St Marys High School - Salute Yearbook (New Baltimore, MI)

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14me1-icanA The number of ways in which Polish-American civilians have contributed to the war effort is as numerous and varied as the battle- fields on which Polish-American soldiers have fought. Take war bond purchases as a start. In the Fourth War Loan Drive in Chicago, the Polish Amer- icans led all other purchasers with over S14 million. They were first also in the Fifth Drive with more than S20 million. Up to September, 1944, the Polish National Alliance had S14 million in bonds: the Pol- ish Roman Catholic Union's pur- chases amounted nearly to S9 mil- lion. Perhaps the outstanding indivi- dual effort in this connection was that of Mrs. Francis P. Tarnapo- wicz of Pittsburgh, chairman of the 4th Area Nationality Group Divi- sion, who was responsible for the sale of nearly 270 million dollars in bonds among 101 national groups in Pennsylvania. The parish was the outlet for the many local activities-service- men's clubs, package sending com- mittees, letter-writing groups, and bulletin distributors. Women of the parish formed knitting circles that supplied servicemen with woolens: they prepared and rolled bandages. and served as Red Cross aids. Young Ladies' Sodalities sponsored par- ties for servicemen or took part in special devotions and prayers for the men and women at the front. Not all Polish-American mothers could boast like Mrs. Rose Radzi- minska, California's Number one War Mother , or like Chicago's Mrs. n the Home ?l'0hf um' , nb '. ' J- .:-:E .2 I- I -I - 1 .g ,,.. I I ..,.,,..:. .Z A ,., . c Mother of Five Servicemen Praying for his return Knitting Circle Frances Dyke. of having eleven sons in service. But instances like the following in Reading, Pa., were ccm- mon throughout the Polonia: Mrs. B. Debkowska, six sons in serviceg Mrs. B. Morawska, five: Mrs. Dykta, Gardecka, Kupiszewska, Lapinska, Naboina, and Waszkiewicz. four each. Mrs. M. Kujawa of St. Cloud. Minn., pictured at left is the mother of five servicemen. Even school children and high school youngsters helped by collect- ing scrap and paper. They bought war stamps and bonds themselves. and at the same time promoted their sale in the neighborhood. They enthusiastically took first-aid courses to be ready for any emer- gency, and they cheerfully worked in the family Victory gardens. Typi- cal of their youthful zeal was the slogan of the pupils of Swget st Heart of Mary School in Detroit: Hearts works for TANKS not for THANKS! In addition, besides generously supporting the Red Cross, the Cath- olic Bishops' Relief, the USO and the CSO, Polish Americans organ- ized their own special committees to alleviate the sufferings of Polish refugees and war victims. Most pro- minent of these were: Amzrican Relief for Poland. The Catholic League, and The Polish-American Congress Relief. In appreciation of these activi- ties, the late Pres. F. D. Roosevelt wrote in May, 1944: All of us are proud of . . . the unsparing effort of this group of Americans in our war effort . . . Zzwvzzzrzftyz 11111111114 4 fb . . First Aid Course Q T Victory Garden

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It. B. Godlewski Pvlialc n the Kettle ?rvnt Americans of Polish origin have splendidly upheld the tradition of hoth the Polish and American peo- ple. Their record on the field of battle is a brilliant chapter of American history , wrote Thomas E. Dewey, Governor of New York in l945. This record goes back beyond De- cember 7, 1941, to an earlier day of infamy , September l, 1939, when Hitler's legions blitzkrieged their way into Poland. Among the Polish Americans who flocked to the col- ors the best known is Lieutena it Hronislav Godlewski of Chicagn. Only 17, he was rejected by the American army, but managed to join the Polish Air Force. Today. armless, Godlewski is one of the few men wearing three national decorations for bravery - Polish. British and American. Miecislaus Haiman. leading Pol- ish-American historian, estimates that about one millon Americans of Polish descent served in the Amer- ican armed forces. Five attained the rank of general: Joseph E, Ba- rzynski, West Point graduate and Dean of Polish-American service- men: John Rataj, John Wisniewski. Matyka and Krygier. The Marine Corps was liberally sprinkled with Andrzejewskis, Karasiewiczs and Modzelewskis. The Army and Navy had their share of skis and wiczs. And so did the WACS. SPARS and WAVES. In every theatre of War crosses mark the graves of Polish-American boys. In Pearl Harbor lies Pfc. Rob- ert Niedzwiecki of Grand Rapids. one ot' the war's first fatalities. On Brig. Gen. J. Barzynski Lt. Col. F. Gabreski The Sadowskis Guadalcanal rests Marine Corp. Stanley Narkon of Long Island. In a. German cemetery next to Gen. George S. Patton lies Detroit-born Pfc. John Przywara. In the mid- Pacific sleeps Sgt. Alexander T. Kaezmarczyk of Torrington, Conn.. who 'died on the twelfth night of Capt. Rickenbacker's famous adven- ture. Ever aggressive, Polish Americans led in the attack. The first Amer- ican soldier to step on Sicily was Sgt. Joseph Parylak: the first to land at Anzio was Pvt. Walter P. Krzysztofiak ot' Summit, ll'.: the first American chaplain to set foot on French and German soil vias Capt. Venantius Szymanski of De- troit. The first American woman to land on Munda and New Georga was Army Nurse Second Lt. Dorothy P. Shikoski from Green Lake, Wis.. Lt. George Klimowicz of Stevens Point, Wis.. was one of three Amer- ican officers who first entered Ger- man territory in August, 1944. Outstanding deeds of valor and sacrifice also speak eloquently for Polish Americans. Lt. Col. Francis S. Gabreski of Oil City, Pa., shot down 31 German planes to become one of America's flying aces. It was a Polish American, Sgt. Alexander A. Drabik of Holland. Ohio, who seized the Remagen bridge in a surprise move and opened wide the way for the conquering Americans into Germany. Sgt. Joseph Sadow- ski of Perth Amboy, N. J., gave his life for his buddies and won the Nation's highest award, the Con- gressional Medal of Honor, which was awarded posthumously to his parents. AQPFIIHPIIM E4'11:1'111't'L Sgt. A. Kaczmarezyk

