![[Szymanski Picture]](Photo_01usm.JPG)
George Szymanski (center) as teacher in the Camden, NJ School district, 1956.
George Remigius Szymanski, Sr.
(1923 - 2007)
Teacher; Merchant Marine Officer; Musician
Amateur Radio Operator; Family Man; Polish-American Activist
by George Szymanski Jr.
George Remigius Szymanski, Sr., was born in Jersey City, New Jersey, on February 23, 1923. He was the eldest of three sons born to Polish immigrant parents. He passed away suddenly at age 83 on the evening of February 5, 2007, at his home in Philadelphia, where he lived for the past 55 years.
Mr. Szymanski's father, Stanislaw Szymanski, was bom in that part of Poland which was occupied by Russia in the early years of the 20th Century. He fled to the United States of America, in order to avoid conscription into the Russian Czar's army during World War I. He came from the small town of Rypin in Poland, and settled in Jersey City, New Jersey.
When the United States entered World War I, he joined the United States Army and fought for his new country in World War I. At the end of World War I, Mr. Szymanski's father came back to Jersey City and eventually married Victoria Brzezinska, who was also from Rypin, Poland. Even though Rypin only had about 4,000 inhabitants, Mr. Szymanski's grandfather had never met his future wife in Poland, but rather, they met for the first time in Jersey City, New Jersey. Stanislaw and Victoria Szymanski's oldest son was bom on the day after George Washington's birthday in 1923. As this child was the first person of both their families to be bom in the United States of America, and as he was bom so close to George Washington's birthday, Stanislaw and Victoria Szymanski named their first child, George Remigius Szymanski, after the first President of the United States of America.
George R. Szymanski, Sr. grew up in the downtown waterfront district of Jersey City, New Jersey. This was at a time when Jersey City was the new home to many new immigrants to the United States, who came to this country from a variety of foreign nations. The downtown waterfront district of Jersey City was the section where the newest arrivals to this city settled, mainly Poles and Italians. Today it has become a chic area inhabited by young professionals who commute into Manhattan. George R. Szymanski, Sr. attended Our Lady of Czestochowa Roman Catholic Elementary School in Jersey City. He was an altar boy for the church for many years. He also was a "shabbat goy" for the neighborhood Jewish synagogue, which employed trustworthy non-Jewish boys to turn out the lights in the synagogue on Friday nights at the start of the Sabbath.
Mr. Szymanski attended Ferris High School in Jersey City, New Jersey, from which he graduated in 1940. He was the student manager of the high school football team. He played several instruments in the school concert band and orchestra. He was also an accomplished pianist.
Even though he did well academically, there was not enough money in the family for Mr. Szymanski to go to a four-year college. Therefore, Mr. Szymanski attended a technical school for one year to learn skills in the new field of electronics. He then worked for two years as an electronics technician for Westinghouse in Jersey City, New Jersey.
While Mr. Szymanski was working during the day as an electronics technician, he attended classes at night at Columbia University in New York City in its Department of Slavic Languages, where he studied the Polish language and Polish literature. As the son of two Polish immigrants who were new arrivals to the United States, Mr. Szymanski spoke Polish for the first several years of his life, before he learned English in the streets of Jersey City around the time when he started school. Mr. Szymanski had developed an interest in the language and culture of his parents at an early age, and his two years of part-time studies at Columbia University inspired him to have a lifelong interest in the Polish culture and language.
At the start of World War II, Mr. Szymanski volunteered for service in the United States Army. However, he was disqualified for service because of his nearsightedness. Nevertheless, Mr. Szymanski wanted to serve his country. A friend of his was a member of the United States Merchant Marine, and recommended it to Mr. Szymanski, who saw this as an opportunity to serve his country during World War II. Mr. Szymanski enlisted in the United States Merchant Marine, and because of his background in electronics, he was elevated quickly to the rank of Radio Officer, which is one of the highest levels of officer on board merchant marine vessels.
Mr. Szymanski served from July, 1943 to December, 1946 in the United States Merchant Marine. He sailed on ships that transported food, equipment, and supplies to United States troops engaged in fighting in World War II.
While serving on board a Merchant Marine ship, he was befriended by a United States Navy officer who was assigned to that vessel. This was Alex Bell, who had been a football star at Villanova University in the Main Line suburb of Philadelphia with the same name as the university. Mr. Bell later became the head football coach of Villanova in the 1960's. Mr. Bell praised the quality of the education offered at Villanova and the beauty of the Villanova University campus. Mr. Szymanski was impressed by this, and he believed that a place like Villanova University would be an attractive alternative to pursuing his education after World War II in the congested environment of Jersey City and New York City.
Mr. Szymanski had sent a significant portion of his pay as an officer in the United States Merchant Marine during World War II to his family in Jersey City, but he also carefully saved much of his pay, so that he could realize his dream of attending college. Consequently, after Mr. Szymanski was discharged from the United States Merchant Marine, he was admitted to Villanova University and enrolled there in 1946.
Villanova University had much fewer buildings and a far smaller student enrollment than it does today. Mr. Szymanski was one of many World War II veterans who flocked to Villanova University after the end of World War II. Villanova University was not prepared for the sudden influx of World War II veterans, and Mr. Szymanski's earliest on-campus housing included a cot on the floor of a drained swimming pool on the Villanova campus. However, Mr. Szymanski's on-campus living conditions improved when he and other first year students were moved to cots on the floor of the gymnasium.
Mr. Szymanski graduated from Villanova University in 1950 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology. He was active in many campus activities, including being the assistant editor of the Villanova University school newspaper, The Villanovan. He also played tuba in the Villanova University marching band and trumpet in the college concert orchestra. He funded his entire education himself by continuing to ship out with the Merchant Marine every summer when he was not at college.
While at Villanova University, Mr. Szymanski met the love of his life, Anna Lerke, whom he married in the Villanova University chapel in 1950. Mr. Szymanski met his future wife through their mutual membership in the Polish Intercollegiate Club (PKM), which was a social organization composed of students attending undergraduate colleges in the Philadelphia area, and who were of Polish descent.
Anna Lerke was the daughter of Polish immigrants from the Frankford section of Philadelphia. She was working full-time and attending Temple University on a part-time basis, when she met Mr. Szymanski. They were married for 57 years at the time of his death. Mr. Szymanski was an excellent dancer, and he and his wife attended frequent social events. They were skilled at dancing waltzes, tango, fox trot, and of course, polkas.
After graduating from Villanova University and after getting married, Mr. Szymanski worked for one year as a research biologist in a laboratory. However, even though he enjoyed the challenge of research, he felt somewhat isolated socially, and he wanted to work in a more people-oriented field.
Therefore, Mr. Szymanski spent two years going to Temple University on a part-time basis, in order to obtain certification as a secondary school teacher. He worked on a full-time basis doing general administrative chores at the machine shop owned by the well-known industrialist and inventor, Walter Golaski.
After receiving his teacher certification, Mr. Szymanski began working as a science teacher at Camden High School in Camden, New Jersey in 1953. Mr. Szymanski worked continuously at Camden High School until his retirement in 1988, after thirty-five years of service. He taught biology and other science subjects to high school students in grades ten through twelve. He was also the director of the Camden High School marching band for many years.
Mr. Szymanski taught the Polish language to adults in evening school for the School District of Philadelphia at Mastbaum High School for many years, until the program was discontinued because of budget constraints.
Mr. Szymanski was also the faculty coordinator of Camden High School's audio-visual club, and Mr. Szymanski inspired many students to pursue careers in the field of electronics. Mr. Szymanski eventually became the full-time audio-visual coordinator for Camden High School. He also received a masters degree in education (Ed.M.) in educational media from Temple University.
Mr. Szymanski continued working in the Merchant Marine as a radio officer for most of the summers when he was off from his job as a high school teacher and audio-visual coordinator at Camden High School. He worked as the ship's radio officer on large oil tankers, mostly for Texaco. As a result of his service in the United States Merchant Marine during World War II and for many years after, Mr. Szymanski saw most of the countries and seas of the world.
Mr. Szymanski and his wife settled in the Mayfair section of Northeast Philadelphia and raised three children. George R. Szymanski, Jr., the eldest, is an attorney who practices law in Philadelphia and southern New Jersey. He lives with his wife, Dolores (Biello) Szymanski, the Superintendent of the Burlington County Institute of Technology School District, in Cinnaminson, New Jersey. They have one son, Adam, who is a twenty-one year old student at West Virginia University.
George and Anne's second son, Paul Szymanski, works as a media technician at Villanova University, and resides in Mayfair. The Szymanski's youngest child is Alice Holt, a research coordinator for the National Cancer Institute in Boston, who lives in Water-town, Massachusetts with her husband, Joseph, a professional bass player with the Boston Pops and other orchestras, and their two young children, Jeremy and Catherine.
Mr. Szymanski was one of the founders of Our Lady of Calvary Roman, Catholic Church in Northeast Philadelphia. This church was originally started as a Polish ethnic parish, to serve the religious needs of many Polish people who had migrated further into the Northeast section of Philadelphia from their old neighborhoods in Port Richmond, Fishtown, Frankford, and Bridesburg.
Mr. Szymanski was a church organist at Our Lady of Calvary Church for many years, and he regularly played at one of the Sunday masses there almost until the time when he died, even though he was eighty-three years old and had become blind. Except for the summers when he worked as an officer on merchant vessels, there were few Sundays when Mr. Szymanski did not play the organ at mass at his church. Mr. Szymanski pursued his numerous hobbies throughout most of his adult life.
He was an excellent pianist, and he frequently entertained his wife and children in their home by playing the works of the great Polish composer, Frederic Chopin, and also the Villanova University School fight song.
He was an avid amateur radio operator, and the basement of his home in Mayfair was like a small radio station. When he passed away, he was the secretary of the Holmesburg Amateur Radio Club in Philadelphia. His most recent call letters were WV3E.
Mr. Szymanski also kept up his life long interest in the Polish heritage and language by working enthusiastically for many Polish-American organizations. Mr. Szymanski was the secretary of the Polish Heritage Society of Philadelphia at the time of his death. He was a dedicated member of the Kosciuszko Foundation in New York for City, and was active in its Philadelphia chapter.
Mr. Szymanski was very active in the early years of the Polish American Congress, Eastern Pennsylvania District, which was formed in the aftermath of World War II, in order to promote free, autonomous, and democratic government in Poland, try so as to counteract the imposition of communism in Poland after World War II by Soviet Russia.
Mr. Szymanski was the secretary of Group One of the Polish National Alliance, a national insurance fraternal organization. He was active in The Associated Polish Home in Philadelphia.
Mr. Szymanski continued his loyalty to the United States Merchant Marine by actively participating in its local veterans' chapter, the American Merchant Marine Veterans, Dennis A. Roland Chapter, South Jersey branch.
Unfortunately, Mr. Szymanski was plagued by problems and diseases of both of his eyes as early as the mid-1960's. His eye sight deteriorated as the years went on, and this culminated in his total loss of vision in both eyes about fifteen years ago. However, despite being plagued by his handicap, he never complained or wallowed in self-pity. Instead, he was active, alert, and involved right up until the time of his death. He never ceased leading a productive and vibrant life.
In addition to his wife, children and grandchildren, Mr. Szymanski is survived in by his youngest brother, Henry Szymanski, who lives in Danbury, Connecticut, and Henry's children. Henry Szymanski, Jr., Brian Szymanski, and Carol Zarra. Mr. Szymanski's brother, Lucian Szymanski, passed away several years ago. He was also close to his sister-in-law, Eleanor Lerke, his wife's sister, who lives in Philadelphia, Mr. Szymanski is also survived by numerous relatives in Poland, with whom he had communicated regularly for many years,
Mr. Szymanski's viewing will be open to the public at 8:30 a.m., on Saturday, February 10, 2007, at Our Lady of Calvary Roman Catholic Church in Northeast Philadelphia, which is located on Knights Road between Red Lion and Woodhaven Roads. A mass at that church will follow at 10:00 a.m. Internment will take place after the mass at the Shrine of Our Lady of Czestochowa on Ferry Road in Doylestown, Bucks County, Pennsylvania.
George R. Szymanski Sr.
Born: February 23, 1923, died: Feb. 5, 2007. Devoted husband of Anna (nee Lerke); loving father of George R. Jr., Esq. (Dolores), Paul, and Alice Holt (Joseph); Dziadzi of Adam Szymanski, Jeremy and Catherine Holt. Dear brother of Henry and brother-in-law of Eleanor Lerke. Also survived by loving nieces and nephews.
Relatives, friends, and fellow members of the Associated Polish Home, Kosciuszko Foundation, Polish Heritage Society of Philadelphia (current secretary), Polish National Alliance Group 1 (current secretary), American Merchant Marine Veterans, Dennis A. Roland Chapter, S. Jersey Branch and the Holmesburg Amateur Radio Club (current secretary) are invited to his Viewing and Funeral Saturday after 8:30 A.M. in Our Lady of Calvary Church, 11024 Knights Rd. Funeral Mass will begin at 10 A.M. Int. Our Lady of Czestochowa Cemetery, Doylestown PA. In lieu of flowers your donation to the Kosciuszko Foundation, 15 E. 65th St., NY NY 10021-6591, would be appreciated by George's family.
Arr. by SLABINSKI AND SUCHARSKI FUNERAL HOMES 215-744-2700.
From: Obituary, Philadelphia Inquirer, Feb. 8, 2007