Barbara where he organized Polish community events to celebrate national holidays. In Colorado, he co-organizes visits of representatives of Polish government including President Lech Walesa, organizes consular events, cooperates with the Polish Club and the Kosciuszko Foundation. Mr. Skotnicki actively promotes Polish culture and history and helps Poles who are in need.

Katarzyna Zak

Katarzyna Zak shares her award with Vice President of the Polish Club, Iwona Salamon

Katarzyna Zak, President of the Polish Club in Denver, who has made numerous contributions to the promotion of Polish culture and activities of local Polish society, including numerous events, support for the Polish library, and more. She is a member of the Polonia Council convened by the Consul General of Poland in Los Angeles. At the ceremony she shared her award with the Vice President of the Polish Club in Denver, Ms. Iwona Salamon.

Elizabeth Kanski and Vladek Juszkiewicz 

President of the Polish American Film Society, Elizabeth Kanski and Artistic Director of the Polish Film Festival in Los Angeles, Vladek Juszkiewicz,  recognized by the 2016 Skalny Award for their work as organizers of the Film Festival, held in Los Angeles for the past 16 years and promoting Polish cinema and international film collaborations (www.polishfilmla.org) through hundreds of screenings, lectures, and panel presentations in Los Angeles and Orange County, in collaboration with CSUN, USC, UCLA and other partners.

Awardees with President Grazyna Kozaczka

GRADUATE STUDENT RESEARCH PAPER AWARD

Joanna Kulpinska, Jagiellonian University

The Graduate Student Research Paper Award was presented to Joanna Kulpińska from the Jagiellonian University in Kraków, Poland for her paper “Multigenerational Migration Chains of Families from Babica: An Attempt at Typology.”  Established in 2008, 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 consists of a travel grant and presentation at the Annual Meeting.

YOUNG SCHOLAR TRAVEL GRANT

Aleksandra Kurowska-Susdorf, University of Gdansk

Aleksandra Kurowska-Susdorf with President Kozaczka

The newly instituted Graduate Student/ Young Scholar Travel Grant (established at the 2016 Board Meeting in Atlanta, GA) was offered to Aleksandra Kurowska-Susdorf from the University of Gdańsk, Poland, for her paper “Creating Identity: Discussion around Kashubian and Polish Identity in Canada and Poland.”

The Awards Reception was held on Saturday, January 7, 2017,  at the Polish Club of Denver. Jazz vocalist and violist KaroliNa Naziemiec and pianist Robert Lewandowski performed  a concert of Polish Christmas Carols.

Karolina Naziemiec, Kasia Zak, and Robert Lewandowski

KaroliNa (Naziemiec) and Robert Lewandowski at the PAHA Awards Ceremony in Denver, CO, January 7, 2017

Karolina Naziemiec

On behalf of PAHA Board and the 74th Annual Meeting organizers, we are thrilled to announce that the Awards Ceremony at the end of the Meeting in Denver, Colorado, will include two wonderful Polish musicians, Karolina Naziemiec, jazz singer and viola player, with Robert Lewandowski, pianist, in a program of jazz standards and improvisations.

The PAHA Awards will be presented on Saturday, January 7, 2017 at 7 p.m., at the Polish Club of Denver, located at 3121 W Alameda Ave, Denver, CO 80219.  The Registration Fee for the Awards Reception is $50 and you can register on PAHA Website's Registration page.  

The list of Awards and Prizes as well as the names of Awardees is as follows:

• The Oskar Halecki Prize - Prof. Mieczysław B. Biskupski, for his book The Most Dangerous German Agent in America (NIU Press, 2015).
• The Amicus Poloniae Award - Dr. Alvin Mark Fountain II and Brenda Bruce who co-founded the Paderewski Festival in Raleigh, North Carolina in 2014 (paderewski-festival.org). 
• The Distinguished Service Award - Dr. Stephen Leahy of Shantou University, China 
• The Swastek Prize  for the Best Article -  Prof. Paweł Ziętara of Warsaw, Poland for “Troubles with ‘Mela’: A Polish American Reporter, the Secret Services of People’s Poland, and the FBI” (PAS 72, No 1, Spring 2015). 
• The Creative Arts Prize - Dr. Maja Trochimczyk, for her achievements as a poet, especially in her two books dedicated to Polish victims of WWII, Slicing the Bread (Finishing Line Press, 2014), and The Rainy Bread, (Moonrise Press, 2016). 
• The Skalny Civic Achievement Awards - Marta Alicja Swica of Minneapolis, MN; Tomasz Skotnicki, Honorary Consul of the Republic of Poland in Denver, CO; Katarzyna Zak, President of the Polish Club in Denver; Elizabeth Kanski, President of the Polish American Film Society, and Artistic Director of the Polish Film Festival in Los Angeles, Vladek Juszkiewicz
• The Graduate Student Research Paper Award -  Joanna Kulpińska, Jagiellonian University, Kraków, Poland for her paper “Multigenerational Migration Chains of Families from Babica: An Attempt at Typology.” 
• The  Graduate Student/ Young Scholar Travel Grant - Aleksandra Kurowska-Susdorf, University of Gdańsk, Poland, for her paper “Creating Identity: Discussion around Kashubian and Polish Identity in Canada and Poland.”

