Correspondent photo / Bill Koch Aubree Lewis of Girard was one of three $1,000 Polish Arts Club scholarship recipients. She attends Kent State University with a major in communications. The others were Maja Ruth Froehlich of Krakow, Poland, who attends Pontifical University of John Paul II with a major in journalism, and Sophie Davis of Boardman, who attends KSU with a major in biology/pre-medicine.

YOUNGSTOWN — Sunday afternoon was teatime at the Butler Institute of American Art’s North Annex as the Polish Arts Club hosted its annual Scholarship Tea, a tradition going back to its founding in 1935.

PAC treasurer Ken Giba said many people emigrated from Poland in the 1930s, and Polish Art Clubs flourished in cities with an expanding Polish population, especially in the Midwest. Besides PAC’s focus on arts and culture, from an early age its goal was “to help immigrant families send their kids to college,” Giba said.

He added that when PAC started, Joseph Butler welcomed them into the art museum he established 16 years earlier. Giba said longtime director Lou Zona has been an advocate and has supported them continuing to use the museum’s space.

PAC secretary Lisa Skomra-Lotze said, “I have become a better American when I learned of all the contributions Polish people have made from the beginning of this country. In every state, something is named after (Revolutionary War heroes) Kosciuszko or Pulaski.”

The Rev. Joseph Rudjak, retired pastor of Holy Apostles Parish in Youngstown, gave the invocation, noting that “ethnicity and diversity give us more fullness of life.”

Rudjak was raised at the former St. Casimir Church in the Brier Hill area of the city’s North Side, which had a strong Polish affiliation.

Tea Reception committee member Marta Mazur offered a tribute for International Women’s Day and talked about the artwork on display, while Alexandria Copich shared some of PAC’s history, noting that she was born in 1936, the year after PAC started.

Eden Lesnansky of the Youngstown State University Slavic Students Association recited a poem by Jan Kasprowicz. Titled “The Ballad of the Sunflower,” the refrain was “what matters is dancing.” Stanley Gerchak recited the same poem in Polish.

Harpist Kirk Kupensky, of Masury received a PAC scholarship in 1982. He returned for the program and performed several selections, ending with Polish composer Frederic Chopin.

Kupensky described the scholarship as “a validation” that what he was doing mattered. He graduated from YSU’s Dana School of Music and has had a successful career in performing and teaching.

The recipients of $1,000 scholarships were Maja Ruth Froehlich of Krakow, Poland, who attends Pontifical University of John Paul II for journalism; Aubree Lewis of Girard, who attends Kent State University for communications; and Sophie Davis of Boardman, who attends Kent State University for biology/pre-medicine.

Davis said she was named Sophie after her great-grandmother, who emigrated from Poland as one of eight children and raised 11 children of her own. Although she died before Davis was born, Davis said “I carry a piece of her with me.”

PAC president Mary Ann Mlynarski was to be surprised with an award for her lifetime of devotion to the organization. Unfortunately, she was unable to attend because of illness. Mlynarski has strong roots in PAC, as her aunt, Florence Turowski, was one of the founding members.

At the conclusion of the program, attendees hovered around two well-stocked tables and enjoyed cookies while club members served tea.

Lynn Anderson of Youngstown has attended for several years.

“They do a lot of good things, including scholarships, and the music program is stellar,” Anderson said.

Rebecca Banks of Youngstown agreed. She found it “beautiful and calming” and said she always learns a lot about Polish culture and history.

PAC welcomes new members. “You can be Polish or partially Polish or just have an interest,” Giba said.

Anyone who wants to learn more can visit the club on Facebook at PolishArtsClubofYoungstown90th or e-mail pacofyoungstown@yahoo.com.

Committee member Karen Barr (originally Barczykowska) of North Lima summed it up: “It’s a beautiful culture and we should preserve it and promote it.”