A native of San Francisco, Dr Potasz graduated from Loyola University Chicago with a medical doctorate in 1926 and went on to specialize in ophthalmology. While at LUC, he was a member of Lambda Rho Honorary Fraternity. After medical school, Dr Potasz moved to Southern California to intern at San Diego County Hospital and subsequently moved to the Los Angeles area.
Seeing the need to create a society for Polish-American professionals, Dr Potasz, along with his brother Michael and other members of the Polish-American community of Southern California, founded the PUCLA in November 1947. Originally, a social club whose objective was to promote Polish culture and to provide a networking framework for its members, the PUCLA has evolved over the years to become the premier organization for providing scholarships to Polish-American students in Southern California.
This was made possible only through the endowment left by Dr Potasz after his death in 1973. A proud alumnus, Dr Potasz’s endowment also benefits Loyola University Chicago.