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Polish American Historical Association (PAHA) President Thomas Napierkowski (Professor of English, University of Colorado at Colorado Springs) presented Jan Karski Educational Foundation President Wanda Urbanska with an award to acknowledge her contributions to further public knowledge in America about Karski and his legacy at a ceremony held January 3. 

Urbanska was presented with the Skalny Civic Achievement Award from PAHA at the Polish Embassy in Washington DC in a ceremony honoring scholars and activists for various achievements. PAHA is an interdisciplinary organization devoted to the study of Polish American history and culture. Founded in 1942 as part of the Polish Institute of Arts and Sciences in America and also an affiliate of the American Historical Association, PAHA promotes research and dissemination of scholarly materials focused on Polish American history and culture, and its European origins. 

"I am greatly honored to accept this award on behalf of the many foundation supporters, several of whom are here tonight," said Urbanska in her acceptance remarks. "I want to thank board member Bozena Nowicka McLees, for traveling from Chicago to attend, Jane Robbins, who is the architect of our acclaimed new bilingual website, and Gerry Chiaruttini, 'our man in Washington' and a former Karski student." She added, "We at the foundation are busy planning Karski's centennial in 2014, with three main conferences in Washington, Chicago and Warsaw," Urbanska told the audience on a cold winter evening.

A number of historians, students and other honorees were also presented with awards: 

• The Oskar Halecki Award was presented to Beth Holmgren, for her book “Starring Madame Modjeska: On Tour in Poland and America.”
• The Amicus Poloniae was given to Peter Hetherington, a geologist and author of “Unvanquished,” a book about Joseph Pilsudski.
• Skalny Civic Achievement Awards were given to Edward J. Dybicz, a WWII veteran and tireless supporter of Polish and Polish-American activities in Pennsylvania and Delaware during the past fifty years; Susanne Lotarski, for her leadership of the Polish American Congress and the Polish Institute of Arts & Sciences; Tony Muszynski and Irene Tomaszewski, founders of “Poland in the Rockies”; and The Polish Arts Club of Buffalo for their nearly 80 years of cultural programming.
• The Mieczyslaw Haiman Award went to Dominic Pacyga, Professor of History, Department of Humanities, History and Social Sciences at Columbia College Chicago, for his writing on immigrant and working class Polish Americans and their descendants.
• The Distinguished Service Award was given to Anna Jaroszyńska-Kirchmann for her devoted service to PAHA.
• The Swastek Award went to Anna Mazurkiewicz for her article “‘Join, or Die'--The Road to Cooperation Among East European Exiled Political Leaders in the United States, 1949-1954" in Polish American Studies.
• Graduate Student Research Paper Awards were given to Marta Cieslak for her paper "Crossing the Boundaries of Modernity: The Transatlantic Journey of Polish Peasants to the United States" and to Piotr Derengowski for "Capt. Alexander Raszewski's Polish Legion and Other Less Known Polish Troops in the Union Army During the American Civil War."  
• Cleveland artist Julian Stanczak, the originator of Op Art, was presented the Creative Arts Award. The group was treated to a video about Stanczak and his contributions, made all the more amazing by the fact that he had lost one arm during WWII before immigrating to the US.

A dinner featuring Polish specialties, prepared by the Embassy’s chef, topped off the evening.