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ANNOUNCEMENTS
- Summer in Poland Scholarships !!
- War of Romantics: March 15, 2020
- Our Next Polish Culture Salon: March 28, 2020
- PUL Lectures March 8 & April 19, 2020
- Polish Heritage Society Annual Chopin Concert, March 22, 2020
RECENT EVENTS:
- 13th Polish Culture Salon
- Polish Wigilia at Villanova University
IN MEMORIAM
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Summer Program at Jagiellonian University in Krakow
The deadline for Tomaszkiewicz-Florio Scholarship applications and supporting materials will be April 24th, 2020.
Regular paying students will have until May 8th, 2020 to submit their applications.
Visit https://www.thekf.org/kf/programs/study/ for the details.
Learn about the experience of one of last year's participants, Mathew Ziarnik, a freshman and civil engineering major at University of Villanova. He was a recipient of the Tomaszkiewicz- Florio Scholarship through the KF Philadelphia Chapter and was awarded travel funds from our Chapter as well. Read the essay below!
Jagiellonian Summer
by Mathiew Ziarnik
Hello, my name is Matthew Ziarnik and I went on the three week program to Jagiellonian University through the Kosciuszko Foundation. I would first like to thank the donors for allowing me to go on such an amazing trip. Although this was not my first time in Poland, this program helped me grow culturally as I was able to experience different aspects of the program that truly were interesting. The program consisted of the language and history courses which I partook in, and these classes were successfully run. The teachers were personable and the classes were engaging. Yet, the program was also successful in taking the students on trips during the weekends and creating cultural events during the week. One of the cultural events that I played a major role in was the Polish wedding. I played the groom where we danced to Polish music, broke glasses to signify familial roles, and ate bread and salt. Even though my family is Polish, and I have been to several Polish wedding, there were several customs that I never heard of, such as the dancing on the newspaper. All of these events were created in a fun and engaging atmosphere for everyone.
Personally, I identify as Polish, but whenever I am in Poland there is a slight cultural difference that I normally experience. I have found that Poles are often quieter and more introverted than Americans. Yet, I have found that although more introverted, Polish people create stronger relationship bounds with a smaller number of people. I have created several strong friendships in Poland where people are both welcoming and caring. I have been able to experience a larger degree of Polish hospitality. I have also found that Polish people place a stronger emphasis on family than Americans do. In my experience, many Americans do not spend large amounts of time with their families, but in Poland people seem to value family life more. The most striking experience for me was when I went to the village from where my family was. Everyone knew one another and everyone wanted to meet us. Living close to New York City, I have never experienced such a strong community life.
In college, I have tried to strengthen the Polish presence on my campus, and through the program at Jagiellonian, I hope to increase the events that we can do on campus; however, I think the greatest job that I could do is recommend more students to go to the program. During the program, I met amazing people who I will keep in contact with. They come from the United States, Ukraine, and even Hong Kong. The most surprising aspect of this program for me was the large difference in culture. My expectations were that most of the students would be from the US and they would be from Polish descent. Yet, contrary to what I believed, I lived with three students from Hong Kong. I engaged with cultures from around the world and we all fell in love with Poland in different ways. Although I am fairly fluent in Polish, my goals for this program were to increase my vocabulary and improve my grammar. The grammar was especially difficult as we conjugated words that even most Poles made mistakes in. For example, numbering was the most difficult because the expression that one would use for a number would change by the context of the sentence. I do believe that I can now speak Polish better; however, I have realized that Polish grammar is much more difficult than I believed. I would have to study for several years before I would know all the proper conjugations. Yet, I do now have a foundation and I could move forward from here. I plan on reading books in Polish so that I can increase my current knowledge and vocabulary.
I do not know the next time when I will go to Poland, but Poland will always stay in my memories. The things that I learned and the friends that I made will follow me into the future. Thank you for funding this trip for me and allowing me to learn more about my culture.
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"War of Romantics": A Story in Words and Music
Sunday March 15th at 3 PM
The Kosciuszko Foundation: 15 E 65th Street, New York, NY 10065
Calling all theater and music lovers!!!
