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ACPC 59TH ANNUAL CONVENTION DEARBORN, MICHIGAN By Jo Louise Winters The American Council for Polish Culture (ACPC) held its 59th Annual Convention in Dearborn, on July 10-14, 2007, hosted by the Friends of Polish Art, Carolyn Meleski, President. Co-Chairs for the Convention were Mary Ellen Tyszka and Carol Surma. On this occasion, the Friends of Polish Art, an ACPC Affiliate organization, celebrated its 70th Anniversary, selecting as the Convention's theme, "Church Bells and Factory Whistles: The Polish Presence in America 1608-2007."
A welcoming address by Karen Majewski, PhD (left), Mayor of the City of Hamtramck, inspired the delegates to continue strengthening our legacies by encouraging Polish American artists, singers and authors, to promote Polish studies at universities and continue to promulgate Polish and Polish American history, culture and heritage. That afternoon, guests enjoyed William Gorski's slide presentation on beautiful stained glass church windows with a good number of them located in the Detroit area. Wednesday evening, delegates savored a many course dinner by candlelight at the Eagle Tavern. A number of diverse and fascinating programs headed by knowledgeable and expert speakers, scholars and authorities in the fields of art, education and culture filled the Convention calendar, aside from the heavy business schedule. Among the delegate's most revered memories of the Convention will surely be their visit to Orchard Lake Schools on a sunny Thursday afternoon. It was like stepping into a part of "heaven on earth" itself! The numerous fine buildings spread neatly across the 110-acre campus on the shores of sparkling Orchard Lake are interspersed with colorful gardens and meticulously maintained lawns. The buildings house classrooms, dormitories, administrative offices, art gallery, theater, and a uniquely designed chapel, to mention just a few. Rev. Timothy F. Whalen, Chancellor of the Orchard Lake Schools, pointed out that many of the seminarians studying here are bi-lingual, having been recruited from Poland. They will be filling vacancies in many parishes and listeners seemed convinced that seminarians assigned as priests in Polish American Catholic Churches will influence ethnic cultural customs to be not only preserved, but also enhanced. The Council expresses its thanks to an outstanding leader like Rev. Whalen for being an inspired "Light" in guiding and educating future priests, as well as other Orchard Lake students. On the campus, the delegates were treated to a lecture by Dr. Patty Price who spoke on "Amber - the Golden Gem of the Ages", which is the title of her most recent book. Tables in the lecture room were filled with unique and priceless examples of her collection of amber jewelry. She has traveled to Poland, Russia and New Zealand where she observed first hand the amber industrial and mining techniques. Dr. Price's latest book contains a wealth of information about amber for historians, artists, and amber jewelry collectors.
Next on the Orchard Lake agenda was a theatrical performance (photo at right) introduced by Resident Artist Marian Owczarski. The performance consisted of a panorama of realistic sculpted personages from Poland's history, dressed in costumes depicting the historical era of their times, moving slowly across the stage as a narrator's voice described the relevance of each figure to Poland's history. The realistic figures and authentic costumes displayed expert attention to minute details in workmanship. This panoramic exhibit is worth seeing time and again in order to better capture the significance of the roles and contributions of the parading figures in the rise and continuing growth of the nation of Poland and its peoples. After a delightful dinner at the Seminarian Dining Room, the delegates and
guests strolled over to the Shrine Chapel where ACPC Music Chair Jaroslaw
Golembiowski had arranged for the Marcella Kochanska Sembrich Vocalist
winner, Mezzo Soprano Justyna Di Biaggio to appear in concert. Among Ms.
Di Biaggio's solos that evening was a spirited "Seguidilla" from Carmen,
which she sang with impressive virtuosity and poise. Then in the tranquil
"Zlota Rybka" by Moniuszko, her voice was rich and smooth, and she had no
trouble drawing in the rapt audience. During an interval, Ms. Di Biaggio's
accompanist for this concert, Mr. Golembiowski, performed a piano solo -
Mazurka Op. 101, which he composed - playing with wonderful spring and
suppleness of rhythm. He was richly applauded for his captivating and
sparkling piano performances.
