2011 - American Institute of Polish Culture

The 39 International Polonaise Ball
A Tribute to Canada
th
and
Polish-Canadian Friendship
February 5, 2011 Miami Beach, Florida
Elegance and Magnificence Defined
On February 5, 2011 the 39th International Polonaise Ball, organized by the American
Institute of Polish Culture and under the auspices of the Ambassador of Poland, was held
in Miami and honored the relationship between Poland and Canada.
Following tradition, honored at the Ball were the recipients of Gold Medals, the highest
award presented by the Institute, and of Amicus Poloniae, an award presented by the
Ambassador of the Republic of Poland. Lecha Wałęsa Media Award was also presented
by the legendary leader of Solidarity.
Among the honored guests were royalty, ambassadors, businessmen and many other
dignitaries, all gathered in a grand ballroom where sparkling baubles and beautiful décor
created a regal atmosphere.
Consul of Canada Peter Taylor, Lady Blanka Rosenstiel,
Ambassador of the Republic of Poland Robert Kupiecki, Countess Barbara Pagowska-Cooper
Lady Blanka Rosenstiel,
Ambassador of the Republic of Poland Robert Kupiecki
Lady Blanka Rosenstiel, President Lech Walesa, Irene Tomaszewski, Maria Knapik, Maria Nowotarska
Richard Nowak, Archbishop Thomas Wenski
Hon. Consul of the Republic of Poland Zygmunt Potocki, HIH Prince Ermias SahleSelassie Haile-Selassie of Ethiopia and Lady Saba Kebede, HRH King Kigeli V of Rwanda,
Wieslawa Potocki
Count Ponce de Leon, Hon. Consul of Romania Victoria London,
Marquis Alberto Ornellas de Vasconcellos
Lady Blanka Rosenstiel, Drs. Januariusz and Janina Styperek
Amanda Rottermund, Boris Ejsymont
Luccia Lowenthal, Patrick Lowenthal,
Francesca Lowenthal
Lady Blanka Rosenstiel, Dr. Jerome Zwierzycki
Lady Blanka Rosenstiel, Tony Muszynski
Countess Brigitte Cooper, Countess Janelle Cooper
Anita Jacob, Archbishop Thomas Wenski, Eli Jacob
Dr. Andrew Schally
and Maria de Lourdes Rasmussen
Dr. Ian and Peggy McNeice
Dr. Alan Heldman
and Dr. Natalie Geary
Maria Nowotarska, Agata Pilitowska
Marquis Alexander Colonna-Walewski Montague
and Marquise Maria Alonso Montague
Kim Fontaine Skronski
and Mike Skronski
Marie and Richard Nowak
with members of the Polish Folk Dance Company
Count Spencer Montague, Miss Jessica McHale,
Count Andrew Montague
Conrad Miczko,
Hon. Consul of the Republic of Poland
Deborah Majka
Oswald and Christiane Schietse
Barbara Hamilton, Robert Stockhausen,
Aneta Chepinska
Leszek and Maria Ladowski,
Bronislaw and Monika Bajcar
Vito and Patricia Spitaleri,
Marjorie Sonderling, Thomas Zanger
Col. Jason Psaltides, Pat Riley,
Dr. Andre Pasternac
Dr. Joshua Hare and Lee Susan Cohen
Izabela and Jan Karaszewski
Mira Starczyk
and Tomasz Skrzypinski
Krystyna Tucci, Bozena Zwierzycki, Countess Barbara Pagowska-Cooper, Dr. Pawel Bartkowski, Isabelle Budys ,
Dr. Waldemar Misiak; (seated); Dr. Mark Tucci, Dr. Jerome Zwierzycki, Zenon Oleszewicz, Tracy Murray (standing)
Miriam and Amedeo Guazzini
Countess Mail Pawlowski-Brestyansky,
Count Paul Laszlo Brestyansky,
Hon. Undine Brestyansky, Michel Pawlowski,
Katarina Krzysztofiak
Katarzyna Grandwilewski, Peter Buczkowski,
Dr. Yvonne Bogorya-Buczkowski
Peter Obst, Halina Malinski,
Henrietta Nowakowski, Barbara Lemecha
The stylish event took place at the historic Surf
Club on Miami Beach. The majestic decorations
included a lushly-feathered white eagle backed by
red and white swags which hung above the stage.
Sparkling crystals and arrangements of snowwhite ostrich feathers in the shape of palm trees
adorned the tables.
