![[Stadium Picture]](Piszek_Stadium.JPG)
A Tribute to Edward Piszek (1916-2004)
Ed Piszek's 10 Most Rewarding Philanthropic Projects
The following is a summary of Ed Piszek's Top 10 most personally rewarding philanthropic projects (in order of year the project was initiated). 1963
l. Purchased and shipped 11 mobile x-ray units, 4 trailers with generators, 42 support vehicles, 5 mini-buses, 5 x-ray processing units and thousands of pieces of medical equipment and supplies to Poland. Armed with these resources, the Polish medical establishment launched a "war of tuberculosis", ultimately eradicating the disease that had for generations ravaged the country.
1970
2. Purchased and restored the Philadelphia residence of Polish General Thaddeus Kosciuszko (U.S. Revolutionary War hero) at 3rd and Pine Street. He successfully coordinated an effort through the U.S. Congress to declare the Kosciuszko House a National Memorial. Ed Piszek later donated the house to the National Park Service in 1976.
1971
3. Launched "Project: Pole". This mass media communications project, dedicated to elevating the Polish image, was successfully introduced in major cities (including Philadelphia) across the United States. Project: Pole informed all Americans of the contributions of Poles to instill pride in Polish-Americans regarding their forefathers. It was also designed to encourage the study of Polish history and culture, which would encourage Polish-Americans to make greater contributions to American society.
1972
4. Organized religious Pilgrimages to Poland, Israel and Ireland, taken by Philadelphia's John Cardinal Krol. This close relationship between these ethnic brothers provided a unique combination of clergyman and industrialist on a mission of good will. The Poland visit played an instrumental role towards the eventual election of Pope John Paul II and the collapse of communism in Eastern Europe.
1973
5. Ed Piszek helped arrange through his private foundation, the Copernicus Society of America, an international eight-city tour of the original Copernican instruments including a month-long celebration in conjunction with the Smithsonian Institute and the National Academy of Sciences in Washington D.C. These priceless instruments were part of the permanent collection at the Museum of the Jagiellonian University of Krak—w, Poland.
1977
6. Coordinated negotiations between the Lebavitcher Movement in the United States and the Polish government. Ed Piszek was instrumental in obtaining a priceless collection of Jewish religious works. The books and manuscripts ranged in age from 125 to 600 years old. They contained sermons, rabbinical documents and decisions concerning Jewish law.
1980
7. Donated 40 million fishcakes to Poland in an effort to ease that country's food shortages. The fishcake recipe was developed to provide a product that was both good tasting and high in nutritional value.
1981
8. Assisted author James A. Michener with his research on his book "Poland" by arranging to have a number of Polish scholars work in areas of Polish history that Mr. Michener was interested in incorporating into his novel. As a result of this expert assistance, the book was completed in a years time rather than the normal three. The book went on to sell millions of copies worldwide.
1990
9. Supported "Peace Corps Partners in Teaching English". This history-making endeavor was a partnership of Ed Piszek's Liberty Bell Foundation and the United States Peace Corps. This program was developed to meet the overwhelming request to create qualified teachers of the universal language of English in the emerging democracies of Central and Eastern Europe. To date over 18,000 teachers of English have been created in Poland alone.
1995
10. In conjunction with his friend, Hall of Fame Baseball player, Stan "The Man" Musial, Ed Piszek encouraged Little League Baseball, International to build their European Leadership Baseball Training Center in Kutno, Poland. He believed that Little League Baseball is one of America's finest exports of goodwill because it instills values of teamwork, leadership and character development in the young people of Europe. For his leadership efforts, the main Little League stadium was named in Mr. Piszek's honor in August 2000.
To learn more about Mr. Edward Piszek's business and philanthropic efforts, stop by the Polish-American Cultural Center and purchase Mr. Piszek biography - "Some Good in the World - A Life of Purpose" by Jake Morgan. English and Polish versions are available for sale!
From: Polish American News, April/May 2006