Category Archives: Person

February 2, 2017 — The Importance Of Books

Dear William, Daniel, Catherine, Michael, and Sarah, (and your parents), (and any future descendants and their parents),

From some of my prior letters to you (e.g., when I wrote to William about his first book), you may have gotten the impression that I like books — well, you are RIGHT! And, you already know that even I wrote a book about some aspects of my life, and my Mom’s life.

As a law student, it was quite a challenge for me because I read relatively S L O W L Y. In comparison, Babcia Krysia is a FAST reader.

I did read books as a kid — I remember reading Heidi several times; and I read Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea (by Jules Verne) serveral times. I also read W Pustyni i w Puszczy (translated: In Desert and Wilderness; by Henryk Sienkiewicz) in Polish, Spanish, and English.

As a kid, I used to go to the Library very often, and would look at many books, on a variety of topics — and then, I would take out many books, take them home, and read them there.

When I registered for High School (Mater Christi Catholic Diocesan High School, in Astoria, N.Y.C. [I previously told you about some of my experiences there HERE and HERE]), I received HOMEWORK for the summer before I even started school! One of my assignments was the read a book called: “How To Read A Book” I though (then) that this was the siliest thing to do — to read a VERY thick book about how to read a book.

(Circa 1965) My Dad, surprised (and probably annoyed by his photo-snapping teenage son), as he was trying to read the New York Times (probably on a Sunday after church) — note our very first black and white Zenith television, purchased by my parents in 1959, when we came to America

I told you that Babcia Krysia is a fast reader — my Dad, also, was a fast reader, and he LOVED to read. I think that my children, Marek, Rysiu and Malgosia were fortunate to inherit Babcia Krysia’s reading abilities — now I hope that each of YOU also inherited the ability to read and comprehend quickly, and that you enjoy and read MANY good books.

Love,

Dziadziuś Paweł.

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2017-01-28: Sarah’s First Birthday Celebration

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January 25, 2017 — Sto Lat Sarah!!!

Dear William, Daniel, Catherine, Michael, and Sarah, (and your parents), (and any future descendants and their parents),

OK everyone, let’s gather around — today is Sarah’s FIRST Birthday! So, let’s all sing for her:

Lyrics:

Sto lat, sto lat,
Niech żyje, żyje nam.
Sto lat, sto lat,
Niech żyje, żyje nam,
Jeszcze raz, jeszcze raz,
Niech żyje, żyje nam,
Niech żyje nam!

This translates roughly into English as:

100 years, 100 years,
May he/she live, live for us.
100 years, 100 years,
May he/she live, live for us.
Once again, once again,
May he/she live, live for us,
May he/she live for us!

Let’s keep the party going!:

And, now in Spanish!:

Happy birthday Sarah!

Love,

Dziadziuś Paweł.

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January 21, 2017 — The Women’s March & Our Constitution

Dear William, Daniel, Catherine, Michael, and Sarah, (and your parents), (and any future descendants and their parents),

Earlier today, Michael, Daniel, Malgosia, Babcia Krysia and I marched — we marched in the Westfield (N.J.) “sister” march of the Women’s March on Washington. Westfield’s March was one of six in New Jersey. According to the Women’s March on Washington, 673 marches took place worldwide and more than 2.5 million people RSVPed to participate. In Westfield, several thousand people participated in the “Sister March.”

Here are some photos from our March:

So, why were me marching? Well, I recently told you about Mr. Trump being elected president of the United Sates of America — he actually became president yesterday, when the Inauguration ceremony was held. So, today, many people wanted to express their disapproval of Mr. Trump’s actions and behavior. To express that disapproval, a protest march was organized. Our right to hold a protest march is protected under our Constitution.

A constitution is a document that explains the social contract that had been entered by a group of people, and is applicable to all people who enter the country that it applies to (in our case, the United States of America) — it is a basic law that describes the rights and powers of the citizens, and their government.

Signing the Constitution, September 17, 1787

Our Constitution was signed on September 17, 1787. After it was signed, it needed to be approved (“ratified”) by all the sates — here is a map of the states that existed then, and the dates when each of them ratified our Constitution:

Shortly after the United States agreed on its Constitution, the people of Poland decided that this was a good idea, and they agreed to have their constitution as well. The Polish Constitution was created on May 3, 1791 — it was the first constitution of its kind in Europe.

The Polish Constitution of May 3, 1791 was a milestone in the history of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth and the high point of the Polish Enlightenment.

