As an aging third generation Polish American resident of Northampton, I sense that appreciation of that heritage is on the wane in the public consciousness. October is Polish Heritage Month but I suspect it will be little noted. Pulaski Day is on Oct. 12, but I am sure the coverage for Indigenous American Day will overshadow it.
Casimir Pulaski gave his life fighting for American independence at the Battle of Savannah during the Revolutionary War. He is honored throughout the nation with towns and counties named for him. Nor was Pulaski the only Pole to risk his life; at least 1,000 of his countrymen fought for the American cause. The most famous of those was the military engineer, Thaddeus Kosciuszko. His fortifications at Saratoga were a key factor in the American victory, which helped convince the French to enter the fray. Kosciuszko was highly honored by grateful Americans in his time and there still exists today the Kosciuszko Foundation which provides funds and programs for exchange students between Poland and the United States. The foundation is now 100 years old, but did you know it was created by a man who had lived in Northampton?
His name was Stephen Mizwa and he arrived in Northampton from Poland in 1910 at the age of 17. He had no knowledge of English and lived at 388 Pleasant St. with the family of his sponsor, Jozef Stonina, who was employed at the Rogers Silver Cutlery. Mizwa’s first job was at a basket company where he earned 10 cents an hour.
Mizwa included a short autobiography at the beginning of his book on the history of the Kosciuszko Foundation and he was very modest about himself. But he was clearly highly intelligent and charismatic. Mizwa initially began to take classes at the Carnegie Institute on Gothic Street under the direction of Smith College students. They sent him on to a program at American International College in Springfield, which allowed immigrants to earn a high school degree. He took those classes from 1912-16. Next, he applied to college and was accepted by both Princeton and Amherst, but only Amherst offered him a full scholarship. At age 24, Mizwa enrolled there as a freshman while living in town with a Polish family and working various jobs for spending money. He clearly aced his classes as he graduated in 1920 both Cum Laude and Phi Beta Kappa — a remarkable double achievement. Mizwa was well-regarded by the faculty and one professor bought him a Phi Beta Kappa key since he could not afford one on his own.
Mizwa’s next stop was Harvard where he earned a master’s degree in economics in a year. He was hired by Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa to teach economics and worked there for three years. In early September 1922, he married Katherine Twarog in Chicopee. The marriage took place in the Polish National Catholic Church and the ceremony was presided over by Bishop Franciszek Hodur, the founder and prime bishop of the church. The couple had two children, Helen, a Vassar alumna, and Thaddeus (Tad), who graduated from Amherst.
While at Drake, Mizwa, in conjunction with the Polish government, had started a small exchange program to bring Polish students to America. He returned to Harvard in 1925 to earn a Ph.D., and while listening to a talk that 1926 would be the 150th anniversary of Kosciuszko’s arrival in America, Mizwa became convinced there should be a living memorial to the hero and not just another statue. The idea for the Kosciuszko Foundation was born in his head. He went directly to New York, and using his fundraising experience, succeeded after much hard work at creating his dream. One hundred years later, the foundation has benefited thousands of students in both Poland and the United States leading to a better understanding between the nations.
Stephen Mizwa died in January 1971 in Houston, Texas, where he was living with his son during his final illness. He had been president of Alliance College from 1930-32, but for most of his adult life Mizwa was associated with the Kosciuszko Foundation as executive director and then president until the final year of his life. He got his start right here in Northampton and he deserves to be better remembered locally as do all his countrymen who did so much for our quality of life in the valley.
Richard Szlosek lives in Northampton.