Add Your Heading Text Here
She was born on April 30, 1941, in Poland to Michalina and Franciszek Gadzala. After completing Pedagogical High School in Jelenia Gora in 1961, she began her studies at the Post-Secondary School of Physical Education in Wroclaw.
In 1962, she left Poland permanently and moved to Canada. From the very beginning of her stay in Canada, she was very involved in Polish community affairs, particularly Polish Alliance of Canada affairs. She met Irena Korsak, who was the chairperson of the PAC’s Educational Council; Irena invited her to work in the Council.
Danuta soon became the chairperson of the Council and was able to work with very devoted Polish community teachers like Michalina Wolnik, Helena Jordan and Kazimiera Budziak. She also met many other renowned teachers like Anna Lopinska, Helen Padykula, Professor Czeslaw Sadowski, Professor Tadeusz Wisza and Jesse Flis, the youngest principal in a Toronto Board of Education school at the time.
Work in the Educational Council brought her much satisfaction; teachers’ conferences, recitation competitions initiated by Michalina Wolnik, and many other valuable undertakings were organized. Her dreams of working in education came true when she completed Teacher’s College in Toronto in 1965. She was hired by the Toronto Board of Education and took on a very responsible teaching position, as part of future teacher training through model lessons.
From 1966 onwards, she taught English as a Second Language during the summer. Between 1971 and 1982, she taught evening Polish classes for adults, as part of the Heritage Language Program, and evening English as a Second Language classes organized by the Toronto Board of Education. As Lead Language Instructor, she petitioned for help for Polish and Slavic language schools. She filled this position for 11 years. She also developed the first Polish language curriculum in Canada.
In 1968, she married engineer Zygmunt Warszawski and had two children named Mateusz and Michalina.
Danuta Warszawska continued to work in Canadian education. She also belonged to The Polish Teachers’ Association in Canada and was Vice-president of its Head Executive Board.
Her volunteer work was mainly linked to The Polish Alliance of Canada. As chairperson of the Educational Council, she was one of the founders and first directors of The W. Reymont Foundation, which took on the Educational Council’s responsibilities.
Danuta remembers her years of work with the first president of The W. Reymont Foundation, Julian Dobranowski, as very pleasant and fruitful. President Dobranowski was the first to visit Lipce Reymontowskie, a place very close to the great writer’s heart, and later, Jesse Flis brought valuable documents from there to the Foundation.
When Julian Dobranowski was elected President of the PAC Head Executive Board, Danuta Warszawska returned to volunteer work after maternity leave and became President of The W. Reymont Foundation. She filled this position for 6 years.
In recognition of her work, the Foundation’s curators decided to send her to Rome for a course organized by the Lublin Catholic University. Mieczyslaw Pyra, a member of the PAC Head Executive Board, and Miss Polonia Magda Czuba, representing the Youth Alliances’ Central Board, also participated in this course.
In October 1991, Danuta Warszawska was elected Vice-president of the PAC Head Executive Board, when Stanislaw Godzisz became President. Two years later, in October 1993, she was the first woman in the history of the oldest ethnic organization in Canada to become President of its Head Executive Board. This was a period of increased organizational work and attempts to continue the work of the Alliance’s founders and to match previous volunteers like Tadeusz Glista, Julian Dobranowski, Anastazja Kozlowska, Maria Kiczma or Henryk Lopinski.
It is impossible to name everyone cherished by the Alliance’s President, who used all of her force and energy to serve the organization well. She organized many meetings in the Alliance’s office, tried to periodically inform the Alliance’s members about all issues, and called several extra Assemblies to solve certain problems that hindered the Alliance’s undertakings.
Her second term as President of the PAC was equally difficult, although it was filled with satisfying moments. Among these were: the successful flood-victim aid action in 1995; the establishment of the new PAC Branch 95 in Mississauga; the organization of a banquet in honour of the visit of Poland’s President, Lech Walesa, on March 8, 1997, at the Metro Convention Centre; the organization of a concert directed by Andrzej Rozbicki for the 90th anniversary of the PAC; and the Woman of the Year award in 1996.
Other situations were more painful, and Danuta Warszawska still finds it difficult to speak of them. For example, the Head Executive Board decided to support Branch 1-7 and its President Marek Miasik when they were sued by a prosecuting group. All financial costs were covered by PAC Branch 1-7, and the prosecuting group lost. Only a sad reflection remains after this affair: neither side won, and only the lawyers became richer.
She has received several distinctions and medals for her volunteer work, which include the PAC 75th anniversary medal in 1985, the silver and gold Canadian Polish Congress awards in 1987 and 1992, respectively, the Canadian Confederation Medal given out by Canada’s Governor General in 1992, and the Tadeusz A. Glista Memorial Award in 1993.
Also in 1993, she and her husband received a gold award for the generous help they gave to the Polish Christian culture, as well as a silver medal for their achievements in helping save cultural antiquities in the Eastern Territories.
In 1994, they received an award given out by the Ministry of Arts and Culture for worthy actions in Polish culture.
Danuta Warszawska is an honourary member of the PAC’s Ladies’ Circles.
On April 28, 2004, she received one of the highest papal awards, the Dame Commander of Pope St. Sylvester, which was given to her by John Paul II. She cherishes this award the most. In 1981, John Paul II established The John Paul II Foundation in Vatican City. The Foundation consists of 46 Circles worldwide. One of these is The John Paul II Foundation Friendship Circle in Toronto, which was established by Danuta Warszawska and the late Elzbieta Wolska in 1998.
Since the Circle’s establishment, Danuta Warszawska has been its President. She considered volunteer work in The John Paul II Foundation Friendship Circle and educational work, which she continued as a substitute teacher in one school, very satisfying.
In 1999, she began her well-deserved retirement.
