Presentation at 238th Memorial Observance of the untimely death of

General Kazimierz Pułaski, Polonia Foundation of Ohio, Inc.

 

The history of General Kazimierz Pułaski (1745-1779) is a history of Poles helping Americans to fight for independence. General Pułaski, known as the “Father of the American Cavalry”, was the son of a count. He met Benjamin Franklin in Paris and volunteered his services for the cause of the independence of the American colonies. During the Revolutionary War, he came to the aid of George Washington and rose to the rank of Brigadier-General, using skills he had gained from his experiences in battles in Europe. He was killed in the Battle of Savannah in 1779. “Pułaski’s Legion” was known as the Polish Legion, and he was recognized for his bravery and courage. This is why I find it very appropriate that we celebrate General Pułaski Memorial Day together with representatives from the Polish Legion of American Veterans. We celebrate this day with the Polonia Foundation that helps Americans of Polish descent in gaining knowledge by offering them financial support in their professional education.

            The three most important words for me from this introduction are Polonia, Veterans, and Education. Let me share with you how these three words became so important for me and why today I find it appropriate to talk about them.  I am an American, born and educated in Poland. I came to the United States in 1988 to work in the Case Western Reserve University in the laboratory of Dr. Anthony DiMarco on a model of the electrical stimulation of respiratory muscles. The ultimate goal of this research was to allow quadriplegic patients to breathe without artificial respirators. Case Western Reserve University has a long tradition of employing researchers and educators from Poland. While working at Case I met department directors, professors, administrators, and students who either came from Poland or are proud members of Polonia.

The contribution of Poles in the academic community in Cleveland is strong and helps develop professional ties with academia in Poland. This is an environment in which the Polonia Foundation can support young students of Polish descent in their education. Dr Edward Horowitz from Cleveland State University created the Polish Studies Initiative that invites Polish academics from Poland to teach students. Their lectures are also attended by members of Polonia. One of the professors invited by the Polish Studies Initiative, Lesław Tetla, was an invited speaker at last year Pułaski Memorial Observance. The Mandel School of Applied Social Sciences of Case Western Reserve University developed a study abroad program for American students to travel to Poland. Professor Kathleen Farkas, who helped in the creation of this program, is instrumental in developing international cooperation with Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań and with the University of Warsaw. Both Polish studies at Cleveland State University and the Case cooperation with Polish universities are often supported by the Kościuszko Foundation. This support was recently reinforced by the acceptance of Professor Kathleen Farkas to serve as the new Ohio Chapter President of Kościuszko Foundation.

The John Paul II Polish-American Cultural Center in Cleveland is open for lectures, meetings, and exhibitions related to Polish science and culture. There have already been two international conferences attended by Polish and American researchers and educators. One of the presenters was then the Kosciuszko Foundation representative in Poland, Dr. Piotr Wilczek. Today, he is the Ambassador of Poland to the United States. One of the walls in the Center is covered with signatures of its guests, with names such as Presidents Lech Wałęsa and Bronisław  Komorowski and artists such as composer Krzysztof Penderecki. The Center’s newsletter Forum informs Cleveland’s Polonia about all community efforts to celebrate Polish history and culture. Cleveland Opera, earlier known as Opera Circle, performs in many important halls and theaters throughout Cleveland, featuring the music of such famous Polish composers as Szymanowski and Moniuszko.

I mention these activities to show the environment that allows people to stay connected to Polish culture. Such an environment fosters cooperation and interest between different entities in America and Poland. The name Pułaski is well known in both these countries but it is up to Polonia to build these bridges through education and celebration of historical dates, to continue the kind of support Pułaski provided at such a crucial point in American history. We need to remember these historical moments in the context of contemporary life. This year’s meeting of the Polonia Foundation is in Tremont, one of the oldest Polish settlements in the Greater Cleveland area. This is where there is a home of Polish Legion of American Veterans Post # 30. This is a very appropriate context for today’s memorial. For me personally, this is also the first Polish community I met when I came to Cleveland.

The laboratory of Dr. DiMarco since 1988 hosted several Polish scientists or trainees, including Dr. Krystyna Budzińska, Sławomir Januszewski, and Paul Kotas. Dr. Krzysztof Kowalski came from Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań in 1992 and continued to work on the electrical stimulation of respiratory muscles to produce cough. One of the significant health problems of quadriplegic patients is a lack of cough that clears respiratory pathways from lung secretion. Dr. Kowalski and Dr. DiMarco were able to apply their method of functional electrical stimulation to activate respiratory muscles with Christopher Reeve, whose celebrity as Superman allowed many people to learn about this method. Today Dr. Kowalski works in the Veterans Administration (VA) hospital on an entirely new method of electrical stimulation of the spinal cord that allows for a more physiological response of the chest wall muscles. Since 2004 I have been able to meet and work with veterans at the Cleveland VA as a social worker and on January 2015 was able again to join Dr. Kowalski’s research group to work on his research project. The ultimate goal of his research is to help veterans with spinal cord injuries to breathe using their own respiratory muscles. Thus, in some small but perhaps significant way, Cleveland’s own Polish community continues to help the United States military, just as Pułaski did so early in our history.

This presentation just mentions briefly the contribution of Poles and Polonia to academic and community life in Cleveland. There are many more well known names worth mentioning, of peoples working in various fields, such as Dr. Maria Siemionow, Dr. Mary Erdmans, and Dr. John Grabowski, but here I just wanted to offer some perspective showing how such words as Polonia, Veterans, and education might be interconnected, here in our own community. My wish is to build more such connections. I know young American veterans of Polish descent who can be helped with their education as they can help Polonia to learn about their contribution to our sense of security in present day America. I am happy to introduce to you one of them, Slawomir Twarowski, who is here today with his wife, Agnieszka. I have seen him many times in the Polish-American Cultural Center where he offered his time as a volunteer to young Polonia.

We build our pride on the achievements of such people as General Pułaski. The memory of the “Father of the American Cavalry” relates to our efforts as professionals, academics, business leaders, and volunteers to improve the communities in which we live today. We need to have our eyes and ears open to his legacy.

J. Richard Romaniuk