Come and see the new production of the play by our own Chapter's member Ella Remmings! Katarzyna Salwinski who is the Music Director and Pianist is joined by Adelya Lindsay, violist and violinist and Michal Schmidt, cellist and pianist.
This is a story about the most intense creative schism in the history of classical music and how our favorite Romantic composers became entangled in it. Guided by the vibrant, highly entertaining 19th century music critic, Gerhard Denhoff (John Hawthorn), we get an intimate look at those composers—not only as brilliant musicians, but above all, as people—imperfect, unvarnished, and profoundly human. Through an innovative approach that marries music with theater, the audience is transported directly into the fervency of the times. The performance is richly illustrated with the most beautiful musical selections of the Romantic period. Musical time travel—only better!
A wine reception will follow the presentation.
Limited number of tickets still available.
https://www.thekf.org/kf/events/UE/war-of-the-romantics-a-story-in/
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The 14th Polish Culture Salon
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 On March 28, 2020, Maria Werner-Wasik and Mariusz Wasik will host an evening with David Dunning, Ph.D. Candidate in History of Science, Princeton University. The topic of Mr. Dunning presentation is:
"What Is Polish Logic? National Identity in a Universal Science"
Statue of Polish logicians above the University of Warsaw Library
Logic is the science of reason itself. Those who study it, seek to understand not the human minds that think but the theoretical laws that those minds supposedly follow, or ought to follow. In such an abstract and seemingly universal science, it might be surprising to find talk of a distinctly “Polish logic." But between the World Wars, not only did Warsaw emerge as the world’s most vibrant center for logic, but the research produced there came to be seen as representing a specifically Polish approach to the subject. This talk will explore the rise of the Warsaw School, its characteristic practices, and its global legacy in postwar computer science.
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PUL Lectures
 The last two lectures of the 2019-2020 season at the Polish People's University are:
March 8th, 2020, at 3 PM: Ryszard Druch, graphic artist and satirist will present "The Polish Caricature - Historical and Personal Aspects" the lecture will be in Polish.
On April 19th, 2020 at 3 PM there will be two presentations:
I. Natalia Dzietczyk, Drexel University student, will present on the "Activities and Initiatives of Polish Students's Clubs at Philadelphia Area Universities"
II. Anna Kwaśniewska & Christine Strzałka, owners of Secret of Flowers, will talk about "How to Use plants to Improve Physical and mental health and Live Longer and Happier"
Please join us!
Lectures are 3 PM at The Associated Polish Home,
9150 Academy Road Philadelphia, PA 19114.
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Polish Heritage Society of Philadelphia Annual Chopin Concert
Sunday March 22nd, 2020.
Meet the Pianist: Mr. Martin Labazevitch!
All are cordially invited to attend our Annual Chopin Concert on Sunday, March 22, 2020 at 2:30 PM. The concert will take place at the Settlement Music School in Germantown. The KF Philadelphia Chapter is proud to be one of the sponsors of the concert!
 Mr. Labazevitch was born in Poland and studied at the Odesa Conservatory in Ukraine, before immigrating to the United States and obtaining a scholarship to study at the Manhattan School of Music. Currently, he is pursuing his doctoral studies with Jose Ramos Santana in Washington DC. Mr. Labazevitch performed in many prestigious concert halls in Europe, the United States, and Japan. He is also a Founder and the Artistic Director of the Kosciuszko Foundation Chopin Piano Competition and Chopin Piano Academy in Washington D.C.
Settlement Music School in Germantown is located at 6128 Germantown Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19144. Ample free parking is available on school grounds.
Contact: Debbie Majka at dziecko2@comcast.net to purchase tickets
Please click on the following link for further details:
http://www.polishcultureacpc.org/orgs/Chopin_2020/Chopin_2020.v3.pdf
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13th Polish Culture Salon
On February 8, 2020, Hania and Mirosław Wewiora opened their beautiful home again to host Janusz Smulski - jazzman, pianist, composer, arranger, songwriter and performer, the key musician of the Trenton "Odlot" cabaret. Mr. Smulski presented:
"The Influence of an Unruly Jazz on my Slavic Imagination"
It was another memorable evening full of humor, delightful music and great food, spent in the company of the members and friends of the Philadelphia Chapter of Kosciuszko Foundation.
