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.
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• 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.
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• Amicus Poloniae Award recognizes significant contributions enhancing knowledge of Polish and Polish-American heritage by individuals not belonging to the Polish-American community.
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• Distinguished Service Award is given occasionally to a member of PAHA who has rendered valuable and sustained service to the organization.
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• 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

PAHA Presents its 2016 Awards at the 74th Annual Meeting, in Denver, Colorado, January 5-7, 2017

AWARDS

 At the 74^th Annual Meeting at the Colorado Convention Center in Denver, CO (January 5-7, 2017), the Polish American Historical Association will announce the winners of its Annual Awards. The PAHA Annual Meeting will also include many scholarly presentations held in conjunction with the 131^st annual Meeting of the American Historical Association.

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 2017 Halecki Prize will be presented to Prof. Mieczysław B. Biskupski, for his book The Most Dangerous German Agent in America (NIU Press, 2015).

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 will be presented to Dr. Alvin Mark 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 Bruce is an accomplished pianist, harpsichordist, acclaimed teacher, and accompanist dedicated to the promotion of classical piano performance of the highest quality.

Dr. Stephen Leahy of Shantou University, China, will receive 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 is awarded annually for the best article published in a given volume of Polish American Studies, the journal of the Polish American Historical Association. This award, established in 1981, is named in honor of Rev. Joseph V. Swastek (1913-1977), the editor of Polish American Studies for many years, and a past president of PAHA. The Editorial Board of 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). 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 will be bestowed on 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). 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 was nominated for the Pushcart Prize in 2016.

The Skalny Civic Achievement Awards honor individuals or groups who advance PAHA's goals of promoting research and awareness of the Polish-American experience and/or have made significant contributions to Polish or Polish-American community and culture.  The 2016 Skalny Awards will honor the following individuals:

Marta Alicja Swica of Minneapolis, MN, 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. 

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, President of the Polish Club in Denver, 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. 

President of the Polish American Film Society, Elizabeth Kanski and Artistic Director of the Polish Film Festival in Los Angeles, Vladek Juszkiewicz are 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.

The Graduate Student Research Paper Award will be 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.

The newly instituted Graduate Student/ Young Scholar Travel Grant will be presented 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.”

Dr. Iwona Drag Korga, Executive Director of the Pilsudski Institute in New York City, has served as the Chair of the Awards Committee for 2017. The Awards Reception will be held on Saturday, January 7, 2017, starting at 7 p.m., at the Polish Club of Denver (3121 West Alameda Ave. Denver, CO 80219). Award winners are invited to attend free of charge, all other guests and conference participants should register, $50.00 per person.

The Program of PAHA’s 74th Annual Meeting includes eight sessions on diverse aspects of Polonia’s culture, presented from historical, sociological, anthropological, and literary perspectives with a focus on immigration issues. Sessions include: immigrant and Ethnic Identity, Constructing Ethnicity in Polish American Literature, Narrating Migration: Subjectivities and Communities in Poland and the United States; Prominent Poles in America; Between Europe and North America: (Im)migration and Social Justice; East Central Europe: What's in the Name? The View from Exile. An “Author Meets Critic Session” will explore The Polish Hearst: Ameryka-Echo and the Public Role of the Immigrant Press by Anna Jaroszyńska-Kirchmann. Papers on architect Thomas Lewinski, pianist-composer-statesman Ignacy Jan Paderewski, and writer Anthony Bukoski will study eminent individuals and the meeting will conclude with a Roundtable Discussion on “Progressive: Polish-Americans for Social Progress, Jamestown through the 21st Century.” See the attached full program for further details.

 PROGRAM

OF THE 74th ANNUAL MEETING, JANUARY 5-7, 2017

COLORADO CONVENTION CENTER, DENVER

THURSDAY, JANUARY 5, 2017, 1:30 PM-5:00 PM

PAHA Annual Board Meeting, Colorado Convention Center, Room 204

FRIDAY, JANUARY 6, 2017, 8:30 AM-10:00 AM

Session 1: Immigrant and Ethnic Identity, CCC, Room 304

Chair: Thomas Napierkowski, University of Colorado at Colorado Springs

·        Creating Identity: Discussion around Kashubian and Polish Identity in Canada and Poland - Aleksandra Kurowska-Susdorf, University of Gdańsk

·        The "Other" Patriot: The Gothic Nature of the Polish Catholic Immigrant Other in the Mid-19th-Century United States - Jill Noel Walker Gonzalez, La Sierra University

FRIDAY, JANUARY 6, 2017, 10:30 AM-12:00 PM

Session 2: Constructing Ethnicity in Polish American Literature, Colorado Convention Center, Room 304

