Elena Broszkowska, Caracas

Władysław Broszkowski (1919-2018) Caracas (Venezuela)

These lines are a small homage to a great father and noble person. In 1919, Władysław Broszkowski was born in Winnica in Podole (now Ukraine), as the first son of Stanisław Broszkowski and Katarzyna Rudzińska, to be followed by three siblings: Wanda, Maria and Stanisław. He grew up in Legionowo, Poland, where the family resided, to become a brilliant young man. He attended the Gimnazjum Zgromadzenia Kupców at Waliców street in Warsaw (business secondary school run by the Merchants' Council) where he passed his final exam in 1938 and then he was going to start his undergraduate studies at the Politechnika Warszawska (today: Warsaw University of Technology) in the field of electrical engineering. This had to be preceded by military service. After the Second World War broke out, Władysław served at the front in the Cyclist Company of the 13th Regiment of the 10th Infantry Division commanded by Gen. Franciszek Dindorf-Ankowicz. Soon, taken prisoner of war near Radzymin by Germans and spent six precious years from his youth (19-24) in Prisoner Camps in Germany (Prisoner's No. 1708/IIB): Arnswalde, Oberlangen, Wesuwe, Versen, Bathorn, Hoffnungsthal, Brauweiler and finally, and when clandestine communication with Poland was discovered, Władysław was sent to Buchenwald (building No. 39, 1944), as political prisoner marked with big red triangle and a letter P on his back. When the war ended, he could not return to Poland due to the communist system, and instead, he remained in Germany, graduated from the Technische Hochschule in München as a Civil Engineer (1949) and married (1950) his beloved Paula Schmid, seven years his junior, and a bright and energetic German woman. Władysław and Paula Broszkowski Władysław and Paula decided to emigrate to the United States, because even being married to a German spouse, he was not allowed to work in Germany. However, due to certain American immigration restrictions, their visa was not approved in time and they emigrated to Venezuela, South America, instead. On May 1, 1951 they arrived at Puerto Cabello with the last UNRRA travel of the General Taylor ship, and started their home as a young couple in the capital, Caracas, under a military governing body, that was soon replaced by a military dictatorship from General Marcos Perez Jimenez (December 1952, January 1958). The Broszkowski Schmid family had one son and three daughters: Estanislao (1952), Eva (1954), Elena (1960) and Cora (1963). In 1960 they decided to create a family business of importing surveying equipment from the Swiss brand Wild Herbrugg. This has been the family business ever since (now representing the Leica brand) and all the members of the family still live in Caracas, Venezuela. Władysław Broszkowski was a ping-pong champion in his youth, winning tournaments while being a war prisoner, when he was studying in Bavaria and later in Caracas. He also played soccer in Warsaw and in the prisoner camps, and was a tennis player in doubles with his wife Paula before their started their family business. He speaks five languages: Polish, Spanish, German, English and French and still reads in most of them. He has a great memory and enjoys his Sunday family gatherings, when he surfs the Internet with the help of his daughter Eva. He never used a computer while he was working, but is now a fan of Wikipedia, YouTube and other interesting information sources. Władysław loves to sing and dance and has a great sense of humor. He had some health problems a few years ago, but is now in good health, under the constant care of his nurse Jorgina. On Sundays he goes to the Altamira Tennis Club in Caracas and enjoys the company of his wife, his children and grandchildren, while having a delicious lunch, which he eats with great appetite. He loves to eat ice cream and plates prepared with meat and sweet sauces. He has a wonderful mane of white hair and we often joke that it is an Einstein mane, that goes well with his wit. May we all age so gracefully as Władysław Broszkowski, who is now living a second youth. He died in 2018, at the age of nearly 100 years.

Elena Broszkowska Main