Running Head: POLISH AMERICANS

Polish Americans
Keely Sopko
Wayne State University

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A Polish-American family, named the Gawrons will be the main focus of this research.
This study will present artifacts, documents, and photographs linked to their history. The
research will also reveal aspects such as their standard ways of coping, challenges that led to
crisis, migration patterns, religious beliefs, attitudes towards illness and death, help-seeking
behaviors, attitudes toward deviance, and child rearing practices. The analysis will also uncover
what cultural identity aspects may influence the researchers work as a social worker. The
involvement of other cultures within the family and how these affected the primarily Polish
culture will also be discussed. All of these concepts tied together will provide an understanding
of the Polish-American family named the Gawrons.
Migration Patterns
The researchers step-paternal side of the family was named Gawron. The family can be
traced as far back as the late 1800s with the birth of Aniela Lepiarz and Ludwik (otherwise
known as Louis) Gawron. According to their applications for U.S. citizenship, Aniela was born
on May 29, 1883 and Ludwik was born on December 12, 1875. The two married in Szewno,
Poland in February of 1900. This couple had two children before they decided to travel to
America. The children were both girls named Gladys and Sophie. According to the researchers
Aunt Joanne, the couple left Poland at separate times because they lived in White Russia
which was a part of Poland that bordered Russia and it was becoming a terrible place to reside.
When they resided in Poland, their home had floors made of dirt (Gawron-Gradowski, 2001, p.
1). Sophie, who was an infant passed away on the boat traveling to America (GawronGradowksi, p. 3). Research done by various family members pointed to measles as being her
cause of death but no one can say that this is one-hundred percent accurate. Aniela and Ludwik
began a journey of migration to America in hopes of achieving a better life. The couple had

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another son named Frankie and his birthplace is unclear, however, he passed away from an
appendicitis attack in East Chicago when he was under a year old (Gawron-Gradwoski, p. 3).
After arriving in East Chicago, Indiana where they initially chose to settle, the couple had two
more children, John and Stanley (Gawron-Gradowski, p. 3). On the same day that Aniela gave
birth to John or Stanley, she had supper ready on the table by the time Ludwik returned home
from work (Gawron-Gradowksi, p. 3). The Gawron family moved to Michigan and there Aniela
and Ludwik expanded their family with baby Helen and later with baby Joesph (GawronGradowki, p. 3). According to Ashford and LeCroy (2013), the Gawron family defined what
many sociologists define as family, they got married, had children, and developed a kinship (p.
160). Much later, Joseph became the researchers grandfather.
Immediate Family Background
Joseph Gawron later married Edith Fournier. Joe and Edith had three children Joanne,
Jospeh Jr., and Leonard, otherwise known as Lenny. The researchers Uncle Lenny never had
any children. The researchers Aunt Joanne married Doug Fowler and had three children, Mike,
Patrick, and Geoff. The two divorced years later. Joseph Jr. married Mary Jordan on May 12,
1978. Jospeh Jr. became the researchers step-father when she was three years old. He raised
the researcher as his own child and due to the absence of her biological father, Joseph Jr. has
always been referred to as her dad. Joseph Jr. and Mary had another child named Hillari on
April 25, 1979.
Mary Jordan came from a long line of strong women who were Scottish,
Czechoslovakian, and German. As a result of Mary coming from a long line of strong women
who lost many loved ones to death, they exhibited good coping ability (Ashford & LeCroy,
2013, p. 236). Even though, the Polish culture played a dominant role in the researchers

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upbringing, the strong patriarchal household dynamic ended with the researchers immediate
family. The researchers mother made all of the big decisions and everyone knew that she was
the boss of the family. This may constitute as a compromise between the culture of origin and
the other secondary cultures that the maternal side possessed. However, still certain concepts of
patriarchy existed, such as the researchers father being labeled as the breadwinner and the
mother being a stay at home mom.
Family Crisis and Coping
Various crisis hit the Gawron family as the years passed. Following the passing of
Sophie and Frank, Aniela and Ludwik lost another son. John passed away in 1923 during the
alcohol prohibition in America (Gawron-Gradowski, 2001, p. 7). Originally Johns death was
thought to be from alcohol poisoning but autopsy reports indicated that the cause of his passing
was from organ failure (Gawron-Gradowski, p. 7). However, various family members indicated
that he may have had a drinking problem. Additionally, because it occurred during prohibition
and he was only nineteen years old, the Gawron family is skeptical about believing that he
passed away from organic failure. Along with this tragedy, many other calamities were to come.
The researchers grandfather Joseph Gawron Jr. fought in World War II, where he
became a prisoner of war. In fact, while he was held in the concentration camp his leg was
severely injured. The doctor he saw planned to amputate it. However, because the doctor was
from Poland and Joseph spoke Polish he was able to convince him that amputation was not the
best solution. Following that misfortune, Leonard Gawron was drafted into Vietnam. According
to the researchers Aunt Joanne, it was during Vietnam that Lenny buried eighteen of his buddies
as he will explain when he is in a drunken state.

