Stefan Podsiadlo knows all too well the meaning of sacrifice and the importance of giving back.
After Germany invaded Poland at the start of World War II, Stefan Podsiadlo fled his home in Kielce. Then, when the Soviet Union broke their non-aggression pact with Germany and invaded Poland from the east, he was among the 1.5-million Polish citizens who were arrested and imprisoned by the Soviet NKVD secret police.
After the Soviet Union changed sides and granted amnesty to Polish citizens imprisoned in its gulags, Podsiadlo joined the Polish Second Corps, a major tactical and operational unit of the Polish Armed Forces in the West, and fought in the Italian Campaign, distinguishing himself during the Battle of Monte Cassino.
Following the war, Podsiadlo moved to Canada, where he worked at Weston Bakery for 30 years. Now, he and the Veterans of the Polish Second Corps of the Eighth Army are giving yet again, this time to the Polish language and literature program at U of T. At a ceremony in April, they presented the university with a cheque for $50,000.
“Theirs is a generation of truly unmatched givers”
“Four generations owe peace, freedom and prosperity to these men and their brothers-in-arms who died on the fronts of World War II,” said Tamara Trojanowska, director of the Polish language and literature program, at the reception honouring the veterans. “Today, to those priceless gifts they are adding one more — their generous support for the Polish language and literature program at the University of Toronto. Theirs is a generation of truly unmatched givers.”
Through communal fundraising efforts organized by the Council of the Canadian-Polish Congress for the Support of Polish Studies, individuals and Polish organizations have funded courses at the undergraduate and graduate level, and the council is in the process of establishing an endowment to fund the third-level language course in the program.
“We set a goal of $350,000. The donation that the veterans have made is the largest we have received so far,” said president of the council, Mark Zaremba. “We are very grateful that they have brought us so much closer to achieving our goal. At this point we are over $300,000.”
More than 20 years of support
For almost 20 years, the Polish community has funded Polish language and culture courses at U of T.
“There are a myriad of languages taught at university and I’m proud Polish is one of them. I think it’s important that it’s taught at the university level. We approach things based on what’s practical, but lots of programs at university are offered based on what is of interest to people that can be practical as well,” said Zaremba.
Previously, the veterans contributed funds to erect a statue in Paderewski Park that commemorates the Battle of Monte Cassino. Now given the opportunity to fund education, Podsiadlo, who comes from a family of teachers, was inspired to donate.
“This is a generation that has built the Polish community in Canada and went through prisons, became young soldiers, fought with Allied forces and fought battles in the Second World War,” said Trojanowska. “To have them connect to their generation of grandchildren means a lot to our program because it enhances generational change.”