Joseph Wieczerzak (1931–2022)

As a young beginning graduate student, I first met Joe Wieczerzak about 1969 when I was just beginning my research for an M.A. thesis and later dissertation on General Włodzimierz Krzyżanowski. Not only was he interested in my work, but quickly offered to share with me his large collection of research materials, introduced me to Henry Archacki who had even more material of use to my project, and continually offered suggestions and other introductions as I waded through the labyrinth of pre-laptop research. I quickly found that Joe was the same way with everyone. He was friendly, helpful, and willing to share even his own research materials. I also found that his quiet exterior hid a very gentle and caring persona. As a later member of the Boards of Directors of the Polish American Historical Association (PAHA) and the Polish Institute of Arts and Sciences of America (PIASA), on which we both served, I again found him to be very active, giving freely of his time and expertise while interacting in a very gracious manner with those around him.A native of Newark, New Jersey, where he was born on January 1, 1931, he earned a B.A. degree in English from Brooklyn College in 1952, just in time to enter the army during the Korean War. There, he put his linguistic fluency to good use serving as a translator. Following his discharge, he continued his education, earning an M.A. (1958) and Ph.D. (1962) in European history from New York University where he earned entry into the prestigious Phi Beta Kappa honorary. His dissertation received the Kosciuszko Foundation Doctoral Dissertation Award which resulted in publication of his pioneering study A Polish Chapter in Civil War America: the Effects of the January Insurrection on American Opinion and Diplomacy (New York: Twayne, 1967) which he followed with an equally groundbreaking “Pre- and Proto-Ethnics: Poles in the United States Before the Immigration ‘After Bread’” [The Polish Review 21, no. 3 (1976)] dealing with the early development of Polish ethnicity in the United States.Having accepted a faculty position at Bronx Community College, City University of New York, in 1964, he continued teaching there for 25 years until 1989, followed by service as professor and dean at the Polish National Catholic Church's (PNCC) Savonarola Theological Seminary in Scranton, PA. In 2008, he was honored with a City of New York Commendation for his encouraging work with students and his scholarly achievements.Among his other scholarship, in addition to dozens of peer reviewed articles, he edited Bishop Francis Hodur: Biographical Essays (1998) and was a prime mover in the creation of the PNCC's Bishop Hodur Biography Commission and the Commission on History and Archives which collected and saved countless valuable historical documents, as well as sponsoring an annual academic conference and publication of the scholarly journal PNCC Studies which he edited.Joe was also active in the Kościuszko Foundation and the Piłsudski Institute for the Study of the Modern History Poland (director 1975), and he gave generously of his time and talents to PAHA where he served as president in 1970 and again in 1978. In 1980, he received its Miecislaus Haiman Award for his research contributions on the Polish experience in the United States and in 2006 his many years of important service to the organization were recognized with its Distinguished Service Award. Yet, his scholarship was not confined to the Polish diaspora, but also delved into the history of Poland. Beginning in 1993, at the special invitation of the Polish Academy of Sciences, he visited Poland for research or conference presentations several times. He also became an influential member of the PIASA where he served on its Board for many years. In 1991, he stepped into a void to assume the editorship of The Polish Review which he held for 17 years until 2007. In recognition of these, and his many other services, in 2012 the Review dedicated a special issue, Essays in Honor of Joseph Wieczerzak, to acknowledge his contributions.Joe's passing in Greenwich, CT, on September 10, 2022, at the age of 91, is a great loss to the study of American Polonia and to the greater Polish studies community. He was a friend, mentor, and collaborator to many in PIASA and other organizations, being always willing to share his advice and knowledge with others. To say that he will be missed is certainly an understatement

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