Ms. Di Biaggio represented the U.S. this year in the International Moniuszko Vocal Competition in Poland where she was a semi-finalist. At the conclusion of her concert, the audience responded with thunderous applause as she was presented with the ACPC's Sembrich award of $1,500. The ACPC delegates thank Rev. Whalen for his warm and cordial hospitality, which recalls the ageless adage of our grandparents, "Gosc w dom, Bog w dom". Friday's program featured a panel discussion "Polonia Industry & Commerce" with Dr. Thaddeus Radzilowski and Mr. Marian Krzyzowski and chaired by Hon. Robert Ogrodnik, Honorary Consul, Republic of Poland, St. Louis MO. Dr. Radzilowski is President and co-founder of the Piast Institute. He holds a PhD in History from the University of Michigan and was named Professor Emeritus of History at Southwest Minnessota State Univiversity Dr. Radzilowski is presently a Visiting Research Professor at the University of Michigan -Dearborn. Mr. Marian Krzyzowski is Director of Business & Industrial Assistance Division at University of Michigan. He has degrees in economics from that University and Wayne State University. In the discussion, Dr. Radzilowski concentrated on the contributions made in industry and commerce by Polonians while Mr. Krzyzowski's observations centered on the industrial/commercial history of Detroit neighborhoods. A very important item on the Convention agenda was the election. This
vital piece of business was facilitated by the fact that the entire slate
of nominated officers, directors and committee chairs was voted into
office by a vote of acclamation on the last day of the convention: Deborah Majka has served as president of the ACPC for a total of ten years. Members are proud of Mrs. Majka's achievements during her presidency, encouraging many outstanding projects, such as the Youth Leadership Conferences, ACPC's lead role in organizing and managing a Polonia booth at the Annual Conference for Social Studies, the vibrant growth of scholarship programs, a prominent ACPC role in the Reinterment of Gen. Pulaski at Savannah, GA, and co-chairing an annual convention in Krakow, Poland, among many other accomplishments. The ACPC membership is very grateful to Mrs. Majka for her unselfish dedication of time in overseeing every facet of the Council's operations and unfailing in responding quickly to every request for advice and direction. ACPC's new president, Mr. Thaddeus Mirecki, was educated as a chemical engineer, financial analyst and computer scientist. He has authored almost 100 technical articles and seminars in the U.S., Canada, Warsaw and Moscow. Active in Polonian organizations since his teenage years, he worked in the Polish Scouting Assoc., Polish Saturday schools, Polish parishes, Polish American Congress (Natl. Dir. and nine-term president of the Washington Metro Area Division), Polish Assoc. of Knights of Malta, and ACPC where he has been serving as Parliamentarian, Co-Webmaster, co-chaired Youth Leadership Conference and translated/co-edited The Fate of the Lubomirski Durers -Recovering the Treasurers of the Ossolinski National Institute. He has been awarded the Cavelier's Cross of Merit of the Republic of Poland. ACPC members warmly welcome Mr. Mirecki as the new President, noting his efficient "...let's get this project done" attitude will motivate board members to fulfill their responsibilities and assignments as quickly as possible! Camille Kopielski, Chair of the ACPC Scholarship for Summer Studies in Poland announced that the 2007 winner Beata Hrynkiewicz is presently studying at the Jagiellonian University. The ACPC delegates voted to increase this scholarship from $1,500 to $2,000 effective in 2008. Peter Obst succeeded in receiving permission from the Pennsylvania authorities to affix a marker at the Benjamin Franklin Bridge in Philadelphia crediting the designer and chief engineer Polish American Ralph Modjewski for the longest suspension bridge ever built at that time. Mr. Obst requests that all ACPC Affiliates contact bridge building companies and engineers in their areas as well as appeal to anyone who frequently crosses one of Modjeski's bridges to buy an ad in a memorial Modjeski program book. Committee Co-Chair Henrietta Nowakowski reported that the Annual National Conference for Social Studies in Nov. 2007 is scheduled to occur in San Diego, CA. This annual conference is the largest of its kind where thousands of social studies professionals and school administrators from the entire U.S. are expected to attend. The ACPC goal is to provide these teachers with materials relating to Polish/Polish American history and culture, thereby reaching and encouraging young students to discover and examine factual historical data available to them. Many prominent PolAm organizations make generous financial donations toward the costs of a Polish booth at the Conference and also donate books and audio/visual materials for distribution to the visitors. Thanks to the input of our Co-Chairs, there is available now a lesson plan, which includes the Polish contributions in the settling of Jamestown, developed by the University of Virginia's Center for Politics. It is available on this web site, here. ACPC representatives Debbie Majka, Paul Bosse and Peter Obst played a significant role serving on the Savannah/Pulaski Committee in the highly successful effort to ceremonially reinter Gen. Pulaski's remains in Savannah, GA. At the Dearborn Convention, the ACPC pledged $3,000 for a granite memorial marker to be placed on the battlefield where Pulaski was mortally wounded in 1779. The Coastal Heritage Society of Georgia will construct a new center at the site dedicated to preserving the cultural and natural heritage of the coastal area and will provide a sense of awareness and pride for the ethnic groups who had participated in the fight for freedom during the Revolutionary War. Dr. Maria Chrypinski-White, Janet Beane and Chairperson Irena Mirecki are preparing plans for Polish American students, 18 and older, to attend the ACPC's Youth Leadership Conference (YLC) in Washington DC to be held in the summer of 2008. The conference agenda will include meetings with notable leaders in government, public and private institutions. In previous YLC programs, students were able to visit the White House, Library of Congress, the Capitol, Pentagon and the Embassy of the Republic of Poland. They met with such eminent personages as Sen. Barbara Mikulski, Mark Brzezinski, Esq., Rep. Marcy Kaptur, and others. Sculptor Gordon Kray guided a bus tour of DC's Polish art. Details of the 2008 YLC program will be posted to the ACPC website. The 59th Annual ACPC Convention culminated with an Awards Banquet & Ball in the elegant Grand Ballroom of the Hyatt Regency Hotel. As the formally attired guests were being seated, they were treated to the delightful strains of the Walter Lipiec Orchestra playing old Polish tunes and the popular music of the 40's - 60's, toe-tapping songs like "It had to be you..." Carolyn Meleski, FPA President, welcomed the guests and Carol Surma took over as MC. Rev. Msgr. Stanley Milewski gave the Invocation. The very pleasant evening was highlighted by the annual presentation of awards to individuals honored for their outstanding services in the Polish American community. The awards ceremony will be covered in a separate story. The newly elected officers, directors and committee chairs were formally sworn into office by Judge Benjamin Stanczyk. And finally, the elegantly attired ladies were swept onto the ballroom floor by gentlemen eager to dance the evening away.
FPA Pres. Carolyn Meleski and Co-Chairs Carol Surma and Mary Ellen Tyszka and their committees did a superb job in planning and executing the convention that resulted in a highly successful week full of fruitful accomplishments and joyful experiences. Delegates and guests will keep in their hearts and minds the 59th Annual Convention as one they will treasure as a joyous and memorable experience to be pleasantly recalled and discussed oftentimes. The ACPC invites all Polish Americans to join its dynamic national organization or one of its Affiliates. We will welcome you! Individual ACPC membership is only $10 per year. For further information, please contact Mrs. Anna-Mae Maglaty, at 860-521-7621 or annamae11@comcast.net |
