Alina Szczesniak (Surmacka)
Food scientist
Born Jul. 8, 1925, Warsaw, Poland; came to U.S., 1946; daughter Wladyslaw and Zofia (Szukiewicz); child: Andrew.
Education: Bachelor of Arts (B.A.), Bryn Mawr College (PA), 1948; Doctor of Science (Sc.D.), Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Cambridge, 1952.
Career: principal scientist, General Foods Corporation, Tarrytown (NY), 1952-86; editor-in-chief, Journal of Texture Studies, 1968-79; Retired.
Author: 12 patents; 7 book chapters; numerous papers and articles in professional journals; co-editor, Texture Measurements of Foods, 1973.
Member of: fellow, Institute of Food Technologists; New York Academy of Sciences, Society of Rheology; active member, Polish Institute of Arts and Sciences of America (P.I.A.S.A.); founder and president, Friends of Hospicium, Mt. Vernon (NY).
Honors: Sigma Xi; Phi Tau Sigma; Distinguished Scientist award, 1982, Nicholas Appert Medal, 1985, 28th Fred W. Tanner Memorial Lecturer, 1990, Institute of Food Technologists; Outstanding Technological Achievement award, General Foods Corporation, 1986; G. W. Scott Blair Award, American Association of Cereal Chemists, 1989.
Affiliation: Republican. Roman Catholic.
Languages: Polish, English, French, German.
Hobbies: gardening, collecting stamps, nature walks.
Home: 22 Wilson Block, Mount Vernon, NY 10552.
From: "Who's Who in Polish America" 1st Edition 1996-1997, Boleslaw Wierzbianski editor; Bicentennial Publishing Corporation, New York, NY, 1996.