The biographies of awardees have been published in the previous post on this blog.  The program of the Annual Meeting is also included there. 

KAROLINA NAZIEMIEC

KaroliNa (Naziemiec) is a Polish vocalist and a violist who has been training, teaching and performing in the United States since 2001. She was granted an artistic visa on the recommendation of the American Federation of Musicians, who cited her as being “a violist of extraordinary ability.” Ms. Naziemiec earned her Masters in viola performance from USC while studying concurrently at the Henry Mancini Institute in Los Angeles.

She has performed with many orchestras in Poland, Germany, France, Belgium, Japan, and USA and participated in numerous music festivals throughout the world. As a teacher Ms. Naziemiec was on the faculty at California State University, Northridge 2007-09 while also teaching at the Idyllwild Summer Festival as a viola coach. For the past ten years she has run a private studio and coached students in Santa Monica and the Malibu district.

She has recorded in scoring sessions at studios such as Warner Brothers, Fox, Sony and Paramount.
KaroliNa is an accomplished jazz vocalist who has performed in both the United States and Poland. Her artistry and talent can be heard on two beautiful CDs, Introduction, and her latest, Songs of Hope, dedicated to the heroes of World War II. Songs of Hope is receiving wonderful reviews and acknowledgement throughout the musical world. Learn more about KaroliNa at www.karolinanaziemiec.com.

ROBERT LEWANDOWSKI

Robert Lewandowski is a pianist and composer of modern contemporary music. His work has been performed by renowned ensembles around the world including the Metropole Orchestra, Sinfonia Varsovia, and the Norwegian Radio Orchestra. He's also known for his collaborations with Polish recording artists as both instrumentalist and writer.

Cover of KaroliNa's CD "Songs of Hope"

PAHA's Call for Papers and Nominations - Due on April 15, 2016

CALL FOR PAPERS - DUE APRIL 15, 2016  FOR THE 74TH ANNUAL MEETING OF THE POLISH AMERICAN HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION

PAHA's 74th Annual Meeting will be held on January 5-7, 2017 in Denver, Colorado as part of the 131st American Historical Association's Annual Conference. The theme for the 2017 AHA conference is "Historical Scale: Linking Levels of Experience." AHA encourages contributors "to trace links among scales—spatial, temporal, and topical." This theme 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.

We invite scholars who work on the Polish American experience as part of the greater Polish diaspora as well as those who deal with migration, ethnic, and regional studies. We invite proposals for sessions as well as individual papers.

Presentations may address the following areas:

• Polish American experience – all aspects (history, sociology, literature, art, music, etc.) in the Americas
• Migration and settlement patterns, ethnic experience and interethnic encounters, Polish Americans and Poland
• Intersections of ethnicity, gender and race
• Ethnic press, ethnic lobbying, labor issues
• Polish Americans and Polish American communities in the American West

The deadline for submissions is April 15, 2016. Abstracts for papers and panel proposals are now being accepted and should be submitted to the Chair of the Program Committee: Grazyna J, Kozaczka, Ph.D., Cazenovia College, Cazenovia, NY 13035; phone: 315-655-7302; email: gkozaczka@cazenovia.edu.

