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POLONIA NEWS HIGHLIGHTS

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KATYN STATUE IN CHICAGO MINISTER AT CALIF. UNIV.
HISTORIC MURAL IN PERIL POLISH ADMIRAL IN OREGON
ANTIQUE CAR SHOW AT PNA STELMACHOWSKI PASSES ON
NY MAN GETS POLISH HONOR TRANSLATION AWARD MADE


KATYN MEMORIAL DEDICATED
IN CHICAGOLAND CEMETERY

Chicago (PMN)—Chicago’s Polish community dedicated a memorial to the Katyn victims at St. Adalbert Cemetery in Niles, Illinois, on May 17, 2009, with the help of Cardinal Jozef Glemp, who succeeded the late Pope John Paul II as Primate of Poland. The $290,000 monument was designed by Chicago artist Wojciech Seweryn.

There were tears in the crowd as Glemp sprinkled holy water on the statue, which resembles Michelangelo’s Pieta. The Madonna cradles an executed Polish officer. His hands, like those of many Katyn victims, are bound. "There is no hatred in that statue. It’s Polish people's history," Glemp said through a translator. "They will forgive, but don't forget."

Edward Mika, immediate Past President of the Alliance of Polish Clubs, the group that helped erect the granite-and-bronze statue, stated, "We want to keep the history for the next generation … We don’t need a statue, but we want this to show the next generation that such a thing happened. The young people need to know who they are. It’s part of their history."

The month of the massacre, the Soviets exterminated more Polish officers and civilians in nearby areas. The death toll reached about 22,000. Many of the soldiers’ bodies were found shot at point-blank range in the back of the head. The widows and children were often deported to Siberia. Some of them, now Chicagoans, were in attendance at the memorial.

In addition to military officers, Stalin’s executioners shot scientists, journalists, doctors and lawyers. Many Poles believe Stalin deliberately wiped out the intelligentsia to quash post-war challenges to Soviet power.

The massacre was not spoken of in Soviet-dominated Poland. "It was a black hole in books. Teachers couldn’t teach this," Polish Consul General Zygmunt Matynia said. "Only from one mouth to another was it discussed — only when Poland became free, we could talk about it."

POLAND’S MINISTER OF
CULTURE VISITS USC

Los Angeles, California (PMN)—Bogdan Zdrojewski, Poland’s Minister of Culture and National Heritage, paid a visit to the University of Southern California (USC) campus in Los Angeles on April 23, 2009. Arriving with his assistant and accompanied by Paulina Kapuscinska, Consul General of the Republic of Poland in Los Angeles, Malgorzata Cup, Consul for Culture, Roman Czarny, former Consul for Culture, and film director Krzysztof Jankowski. He toured the campus and met with Dr. Robert Cutietta, Dean of the Thornton School of Music.

During a brief afternoon ceremony, Zdrojewski decorated the Dean with the Gloria Artis gold medal. This highly prestigious award recognizes outstanding individuals for their contributions to Polish culture and is usually bestowed upon the recipient upon the initiative of the Minister of Culture or other high government official.

In his remarks to Dean Cutietta, Minister Zdrojewski summarized the long-standing relationship of the Thornton School of Music and the Polish Music Center (PMC) at USC and the Dean’s leading role in promoting Polish music and culture in Southern California.

Following the decoration ceremony, the Dean and Zdrojewski stepped outside the Music School Building for a photo opportunity next to the monument of Ignacy Jan Paderewski. Paderewski, one of the most important pianists in the history of music, was also a statesman and a humanitarian and his accomplishments in the fields of music and diplomacy were recognized by USC with an honorary doctorate in February, 1923. Paderewski’s monument at USC was unveiled at a special ceremony in October, 2007.

The PMC in Stonier Hall was the last stop on the visit. The Minister and his entourage were introduced to the library which highlights the collection of manuscripts by Henry Vars and Zygmunt Stojowski, as well as photographs, personal items, correspondence and concert programs of Ignacy Jan Paderewski.

At the conclusion of his visit, the Minister presented the Center with a 12-CD set of recordings of all of Frederic Chopin’s compositions, performed by various Polish artists. In addition, the PMC library received two volumes of limited edition facsimiles of Chopin’s manuscripts, including his Etudes Op. 10 and Mazurkas, Op. 33, recently published under the Minister’s aegis. Another fascinating gift from the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage, a book about Krzysztof Penderecki and a recording of his most famous works topped up the large gift package that Zdrojewski had brought with him from Poland to the USC campus.

HISTORIC "POLAND ALWAYS
FAITHFUL" MURAL IMPERILED

Doylestown, Pennsylvania (PMN)—A 45’ by 15’ mural painted by Jan de Rosen, which hung behind the altar at Holy Family Church in Pittsburgh Pa., is in need of a new home.

In December, 2008, Holy Family Church was closed. On learning of the closing, Polonia and art lovers became concerned over the fate of the masterpiece titled, "Poland Always Faithful." The mural memorializes Polish Christianity and is painted in brilliant colors on a gold leaf background. In an attempt to save the mural, the Diocese of Pittsburgh plans to send it to the National Shrine of Our Lady of Czestochowa in Doylestown, Pa., however the costs of removing and transporting the work of art are astronomical.

The Pauline Fathers at the National Shrine of Our Lady of Czestochowa in Doylestown are seeking bids on removing, transporting and installing the artwork at the Shrine. Scaffolding and special techniques are needed to insure the mural will not suffer any damage.

The American Council for Polish Culture (ACPC) has offered to donate the proceeds from its annual raffle to the Shrine for the purpose of supporting the transfer of the mural from Pittsburgh to Doylestown. The raffle will be held at the annual ACPC Convention in Hartford, Conn., August 4-8, 2009.

Individuals and organizations interested in assisting in raising funds to save this piece of art are asked to contact Fr. Tadeusz Lizinczyk, OSPPE National Shrine of Our Lady of Czestochowa, 654 Ferry Rd., Doylestown, PA 18901, (215) 345-0600. For information about the Shrine visit http://www.czestochowa.us .

OREGONIAN MADE ADMIRAL
OF THE POLISH NAVY

Portland, Oregon (PMN)—Jerzy Tumaniszwili (Jerzy Trapper), 92, an Oregonian living in Beavercreek, received a promotion to Rear Admiral from Poland’s the President, Lech Kaczynski. Admiral is the highest rank in the Polish Navy, equivalent to General in the Army.

Tumaniszwili is a distinguished WWII veteran of the Polish Navy, decorated with Virtuti Militari and other orders. He served as artillery officer on the Polish Navy ships (ORP) Burza, Krakowiak and Piorun, settling in the U.S. after the war.

The appointment ceremony took place at the Polish Hall in Portland on May 31, 2009, preceded by a Mass for veterans of WWII at St Stanislaus Church in Portland.

Tumaniszwili received the appointment from the Polish Ambassador in Washington, D.C., Robert Kupiecki, and General Leszek Soczewica.

Jerzy Tumaniszwili is a Pole of Georgian descent. More about Georgian officers in the Polish military can be found at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mDFoDacQedQ&feature=related.

PNA HOLDS 3RD CLASSIC
AND ANTIQUE CAR SHOW

Chicago (PMN)—The Polish National Alliance (PNA) announced that it will host its 3rd Annual Classic and Antique Car Show on the grounds of the PNA Home Office Building,6100 N. Cicero Avenue, Chicago, Illinois, on Sunday June 28, 2009, from 1:00-5:00 p.m. A rain date of Sunday July 26 has been set.

The car show is open to the public. It will feature hot cars, food, ice cream, Italian Ice, D.J., Live Music, and crafts and activities for children. Trophies will be awarded to the best cars.

Those wishing to show their cars (muscle cars, antique cars, sports cars, classic cars, and motorcycles, 1984 and older models) must register with the PNA. To receive a registration form, contact the Polish National Alliance at 1-800-621-3723 during regular office hours (8:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m.). The registration fee before June 10 is $5.00. Onsite registration the day of the event will be $10.00, cash only.

A registration form can also be copied and downloaded from the PNA website at http://www.pna-znp.org in the "events" section or from the homepage. Questions about the car show should be directed to Dave at (847) 970-1040.

POLONIAN LEADER
DIES IN WARSAW

Warsaw (PMN)—Professor Andrzej Stelmachowski, Polish academic and politician died on April 6, 2009, in Warsaw. Polish President Lech Kaczynski expressed condolences to family and friends, as did politicians from across the political spectrum in Poland. Representatives of Polish emigrant organizations were sent from Belarus, Lithuania and the United States.