Chair: BożenaNowicka McLees, Loyola University Chicago

·        Our Little Polish Cousin and the Stara Imigracja - Thomas Napierkowski, University of Colorado at Colorado Springs

·        "What Are Little (Polish) Girls Made Of?" Performing Gender in World War II Novels for Young Adults By Immigrant and Ethnic Writers - Grażyna Kozaczka, Cazenovia College

·        Anthony Bukoski: Writing from an Outpost of Polishness - John Merchant, Loyola University Chicago

FRIDAY, JANUARY 6, 2017, 1:30 PM-3:00 PM

SESSION 3: Narrating Migration: Subjectivities and Communities in Poland and the United States, Colorado Convention Center, Room 304

Chair: Anna Mazurkiewicz, University of Gdańsk

·        Narrating a New "American": Polish Holocaust Survivors in the United States in the 1950s - Anna Cichopek-Gajraj, Arizona State University

·        The People of Hamtramck: What Does It Mean to be Polish American in a Small Midwestern Town? - Anna Muller, University of Michigan-Dearborn

·        What Polish Peasants Said about Capitalism: Narrating Urban Subjectivity in Late 19th- and Early 20th-Century America - Kathleen Wroblewski, University of Michigan

FRIDAY, JANUARY 6, 2017, 3:30 PM-5:00 PM

SESSION 4: Prominent Poles in America, Colorado Convention Center, Room 304

·        Chair: Pien Versteegh, Avans University of Applied Sciences

·        Thomas Lewinski: America's Forgotten Architect - James Pula, Purdue University Northwest-North Central

·        The Pele of Chicago: Janusz Kowalik and the Beginnings of Professional Soccer in the United States - Neal Pease, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee

·        Following Paderewski: An Album of Autographs and Clippings from Brighton, England, 1890-1914 - Maja Trochimczyk, Moonrise Press, Los Angeles

·        That Day in Raleigh, January 23, 1917; Paderewski, Wilson, and a Provincial Capital - Alvin M. Fountain II, Honorary Consul, Republic of Poland, President, Paderewski Festival, Raleigh, NC

SATURDAY, JANUARY 7, 2017, 8:30 AM-10:00 AM

SESSION 5: Between Europe and North America: (Im)migration and Social Justice,  Colorado Convention Center, Room 304

Chair: Grażyna Kozaczka, Cazenovia College

·        Polish Migrants on the Move: Miners in the Ruhr Area, 1920-30 - Pien Versteegh, Avans University of Applied Sciences

·        Multigenerational Migration Chains of Families from Babica: An Attempt at Typology - Joanna Kulpińska, Jagiellonian University, Kraków

·        Political Participation of Persons with Disabilities in the USA and Poland: From History to Modern Trends - Andrey Sergeevich Tikhonov, Kirkland Scholarship Program, University of Wrocław

SATURDAY, JANUARY 7, 2017, 10:30 AM-12:00 PM

SESSION 6: East Central Europe: What's in the Name? The View from Exile; Colorado Convention Center, Room 304

Chair: Neal Pease, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee

·        Regional Self-Representation of Polish Political Exiles in the US during the Cold War - Anna Mazurkiewicz, University of Gdańsk

·        Imagining a Separate Slovakia: Anti-Communist Slovak Exiles' Hopes and Dreams - Ellen L. Paul, Fort Lewis College

·        Milan Kundera's Concept of Central Europe and the Ensuing Discussion Among Czechoslovak Exiles and Dissidents - Francis D. Raska, Charles University

·        "Not Real Germans at All": The East-Central "Othering" of GDR-Refugees during the Revolution of 1989 - Bethany E. Hicks, Ouachita Baptist University

SATURDAY, JANUARY 7, 2017, 1:30 PM - 3:00 PM

SESSION 7: Author Meets Critic Session for The Polish Hearst: Ameryka-Echo and the Public Role of the Immigrant Press  by Anna Jaroszyńska-Kirchmann

Chair: Mary Patrice Erdmans, Case Western Reserve University

Comments: David A. Gerber, State University of New York at Buffalo; Jon Bekken, Albright College; Robert M. Zecker, St. Francis Xavier University; and Anna D. Jaroszyńska-Kirchmann, Eastern Connecticut State University

SATURDAY, JANUARY 7, 2017, 3:30 PM - 5:00 PM

SESSION 8. Roundtable Discussion: Progressive: Polish-Americans for Social Progress, Jamestown through the 21st Century; Colorado Convention Center, Room 304

Chair: Anna Muller, University of Michigan-Dearborn

Comment: The Audience

SATURDAY, JANUARY 7, 2017, 7:00- 9:00 PM, AWARDS RECEPTION

The Awards Reception will be held on Saturday, January 7, 2017, starting at 7 p.m., at the Polish Club of Denver (3121 West Alameda Ave. Denver, CO 80219). Award winners are invited to attend free of charge, all other guests and conference participants should register, $50.00 per person. www.polishamericanstudies.org/registration.html

PAHA Announces its 2014 Awards at the 71st Annual Meeting in Washington, D.C.