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 not always possible for PAHA to provide AV equipment for all sessions due to the high cost of mandatory rental from AHA so let us know in your proposal if using AV equipment is necessary for your presentation. We also encourage distribution of paper handouts as an alternative.
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GRADUATE STUDENT/YOUNG SCHOLAR TRAVEL GRANT

PAHA encourages graduate students and young scholars (up to three years after graduation) to apply for our travel grants. Two such grants of $500.00 each will be awarded to offset travel costs to attend the 2017 PAHA Annual Meeting in Denver. The grants will be awarded by the program committee to the two best conference proposals dealing with Polish American topics submitted by graduate students/young scholars. To apply please include a brief letter of application and a CV together with the paper proposal. Each awardee must present the paper at the conference in person and will receive the check at the conference in Denver. Also Graduate Students are encouraged to apply for the Graduate Student Research Paper Award, please see details at: Call for Nominations Page.

All presenters are encouraged to submit their papers for possible publication in PAHA's scholarly journal, Polish American Studies.

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, 2016. Registration may be done on-line at www.polishamericanstudies.registration.html.

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CALL FOR NOMINATIONS FOR PAHA's 2015-16 AWARDS

Nominations are sought for the following awards. Kindly send all nominations to the chair of the awards committee, Dr.Iwona Drag-Korga (Pilsudski Institute) at i.korga@pilsudski.org.


GRADUATE STUDENT RESEARCH PAPER AWARD - DUE APRIL 15, 2016

The Polish American Historical Association announces the call for nominations and applications for the Graduate Student Research Paper Award.

The Graduate Student Research Paper Award recognizes a substantial original research paper on Polish-American history and culture produced by a young scholar in the humanities or social sciences.

A paper should be sent via e-mail to: i.korga@pilsudski.org before April 15th, 2016.

In addition to the recognition by PAHA and a potential paper publication offer from the interdisciplinary, refereed scholarly journal The Polish American Studies (the publication is not guaranteed), the winner will receive a $1,000 travel grant to present the paper at the PAHA 2017 Annual Meeting in Denver, January 2017. The conference is held in conjunction with the American Historical Association.

The candidate for the award must be a graduate student at the time of the application or nomination. In addition to the paper (up to 25 pages, 1.5 spaced, Times New Roman 12) any submission must contain: graduate student's short biographic note, 250-word abstract, and one letter of reference. The results will be announced by June 15, 2016

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CALL FOR NOMINATIONS FOR PAHA'S OTHER AWARDS - DUE APRIL 15, 2016 

• Mieczyslaw Haiman Award is offered annually to an American scholar for sustained contribution to the study of Polish Americans.
• 
  
• Oskar Halecki Prize recognizes an important book or monograph on the Polish experience in the United States. Eligibility is limited to works of historical and/or cultural interest, including those in the social sciences or humanities, published in the two years prior to the year of the award.
• 
  
• Skalny Civic Achievement Award honors 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.
• 
  
• Amicus Poloniae Award recognizes significant contributions enhancing knowledge of Polish and Polish-American heritage by individuals not belonging to the Polish-American community.
• 
  
• Distinguished Service Award is given occasionally to a member of PAHA who has rendered valuable and sustained service to the organization.
• 
  
• 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.

PAHA's 73rd Annual Meeting at the Hilton Downtown, Atlanta, Georgia, Jan 7-9, 2016

Szopka Krakowska inside the Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris, Photo by Maja Trochimczyk

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year 2016!

The Year 2016 will be much happier for those who will start it by attending PAHA's 73rd Annual Meeting in Atlanta, Georgia. The Meeting will take place on January 7-9, 2016, in association with the Annual Meeting of the American Historical Association, at the downtown Hilton in Atlanta, Georgia (255 Courtland Street NE, Atlanta, GA 30303; T. 404 659 2000). 

The attendance at the Meeting's sessions is free of charge. The registration fee for the Annual Awards Banquet is $50.00. Please register for the Conference and the Banquet on PAHA's website. 

THURSDAY, JANUARY 7, 2016

PAHA Board Meeting
Thursday, January 7, 2016: 3:30 PM-5:30 PM
Hilton Atlanta, Executive Boardroom

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FRIDAY, JANUARY 8, 2016 

Session 1. Polish Immigrant Adaptation and Cultural Transition
Friday, January 8, 2016: 8:30 AM-10:00 AM
Hilton Atlanta, Room 209

Chair: Mary Patrice Erdmans, Case Western Reserve University

Papers:
Polish Miners in the Ruhr Area, 1920–30
PienVersteegh, Avans University of Applied Sciences

The Eviction of the Kashube Fisherman of Jones Island, Milwaukee
Anne Gurnack, University of Wisconsin-Parkside

