University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Archives Department.

Szymczak, Chester J.

Papers, 1930-1980.

Milwaukee Manuscript Collection 103

3.0 cubic ft. (7 archives boxes, and 1 small archives box)


ABSTRACT: Papers of a Polish American author and journalist. Szymczak was born and raised in Milwaukee, served as a signalman in World War II, survived the sinking of the U.S.S. Dorchester, and served as a newspaper editor in suburban Milwaukee during the 1950s. Among Szymczak's published works are an account of the Dorchester sinking, a biography of astronomer Nicolas Copernicus, and many studies of American literature. Besides a small file of correspondence, the collection consists entirely of manuscripts and notes for published and unpublished works, including non-fiction, short stories, poetry, and plays. Most of the manuscripts are undated.

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: Aside from a small file of correspondence, the Szymczak papers consist almost entirely of his writings. Most of the material is handwritten in pencil and undated.

The series Manuscripts, Non-Fiction consists of published and unpublished material and is divided into two groups: manuscripts on varied subjects and those relating to the sinking of the U.S.S. Dorchester. Both groups are organized alphabetically.

Most of the Miscellaneous Writings are grouped by approximate time period. Several groups of undated poetry and short stories have been placed together. Two other series are devoted to Poetry Collections and Short Stories.

The series Plays consists primarily of hand written notes and ideas grouped under various titles. Included here are two completed manuscripts: "Lord Jim" and "Anne's Man from Viet Nam." The materials are arranged alphabetically by title.

BIOGRAPHICAL NOTE: Chester Joseph Szymczak was born on June 22, 1915 in Milwaukee. His parents were immigrants from Poland and the family lived on the city's North Side. Szymczak studied journalism and liberal arts at Marquette University, and he graduated from the University of Wisconsin with a degree in comparative literature. He worked as a radio and newspaper editor and later held jobs with the Associated Press in Des Moines, Iowa, and Buffalo, New York.

In September of 1940, Szymczak joined the United States Navy. He graduated from signal school at the Naval Armory in Chicago and served on the ships U.S.S. Wyoming and U.S.S. Alcor. He volunteered for Army transport duty and was assigned as a signal man to the U.S.S. Dorchester. On February 3, 1943, the Dorchester sank near the coast of Greenland, and Szymczak was one of the few survivors. The ship's tragedy would later become the subject of many of Szymczak's writings.

After leaving the Navy in 1945, Szymczak again pursued a writing career. In the mid-1950s he served as county editor and photographer at the Waukesha Freeman. Besides his work on the paper he wrote poetry, plays, short stories, and non-fiction. Among his published works are When Time Stood Still (1956), Classical Americana: the Early American Literary Masters (1971), Modern Americana: the Glory of American Literature (1972), The Legacy of Mikclaj Kopernik: One Man's Love Affair with the Universe (1973), The Men, the Ship: the Story America Will Never Forget and the World Will Always Remember (1976), and Contemporary Americana: Our Great American Writers (1977). Szymczak also wrote under the names Joseph Chester and Czeslaw Jozef Szymczak.

COLLECTION CITATION: This collection should be cited as:

Szymczak, Chester J. Papers, 1930-1980. Milwaukee Manuscript Collection 103. Wisconsin Historical Society. Milwaukee Area Research Center. Golda Meir Library. University of Wisconsin--Milwaukee.


ACQUISITION: Presented by the Rare Book Room, Memorial Library, University of Wisconsin--Madison, via Debbie Riley in 1984 (accession number M84-092).

PROCESSING: Processed by Janet S. Wilke in July 1984, and Geoffrey Wexler in March 1986.

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

MILWAUKEE MANUSCRIPT COLLECTION 103 BOX FOLDER
Correspondence, 1948-1949, undated 1 1
Manuscripts, Non-Fiction, General, "Beyond the Earth's Rim," undated 1 2
Manuscripts, Non-Fiction, General, "Classical Americana: the Early American Literary Masters," 1971 1 3
Manuscripts, Non-Fiction, General,"Contemporary Americana," 1976 1 4
Manuscripts, Non-Fiction, General,"Contemporary Americana: Our Great American Writers," 1976 1 5
Manuscripts, Non-Fiction, General, "Crystal Corners," undated 1 6
Manuscripts, Non-Fiction, General, "God's Country and Youth (A Novel)," undated 1 7
Manuscripts, Non-Fiction, General, "Modern Americana: the Glory of American Literature," 1972 2 1
Manuscripts, Non-Fiction, General, "The Legacy of Mikclaj Kopernik," 1973 1 8
Manuscripts, Non-Fiction, The Sinking of the Dorchester, "The Copiapo (Adventure to Luxon)," undated 2 2
Manuscripts, Non-Fiction, The Sinking of the Dorchester, "Dorchester: Greenland Pioneer," 1969 2 3
Manuscripts, Non-Fiction, The Sinking of the Dorchester, "Immortal Americana (A Journey Into the Unknown)," undated 2 4
Manuscripts, Non-Fiction, The Sinking of the Dorchester, "The Log of an American Sailor," 1943-1944 2 5
Manuscripts, Non-Fiction, The Sinking of the Dorchester, "The Log of the Five Trips of the Dorchester," 1942-1943 2 6
Manuscripts, Non-Fiction, The Sinking of the Dorchester, "The Sinking of a Transport," undated 2 7
Manuscripts, Non-Fiction, The Sinking of the Dorchester, "Sinking of the Dorchester," Research Materials, 1976 3 1
Manuscripts, Non-Fiction, The Sinking of the Dorchester, "The Story of the Dorchester or the Log of an American Sailor, undated 3 2-4
Miscellaneous Writings, ca. 1940s 3 5-7
Miscellaneous Writings, ca. 1940s 4 1
Miscellaneous Writings, ca. 1940s-1950s 42-3
Miscellaneous Writings, 1952 4 4
Miscellaneous Writings, 1959-1960 45
Miscellaneous Writings, 1960 46
Miscellaneous Writings, ca. 1965-1967 4 7
Miscellaneous Writings, 1966 5 1
Miscellaneous Writings, 1968 52
Miscellaneous Writings, 1969 53
Miscellaneous Writings, 1970 54
Miscellaneous Writings, 1971 55
Miscellaneous Writings, 1972 56
Miscellaneous Writings, 1973 57
Miscellaneous Writings, 1974 61
Miscellaneous Writings, 1975 62
Miscellaneous Writings, 1976 63
Plays, "Anne's Man From Viet Nam," 1975, undated 7 7
Plays, "Beowulf," undated 7 8
Plays, "Charley Roland," undated 7 9
Plays, "Chicago Play," undated 7 10
Plays, "Emancipated Woman," undated 7 11
Plays, "God Pity the Working Man," undated 7 12
Plays, "Lord Jim," 1948, undated 7 13
Plays, "Mexico," undated 7 14
Plays, "The North," undated 7 15
Plays, "The West," undated 7 17
Plays, "Versailles," undated 7 16
Plays, "Young Faustus," undated 7 18
Poetry Collections, Miscellaneous, undated 7 3
Poetry Collections, Sunsets, ca. 1930s-1940s 6 6
Poetry Collections, "In This World of Ours," undated 7 2
Poetry Collections, "The Privileged Moment" and "Poetical Concepts," undated 7 1
Poetry Collections and Other Works, Miscellaneous, 1941, undated 65
Poetry Collections and Other Works, Miscellaneous, 1967, undated 64
Short Stories, Manuscripts, 1938, undated 7 4-5
Short Stories, Plots, undated 7 6

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Last edited on Monday, October 15, 2001.
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