           

           PAHA President Thomas Napierkowski introduces Ambassador Ryszard Schnepf 
                         at the Opening Panel of PAHA 71st Meeting, with presenters, 
                           Dr. Maja Trochimczyk and Prof. Mary Patrice Erdmans.

On Friday, January 3, 2014 at the Embassy of the Republic of Poland, the Polish American Historical Association announced the winners of the organization's annual awards.  The Awards Reception was hosted by Deputy Chief of Mission to the U.S., Minister-Counselor Maciej Pisarski.  The Ambassador of Poland, Dr. Ryszard Schnepf opened the deliberations of PAHA during its first session on Friday morning at the Marriott Wardman Park Hotel in Washington D.C. In his welcoming remarks the Ambassador underlined the importance of the PAHA mission to promote research and disseminate Polish-American history and culture. He highlighted an improvement in cooperation between US-based researchers and academics from Poland, and encouraged PAHA members to take part in celebrating in the important historical anniversaries in 2014: the 100th birthday of Jan Karski, the legendary Polish resistance emissary who brought the first accounts of the Holocaust to the world, and the 70th anniversary of the Warsaw Uprising.  

   

At the Embassy, Poland's Minister-Counselor Maciej Pisarski welcomed the scholars and in his remarks emphasized the critical importance of historical research for Polish-American community in America and for Polish-American relations.  He reminded the audience about the important European anniversaries of 2014: the 25th anniversary of Poland's accession to the European Union and the 15th anniversary of membership in NATO.  

            Min. Pisarski welcomes PAHA, with Dr. Pien Versteegh, PAHA Executive Director.

PAHA President Thomas Napierkowski presided over the award ceremony. PAHA presented the annual Halecki Prize for the best book on a Polish American topic to Dr. Beth Holmgren, Professor of Slavic and Eurasian Studies, Slavic and Eurasian Studies Department Chair at Duke Universityfor her book "Starring Madame Modjeska: On Tour in Poland and America", the annual Haiman Award for sustained scholarly effort in the field of Polish American Studies to Dr. Dominic A. Pacyga, and the annual Swastek Prize for the best article appearing in Polish American Studies to Dr. Anna Mazurkiwicz from the University of Gdańsk, as well as many other awards listed below. We congratulate all the winners for their achievements and well-deserved recognition.

Prof. Beth Holmgren (R) with Dr. Maja Trochimczyk (L)

Oskar Halecki Prize 
“Recognizes an important book or monograph on the Polish experience in the United States”

Beth Holmgren, Starring Madame Modjeska: On Tour in Poland and America (Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 2012). 

Review by Maja Trochimczyk in the Polish American Studies (spring 2013) opens with: “this handsomely produced volume about Poland’s legendary actress is a must for every library and every Polonian home”. Kazimierz Braun who had authored a play devoted to Modjeska wrote: “this is an excellent and meticulously rendered book” (Modern Drama 56/2, 2013). Upon examination of the review copy provided by the publisher, the Awards Committee found the above-mentioned reviews very well grounded. In our opinion, this book deserves the Halecki Award for its merits and also bears the potential of promoting the story of Helena Modrzejewska (Modjeska) among Polish-Americans as well as Polish and Polish-American heritage among the larger, non-ethnic audiences in the U.S. Beth Holmgren is the Professor of Slavic and Eurasian Studies and Slavic and Eurasian Studies Department Chair at Duke University.

Mieczyslaw Haiman Award
 “Offered annually to an American scholar for sustained contribution to the study of Polish Americans”

Dominic Pacyga – Professor of History, Department of Humanities, History and Social Sciences at Columbia College Chicago

 Dr. Pacyga received his PhD in History from the University of Illinois at Chicago in 1981. He has published extensively about Polish Americans - especially immigrant and working class Polish Americans and their descendants - and with a focus on Chicago. Dr. Pacyga has lectured and written widely on a variety of topics including the Polish-Americans whose members worked in the stockyards and steel mills. His Polish Immigrants and Industrial Chicago (1991) throws real light on their experiences. Dr. Pacyga was the recipient of the Oscar Halecki Award from the Polish American Historical Association and of the Catholic Book Award. In 1999, he received the Columbia College Award for Excellence in Teaching. He has been a visiting Professor at both the University of Chicago and the University of Illinois at Chicago. In the spring of 2005, he was a Visiting Scholar in Campion Hall at Oxford University. Professor Pacyga is now in Kraków – as a Fulbright Lecturer at the Institute for American Studies and the Polish Diaspora, Jagiellonian University.

