Szczesny, Alexander
(Nov. 29, 1940 - July 26, 2008)Despite the fact that the clan has roots throughout Poland, the spelling of Szczesny has forced some of them in the United States of the same name to change it to Chest. The origin of the family name is the same as the Polish word for happy or prosperous. In 1990, Poland had 899 citizens who were Szczesny and 13,460 with a leg under the letter "e," compared to Chest which no Pole cared to adopt. It meant that Szczesny has a legacy; Chest has none. No matter who adopted Chest, whether it was a person from Italy, Greece, or Timbuctoo, it meant nothing. No records exist to indicate how many Szczesnys have changed their last name to Chest.
Alexander Szczesny, who grew up and graduated in 1958 from Brideport High School, across the Schuylkill River from Norristown, restored his legacy. His father, Larry A. Chest, as was born on November 1, 1919, did nothing to change his last name. He died July 15, 1997, at Schwenksville, in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, and the name his father, who came from Poland, passed on to him was posted in Social Security records.
Alex and Zeke Szczesny, as he was known to his friends, served the U.S. Air Force in the Strategic Air Command and later was a policeman in Norfolk, Virginia. He was the father of three daughters and two sons, and died of cancer in Parkersburg, West Virginia.
From: Edward Pinkowski (2009)