Stelmachowski was a member of the Armia Krajowa [Home Army] resistance during World War II. A lawyer, professor of University of Wroclaw (from 1962) and University of Warsaw (from 1967), he was a Solidarity advisor in 1980 and took part in the Polish Roundtable Agreement. He also served as Marshal of the Senate (1989-1991), Minister of Education (1991-1992) and presidential advisor (2007-2009). In his advisory capacity he suggested doing away with the secrecy of the Union of Solidarity; his idea was to "break away" and "create open structures as much as possible."

The organization he founded in Poland in 1990, Stowarzyszenie Wspolnota Polska [Association of the Polish Community or Polonia Association], enabled hundreds of other Polonia organizations around the world to communicate and interact to better showcase Poland’s heritage, and future possibilities. He served as President until May 11, 2008.

Of late, Wspolnota Polska has been relentlessly working to save Poland’s roots in the Ukraine, Belarus and the other northern Russian regions that were once Polish. They accept monetary donations as well as books for students living in those regions, to replace those destroyed by the Russian civic groups attempting to eradicate any Polish tracks.

CHET SZAREJKO HONORED
WITH CROSS OF MERIT

New York, N.Y. (PMN)—As an American citizen, Chet Szarejko never wore a Polish Army uniform. But, what he recently wore was Poland’s Cross of Merit awarded in the past to many Polish war veterans and Holocaust survivors. In ceremonies commemorating Poland’s May 3rd, 1791 Constitution, adopted shortly after America’s Constitutional Convention of 1787, Poland’s Consul General Krzysztof Kasprzyk presented Szarejko with the decoration for his efforts to promote the cause of Poland in the U.S., particularly New York City.

Szarejko spent nearly three years assisting Consul General Kasprzyk in clearing the way for placing a statue of Jan Karski in front of the Consulate on Madison Avenue and E. 37th Street in Manhattan.

Just a few weeks prior to the award ceremony, New York City designated that intersection "Jan Karski Corner," according to Milewski. He also noted that Szarejko is well known and highly regarded in New York for the many years he has devoted to the advancement of good will and understanding among the ethnic groups who live there.

Szarejko said it was an honor for him to work on the Jan Karski dedication because of his admiration for this World War II hero "who risked his life when he left German-occupied Poland on a secret mission to England and the United States to warn the Allies the Germans were conducting the genocide of the Jews in his country."

Participating in the ceremony was Frank Milewski, President of the Downstate New York Division of the Polish American Congress (PAC) where Szarejko is Vice President and chairman of that organization’s Political Activities Committee.

ANTONIA LLOYD-JONES WINS
FOUND IN TRANSLATION AWARD

London, England (PMN)—Found in Translation is an annual prize given for the best translation of Polish literature into English. This year’s award went to Antonia Lloyd-Jones, for her translation of Pawel Huelle’s book "The Last Supper" (Serpent's Tail, London, 2008), a novel that raises fundamental questions about the nature of belief in modern society. Antonia Lloyd-Jones received the prize from the hands of Pawel Huelle himself during the European Literature Night in the British Library on May 13.

Lloyd-Jones is one of the finest translators of Polish literature into English. Born in 1962, she read Russian and Ancient Greek at Oxford. Her published translations from Polish include novels by Pawel Huelle and Olga Tokarczuk, short stories by Jaroslaw Iwaszkiewicz, and non-fiction, most recently by Ryszard Kapuscinski and Wojciech Tochman. Her translations of a selection of poems by Tadeusz Dabrowski is forthcoming with Zephyr Press.

The Found in Translation Award, established in 2007 by the Polish Book Institute in Krakow, the Polish Cultural Institute in London, the Polish Cultural Institute in New York, and the W.A.B. Publishers in Warsaw, is given annually for the best translation of a work of Polish literature into English that was published as a book in the preceding year.

The Award consists of a three-month residency in Krakow, with lodging, a monthly stipend, roundtrip airfare, and a financial award of about $3,000. The laureate is announced during the Award ceremony, which is organized each year in the laureate’s country of origin.

Candidates for the Award can be nominated by private persons, as well as institutions in Poland and abroad. Nominations are to be sent with the subject-heading Found In Translation to: The Polish Book Institute, 31-011 Krakow, ul. Szczepanska 1, Poland, e-mail biuro@instytutksiazki.pl .
 

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