Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!
Before I give my thanks, I would first like to discuss the next Featured Profile.
Leone (Jankowski) Wozinski (1900 - 1991) -
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| (As published in the Milwaukee Journal) |
Stephen M. Leahy, the biographer of Clement Zablocki, credits Leone (spelled "Leonne on her death notice) with affecting the start his political career. Leone was the younger sister of Clement's mother. Even though a generation ahead of Clement, she was only twelve years his senior. By the late 1930's, when Clement was a young man considering a run in politics, Leonne was already a leader in many of the community organizations. Through Leone's connections, Clement was able to socialize with many diverse members of the community in small settings. It was these types of gatherings in which Clement was at his best, and many voters left those meetings with a favorable impression of the young Clement. After his election to Congress, Clement made Leone his Milwaukee secretary. It is not clear whether this was a reward to her help in the election, or because he recognized her talents.
However, it is not for her connection to Clement Zablocki that Leone is recognized here. Rather, it is for her voluntary service in many of the community organizations. Her death noticed listed the various groups in which she was involved. They included:
St. Francis Hospital, Board of Trustees, St. Francis Hospital Foundation and St. Francis Hospital Guild, Catholic Social Services Board of Directors, Past President and Treasurer of the former St. Joseph's Home for Children, Alverno College President's Committee, International Institute and Holiday Folk Fair, national Director and Secretary of the Polish Roman Catholic Union, Wisconsin Poland's Millennium Committee, Xaverian Father's Lay Advisors Board, Polish National Alliance Council No. 8 and Womens Division of Circuit XIV, Polish Veteran of WWII, Polish American Congress, Milwaukee Society Group 2159 PNA Ladies Auxiliary, Polish Womens Cultural Club-Polanki, Pierre Marquette Auxiliary No. 524 KC, Ethnic Advisory Council, Democratic Party of Wisconsin, and St. Cecilia Society of St. Vincent DePaul Church.
For all this work, Leone was recognized as a Polish American of the Year by the Milwaukee Society of the Polish National Alliance. She was the first woman to receive that award. From the Polish government, she received the
Order of Polonia Restituta, 1976 Honorary.
Leone was born in the province of Poznan in German-controlled Poland in about 1900. (This is based on the 1910 and 1920 census records. The source cited below states she was born in Milwaukee.) She was the youngest child of John and Josephine Jankowski. Her parents brought her, and most of the rest of the family, including Josephine's mother, Suzanna Haddak, to Milwaukee when Leone was nine years old. She attended St. Vincent de Paul grade school and graduated from Our Lady of Mercy Academy (later known as Mercy High School). She married Leon Wozinski on June 20, 1923. She died in Milwaukee on October, 16, 1991.
Path From Nearest Featured Profile: Clement J. Zablocki > mother, Mary (Jankowski) Zablocki > sister, Leonne (Jankowski) Wozinski
Sources:
See also,
"Polish Alliance to Hail Aide to Zablocki," Milwaukee Journal, October 13, 1976, p.73 (on Google News.)
Thanksgiving:
I would also like to take this opportunity to express my thanks to all those individuals who have helped the Milwaukee Poloinia Project since it official start:
Eugene Bielinski – for his research on the Descendants of
John Klafka
Joachim Cyran - for providing baptism, marriage and death records for Gromadno, Blugowo and Wirsitz, and to his daughter for indexing some of those records
Sharyl Fischback - for her information and photographs of the Kowalkowski family
Chuck Hardt – for his information and photos
of the Joseph Domachowski family
Holly Kobza - for her information on the Kobza family
David Komassa – for his information on the
Komassa family
Mary Krier – for her information on the
Orlikowski family and the picture of the Polish Falcons, #725 in 1934 (which can be found on the
Project Facebook page.)
Diane Olson – for her information on the Orlikowski, Kitzke and Wojciechowski families and her memories of
growing up on the South Side
Pat Kuhar - for her information on the Jagodzinski family and all her time spent in the LDS library poring over photos of old Polish church records
Julie Machnik - for her information on the Machnik and Wenta families
Mary Schlem - for her information on the Jagodzinski and Ratajski families
Cindy Schultz – for her photograph of the 1942 graduating class of St. Hedwig's School
(also posted on the
Project Facebook page)
John M. Smallshaw - for allowing a republication of portions of his book, Faith Cast in Stone: The Polish Churches of Milwaukee 1866 - 2000
Brian Struzik – for his photos of the
tombstone of Katherine Wenta, for which he had to make a special trip
Lynn Szudrowitz – for retrieving requested pages
from We, the Milwaukee Poles, and for her information on the Maternowski family
Lynn Thrasher – for a copy of Poles in Wisconsin, her Sikora family tree,
and for retrieving requested copies of death notices from Kuryer Polski
Paul Wasilewski – for providing photos and
information on the descendants of Frank Wasilewski
Bill Weisrock – for his extensive research into the Descendants of Joseph
Budzisz
Finally, I would like to say that I have gotten many more contacts and offers of information. I have always tried to follow up on these offers and I sent responsive e-mail within several days. However, in many cases, I never hear from the individuals again. I don't know why this is the case. It may be that the people making the offers have forgotten, or lost interest. However, if it was because my initial response was never received, then to those individuals I say, PLEASE TRY AGAIN! I would love to get the information that you are offering.