Kashubian pustô noc in America: Comparative Perspective of Death Rites, Poland and Canada
Aleksandra Kurowska-Susdorf, University of Gdańsk

Comment: The Audience

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Session 2. Polish Americans: Family, Home, Career
Friday, January 8, 2016: 10:30 AM-12:00 PM
Hilton Atlanta, Room 209

Chair: Pien Versteegh, Avans University of Applied Sciences

Papers:
Biatek Family: A Case Study in Polish Immigration History
Barbara D. Pulaski, Mount Ida College
Francis S. Wolenski, Cambridge, Massachusetts

Defining Home: The Development of Polish-American Identity in Toledo, Ohio, 1905–25
Rachel Pawlowicz, University of Michigan-Ann Arbor

Three Second-Generation Polish American Women of Success and Their Stories
Joanna Wojdon, University of Wrocław

Comment: The Audience

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Session 3A. Foreigners’ View on the American Civil War
Friday, January 8, 2016: 2:30 PM-4:30 PM
Hilton Atlanta, Room 209

Chair: Dominic A. Pacyga, Columbia College Chicago

Papers:
Polish Participation in the Antislavery Crusade
James Pula, Purdue University North Central

Writing German Lives during the American Civil War: The Letters of German Immigrant Soldiers
Daniel P. Kotzin, Medaille College

The Polish View on the American Conflict: The Civil War from the Perspective of Count Adam De Gurowski
Piotr Derengowski, University of Gdańsk

Comment:Christopher Blackburn, University of Louisiana at Monroe, The Audience

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Session 3B. Émigré Political Activism during the Cold War
Friday, January 8, 2016: 2:30 PM-4:30 PM
Hilton Atlanta, Room 210

Chair: Anna Mazurkiewicz, University of Gdańsk

Papers:
Central European Federalists in the United States during the Cold War Period
SławomiŁukasiewicz, Catholic University of Lublin and the Institute of National Remembrance

Between Neighbors, Between Immigrants: Poles and Ukrainians in the United States during the Cold War, A Few Reflections
Anna Fiń, Pedagogical University of Kraków

Serving the United States and Afghanistan: The Role of the Afghan Americans in the Cold War, 1978–92
John K. Baden, Case Western Reserve University

Comment: The Audience

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Session 4: Poetry Reading - Slicing the Bread by Maja Trochimczyk 
Friday, January 8, 2016: 5:00 PM-6:00 PM
Hilton Atlanta, Room 209
Maja Trochimczyk reads from Slicing the Bread. Children’s Survival Manual in 25 Poems (2014)
Maja Trochimczyk, Moonrise Press

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SATURDAY, JANUARY 9, 2016

Session 4. Polish Immigrant and Polish American Ethnic Women
Saturday, January 9, 2016: 9:00 AM-11:00 AM
Hilton Atlanta, Room 209

Papers:
Warsaw, East London, and Detroit: Ravensbrück Camp Inmates Searching for a Home
Anna Muller, University of Michigan-Dearborn

Women, Immigration, and Ethnicity: A Review of Sociological Studies
Mary Patrice Erdmans, Case Western Reserve University

Forbidden Desires: Women and Transgressive Sexuality in Polish American Fiction
GrażynaKozaczka, Cazenovia College
Comment: The Audience

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Honoring Victor Greene: Immigration and Ethnic History since the 1960s

Saturday, January 9, 2016: 11:30 AM-1:30 PM
Hilton Atlanta, Room 209
Co-Sponsor(s): Immigration and Ethnic History Society

Chair: Anna D. Jaroszyńska-Kirchmann, Eastern Connecticut State University

Comment: James R. Barrett, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign; Ronald H. Bayor, Georgia Institute of Technology; Dominic A. Pacyga, Columbia College Chicago; James Pula, Purdue University North Central; Dorothee Schneider, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

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Session 5. The Reception of Polish Culture in the United States
Saturday, January 9, 2016: 2:30 PM-4:30 PM
Hilton Atlanta, Room 209
Chair: Grażyna Kozaczka, Cazenovia College

Papers:
Digested: Tadeusz Różewicz and the Polish Americans
Maja Dziedzic, University of Gdańsk

Poland, Polish-Americans, and Georgia
John P. Dunn, Valdosta State University
Michał Mydłowski, University of Warsaw

Teaching Resources in the Maintenance and Development of Polish Language and Culture in the United States
Monika Wołoszyn-Domagała, University of ZielonaGóra

Comment: The Audience

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SATURDAY, JANUARY 9, 2016

19:00- 21:00 AWARDS BANQUET

The Awards Reception will be held on Saturday, January 9, 2016, starting at 7 p.m., at the historic Mary Mac’s Tea Room (224 Ponce De Leon Ave. NE, Atlanta, GA 30308).