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Polish Wigilia at the Villanova University
 Celebrating Polish Wigilia at Villanova University becomes a tradition!
This year's Wigilia was very well attended by members of the Polish Students Club, their friends, the University faculty and members of the Kosciuszko Foundation Philadelphia Chapter including former President of our Chapter Marcia Geary-Wolnicki and Dr. Miron Wolnicki who is a Professor of Economics at Villanova. In attendance were also several members of the Polish Heritage Society of Philadelphia. It was a memorable event with lots of fun, great food and kolędy singing.
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EDWARD G. PINKOWSKI
1916-2020
 Born to Polish immigrant parents in Willimansett, MA, historian, author, journalist passed away on January 11, 2020 at his home in Cooper City, Florida.
On the occasion of his 95th birthday in 2011 and his 100th birthday in 2016, he was honored by official proclamations from Broward County, Florida and Cooper City, Florida in recognition "as a national authority and among the greatest Polish-American historians of our century."
Among his lifetime achievements, were the establishment of the Thaddeus Kosciuszko National Memorial under the auspices of the National Park Service in Philadelphia and the identification and recognition of the final resting place in Savannah, Georgia, of Casimir Pulaski, Polish American hero of the American Revolution and founder of the United States Cavalry.
When he was 14 years old, the family moved to the hard coal fields of Pennsylvania, where his father and grandfather previously worked in coal mines in the Mount Carmel area. There he started a writing career while still in high school. During World War II, he was a writer in the U.S. Navy and rose to the rank of Chief Specialist.
He was a member of the Philadelphia Historical Commission from 1969 to 1985, and earlier was president, for four years, of the Spring Garden Civic Association in Philadelphia. He was a founder of the Polish Heritage Society of Philadelphia, an affiliate of the American Council for Polish Culture (ACPC), and the person who created the name of that local organization. He served as a board member of the American Center of Polish Culture in Washington, DC.
He erected a monument at the gravesite and a roadside marker in Douglassville, Pennsylvania to Anthony Sadowski, a Polish American frontiersman, 300 years after his birth. In 1989, he earned the Mieczyslaw Haiman Medal from Polish American Historical Association AHA "for outstanding Contribution in the field of Polish American studies." In 2001, Edward Pinkowski was a recipient of the Cavalier's Cross of the Order of Merit (Krzyż Kawalerski Orderu Zasługi RP) awarded by President of Poland Aleksander Kwaśniewski. Among the awards in recognition for his work are the Ellis Island Medal of Honor (2004), the Kosciuszko Foundation Medal (2006), and the Pride of Polonia plaque (2009). He was presented with the Distinguished Service Award from the American Institute of Polish Culture received an international recognition for his work at the Museum of Kazimierz Pulaski in Warka, Poland. Edward Pinkowski is the author of several books and monographs.
To continue his lifelong commitment and dedication to the Preservation of Polish Heritage in America, Edward and his son, Jack Pinkowski, Ph.D., established the Poles in America Foundation, Inc., www.poles.org . It is a repository of his research and resource materials related to the Polish American experience and contributions to America.
Mr. Pinkowski and his wife Connie lived in Philadelphia for most of their lives, before moving to Florida in 1998. He is survived by two sons, James E. Pinkowski, of Fairfax Station Virginia, and Jack Pinkowski, of Plantation, Florida, and five grandchildren.
Edited from www.poles.org
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Call for Contributions & Contributors
A SPECIAL THANK YOU TO AGNIESZKA GERWEL!
Agnieszka, our outstanding Co-editor, will be leaving Quo Vadis and moving to other endeavors. I want to thank her very much for the three years of our fruitful collaboration, her creativity, her writing contributions and her meticulous editing!
Agnieszka is also the one who named our newsletter Quo Vadis. You will be missed!
Best of luck, Agnieszka!
Margaret
Our newsletter welcomes contributions, comments, and news from our members and friends, as well as from collaborating organizations. Please consider writing a short article for our newsletter on any subject related to Polish culture.
Send contributions to:
Margaret Zaleska: margaret.m.zaleska@gmail.com
Learn more about our recent and past events here.
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