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The lion's share of Polish-American prose is in Polish. and much of the English portion lwhich is our exclusive concern hereb belongs to non-literary writing. But in any event, whatever its character, this prose has an importance over and beyond its rhetorical quality: as the product of American born or bred writers of Polish origin. it possesses an his- torical and sociological value for students of cultural interaction. Illinois-born Frederick Schwatka 11842-921 is per- haps the first American author of Polish parentage to write in English. His descriptive volumes. parti- cularly NIMROD OF THE NORTH and ALONG ALASKA'S GREAT RIVER, enjoyed wide popularity. Marya de Mankowski, Houston-born, seems to be the first Polonian translator. Her translations of J. Jasienczyk's TEN YEARS IN COSSACK SLAVERY and B. Prus' PHARAOH were avidly read in the early 1900's. Another early translator was Max A. Drezmal, who Englished Sienkiewicz's WHIRLPOOL and IN DESERT AND WILDERNESS before World War I. The real beginnings of Polish-American literary activity date from the late Twenties. American-reared Leocadia Popowska won the 1927 Harper Intercol- legiate Literary Prize with her short-story novel, THE LIVING SAND. In 1937 Minnesota-born Monica Krawczyk wrote a prize-winning novel NO MAN ALONE, following it up with QUILTS and a stream of short stories and articles. In 1941, American-trained Joan Konopka published DUST OF OUR BROTHERS' BLOOD. Most popular among the male writers of fiction is Joseph Marshall tlirechniakj, regular contributor to several national magazines. In 1943, Richard Hu- zarski published BRUSHLAND BILL, a novel of the Wisconsin northwoods. Most recently critical ae- claim has greeted Walter Karig's realistic novel LOWER THAN ANGEL and Joseph Wedda's JASNA POLANA. Within the last decade article writing has also found increasing numbers of devotees. Popular maga- zine articles have been coming from the pens of A. Bielaski, Bernard Adamkiewicz, Demaree Bess 4Be- rezniakb. H. Rosinski 1Miles3, James Dombrowski, Edward Falkowski, Arthur Bromirski, Stanley Vish- newski, Thaddeus Slesinski, Al Antczak, Francis Go- stomski, William Holubowicz, John Tedlowski and others. Contributions in a more serious vein have come from Paul Studenski, Frank J. Drobka, Frank T. Nowak, Alphonse Wolanin and Sigmund Uminski. Perhaps the largest contribution made by a single social group of Americans of Polish descent to Polish- American prose is that of the clergy, from whom have come numerous theological, philosophical, his- torical, scientific, devotional, and literary works - books and articles. An incomplete list of these American-born or trained priest-writers of Polish P01145 Pro e WHIRLPOOLS Ikouldvodfrupdmd n HENBYK SIESKIEWICZ Nm uf -'rms nm U.. N... -'nl ulm.: A sw. umm' -cms... .., m mt' . nl...-M no tn nxsurrf. nm: Aux L vnu! I N N 4 ' . nos r 0 s Lirrw.. awww, no w-inn mm 1 1 TURNING To sou i'Bllf0fIl'1FBf'f ffS X Mmm ,mm on centerline ' 8 tmjpmm I mm mfwxurn, snowman . N KW' 2 1 is ' ' 'Bff,'iT.15 A . Q Trstwxrfx Mar r-nm - rtxon,-. V ' il.-wmv www: ws-uf. ms W - origin includes such names as: John Zybura, John Rolbiecki, Edward Betowski, Edward Dworaczyk, Aloysius Biskupek, Stanislaus Woywood Qwojewodai. Cyril Piontek, Leo Pyzalski, Felix Seroczynski, John Pawelski, Anthony J. Zielinski. John Mix, Stanislaus Grabowski, Chester Ropella, Joseph Swastek, Joseph Przudzik, Antonine Bochenski, Samuel Bonikowski, Maurice Grajewski, Jerome Pokorny, Stanley Matu- szewski, A. Zychlinski, Stanley Borucki and others. One of the most encouraging recent developments in Polish-American writing circles has been an in- creasing awareness of the literary possibilities in- herent within the Polonian community itself. Soon perhaps short stories, novels and articles will start appearing, making known to all America the drama- tic riches that today lie largely untouched and un- exploited. CZLAUPII Yfmfizza