Collections : [Central Connecticut State University]

The collection consists of correspondence between Roman Galinski, who lived in the US since 1922, and other prominent political figures in Poland, who were sympathizers of Narodowa Demokracja, the Polish political party of nationalistic character. Mr. Galinski was himself very active in various political organizations and wrote extensively on the issue of Polish politics and nationalism, sometimes under a pseudonym Miroslaw Kosinski. He was a great opponent of Jozef Pilsudski and his political party, and on the other hand vas devoted to Roman Dmowski and his political views of Narodowa Demokracja. Collection includes photographs of local Polish American prominent figures. The collection contains a dozen or so anti-semitic publications from pre-war Poland.

Attorney Ryszard Mrotek was born in Lwow, which is in today's Ukraine. He spent the WWII in Warsaw, was arrested during the Warsaw Uprising and send to labor camp in Germany. After liberation he attended high school in Germany, worked as interpreter for the United Nations and moved to the US. He became immigration lawyer and settled in Connecticut. He was very active in local political organizations and served as president of the Polish American Congress, Division of Connecticut. He was also active in other organizations and regularly participated in a theatrical productions of a group called Wiatraki Wyobrazni. This collections consist of records of Polish American Congress as well as some personal records.

Material in this collection relates to Sacred Heart church, the oldest Polish American parish in New Britain Connecticut, established in 1894. It was an ethnic parish lead by the very powerful Monsignor Lucyan Bojnowski who was was a very influential figure not only for parishioners' lives but the entire town. Paul Wysocki, served as pastor of the parish during the years 1977-2003. These years were very important to the ethnic parish. In the 1980's a new wave of political immigrants came to the city from Poland (a result of Solidarity immigration) and wanted to participate and to receive services they were used to in Poland. However, some actions created frictions between the old and the new Polonia. There were questions of church financial contributions, ownership of the church, and who should make or advice pastors on changes within the parish. This collection concentrates on the post Solidarity immigrants and controversies within the church from the 1980's till mid 1990's.

The Solidarity Information Office in Canada was opened in Toronto in 1981, and served as a satellite office of the Solidarity Coordinating Office Abroad in Brussels. Zygmunt Przetakiewicz was the director of the office from 1981 until 1983, and in 1983 Wojciech Gilewski was a director of the office until 1990, when it discontinued operation. The collection consists of extensive correspondence, reports, official publications, press releases and clippings. It covers the years from 1981 until 1990.

Solidarity International of Connecticut (SI of CT) was a non-profit organization established in 1982 after Martial Law was imposed in Poland on December 13, 1981. SI of CT is a part of Solidarity International, a nationwide organization dedicated to the struggle for human rights and the perpetuation of the ideals of the Solidarity movement in Poland during the 1980's and 1990's.

This collection consists of materials collected by Prof. Stanislaus A. Blejwas relating to the Polish American Congress Connecticut District (PAC CT) from 1981 to 1991. Stanislaus A. Blejwas was a professor of history and the director of the Polish Studies Program at Central Connecticut State University in New Britain, CT. Additionally to his professional activities he was very active in political and cultural Polish American organizations on local and national level, for which he received numerous awards and recognitions. Prof. Blejwas held several positions within the Polish American Congress, Connecticut District (PAC CT) and was a president of the organization from 1983 till 1986.

Stanislaw Edward Bask Mostwin was an achieved war hero and political activist in his lifetime. He was awarded several military decorations during WWII and after immigrating to the United States became actively involved in Polish and Polish American causes. He belonged to groups such as the Polish National Democratic Committee, Polish Heritage Society in Maryland, Polish American Congress, and North American Study Center for Polish Affairs (STUDIUM). The collection includes papers from these groups, especially STUDIUM, and other essays and writings on the state of Poland at the time and its history.

The collection consists of personal papers of Stefan Wawrowski, a prisoner of Dachau concentration camp, who immigrated to the United States in 1950. Mr. Wawrowski settled in Hartford, Connecticut and was active in many Polish American political and cultural organizations. The collection is enriched by many photographs from the Dachau concentration camp after libration in 1945 and from Displaced Person camp where Mr. Wawrowski stayed and worked in the camp administration until he received a refugee status and was allowed to immigrate to the United States. Also family photographs from Poland and photos from various local events are included.

Thaddeus W. Maliszewski a lawyer, military officer, civic leader, was born in Hartford in 1922 and died in 2009. Graduate of Hillyer Junior College (Hartford), Wesleyan University (Middletown, Conn.) and University of Connecticut Law School. During WWII he served in the Pacific, was a member of the National Guard and Governor's Military Staff, finished his military career in the rank of Brigadier General. He served as a judge for several courts, was very active in the Democratic Party. For many years served in different positions in the Polish American Congress on state and national level. In addition, Maliszewski was active in veterans' organizations, Polish American cultural organizations as well as in political organizations. The collection consists of his personal and professional papers along with information about Poland and Polish American culture.