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List of people from Suwałki

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Edward Szczepanik, Prime Minister of The Government
of the Polish Republic in Exile
Andrzej Wajda in 2012
Alfred Wierusz-Kowalski

Over the centuries Suwałki has produced a number of persons who have provided unique contributions to the fields of science, language, politics, religion, sports, visual arts and performing arts. A list of recent notable persons includes, but is not limited to:

a Polish socialist politician and a General of the Polish Army.[1] Member of the Medical Faculty of the Jagiellonian University and, simultaneously, Faculty of painting at the Academy of Fine Arts.[1] Former commander of the Border Defence Corps, he was among the Polish officers murdered in the Katyń massacre.[2]
As an Officer (and eventually Major) in the Polish Army, he served with distinction in the Fifth Polish Artillery Regiment - notably in the battles of Monte Cassino, Ancona, and Bologna.[3] In 1945 he received the Cross of the Valorous, and the following year was awarded the Silver Cross of Merit with Swords.[3] He received a PhD in Economics in 1956 from the LSE.[3] On April 7, 1986 he was chosen the successor of Kazimierz Sabbat to be the next Prime Minister of the Second Polish Republic in-exile (Polish: Premierzy II Rzeczypospolitej na wychodźstwie).[4] He was awarded the title of Doctor of Economic Science – Honoris Causa in 1995 by the Warsaw School of Economics.[5]
Recipient of an honorary Oscar, he is possibly the most prominent member of the unofficial "Polish Film School" (active circa 1955 to 1963). He is known especially for a trilogy of war films: A Generation (1954), Kanał (1956) and Ashes and Diamonds (1958). Four of his movies have been nominated for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film: The Promised Land (1975), The Maids of Wilko (1979), Man of Iron (1981), and Katyń (2007).[6][7]

References

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  1. ^ a b Editor Anna Cienciala Katyn A Crime Without Punishment Yale, 2007 ISBN 978-0-300-10851-4 Page 400
  2. ^ The Crime of Katyn Polish Cultural Foundation, 1989 ISBN 978-0-85065-190-4. Page 22
  3. ^ a b c (in English) The Guardian Obituary, December 19, 2005 Leszek Balcerowicz
  4. ^ Website of the Polish Prime Minister shows Edward Szczepanik (1986 - 1990) as the last Polish Prime Minister of the II Republic in exile (Polish Premierzy II Rzeczypospolitej na wychodźstwie) followed by the Prime Minister of the III Republic (Polish Premierzy III Rzeczypospolitej) Archived 9 May 2008 at the Wayback Machine
  5. ^ (in Polish) Note on Szczepanik's doctorate honoris causa in his Alma Mater's website (automatic translation)
  6. ^ [1] Archived 12 February 2013 at the Wayback Machine Andrzej Wajda on Katyń: The Full Transcript Nick Hodge, 23 June 2009, Krakow Post
  7. ^ [2] Biography for Andrzej Wajda @ IMDB.com