Polish Falcons of America was honored to receive the Custodian of National Memory from the Institute of National Remembrance (IPN) on Saturday, April 15. The Award ceremonies were held as part of the IPN Congress of National Remembrance held April 13-15 at the National Stadium located in Warsaw, Poland. PFA National President Timothy L. Kuzma accepted the Award for the organization.
“On behalf of the Polish Falcons of America, the National Board of Directors, the Executive Committee, the Staff at National Headquarters, and the entire Membership of our organization, I’m deeply humbled to accept this award today. And to be able to be here to accept it in person is an honor that I’ll always treasure, “President Kuzma said as he accepted the Award. He added, “I stand before you today not alone as National President, but I stand here together with thousands upon thousands of Members, and leaders of this organization. For the past 15 years, I have had the great privilege of serving as President of the Polish Falcons, but I’m just a caretaker. I stand on the shoulders of countless men and women who led and worked for this organization before me through its great history, and many great, awe-inspiring individuals. I speak for all our Members, past and present, when I say Thank You. Dziękuję Bardzo for this honor.”
In July 2002, the President of the IPN, Professor Leon Kieres, created the Custodian of National Memory Award, which is an award for particularly active participation in commemorating the history of the Polish Nation in the period from 1939 to 1989, as well as for public activities similar to the statutory goals of the Institute.
The candidates for the award may be recognized by institutions, social and academic organizations, and individuals. It possess an honorary character, and its winners receive the title of Custodian of National Memory. The purpose of the award is to restore respect for the past of the nation and to also protect the values thanks to which Poland survived many years of repression.
During 2019, the Polish Falcons agreed to donate its historic archives to IPN for the purpose of preservation and safekeeping. IPN then sent out a small team that spent one month at National Headquarters looking through the archives and selecting items to send back to Poland. In the end, nine pallet boxes of documents, records, photos, banners, and other artifacts were sent to IPN.
In September 2022, the IPN opened up an exhibit which celebrated the 135th Anniversary of PFA’s founding in the United States. This fantastic exhibit was hosted by the Casimir Pulaski Museum which is located in Warka, Poland, south of Warsaw, and was open through the end of March 2023.
While traveling to Warsaw, Druh Kuzma visited the IPN office to see some of the completed work on the archives donated in 2019. For example, photos have been restored and are now in safe storage. In addition, documents like posters and Membership cards are being restored and preserved.
“There is quite a lot of work ahead for IPN as we gave them thousands of documents, photos, etc.,” said President Kuzma. “But it is encouraging to see the progress that has been made and will continue into the future.”