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All of these tragedies led to the frequent abuse of alcohol among men in the Gawron
family, along with posttraumatic stress disorder stemming from previous war experiences.
Posttraumatic stress disorder is a psychological disorder in which an individual may feel as
though they reliving a traumatic event, sometimes years or months after the original occurrence
(Ashford & LeCroy, 2013, pp. 315-316). The coping skills of these men manifested into the
consumption of alcohol in large amounts to bury the horrible feelings they were experiencing.
This also reflected in their help-seeking behaviors. Joseph Gawron Sr. absolutely despised going
to the doctors office and therefore chose to not seek medical attention when he fell ill. He
almost had his leg amputated by a doctor and for this reason, he was adamant about not seeking
medical help. As a result of the absence of help-seeking behaviors, the researchers Uncle Lenny
remains an alcoholic to this day. The maternal side of the researchers family looks down upon
this deviant behavior because they hae suffered loss of life from alcohol abuse. However, even
though the paternal side of the family realizes that these issues are present, they choose not to
recognize or discuss them. The researcher found that it was difficult for Aunt Joanne to discuss
alcoholism. As a result of their family members deviant behavior, Joanne and Joseph Jr. attend
regular doctors appointments and eat healthy in order to maintain fit lifestyles.
Culture and Ethnicity Development
Polish people come from a homogeneous ethnic culture. One of the strongest aspects of
our culture is the Polish language. Edith and Josephs grandchildren were all taught to call their
grandparents Busia and Jaja. These are the Polish names for grandma and grandpa.
Additionally, Edith used to say to all of her grandkids daj me buzi which meant give me a kiss.
These Polish phrases have been passed on throughout the years. Gawron family members still
use them today.

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Another aspect of Polish culture that occurred frequently when the Polish migrated to
America was the changing of their last names. The last name Gawron was often misspelled and
mispronounced as Gawson. The newspaper article that referenced Johns death was titled
Gawsons Death Due to Natural Causes (Gawron-Gradowski, p. 7). Two members of the
Gawron family changed their last names. Helen and John, who were Aniela and Josephs
children, changed their last name to Gawson while enrolled in elementary school (GawronGradowski, 2001, p. 7). The researchers Aunt Joanne explained that many Poles came to
America and changed their last names to assimilate to American culture. Piaget explains the
process of assimilation as what we perceive in the external world does not always fit our
internal schemata, or what we know. So we can assimilate new information into our existing
schemata or thought structures and thereby change what we perceive (Ashford & LeCroy, 2013,
p. 103).
Other aspects of the Gawron family culture include a strong nuclear and patriarchal
family organization. However, according to Cultural Approaches (2014), American Poles had to
assimilate to the American way of life, which included a more significant role for women within
the family (para. 3). This occurred with the researchers immediate family. The tradition of a
wife having supper ready for the husband when he returned home from work continued on to the
researchers immediate family. However, the women had more voice in the family business than
they did when Aniela was a wife (Cultural Approaches, 2014, para. 3). Mary Gawron, the
researchers mother was declared the decision maker in the family. This could very possibly be
a negotiated compromise of Mary and Josephs cultures and ethnic beliefs.
Another very predominant aspect of Polish culture is Catholicism. The researcher was
raised in a family of practicing Catholics. The Gawron family attended church on a weekly

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basis. Catholic events such as baptisms, first communions, confirmations, marriages and funerals
all took place in the Catholic Church. Special holidays such as Easter and Christmas were
celebrated with a church mass and family get together following. The birth and death of Jesus
Christ were extremely important Polish Catholic holidays.
Cultural Identity and Values
The researchers cultural identity has already influenced her to become a social worker.
The Gawron familys social problems such as alcoholism and mental illnesses are the primary
reason for the researcher choosing social work as a profession, specializing in substance abuse
and mental health. Throughout the years, the researcher has become aware of the significance of
person-in-environment assessments due to her family experiences (Ashford & LeCroy, 2013, p.
35). The four factors of PIE have guided the researcher in coping with individuals that suffer
from these ailments (Ashford & LeCroy, 2013, p. 35). The researcher has always looked beyond
the individual for more reasons why these illnesses have occurred. For this reason, the
knowledge that the researcher has established in regard to mental health has assisted her in being
open-minded. Social workers perceive open-mindedness as a desirable value to possess in the
profession. The researchers values from her cultural identity only enhance her ability to remain
objective with vulnerable populations. There are some cultural aspects that may hinder the
researchers ability to become a social worker. The Catholic religion has many discriminatory
views that were taught to her as a child. Since the family was so dedicated to the Catholic
religion this may pose as a barrier in her profession. However, the researchers family has faced
many trials and tribulations and this sparked her interest to become more educated in regard to
social problems. For this reason, the researcher believes that her choice to become a social
worker is a good fit.

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References

Ashford, J., & LeCroy, C. (2013). Human behavior in the social environment: a
multidimensional perspective (5th ed., pp. 35-316). Belmont, CA: Brooks/Cole.
Cultural Approaches to Pediatric Palliative Care in Central Massachusetts. (2014, October 28).
Retrieved from
http://libraryguides.umassmed.edu/content.php?pid=94770&sid=1137493.
Gawron Gradowksi, Helen J. (2001). Remembering. (p. 1-7). Mt. Morris, MI: Krapohl Senior
Center.

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