Ambassador of the Republic of Poland Robert Kupiecki; Consul Peter Taylor of the Canadian Consulate General in Miami; Honorary Consul for the
Republic of Poland in Calgary, Zygmut Potocki;
Piotr Gulczyński, President of the Lech Walesa
Foundation in Warsaw and many other notable
guests.
The evening began with a cocktail hour; ladies
arrived in the most glamorous ball gowns and
gentlemen were resplendent in tuxedos and regalia. They all enjoyed meeting special guests who
included President Lech Wałęsa; His Royal Highness King Kigeli V of Rwanda; His Imperial Highness Prince Ermias Sahle-Sellasie Haile-Selassie of
Ethiopia;
Ball invitees arrived from as far away as Canada,
Poland, Monaco, Sweden and Portugal, and from
locations across the United States including California, New York, Washington D.C. and Chicago.
It is a tradition that Countess Barbara Pągowska,
Vice-President of the American Institute of Polish
Culture, invites a group of her friends from Chicago area and Florida.
Emma Bryan, Veronica Mesterhazy, Agi Mesterhazy,
Mariana Cordoba (seated)
Patrick Lowenthal, Veronica Parra, Andrew Mijares, Luccia
Lowenthal, William Smit, Alexandra Sircre (standing)
Christina and John Kruszewski Sr.,
Susan Kruszewski, Emily and John Kruszewski Jr.
Chancellor Boniface Benzinge of Rwanda,
HRH King Kigeli V of Rwanda,
Viscount Matthew Meehan, Count Rodney Hildebrant
Regina and Walter Beaman
Miriann Guazzini, Roy Meyeringh, Viscount Luis Prieto
y Munoz, Ana Maria Alexandra Pitigoi, Danielle Golino
Nina Mlodzinska de Rovira, Michael Murray,
Anne McDougall, Jon Theobald, Dorothy St. Jean
Adriana and Kostek Kostencki,
Liliana and Duane Treeman
Beata Szemray, Natasha Isaacs,
Ewa and Czarek Jakubowski
Anna Zwierzycki, Kathleen Joyce, Teresa Zwierzycki,
Adam Kruszelnicki, Wojtek Szwarc
Maciej Zien, Hon. Vice Consul of the
Republic of Poland Beata Paszyc
Piotr Gulczynski, Caria Tomczykowska
Marcin Chumiecki, Patricia Zawadzki,
Rev. Timothy Whalen
Mikolaj Bauer, Carol Sadowski,
Dr. Claire Crawford, Douglas Evans
Stanley Bulski, Kazimiera Rekosz, Janina Baron,
Leon Solnik
Raquel and Zbigniew Jarosz, Dr. Wojciech Cymer
Paul and Teresa Lowenthal, Mariela Cacciotti,
Jose and Idamis Gonzalez
Krzysztof and Violetta Kruszelnicki, Adam Kruszelnicki,
Ludwik Wnekowicz, Dr. Janina Styperek, Krystyna Wnekowicz,
Dr. Renata Cymer
Dr. Januariusz Styperek
Veronika Cieslak, Dominic Cieslak
Petra and Piotr Pataki, Anna Lukaszek-Guerrero, Amanda Rottermund, Wanda Muszynski (seated);
Hon. Vice-Consul of the Republic of Poland Beata Paszyc, Jaroslaw Rottermund,
Eszter and Gregory Glowacki, Adam Ettinger (standing)
Elizabeth Piotrovsky, Veronica Dicker,
Jadwiga Garbacik, Jadwiga Gewert
Katarzyna Spenceley, Mikolaj Spenceley-Prada,
Maria Spenceley
Lady Blanka Rosenstiel officially welcomed the
guests and described how the people and government of Canada have always been friendly toward
Poland, welcoming with open arms Polish immigrants who contributed greatly to the development
and success of Canada. She thanked everyone for
their attendance and wished them an enjoyable
evening. Next, Ambassador Kupiecki of Poland,
Consul Taylor of Canada and Archbishop Thomas
Wenski welcomed all those gathered at the gala.
Count Jerzy and Countess Irena Siemieginowski
Teresa and Jerzy Karaszewski
Keith and Agnieszka Gray
Thomas Tremblay, Dr. Monica Tremblay,
Dr. Renu Desai. Dr. Vikram Desai
Veronika Cieslak, Michael and Lydia Gastom, Lucy Dolinski (seated);
Count Jerzy Siemiginowski, Erik Szczepkowski (standing)
Special recognitions were presented to Tony
Muszynski of Calgary, founder and director of the
educational program Poland in the Rockies; Drs.
