University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Archives Department.

Pankiewicz, M. Emil (Mikolat Emil), 1909- .

Papers, 1917-1980.

Milwaukee Manuscript Collection 71 and Milwaukee Micro Collection 36

.4 cubic ft. (1 archives box, and 1 oversize folder) + 1 microfilm reel (35 mm)

ABSTRACT: Papers of Milwaukee journalist and real estate agent, who was also active in the Polish National Alliance and in the resettlement of World War II refugees. Included are personal papers, printed materials, programs, convention papers, and microfilmed scrapbooks of news clippings regarding Pankiewicz, his wife, Emilia (nee Kosciuk), and her father, Jozef Kosciuk. Jozef Kosciuk was a noted actor in Milwaukee Polish-language theater and film productions during the 1910s and 1920s.

ACCESS RESTRICTIONS: There are no access restrictions on the materials, and the collection is open to all members of the public in accordance with state law. However, the researcher assumes full responsibility for conforming with the laws of libel, privacy, and copyright which may be involved in the use of this collection (Wisconsin Statutes 19.21-19.39).

SCOPE AND CONTENT: The collection includes a variety of documents which reflect the activities of Emil and Emilia Pankiewicz and Jozef Kosciuk. A folder concerning cultural activities consists of pamphlets, brochures, correspondence, clippings, and other materials collected by both Jozef Kosciuk and Emil Pankiewicz. Among the items post-dating World War II are programs from performances by and for the benefit of, Polish refugees in the Milwaukee area. Concerning the Republican Party are correspondence and clippings which reflect Pankiewicz's work to secure support for the G.O.P. in the Polish community. The records of the Polish American Congress and the Polish National Alliance illustrate Pankiewicz's participation in national conventions of both organizations. Within the folder of materials concerning the Order of Polonia Restituta are an invitation to the awards banquet, 3 October 1970, snapshots, clippings, and a copy of Prof. Alfred J. Sokolnicki's address to the gathering. There is also a folder of correspondence and news clippings pertaining to the resettlement of refugees and displaced persons following World War II, for which Pankiewicz was honored in 1970. In 1970-1971, Pankiewicz was involved with the work of the White House Conference on Aging, which he attended; copies of newspaper articles written by and about Pankiewicz are included.

Personal documents in the collection consist of news clippings, copies of certificates, business cards, and autobiographical sketches of Emil and Emilia Pankiewicz, with a few items concerning their children, Adele Ann and Andrew.

Also included with the collection are three volumes of scrapbooks on microfilm. Volume 1, 1917-c.1930, was compiled by Jozef Kosciuk, and consists of news clippings, theater brochures and programs, and typewritten and printed "kuplety." The kuplety, or song cards, were sold before and after performances, and during intermission at Kosciuk's theaters. Other articles in Kosciuk's scrapbook concern himself and his acting roles, other actors, the theater in general, and current events in Poland and Russia. There are also a few playbills and descriptions of productions at the Pulaski Theatre (Teatr Pulaski), Nowosci Theatre, and Lincoln Theatre, and performances by the Polish Dramatic Club. Volumes 2 and 3, 1948, were both probably compiled by Emil Pankiewicz, and consist of news clippings relating to World War II Polish refugees and post-war Polonian activities, mostly in Milwaukee. Some of the articles were written by Pankiewicz; in others he is mentioned. In addition, there is a large poster used to advertise the film Halka (1925).

BIOGRAPHICAL NOTE: Mikolaj Emil Pankiewicz was born 20 November 1909 in Lwow, Poland. Prior to World War II, he attended the College of Lwow, from which he received a degree in journalism, and studied at the College of Warsaw and the Military Engineering School. During the Second World War Pankoewicz served with the Polish Army in Poland and France, and later served as commanding officer of the Polish Officers School in Scotland. At the school Pankiewicz edited Na Przelomie, a publication for Polish military forces. While in Great Britain he met and married Emilia A. Kosciuk (1919- ), an American second lieutenant and translator with the Polish Army.

In 1948 the Pankiewicz's settled in Milwaukee, Emilia's hometown. Emil Pankiewicz became an editor of Nowiny Polskie, a correspondent for the Chicago Daily Zgoda, and later, a real estate agent. He was active in the Polish National Alliance (organizing Lodge 3100 in 1951), the Polish American Congress, and the Republican Party. Both Mr. and Mrs. Pankiewicz helped resettle refugees following World War II, opening their home to hundreds of people, and ultimately, resettling about 3,000 persons in the Milwaukee area. Pankiewicz helped organize the New Americans' Society (Stowarzyszenie Nowych Amerykanow) and the Polish veterans' group Stowarzyszenie Kombatantow Polskich, and served as executive secretary of the American Committee for Resettlement of Polish Displaced Citizens. For his efforts, Pankiewicz was awarded the order of the Polonia Restituta in October 1970 by the Polish Government in Exile, London.

Emilia Pankiewicz's father, Jozef Kosciuk (1884-1949), was born in Russian Poland. After he immigrated to the United States prior to World War I, Kosciuk worked in a lumber camp in northern Michigan or Wisconsin, then traveled to Chicago and Milwaukee, where he eventually settled. In Milwaukee, Kosciuk opened the Pulaski Theatre on 3rd Street and Mitchell Street; later he operated the Lincoln Theatre on Lincoln Avenue. In addition, Kosciuk was a noted actor in Milwaukee Polish productions of the 1910's and 1920's. Among his many roles was that of Count Janusz in both the theater and 1925 film version of Halka.

COLLECTION CITATION: This collection should be cited as:

Pankiewicz, M. Emil (Mikolat Emil), 1909- . Papers, 1917-1980. Milwaukee Manuscript Collection 71 and Milwaukee Micro Collection 36. Wisconsin Historical Society. Milwaukee Area Research Center. Golda Meir Library. University of Wisconsin--Milwaukee.

ACQUISITION: Presented by M. Emil and Emilia Pankiewicz in Hales Corners, Wisconsin in 1980 (accession number M81-38).

PROCESSING: Processed by Menzi Behrnd-Klodt and Mark G. Thiel in February 1982.

MARC RECORD SEARCH TERMS: The following terms were used in the online bibliographic MARC record to this collection:

Halka Poster.
Milwaukee (Wis.)--History--Sources.
Motion pictures and theater--Wisconsin--Milwaukee.
Polish Americans--Wisconsin--Milwaukee--History.
Polish drama--Wisconsin--Milwaukee.
World War, 1939-1945--Refugees.

MILWAUKEE MANUSCRIPT COLLECTION 71 MILWAUKEE MICRO COLLECTION 36	BOX	FOLDER
Cultural Activities, Papers and Photographs, 1925-1979, undated	1	1
G.O.P. Activities, 1968-1976, undated	1	2
Order of Polonia Restituta, Including Photographs, 1970	1	3
Personal Documents, Including Photographs, 1945-1980, undated	1	4
Polish American Congress National Convention Records, Including Photographs, 1948-1949	1	5
Polish National Alliance National Convention Records, 1975	1	6
PNA Publications, 1943, 1965, 1975, undated	1	7
White House Conference on Aging, 1970-1971	1	8
World War II Displaced Persons, Including Photographs, 1948-1955, undated	1	9
Halka Poster, 1925 [oversize folder]
Scrapbooks, Volume 1, 1917-c. 1930 [Milwaukee Micro Collection 36, reel 1]
Scrapbooks, Volume 2, 1948 [Milwaukee Micro Collection 36, reel 1]
Scrapbooks, Volume 3, 1948 [Milwaukee Micro Collection 36, reel 1]