Ancestry Magazine features MI DPs

Ancestry Magazine shares the PGSM VP's article on Displaced Persons in their March /April issue. Please see pp.30-33.
This downloadable feature (pdf) from the March/April 2010 issue of Ancestry Magazine follows three projects that showcase how genealogy is being used to expand on textbook history. By focusing on families who were there when history happened, our trio of modern-day researchers is uncovering stories of the everyday that give us all a better understanding of how lives and history intertwine.
http://www.ancestrymagazine.com/2010/03/genealogy/what-a-project

6 June - Krzysztof Pietraszkiewicz

Krzysztof Pietraszkiewicz, President, Poland Bank Association discussed ways to promote Poland using the unique channels via The Polish Mission and the exclusive location in Oakland County, Michigan.
We also spoke with Katarzyna Sobierajska, the Undersecretary of State in the Ministry of Sport and Tourism of the Republic of Poland, about our “Come Home, Polonia” programs. She asked for the printed presentation and suggested ways to work with their office in the United States. The Polish American Congress rep was busy with contacts as well. We met with the Polonian representatives from Sweden, Portugal, Brazil, Russia and Israel. Marcin was received as a new leader of US Polonia.

6 June Meeting with Waldemar Pawlak

The Polish Mission and Michigan Polonia LLC discussed their mission statements with the Vice Premiere of Poland and Ministry of Economic Development Waldemar Pawlak, Eugeniusz Grzeszczak Secretary and Financial Advisor to the Prime Minister Donald Tusk, and Zygmunt Broniarek, former White House Correspondent 1960-1967 and 1985-1990.

31 May - Auschwitz I and Auschwitz II-Birkenau

We returned to Auschwitz I and Auschwitz II-Birkenau at 3:00 am to begin the second stage of the Auschwitz series.
Chumiecki brought his three specialized cameras including a Nikon fitted with an Infra Red lens. His goal was to capture dawn, symbolizing the new era that came after World War II.
The theme was reinforced by the sights and sounds of nature! The rainy, damp morning was greeted by a chorus of crickets, cuckoos,and chirping birds masked in the haze. We were escorted by the night guard who unlocked buildings, grounds, and towers for us.
Each turn of the road found red fox passing under the barbed wire, red deer darting across the fields, and a lone stork. The most impressive and symbolic sight was the flock of white seagulls on the roads that flank the railway tracks which brought the inmates to the camp. As we approached the gulls took off in flight, like the souls of those murdered at Birkenau.

22 May 2009 - Ministerstwo Kultury i Dziedzictwa Narodowego

On Friday May 22 we met with a group of advisers to the Ministry of Culture and Director of National Heritage (Ministerstwo Kultury i Dziedzictwa Narodowego). Also present was the Deputy Director of the Biblioteka Narodowa Dr. Joanna Psztalaniec-Jarzynska.
The three hour meeting began with The Polish Mission Director Marcin Chumiecki presenting the history of Orchard Lake and the responsibilities of The Polish Mission. He covered the archives, galeria, and museums. He mentioned that he was thankful for the opportunity to represent Orchard Lake and that all official letters and agreements will be exchanged between Chancellor Whalen and the Ministers.
Cecile Wendt Jensen, director of the Polonica Americana Research Institute, presented a copy of her book "Detroit's Polonia" and spoke of the grant she obtained for The Polish Mission from the Michigan Humanities Council of Michigan ( the state funding agent for the National Endowment for the Humanities).
The grant will provide funding for two campus events: Commemorating 1 September 1939 and Celebration SS Cyril and Methodius Seminary 1909-2009. Jensen also provided a copy of her book "Sto Lat: A Modern Guide to Polish Genealogy” published by Michigan Polonia LLC which outlines the process American researchers follow in documenting their Polish heritage. There was also a discussion regarding indexing civil records.