Thaddeus Casimer Radzilowski
History educator, consultant
Born Feb. 4,1938, Detroit (MI), U.S.; son of Hieronim and Genowefa (Ochalek); married Kathleen (Pliska); children: John, Paul, Stefan.
Education: Bachelor of Arts (B.A.), Wayne State University, Detroit, 1959; Master of Arts (M.A.), 1960, 1971, Ph.D., 1979, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor.
Career: lecturer, Madonna College, Livonia (MI), 1960-61, 1967-69, University of Michigan, 1965; assistant prof., Heidelberg College, Tiffin (OH), 1965-67; prof., director, Center for Rural Studies, chairman, Department of History, 1970 -, Southwest State University, Marshall (MN); special assistant to chairman, National Endowment for Humanities (NEH), Washington (DC), 1980-82; director, Immigration History Research Center, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, 1985-87; advisor, U.S. Bureau of Census, Washington, 1986 -; associate vice president for academic affairs, 1993-95, president, St. Mary's College, Orchard Lake (MI), 1995 -.
Author: State and Revolution in Russian and Soviet Historiography, 1978; The Meaning of Russian History, 1994; academic advisor, film editor, Out of Solidarity: The Polish Families in America, 1987; over 30 professional articles; 3 radio scripts.
Member of: past president, Midwest Ethnic Studies Association; Immigration History Society; boards member, Democratic Farmer Labor Party of Minnesota, 1986-90, and Wienes Memorial Medical Center, Marshall, 1988-90; judge, Minnesota State Arts Board - Film Panel, St. Paul, 1989-90; past president, director, Polish American Historical Association (P.A.H.A.); board directors member, Polish Museum of America; editorial board member, The Polish Review; Polish Institute of Arts and Sciences of America (P.I.A.S.A.).
Honors: Phi Alpha Theta; Phi Kappa Phi; Pi Gamma Mu; member, Ford Foundation, Panel on Ethnicity in American Life, 1973; fellowship, Rockefeller Foundation, 1974; fellow, National Center for Urban Ethnic Affairs, 1980; Haiman Medal, Polish American Historical Associat (P.A.H.A.), 1985.
Served with: U.S. Army, Intelligence Service, Vietnam / Okinawa, 1961-63.
Affiliation: Democrat. Roman Catholic.
Languages: English, Polish, Russian, French.
Hobbies: reading, hiking.
Home: 406 South Hill, Marshall, MN 56258.
From: "Who's Who in Polish America" 1st Edition 1996-1997, Boleslaw Wierzbianski editor; Bicentennial Publishing Corporation,
New York, NY, 1996.
Dr. Thaddeus Radzilowski
Dr. Thaddeus Radzilowski is the President and co-founder of the Piast Institute. He is President Emeritus of Saint Mary's College of Ave Maria University in Orchard Lake, Michigan. He is a historian who holds a Ph.D. in History from the University of Michigan. During his career he has taught at Madonna University, Heidelberg College and Southwest Minnesota State University in Minnesota. He was named Professor Emeritus of History at Southwest Minnesota State University in 1997. Dr. Radzilowski is presently a Visiting Research Professor at the University of Michigan-Dearborn.
Dr. Radzilowski has written extensively on the history of Russia and East Central Europe and migration from East Central Europe with special emphasis on social history and historiography. He has published more than 100 monographs, edited collections Journal articles, book chapters and scholarly papers. His work on Eastern Europe has included articles on the ethnic and national groups in the region including a four-part series on the Jewish experience in the Polish Lithuanian Commonwealth and modem Poland. He has written, produced and consulted on a number of radio and television productions and films including two award winning PBS films:
Out of Solidarity: Three Polish Families in America (1986) and Dealers among Dealers (1995).
He also served as Historical Advisor to the A&E Reports program on the A&E Cable network. Dr. Radzilowski is a member of the editorial Board of the Polish Review and has been a consultant for the Department of Education in the State of New Jersey and a number of municipalities and school districts in Minnesota on ethnicity and pluralism. He has also served as an advisor and consultant to the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights and the U.S. Bureau of the Census.
He has been appointed to a number of commissions and boards including the Ford Foundation's Commission on Ethnicity in American Life. He is the recipient of the Cavalier's Cross of the Polish Order of Merit awarded by the President of Poland (1999) for distinguished contributions to the dissemination of Polish culture in the world. Dr. Radzilowski has been the recipient of numerous awards including Distinguished Faculty Award at Southwest State University and the Haiman Award for distinguished contributions to the writing of Polish American history. He has been active in Polish-Jewish relations in the United States.
Dr. Radzilowski is a member of many major Polish organizations including the Kosciuszko Foundation, The Polish National Alliance, The Polish Roman Catholic Union of America and The Polish American Congress. He currently serves as a director of the Michigan Division of the PAC.
From: Resume (2008)
Dr. Thaddeus C. RadzilowskiSpearheaded the founding of the Piast Institute: A National Institute for Polish and Polish American Affairs
by Loretta Lyk, Warren, MI
Dr. Radzilowski spearheaded the founding of the Piast Institute: A National Institute for Polish and Polish American Affairs designed to be "a resource center that could provide high quality, thoughtful policy, and historical studies that would help Polonia define a new role in the twenty first century".
To accomplish the mission some programs were established. Among them are the following:
Presentations: Dr. Radzilowski over the last year personally made over 35 presentations throughout the country on Poland in World War II, current economic conditions, values in Polish tradition and the demography of Polonia today.
Publications: Dr. Radzilowski encouraged the printing of a number of op-ed pieces in the press and the distribution of scholarly books and journals to interested parties.
Research and Information: One of the major aspects of the mission was to provide resources and information on Polish topics rendering assistance when called upon. Just recently the Consul General of Poland in Los Angeles asked Piast to prepare a new curriculum on the Polish experience in World War II for use in the California schools' program on war and genocide.
Revitalizing Community: The second aim of their mission was to find ways to meet the needs identified and to help Polonia and its organizations to be more effective.
This account of Dr. Radzilowski's interaction and connections made with organizations and universities throughout the country activated under his guidance and leadership is but a fraction of Piast's involvement over the past two years. In this regard. Dr. Radzilowski fully acknowledges the excellent assistance of his Executive Director, Virginia Skrzyniarz.
From: Polish Cultural Club of Greater Hartford, 2006