Mary Mac’s Tea Room opened in 1945, today it is the last of sixteen tea rooms that once dotted intown Atlanta in the 1940s.  After 65 years, Mary Mac's Tea Room is THE Atlanta culinary landmark, offering made-from-scratch true southern fare, like fried okra, Pot Likker, chicken pot pie, Gulf shrimp, fried green tomatoes, and the best sweet tea, served with genuine southern hospitality.

Calls for Papers, Deadlines and Announcements

PAHA CALL FOR PAPERS - DUE APRIL 15, 2015

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.

Maja Trochimczyk, Anna Mazurkiewicz and Karen Majewski with PAHA Awards, January 2015. Photo by Iwona Drag Korga.

PIASA CALL FOR PAPERS - DUE APRIL 1, 2015

The Polish Institute of Arts & Sciences and the Center for European, Russian and Eurasian Studies at the University of Toronto are pleased to invite proposals for PIASA’s 73rd Annual Conference to be held at the University of Toronto, June 11-13, 2015.

Proposals are solicited for sessions or individual papers dealing with Polish or Polish Diaspora or comparative topical sessions that include a Polish-related presentation along with other groups. Sessions are also encouraged from those whose fields of interest are in business or the sciences. Sessions including presenters from more than one nation are encouraged. Each session is scheduled for 90 minutes to accommodate three papers or about 20 minutes per paper. The conference language is English and all conference rooms will be equipped with AV for the use of PowerPoints and CD/DVD presentations. It is expected that acceptable conference papers will be published in The Polish Review subsequent to the conference.

To submit a paper or complete session, please send the name, e-mail address, institutional affiliation, and tentative paper title for all presenters to the chair of the program committee at jpula@pnc.edu. The deadline for proposals is April 1, 2015.


MORE PICTURES IN PAHA'S AWARDS CEREMONY ALBUM, JANUARY 2015

Please visit the Picasa Web Album from our Awards Ceremony at the Polish Consulate in New York. We added more pictures by Iwona Korga and Janusz Romanski.  A report in a Polish American periodical will be published soon.

https://picasaweb.google.com/Maja.Trochimczyk/PAHA72ndMeetingInNewYorkJan242015

VOLUNTEERS NEEDED FOR THE WROCŁAW TEACHER PROGRAM - 2015

The Program, specializing in instruction for local English teachers, follows two similar programs in Lithuania plus one in Poland in preceding years. Attendees are elementary and high school English teachers. Our primary goals are to: 1) Increase their personal ability in English from near fluency toward that of a natural speaker. Thus the subtlety, nuance and metaphorical aspects of spoken and written English will be highlighted. 2) Present techniques and methodologies helpful to their teaching when they return to their classrooms. 3) Organize lessons in a manner illustrating and informing them about American culture, history, politics, geography, etc. This information is not only for their personal benefit, but is valuable to them when preparing lessons for their students. The target is for 30 attendees, including the English teachers from our host school.

Our Host is a leading high school in the region. In 2013 it was the site of a very success WIESCO camp for its students. As is customary, our host provides room and board, transportation from and to the airport, and some sightseeing or entertainment.

Duration of the program is eight days from Saturday, June 27 to Saturday, July 4. Classes are planned for 9:00 to 2:30. After classes the time is ours to enjoy the city. You may append additional personal travel before or after the program. Wrocław is well located for air and train travel.  WIESCO is a 501c3 charitable organization that has organized and operated English language camps and programs in Eastern Europe for over 40 years. Long term relationships exist with Poland, Latvia and Lithuania; recent years have seen programs in Russia, Macedonia and Brazil.

Expenses in Wrocław – room and board, transportation from/to the airport, some sightseeing or entertainment – are provided by our hosts. You cost is airfare and $400. For your tax purposes, WIESCO provides you with a letter of participation documenting your volunteer participation.

