UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- When Edward J. Piszek was laid to rest in Philadelphia on April 3, his passing was noted and mourned by such dignitaries as Pope John Paul II. But his loss also saddened faculty and administrators in Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences.

The prominent philanthropist and co-founder of Mrs. Paul's frozen seafood company, who died March 27 at age 87, was known for his concern for and generosity toward those less fortunate, particularly in his ancestral homeland of Poland.

It was his work in Poland that led to his partnership with the College of Agricultural Sciences in support of programs to help modernize agriculture there and in other Eastern European countries.

"Edward Piszek dedicated more than 40 years of his life to humanitarian and philanthropic endeavors, both in the United States and abroad," says Robert Steele, dean of the college. "Mr. P, as he was affectionately called, set an extraordinary example of personal involvement and commitment toward the betterment of individuals and societies. His contributions and friendship will be missed greatly by those of us in the college who had an opportunity to work with him."

Born in Chicago to Polish immigrants, Piszek moved at an early age to Philadelphia, where his parents operated a grocery store. In 1946, he co-founded Mrs. Paul's Kitchens Inc., which became one of the United States' largest producers of frozen prepared foods. When he sold the company in 1982, it had achieved annual sales exceeding $100 million.

Piszek had a long and distinguished record of support for and involvement in humanitarian efforts. In the 1960s, he provided medical equipment that helped reduce an alarmingly high rate of tuberculosis in Poland, an effort credited with saving more than 200,000 lives. To help ease that country's critical food shortages in the 1980s, he donated 10 million pounds of fishcakes and worked with international relief agencies.

Starting in the early 1990s, Piszek collaborated with Penn State Cooperative Extension and the College of Agricultural Sciences to help establish a free-market agricultural economy in the former communist country. He co-sponsored annual agricultural extension summits that allowed Polish and Penn State agricultural experts to share their knowledge with officials and producers from Ukraine, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Russia, Serbia, Kazakhstan and Armenia.

In addition, he visited these Eastern European countries with cooperative extension personnel as they provided Volunteer Leadership Seminars aimed at helping to establish Agricultural Advisory Services patterned after the United States' cooperative extension service. "Volunteerism is key to the success of our cooperative extension programs, but it's a relatively new concept in Europe," Steele says. "Edward's participation was critical in furthering these initiatives."

In the belief that helping youth develop life skills would shape tomorrow's leaders and help the region reach its potential, Piszek supported the development of 4-H in Poland. He established an annual award -- in memory of departed colleagues, Penn State associate professor Donald Evans and Polish university professor Szczepan Pieniazek -- for the best 4-H program in the country. He also built and supported a Little League baseball stadium at Kutno, Poland, where playoffs were held to determine the European representatives at the Little League World Series in Williamsport.

As Poland and other countries in the region continue their march toward agricultural and social modernization, Piszek's legacy will be felt for generations. "The strength and future of our college's programs in Central and Eastern Europe are in no small part a tribute to the vision and support of Edward Piszek," Steele says.

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EDITORS: For more information, contact Deanna Behring, Penn State College of Agricultural Sciences director of international programs, at 814-863-0249 or by e-mail at dmb37@psu.edu.

Chuck Gill Office 814-863-2713 FAX 814-863-9877