It is with sorrow and gratitude that we mark the passing of Jaroslaw Piekalkiewicz of Lawrence, KS — sorrow at the loss, gratitude for the life.
These words are offered in his memory — small, but heartfelt.
Jaroslaw spent his working life as ['teaching and scholarship'] — and was, by all accounts, loved by those who knew him best.
The hands that raised children leave fingerprints on the future.
Jaroslaw Andrzej Piekalkiewicz ("Jarek"), Professor Emeritus of Political Science at the University of Kansas, died peacefully at home on April 29, 2026. He was 99. Born in Poland on July 24, 1926, Jarek joined the Polish resistance as a teenager and fought in the 1944 Warsaw Uprising, earning the Cross of the Brave for his service. After the war, he earned degrees from Trinity College Dublin and Indiana University, beginning a lifelong career in teaching and scholarship. He joined the University of Kansas faculty in 1963, where he helped build academic partnerships with Poland during the Cold War.Jarek was devoted to his family and is survived by his children, Ellen Piekalkiewicz and Andrew Piekalkiewicz; six grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his wife, Maura. A service will be held on July 25, 2026, at the University of Kansas Pioneer Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Amnesty International.