Wrocław (Breslau in German) is an ancient city that originated with the amber trade between the Roman Empire and the Baltic. In 1000 AD the Piast kings of Poland fortified the town, establishing its role as a defensive stronghold along the southwestern border area. It was heavily destroyed in WWII, but well reconstructed. It is home to, and displays much culture of, a large number of Poles expelled from what is now western Ukraine when Stalin moved the Polish borders westward. Wroclaw is a leading university city, contains several museums and important churches, and boasts one of the largest and finest central old towns in the country.

Qualifications ESL certification and prior experience teaching English overseas are added benefits, but not required. What we are looking for is great conversation ability, creative presentation skills, with personal interests and life experiences that will meet the language and cultural enhancement goals stated above.

Your Contact is Robert M. Pine, a veteran of youth and adult WIESCO programs. His email is thepine@att.net and his phone is 630-279-5646 (Chicago area).

* For your information, on the following page is the announcement by the hosting school in Wrocław  recruiting English teachers to the program.

Nominations for PAHA's 2014 Awards

The Polish American Historical Association solicits nominees for PAHA’s 2014 Awards. PAHA encourages members and non-members to nominate members and non-members for its awards. Please send all nominations by July 15, 2013 to the chair of the awards committee, Anna Mazurkiewicz (Department of History, University of Gdansk), at anna.a.mazurkiewicz@gmail.com

Oskar Halecki Prize recognizes an important book or monograph on the Polish experience in the United States. Eligibility is limited to works of historical and/or cultural interest, including those in the social sciences or humanities, published in the two years prior to the year of the award.

Mieczyslaw Haiman Award is offered annually to an American scholar for sustained contribution to the study of Polish Americans.

Joseph Swastek Award is given in recognition of an outstanding scholarly contribution to Polish American Studies Skalny Civic Achievement Awards honor individuals or groups who advance PAHA's goals of promoting research and awareness of the Polish experience in the Americas.

Amicus Poloniae Award recognizes significant contributions enhancing knowledge of the Polish and Polish American heritage by individuals not belonging to the Polish American community. 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.

Kulczycki Prize recognizes an important dissertation on the Polish experience in the United States offered to a graduate student or younger scholar within the first five years after awarding of the doctorate degree to assist in the publication of a book or monograph.

Distinguished Service Award is given occasionally to a member of PAHA who has rendered valuable and sustained service to the organization.

Graduate Student Research Paper Award

This award recognizes a substantial original research paper on Polish-American history and culture produced by a young scholar in the humanities or social sciences. A paper should be sent via e-mail to: anna.a.mazurkiewicz@gmail.com before July 15th, 2013. In addition to the recognition and paper publication offer from the interdisciplinary, refereed scholarly journal “The Polish American Studies”, the winner will receive a $500 travel grant to present the paper at the PAHA 2014 Annual Meeting (January 2-5, Washington D.C.). The conference is held in conjunction with the American Historical Association.

The candidate for the award must be a graduate student at the time of the application or nomination. In addition to the paper (up to 25 pages, 1.5 spaced, Times New Roman 12) any submission must contain: graduate student’s short biographic note, 250-word abstract, and one letter of reference. The results will be announced by September 1st.

Polish American Historical Association Annual Awards, 2011

At the PAHA Annual Meeting in Chicago, Il, during a Reception organized by the Consulate General of the Republic of Poland on January 7, 2012, the Association bestowed its Annual Awards for the year 2011 on the following distinguished individuals and organizations. Consul General, Mr. Matynia welcomed guests and President Neal Pease served as an MC.



M. HAIMAN AWARD (for lifetime contributions to the field of Polish American studies/history) – Anna Jaroszyńska-Kirchmann

Dr. Jaroszyńska-Kirchmann is Professor of History at Eastern Connecticut State University, where she teaches American history. She is a past winner of PAHA’s Halecki and Swastek awards, and has been President and First Vice President of PAHA. She has recently served as an associate editor of The Polish American Encyclopedia.



OSKAR HALECKI PRIZE (outstanding book in the field) - James S. Pula, ed., The Polish American Encyclopedia (McFarland and Co., 2010.

Dr. Pula is the obvious choice for his excellent editorship and guidance in the publication of the Polish American Encyclopedia, certain to become a landmark reference work in the fields of Polish and Polish American history.



AMICUS POLONIAE AWARD (for contributions to the field by someone not of Polish ancestry) – Pien Versteegh

As Executive Director of PAHA, Versteegh has effectively performed all of the administrative functions of the organization.



