Chicago-Based Polish Sculptor Dies In Plane Crash

By Soyoung Kwak in News on Apr 11, 2010 4:15PM

The death of Polish President Lech Kaczynski and 96 other passengers in a terrifying plane crash in Russia shocked the world, and it has also stunned the local Polish community. Among the plane crash victims was sculptor Wojciech Seweryn a celebrated Polish artist with strong ties to Chicago. Seweryn, who was born in Poland but immigrated to the United States in 1976, was accompanying the Polish president and other senior officials to the 70th anniversary commemoration of the Katyn Massacre in Russia, in which the Soviet Secret Police murdered thousands of Polish officers, intellectuals, and priests.

Active in the Polish community in and around Chicago, Seweryn was motivated to erect a commemorative monument dedicated to the victims of the Katyn Massacre by the death of his own father in the massacre, and also by the downfall of communist governments in Europe. Fully dedicated to his mission, Seweryn was able to fulfill his dream of erecting a monument in 2007. The monument, located in the St. Adalbert cemetery in Niles, is a symbol of Seweryn's artistic talent but also his passion toward letting the world know about the atrocities of the Katyn Massacre.