Hanna Krynicka was born in Poland in 1928. With escalating tensions in her home country during World War II, Ms. Krynicka made the difficult decision to leave Poland and emigrated west across Europe, eventually coming to New York, and finally settling in Arcadia, California in the 1970s with her husband Witold and son Andrew.  She and her husband were lifelong learners and instilled a passion of learning in their son, who earned a Bachelor’s degree from Columbia University and a Master’s degree from UCLA. Through her life experiences, Ms. Krynicka developed a deep appreciation of education and U.S. veterans.  It is this appreciation that led to an endowment with the Polish University Club of Los Angeles to provide scholarships annually through the Hanna Krynicka Endowment Fund, benefiting high-achieving youth of Polish heritage.

Several years ago, PUCLA President Ewa O’Neal had the pleasure of meeting Ms. Krynicka:

Before the pandemic, Hanna Krynicka expressed interest in the Polish University Club Los Angeles (PUCLA). I offered to meet her in person at her residence. The visit lasted a few hours as we both enjoyed chatting. Ms. Krynicka liked speaking in Polish and was a delight to talk with.  We spoke not only about Poland, of course, and how we both got to the USA, but also about the PUCLA, family, friends, health, and TV. She really enjoyed gardening and showed me her garden.

Sadly, that was the only time we met in person. We spoke a few times on the phone and exchanged Christmas cards, but the pandemic made it hard to get together. I am glad we met, and I have a wonderful memory of this smart, interesting and kind lady.  She passed away in 2023.