DISTINGUISHED SERVICE AWARD (for contributions to PAHA) - Cheryl Pula

Pula read the entire manuscript of The Polish American Encyclopedia twice - once in draft form and once in page proofs. The first time she listed 71 pages, single-spaced, or errors, missing information, or unclear statements. The second time she noted over two dozen pages of corrections of the page proofs. In addition, she also authored approximately 15 to 20 individual entries.



CREATIVE ARTS AWARD - John Z. Guzlowski

John Guzlowski is Professor Emeritus of Literature at Eastern Illinois University, and a noted poet. He has published the well-received works Lightning and Ashes and Third Winter of War: Buchenwald. Beyond that, he has been promoting the works of other Polish American poets.
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JOSEPH SWASTEK PRIZE (for an outstanding article in Polish American Studies) – Robert Szymczak, “Cold War Crusader: Arthur Bliss Lane and the Private Committee to Investigate the Katyn Massacre, 1949-1952,” Polish American Studies (67), Autumn 2010.

Professor Szymczak is Associate Professor of History at Penn State University, Beaver. His article is a fine study of the efforts of a onetime U.S. ambassador to Poland to uncover the truth of the Katyn atrocity, making excellent use of original research.
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SKALNY CIVIC ACHIEVEMENT AWARDS




Skalny Civic Achievement Award - Bozena Nowicka McLees and Dr. Frank Kujawinski of Loyola University of Chicago, developers of their university's Polish Studies program

The late Dr. Frank Kujawinski and Dr. Bozena Nowicka McLees have been successfully active in their work to expand Polish Studies program at Loyola.
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Skalny Civic Achievement Award - Maria Ciesla, Director of the Polish Museum of America

Ms. Ciesla has been very effective in the work of the Polish Museum of America (which is associated with the Polish Roman Catholic Union of America).

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Skalny Civic Achievement Award - Hon. Aurelia Pucinski

Member of the Appellate Court of the State of Illinois. Pucinski is a leader in the Chicago Polonia, supportive of cultural matters in Polonia, and perhaps the most visible culturally active elected public official of Polish heritage in Illinois.

On the right is Mr. Frank Spula, President of the Polish American Congress and Polish National Alliance and himself a past recipient of the Skalny award in 2003.

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Skalny Civic Achievement Award - Sharon Zago, Vice President of the Polish Women's Alliance of America

Zago has long been a strong promoter of her fraternal involvement in community cultural matters.
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Skalny Civic Achievement Award - Paul Odrobina, Vice President of the Polish National Alliance and past president of the Michigan Division of the Polish American Congress

Odrobina is similarly involved with his organization and before assuming the vice presidency of the PNA was very active in cultural matters in Detroit.

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Skalny Civic Achievement Award - Ewa Barczyk, Director of the Golda Meir Library of the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee

Barczyk is a longtime supporter of Polish cultural activities at the Library and University and President of Polanki, the Polish Women's Cultural Club of Milwaukee, one of this country's most active community groups

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Skalny Civic Achievement Award - St. Mary of Nazareth Hospital of Chicago

Founded by Frances Siedliska in 1894 to serve the city's Polish community, it ministered to people of all races, creeds, and national origins. In 1902, Dziennik Chicagoski labeled it the "Pride of Polonia Chicagoska." A school of nursing which existed at the hospital until 1986 graduated more than 3,000 nurses, as well as preparing professionals in anesthetics, radiologic technology, and medical technology well into the 1980s. In 1976 it was selected, because of its distinct Polish identification, by the City of Chicago as the official welcoming site for a delegation of Polish church officials headed by then-Cardinal Karol Wojtyła. In 1997 it sponsored a tour of the Polish religious singing group Adoremus from Warsaw, and it has, over the years, promoted Polish identity and culture in innumerable other ways.

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Skalny Civic Achievement Award - Gabriela Pawlus Kasprzak, Krystyna Cap, and Mark Kohan

This trio is cited for meritorious contributions to The Polish American Encyclopedia. Gabriela Pawlus Kasprzak authored a very good thematic essay on the Polish experience in Canada, and is also far advanced in the process of preparing a special issue of Polish American Studies on the Poles in Canada. Krystyna Cap authored more than two dozen excellent entries and assisted in tracking down various miscellaneous pieces of information. Mark Kohan provided entire back files of the Polish American Journal to assist in identifying possible entries and locating specific information.