New York City Comptroller William C. Thompson, Jr. with honorees and co-sponsors at his Polish-American Heritage celebration at City Hall on Thursday, October 4, 2007. Pictured (back, l to r) are: Joseph E. Gore, Esq., President, Kosciuszko Foundation, Inc.; Joanna Chabowski; Thompson; Frederick A. Czulada, Chairman, General Pulaski Memorial Parade Committee, Inc.; Frank Milewski, President, Polish American Congress, Inc.-Downstate New York Division; Lt. Anne Marie B. Verbil, President, General Pulaski Association, Inc., New York City Police Department; Rev. Marek Suchocki, Pastor, St. Stanislaus Kostka Church, Staten Island; (front, l to r) Richard Zawisny, President, General Pulaski Memorial Committee, Inc; Monsignor Peter Zendzian,Holy Cross R.C., Maspeth, Queens; and, Martin Pope, Ph.D., Professor Emeritus, Department of Chemistry, New York University.

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New York City Comptroller William C. Thompson, Jr. honored four City leaders last night at his Polish Heritage celebration. The event was co-sponsored by the General Pulaski Memorial Parade Committee, Inc., the Kosciuszko Foundation, Inc., the American Center for Polish Culture, and the Polish American Congress, Inc., Downstate New York Division.

“The history of this city and the history of the Polish American community in New York are deeply entwined,” Thompson said. “We are celebrating that history. We pay tribute to the memory of the Polish New Yorkers who—in many cases—literally built this city, and we honor a special group of men and women who are continuing that tradition of achievement, community, and leadership today.”

Thompson continued: “This year’s honorees have excelled in a wide range of professional and civic pursuits. They are all motivated and dedicated New Yorkers, and they have all made extraordinary contributions to our city.”

The night’s honorees were:

• Dr. Martin Pope, a pioneer in the field of molecular semiconductors. Dr. Pope is one of the founding fathers of the field of electronic processes in organic materials and is internationally recognized for his revolutionary work in electroluminescence in organic materials, the conversion of electrical energy directly into visible light, and for his discoveries leading to organic photovoltaic films capable of efficiently transforming light into electricity. Dr. Pope is Professor Emeritus at New York University. He serves as President of the Ezra Jack Keats Foundation, which is dedicated to encouraging literacy and creativity in children through programs in public schools and libraries nationwide.

• Lt. Anne Marie Verbil, President of the Pulaski Association. Lt. Verbil served on the Pulaski Association’s Board of Officers for more than 15 years in various capacities. She was sworn in as a New York City Police Officer in 1981. Lt. Verbil is a member of the New York City Police Department’s Emerald Society, the Steuben Association, Holy Name Society, Fraternal Order of Police, Committee of Police Societies, and the International Police Association. She also is actively involved in the Rotary Club, Armagh Association, International Counter-Terrorism Officer’s Association and the International Critical Incident Stress Foundation.

• Tomaz Chabowski, a founder and Chairman to the Board of Directors for the Chopin Foundation. Born and raised in Poland, Chabowski received his Masters Degree in Environmental Engineering from Technical University and studied Economics and Construction Management at the University of Economics there. In 1987, he arrived in New York and began working as a field director in the Division of Asbestos Engineering. In 1992, he became President of Environmental Consulting for the Ando Group, Inc. In 2004, he co-founded and chaired the Board of Directors to Ando Medical, Inc. Additionally, he serves as a member to Friends of Cracow Society, the Pulaski Association of Business and Professional Men and the Polish American Congress.

• Frederick Czulada, a well known Polish-American activist. Czulada graduated from Georgetown where he earned his bachelors in Chemistry and conducted graduate research for the Air Force Office of Scientific Research. He worked designing missiles for submarines, and then moved on to Merrill Lynch, where he became the Vice President in charge of Retirement Account Operations. A self-employed Investor, Czulada is a Board Member of the Polish & Slavic Federal Credit Union. He also serves as Chairman of the Board of Trustees for the Pulaski Parade Committee, as a Trustee and the Vice President of Business Affairs to the Polish Cultural Foundation, and the 1st Vice President at Polish Children’s Heartline.

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