Henryk de Kwiatkowski
(1924 - 2003)Entrepreneur and aerospace engineer
A Polish-born American entrepreneur, British-educated aerospace engineer and a World War II veteran, de Kwiatkowski was a charismatic man of Old World charm who spoke 10 languages and owned a multimillion-dollar fortune.
After the invading German and Soviet troops had killed his parents and four of six siblings during World War II, he ended up in a Siberian gulag. De Kwiatkowski managed to escape and reach England, where he trained to become a pilot and parachuted into Nazi-occupied territories on secret missions.
In 1957 he arrived in the United States where his entrepreneurial talents flourished. De Kwiatkowski made a fortune as the owner of an aviation brokerage firm with headquarters in New York's Rockefeller Center.
His interest in racing horses brought him to the pinnacle of this volatile business. He owned some of the best race horses in the world (including 1982 North American Horse of the Year, Conquistador Cielo); a Polo team in Palm Beach, Florida; and the famous Calumet horse farm in Lexington, Kentucky, which he saved from bankruptcy.
He always remained a Polish patriot, emphasizing his heritage with pride.
From: Good News 2005 - 2006. A publication of the American Institute of Polish Culture of Miami, Florida.