Janina and Januariusz Styperek of Palm Beach, for
their achievements in medicine and support of the
American Institute of Polish Culture; and to Dr. Jerome Zwierzycki of Chicago, for his charitable work
with seniors of Polish descent.
Msgr. Anthony Czarnecki,
Rev. Richard Vigoa
Countess Izabela Pagowska-Budys,
Dr. Blazej Lojewski
While a delicious dinner was being served, guests
enjoyed an artistic program by the Polish American
Folk Dance Company of New York. They presented their rendition of Barge (“Barka”) - a favorite
of Pope John Paul II, the first pope to visit Canada
- followed by the traditional dances of Mazur and
Menuet.
Next, Gold Medal recipient and famed Polish-Canadian soprano Maria Knapik sang Il Bacio and the
aria from Bizet’s Carmen.
Dariusz and Agnieszka Wojdyga, Agnieszka Konsorska,
Kinga Konosorska
President Lech Walesa,
Irene Tomaszewski
After Ms. Knapik’s performance came the presentation of the Amicus Poloniae by the Polish Ambassador. This year His Excellency Thomas Wenski,
Archbishop of Miami and Mr. Richard Nowak were
honored by this special recognition for their promotion of Polish-American cooperation.
Lovely flowers and sincere words of gratitude were
presented to the Vice-President of the Ball, Countess Barbara Pągowska-Cooper, and other generous donors including Drs. Janina and Januariusz
Styperek, Ruby Bacardi, Agnieszka and Keith Gray,
Count Rod Hildebrant and Viscount Matthew Meehan, Paul and Teresa Lowenthal, Marquis Alexander
Colonna-Walewski Montague and Marquise Maria
Alonso Montague, Amedeo and Miram Guazzini
and Pat Riley.
Gold Medals, the highest distinction awarded by
the Institute, were then presented by Lady Blanka
Rosenstiel to Maria Knapik and Maria Nowotarska,
who flew down from snowy Canada with Nowotarska’s daughter Agata to accept the Medals
with great joy and emotion.
Distinguished recipients of this award from previous years include President Lech Wałęsa, Senator Barbara Mikulski, actress Stephanie Powers,
Professor Norman Davies and composer Krzysztof
Penderecki. This year, the first medal was presented to Mrs. Maria Knapik, acclaimed soprano and
proponent of Polish music. In 2007, Mrs. Knapik
starred in the title role of Moniuszko’s Halka in
her company debut with the Sarasota Opera. She
has performed at Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center
as well as in operas in Canada and Poland, and in
2005 she was recognized as “The Rising Star of Opera” by the American Institute of Polish Culture.
The second Gold Medal was presented to Maria
Nowotarska - actress, director, screenwriter, art
director and co-founder of the Polish Theater in
Toronto, Canada.
Agata von Knorr, Dr. Robert von Knorr, Maria Piasecka, Halina Pyrkowski, Janusz Pyrkowski,
Kim Fontaine Skronski, Mike Skronski
Al and Michelle Levy
Professor Zdislaw Wesolowski,
Father Andrzej Pietraszko
Rose and Ed Kruszewski
Celebrating their 60th Wedding
Anniversary
Michelle and Al Levy, Adriana and Jorge Pino, Dania Saavedra
Katarina Krzysztofiak, Joran Bengston
Frances Marian Reid and
Janusz Burzynski
Among other awards, Mrs. Nowotarska has received
the Cavalier Cross and Gloria Artis. As a result of her
endeavors over 100 theatrical arts have premiered,
including works about famous Poles such as Maria
Curie–Skłodowska and Pola Negri.
As the night progressed, President Lech Wałęsa
presented the Lech Wałęsa Media Award to Mrs.
Irene Tomaszewski, writer, journalist, and co-author
of the books Code Name: Zegota: Rescuing Jews in
Occupied Poland, 1942-1945: The Most Dangerous
Conspiracy in Wartime Europe and Inside a Gestapo
Prison: The Letters of Krystyna Wituska 1942-1944.
President Wałęsa stated, “The award is intended for
journalists who create a positive image of Poland
abroad through disseminating information about
her history, rich heritage, culture and tradition. We
have to recognize those who promote Poland because we have something to be proud of.”