If you want to find out who the various people are who are depicted in this painting, go HERE.

But, let’s get back to the U.S. Constitution — that is what protects US.

The Preamble to our Constitution says:

We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.

The Preamble is followed by seven Articles — Article I is the basis for the Legislative branch of our government; Article II is the basis for the Executive branch of our government; and Article III is the basis for the Judicial branch of our government. Be aware of the fact that our government is made up of THREE branches of government.

If you want to read the entire Constitution, go HERE.

Two years after the signing of the Constitution, people decided that some amendments were necessary — they started off by enacting ten amendments — now known as the Bill of Rights.

The very First Amendment states:

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

Thus, the First Amendment states the the government cannot restrict our freedom of speech, nor our right to get together with others for peaceful purposes. THIS is what gives us the right to march and protest.

People have been protesting in the U.S. since before there even was a U.S. — an example is The Boston Tea Party.

Examples, in my lifetime, were the Vietnam War Protests; and the voting rights marches.

I did not take part in those protest marches, and I do feel guilty about that — especially about not taking part in the voting rights marches.

As a family, our first involvement with social justice was participating in the Rally to Restore Sanity and/or Fear that took place on October 30, 2010.

Marek, Rysiu, Krysia & Kelly at the Rally to Restore Sanity and/or Fear

A year later, Babcia Krysia and I visited the Occupy Wall Street protest in N.Y.C.

Babcia Krysia at the Occupy Wall Street protest.

So, what I want you to get from all of this is that as Americans, we have the right to protest against the faults of our government — but, remember, the protest MUST be peaceful.

Free speech is an American right; but, be careful how you use it — you cannot stand up in a crowded movie theatre and yell “Fire!”

All rights must be balanced with responsibilities — if you are going to march in protest, obtain a permit to do so — from the photos of our “Sister” March you see that the Police were fully involved; they protected us; and they protected the civil peace so motorists would be inconvenienced to the least amount possible.

Love,

Dziadziuś Paweł.

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2017-01-21: Women’s March

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January 15, 2017 — Marriage & How Babcia Krysia Became a Contender

Dear William, Daniel, Catherine, Michael, and Sarah, (and your parents), (and any future descendants and their parents),

You may remember how I told you about the night that Babcia Krysia became a contender — well, that leads me to a larger topic: Marriage.

Marriage means different things to different people (some believe that it is a union between a man and a woman; some believe that it is a life-long union; etc.) — I will give you MY perspective.

To me, marriage is a commitment, a contract, between two persons, who agree to work together to form a family; who agree to love each other; and who agree to support each other.

When two people marry, they create a new bud in a family tree — actually, in two family trees. Before the marriage there were two families, each with its own heritage, its own history, and its own customs — but, once one member of one of these two separate families marries the other person, who is a member of the other family, that marriage joins the two families into a new, larger family. And, the couple who got married, become a new bud, from which a new family branch may grow. That branch can create additional diversity, if one or more child is born, or added by adoption.

So looking at our family — there was the Weglewski family, from which Prababcia Irena Neumann (nee Weglewska) came; and there was the Neumann family, from which Pradziadek Hernyk Neumann came; and there was the Dzikowski family, from which Prababcia Irene Kostro (nee Dzikowska) came; and there was the Kostro family, from which Pradziadek George Kostro came.

Prababcia Irene Kostro and Pradziadek George Kostro met, and married — that united the Dzikowski family and the Kostro family. I came from that joined family.

Circa 1948

Prababcia Irena Neumann and Pradziadek Hernyk Neumann met, and married — that united the Weglewski family and the Neumann family. Babcia Krysia came from that joined family.

Circa 1950

When I was much younger, I started dating girls — I already told you a bit about that. I dated many girls; however, as I got older, I started thinking seriously about marriage. To me, marriage was the beginning of a new family — I hoped to have children; and I was committed to a life-long relationship. So, I started thinking about what marriage meant to me. To that end, I needed to think about who I was.

I thought of myself as being Argentinian by birth; Polish by decent; and American by choice; and a Roman-Catholic. At that time, I was active in the Polish community, particularly in the Polish Scouting movement in the United States. I came from a good family; I was educating myself; and I was ambitious.