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

Peter Hetherington

Peter Hetherington is a geologist by profession and author of Unvanquished – already a widely-acclaimed book that through a dynamic narrative chronicles Joseph Pilsudski’s life with a “stunning detail and impressive depth” – as one reviewer put it. Published in 2012 this 752-page book brings Pilsudski to life and with him the history of Poland and the region. The book had two editions in one year! It has been favorably reviewed and endorsed (among others) by Zbigniew Brzeziński and Marek Jan Chodakiewicz and has already received a number of recognitions. Hetherington’s description of the book reads: “Although not of Polish ancestry, I have come to appreciate Pilsudski and the Polish people with zeal of a convert, and hope that in some small measure this book will increase awareness of Poland's rich cultural heritage and her important contributions to Western civilization." His interest, effort, input and efficacy with no support in the Slavic profession make him a perfect candidate for the award recognizing friends of Poland.

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”

Julian Stanczak 

A Polish-born painter and printmaker is being recognized for his 70-year career in the arts and education and his unique gift for painting and insight into visual perception. He and his family - he was only 12 years old at the time - were all forcibly removed by the Soviet military to Central Asia following the Nazi-Soviet invasion and conquest of Poland in 1939. Stanczak escaped from Siberia, via Persia and Uganda reached England and then United States where he received a BA from the Cleveland Institute of Art, and completed MFA at Yale. He has achieved wide acclaim and success despite the fact that since his incarceration in the USSR he’s permanently lost the use of his right arm (he used to be right-handed).

Julian Stanczak is recognized as one of the important pioneers in Op-Art. This term first appeared in print in Time magazine in October 1964 in response to Julian Stanczak's show Optical Paintings at the Martha Jackson gallery in New York. The year 2013-2014 has been announced “The Year of Stanczak Celebrations” by the Akron Museum of Art in Cleveland, the Museum of Art, the Cleveland Institute of Art, and the Kelvin Smith Library of Case Western Reserve University Lectures & Exhibitions.

PAHA President Thomas Napierkowski

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”

 Edward J. Dybicz United States Army veteran of the European Theatre of Operation during World War II (born 1923). Mr. Dybicz has been a tireless supporter of Polish and Polish-American activities in Pennsylvania and Delaware during the past fifty years. He has written numerous articles in the Polish American Journal and in the local newspapers, he is a member of the Polish-American Sacred Heart Church in Swedesburg, the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 840 and the Disabled American Veterans Post 44. He is a member of the Montgomery County Historical Society and the Valley Forge Historical Society.

Susanne Lotarski formerly a Deputy Assistant Secretary and Director of office of Eastern Europe, Russia and Independent State, U.S. Department of Commerce, devotes her skills and energy to serving the Polish-Americans and strengthening the links between the U.S. and Poland. Widely recognized on both continents, she was selected for the award for her activism in the Polish community in Washington, DC, and her leadership in the Polish American Congress (she is the Vice President for Public Relations), unwavering service to the Polish Institute of Arts & Sciences, and for tireless organizing of conferences and workshops on various topics for scholars and students in the D.C. area.

Tony Muszynski is a founder and first Program Director of “Poland in the Rockies,” who served as President, and earlier as a Vice-President of the Polish Canadian Association of Calgary. He is Vice-President of both the Canadian Polish Congress (Western Canada) and the Canada-Poland Youth Internship Society. Muszynski works as an immigration lawyer, he leads the Athabasca Project for the Canadian Polish Congress, a project that has as its main goal significantly increasing skilled worker immigration to Canada from Europe.

Irene Tomaszewski, founding President of the Canadian Foundation for Polish Studies, she serves as Curriculum Director for the Canadian "Poland in the Rockies" summer educational program designed specifically for university students and young professionals. She is also the editor of I Am First a Human Being: The Prison letters of Krystyna Wituska and co-author of Zegota: The Rescure of Jews in Wartime Poland.

Wanda Urbanska (center-left) in conversation with 

representatives of Julian Stanczak and Bozena Nowicka-McLees

Wanda Urbanska – an author and television host mostly recognized for her program devoted to sustainable living called Simple Living with Wanda Urbanska. She has authored and co-authored nine books, published in the Los Angeles Times, Washington Post, Chicago Tribune, Natural Home, Mother Earth News and other papers. A blogger (atyourlibrary.org/wanda-urbanska) she is also a PR and political strategist. Dedicated to promoting the links between the U.S. and Poland, she was a Director of the Jan Karski U.S. Centennial Campaign. Its efforts culminated on May 29, 2012 as the Campaign succeeded in obtaining a Presidential Medal of Freedom for Polish Underground hero of World War II – Jan Karski. She is currently the President of the Jan Karski Educational Foundation.

The Polish Arts Club of Buffalo, Inc. founded almost 80 years ago (in 1945) is a non-profit organization that organizes an array of cultural programming (lectures, readings, musical and social events, film showings) to integrate, entertain and educate the Polish Americans as well as interested larger public about Poland’s culture and heritage. Members of the Arts Club meet at least once a month and hear talks on variety of topics related to Polish and Polish-American art, culture, and history. They periodically organize concerts, art shows, invite visiting scholars to their Club and even organize annual biesiadas in honor of their outstanding community members. Furthermore, they have devoted a considerable effort to preservation and promotion of the murals by Jozef Slawinski (the sgraffito technique) in the Buffalo-Niagara region. Always open to new contacts and expanding their network, in 2013 the PAC of Buffalo Inc. helped to organize PAHA midyear meeting in Buffalo and invited James Pula to give a talk to their members.

Prof. Anna Jaroszynska-Kirchmann with Dr. Theodore Zawistowski 

Distinguished Service Award 
“Given occasionally to a member of PAHA who has rendered valuable and sustained service to the organization”

Anna Jaroszyńska-Kirchmann

She is 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. Anna Jaroszyńska-Kirchmann teaches at the Eastern Connecticut State University, continuously rendering excellent service to PAHA; PAHA board member for many years she’s been instrumental in developing new strategies, alert in PAHA’s PR activities. Recipient of many prestigious awards –Anna Jaroszyńska-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.

Swastek Prize
“Awarded annually for the best article published in a given volume of Polish American Studies, the journal of the Polish American Historical Association”

 Anna Mazurkiewicz, "'Join, or Die'--The Road to Cooperation Among East European Exiled Political Leaders in the United States, 1949-1954."

The voters commented that this was “a meticulously researched article that was also well articulated so as to readily read by the type of general audience that Studies attracts. The Board found this to be an excellent treatment of an important subject in the recent history of Poland and Polonia that was solidly grounded in a wealth of original archival research. The questions raised in the article are appropriate and the analysis persuasive.”

Graduate Student Research Paper Awards
“Recognize outstanding research into Polish-American history and culture by a young scholar in the humanities or social sciences”

1. Marta Cieslak (Transnational Studies Department, SUNY at Buffalo), "Crossing the Boundaries of Modernity: The Transatlantic Journey of Polish Peasants to the United States."

This paper explores the pre-World War I transatlantic migration of Polish peasants to the United States and positions them within the transnational hierarchies of race, ethnicity and class, which, it argues, enabled the impoverished rural Poles to finally turn from the losers of modernity to its beneficiaries.

 2. Piotr Derengowski (Department of History, University of Gdansk, Poland), "Capt. Alexander Raszewski's Polish Legion and Other Less Known Polish Troops in the Union Army During the American Civil War."

 This paper argues that the involvement of Poles in the Civil War was significant, and though organization of a entirely Polish unit during the war proved to be impossible, many units were either organized by Poles, or were called “Polish.” Had it not been for their dispersion - the author writes - there were enough Poles to raise several regiments, or possibly even a brigade.

 Both students attended the awards reception and presented their papers at the conference. Piotr Derengowski has just successfully defended his Doctoral Dissertation. Marta Cieslak will be finishing her work this year. Both awardees are Polish, one works on Polish American topics in Poland – one in the U.S.

Attendees of the Awards Ceremony (L to R). Front: Maja Trochimczyk, Anna Mazurkiewicz, Neal Pease, Wanda Urbanska, Susan Lotarski, Grazyna Kozaczka, Ambassador Rowny,Deputy Chief of Mission to the US, Minister-Counselor Maciej Pisarski, Anna Jaroszynska Kirchman, Helen Napierkowski, Beth Holmgren, Grazyna Zebrowska, Representatives of the Polish Club of Buffalo, Pien Versteegh. Back: Stanley Kozaczka, James Pula, M.B.B. Biskupski, Mary Patrice Erdmans, Tom Napierkowski, Ted Zawistowski, Tom Duszak, Marta Cieslak, Piotr Derengowski, Peter Hetherington, and other guests.