Susan Kruszewski, Danielle Drtina, Emily and John Kruszewski Jr.,
Amanda Cox, Susan Kruszewski-Cox, Andrew Cox
Steve Karski, Mirek Denisiewicz
Krzysztof and Violette
Kruszelnicki
Arthur Sadlowski, Ligia Lalewicz
Lourdes and Roberto Viciedo
Mariusz Bernartowicz,
Count Richard Wilke-Janicki
Marquis Alexander
Colonna-Walewski Montague,
Veronica Mesterhazy
Polish Folk Dance Company
Lady Blanka Rosenstiel,
Countess Barbara Pagowska-Cooper
Master of Ceremonies Jaroslaw Rottermund thanked
Lady Blanka Rosenstiel for her activity, optimism,
cheerfulness and enthusiasm in promoting Poland
and taking up new causes. Warm words of gratitude and beautiful flowers were also given to Beata
Paszyc, Executive Director of the American Institute
of Polish Culture.
Basil and Magdalena Mangra, Monica Mangra
Once the official ceremonies of the Ball were concluded Lady Blanka invited all guests to the dance
floor, where the fun continued late into the night.
Charming men, poised and polished, led ladies in
flowing gowns gracefully across the ballroom.
Andrzej Benesz, Jadwiga Palade,
Eva and Christopher Skibicki
Wieslawa Potocki Hon. and Consul of the Republic of Poland
Zygmunt Potocki, Maureen Mroczek Morris
Archbishop Thomas Wenski , Alicja Iwaszkiewicz
Lester A. Brown, Wieslaw Nowak, Lady
Blanka Rosenstiel, President Lech Walesa,
Waldemar Dowiak
Taresa Johnston Takesian,
Barbara Toegemann
Halina and Janusz Pyrkowski
Lucy Dolinski and Erik Szczepkowski
Tracy Morrow and Chris Kurczaba
Marya Pickering, Kim Clayton, Dr. Dermot Quinn,
Tony Muszynski, Rev. Ian Boyd
Chris and Robert Garcia-Casals
A Very Special Brunch
February 6, 2011 Miami Beach, Florida
As in years past, an exquisitely delicious and festive brunch took place the following morning to wrap up the weekend’s festivities. During the official portion
of the gathering, the Polish Ambassador presented the Siberian Deportees Cross
(Krzyż Zesłanców Sybiru) to Mr. Mieczysław Misiąg as “the way to recognize and
remember the Polish citizens who were deported to Siberia and Kazakhstan in
1939-1956. The medal is to honor their martyrdom and devotion to freedom
and independence.” Mr. Misiąg attended the brunch with his wife Candace and
friend Jadzia Grabowski from nearby Melbourne, Florida.
Afterward, guests shared stories. The discussion and dancing carried over from
the night before.Guests had the opportunity to meet, speak with and be photographed with President Wałęsa. After entertainment by the Polish American
Folk Dance Company, guests snapped a few memento photographs and headed
home happy, full of memories and looking forward to next year!
Lady Blanka Rosenstiel, Izabela and Jan Karaszewski and
their children Julian and Jasiu, Teresa and Jerzy Karaszewski
Ambassador of the Republic of Poland Robert Kupiecki,
Beata Paszyc, Nel Scarlett Velez-Paszyc,
Hon. Consul of the Republic of Poland Zygmunt Potocki
Malgorzata Chibowska,
Natalia Chibowska
Katarzyna and Michael Maguire
Former Ambassador of India to Poland
and Lithuania Jagannath Doddamani,
Vinod Doddamani, Eugene Starky
Katarina Krzysztofiak, Michel Pawlowski,
Charles Dundee, Hon. Undine Pawlowski
Alicia Guerrero, Anna Lukaszek-Guerrero,
Danuta and Ryszard Lukaszek
Dr. John Lenczowski,
Lady Blanka Rosenstiel
Ambassador of the Republic of Poland
Robert Kupiecki presenting the
Siberian Deportees Cross to Mieczyslaw Misiag
Jadzia Grabowski,
Mieczyslaw and Candace Misiag
Tony Muszynski, Maria Knapik, Lady Blanka Rosenstiel, Maria Nowotarska,
Irene Tomaszewski, Mieczyslaw Misiag
Dr. Ewa Piacentile, President Lech Walesa,
Georgette Pepper, Academic and Cultural Relations
Officer, Consulate of Canada
Countess Barbara Pagowska-Cooper with guests
The American Institute of Polish Culture, Inc.
79th Street Causeway #117, Miami, FL 33141, tel: (305) 864-2349, info@ampolinstitute.com, www.ampolinstitute.org
Maria and Stefan Czulinski
Article & Graphic Layout: Beata Paszyc & Melissa J. Szwanke
Photos: Yamila Lomba