It was important to me to find someone who can relate to me; and to whom I could related as well — thus, a common heritage became a focal point. I dated girls of various backgrounds, but when there was a lack of common heritage and a lack of common life experiences, the relationships were often very superficial. Some of the girls I dated were BEAUTIFUL, but I was keenly aware that beauty is only skin-deep. I wanted more — I wanted someone who would be a good Mom to my children; I wanted someone who would be good to me; I wanted someone who would understand where I was coming from.

And so, the night that Babcia Krysia became a contender, I thought to myself — wow, she is very nice. Of course, there was the problem that I had a girlfriend; and Babcia Krysia had a boyfriend; but, we did have commonality — we both spoke Polish and English; we each knew a bit of Polish history, and how it related to our American lives; we both came from “Polish families,” that shared the experiences of World War II; we both were involved in Polish Scouting; we were both Roman-Catholic; we both enjoyed the outdoors; and we both believed in education — actually, at that time, Babcia Krysia envisioned herself being a perpetual student, always learning new things [that changed — she is no-longer interested in going to school].

When we began dating, Babcia Krysia and I spoke to each other in English; but, when we went to each other’s houses, both of us could communicate with the entire family — including those who did not speak English.

I learned quickly how wonderful Babcia Krysia was — she was fun; she was adventurous; she was open-minded; she was good-looking; she was smart; she understood the world as I perceived it; and she shared my vision of being a good parent and having a happy family.

Over time, before we married, we talked to each other — we got to know each other, we got to really like each other, and we started to love each other. That love began to grow; it grew with the respect we had for each other — to the point that I decided that I wanted to marry her (convincing HER was now the challenge — for that I used every trick I could think of; with success achieved on December 25, 1971, when she said “YES.” We were married the following June — June 3, 1972.

Our Wedding Invitation

June 3, 1972: our wedding

So, when YOU decide to marry some day, if you decide to marry (I hope you will), be aware that getting married is easy, but being a good spouse requires a LOT of hard work. Before you marry, think about who YOU are; and what YOU want in life. When you consider candidates for your spouse, think about how that person will help you to be happy; how that person will help you achieve your goals and dreams; and be sure that YOU are equally committed to making your spouse happy; and to helping your spouse achieve THEIR goals and dreams.

Should YOUR marriages turn out to be as wonderful as mine was (and is), I am VERY happy for you — and, I congratulated you on your fine choice!

Love,

Dziadziuś Paweł.

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December 22, 2016 — Matrix Division

Dear William, Daniel, Catherine, Michael, and Sarah, (and your parents), (and any future descendants and their parents),

Some time ago, I told you about Your Great-Grandfather Kostro’s Resume. On Page 2 of that Resume, in the Publications section, at the top of the page, notice the second entry: Matrix Division. Well, I received a copy of that Paper from my Dad sometime after it was published in June 1963 — I probably received my copy from my Dad in 1968 or 1969. Here is a copy of that Paper for you to review:

1963_06_MatrixDivision

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[If you want to print-out this Paper, go HERE]
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I believe that I received my copy in 1968 or 1969 because at that time I was taking courses in Calculus and Matrix Algebra in college.

I remember enjoying Mathematics in school (EXCEPT Geometry!!!). In high school, I took Algebra, Geometry, and beginner Calculus. Then, in college, I took Algebra (college edition); followed by Differential Calculus, then Integral Calculus and Matrix Algebra.

However, I did not fully appreciate the power of my mathematical knowledge until I began programming computers to solve financial problems at my job at Kuhn Loeb. There, as I was trying to figure out how to solve a financial problem, I remembered about the Paper that my Dad had given me several years back. I found that paper, read it MANY times, trying to understand it, and I reviewed my text books, particularly my Matrix Algebra text book; and slowly, it all came to me — and, just as I suspected; magic happened!

To help me remember the process, I wrote my own notes (which I still have) and here they are for your benefit, should you ever want to play around with Matrix Algebra:

MatrixDivision-PGKnotes

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[If you want to print-out these notes, go HERE]
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I have to admit, as I look at my notes and my Dad’s Paper now, “it’s all Greek to me.” But then, in the early to mid-1970’s, this was magic — I could solve equations that no one else could (by that, I mean, none of my peers could). Translating this mathematical knowledge into computer code allowed me to write programs that could solve complex financial problems, giving my employer an advantage over our competition. For example, when we were dealing with Ship Financing, I could structure the loan in a way that fit the client’s special needs — be that, no payments for several years, or some other requirements the client had. I had a GREAT time doing this!

Since I owe all this success to my Dad, let me show you a few pictures where he is in them: