Title: Chester J. Szymczak Papers
Inclusive Dates: 1930-1980

Creator:

• Szymczak, Chester J., 1915-

Call Number: Milwaukee Mss 103

Quantity: 3.0 c.f. (8 archives boxes)

Repository:

Housed at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Libraries’ Archives Department / Milwaukee Area Research Center; owned by the Wisconsin Historical Society, Division of Library, Archives, and Museum Collections

Archival Locations:

COLLECTION MAY BE STORED OFF-SITE: see catalog entry to request materials and for additional information.

UW-Milwaukee Libraries, Archives / Milwaukee Area Research Ctr. (Map)

Abstract:

Papers of a Polish-American author and journalist. Szymczak was born and raised in Milwaukee, served as a signalman in World War II, survived the sinking of the U.S.S. Dorchester, and served as a newspaper editor in suburban Milwaukee during the 1950s. Among Szymczak's published works are an account of the Dorchester sinking, a biography of astronomer Nicolas Copernicus, and many studies of American literature. Besides a small file of correspondence, the collection consists of manuscripts and notes for published and unpublished works, including non-fiction, short stories, poetry, and plays.

Language: English

URL to cite for this finding aid: http://digital.library.wisc.edu/1711.dl/wiarchives.uw-whs-mil00103

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Chester Joseph Szymczak was born on June 22, 1915 in Milwaukee. His parents were immigrants from Poland and the family lived on the city's North Side. Szymczak studied journalism and liberal arts at Marquette University, and he graduated from the University of Wisconsin with a degree in comparative literature. He worked as a radio and newspaper editor and later held jobs with the Associated Press in Des Moines, Iowa, and Buffalo, New York.

In September of 1940, Szymczak joined the United States Navy. He graduated from signal school at the Naval Armory in Chicago and served on the ships U.S.S. Wyoming and U.S.S. Alcor. He volunteered for Army transport duty and was assigned as a signal man to the U.S.S. Dorchester. On February 3, 1943, the Dorchester sank near the coast of Greenland, and Szymczak was one of the few survivors. The ship's tragedy would later become the subject of many of Szymczak's writings.

After leaving the Navy in 1945, Szymczak again pursued a writing career. In the mid-1950s he served as county editor and photographer at the Waukesha Daily Freeman. Besides his work on the paper he wrote poetry, plays, short stories, and non-fiction. Among his published works are When Time Stood Still (1956), Classical Americana: the Early American Literary Masters (1971), Modern Americana: the Glory of American Literature (1972), The Legacy of Mikclaj Kopernik: One Man's Love Affair with the Universe (1973), The Men, the Ship: the Story America Will Never Forget and the World Will Always Remember (1976), and Contemporary Americana: Our Great American Writers (1977). Szymczak also wrote under the names Joseph Chester and Czeslaw Jozef Szymczak.

Aside from a small file of correspondence, the Szymczak papers consist almost entirely of his writings. Most of the material is handwritten in pencil and undated.

The series Manuscripts, Non-Fiction consists of published and unpublished material and is divided into two groups: manuscripts on varied subjects and those relating to the sinking of the U.S.S. Dorchester. Both groups are organized alphabetically.

Most of the Miscellaneous Writings are grouped by approximate time period. Several groups of undated poetry and short stories have been placed together. Two other series are devoted to Poetry Collections and Short Stories.

The series Plays consists primarily of hand written notes and ideas grouped under various titles. Included here are two completed manuscripts: “Lord Jim” and “Anne's Man from Viet Nam.” The materials are arranged alphabetically by title.

Acquisition Information

Presented by the Rare Book Room, Memorial Library, University of Wisconsin-Madison, via Debbie Riley, 1984; and by Memorial Library Special Collections via Susan Stravinski, 1995. Accession Number: M84-092, M98-048

Processing Information

Processed by Janet S. Wilke, July 1984; Geoffrey Wexler, March 1986; and Donna Sereda, February 1998.

Box   1 Folder   1	Series: Correspondence
	Series: Manuscripts -- Non-Fiction	⇧
	General
Box   1 Folder   2	“Beyond the Earth's Rim”
Box   1 Folder   3	“Classical Americana: the Early American Literary Masters,” 1971
Box   1 Folder   4	“Contemporary Americana”
Box   1 Folder   5	“Contemporary Americana: Our Great American Writers,” 1976
Box   1 Folder   6	“Crystal Corners”
Box   1 Folder   7	“God's Country and Youth (A Novel)”
Box   1 Folder   8	“The Legacy of Mikclaj Kopernik”
Box   2 Folder   1	“Modern Americana: the Glory of American Literature,” 1972
	The Sinking of the Dorchester
Box   2 Folder   2	“The Copiapo (Adventure to Luxon)”
Box   2 Folder   3	“Dorchester: Greenland Pioneer”
Box   2 Folder   4	“Immortal Americana (A Journey Into the Unknown)”
Box   2 Folder   5	“The Log of an American Sailor,” April 29, 1943 - February 3, 1944
Box   2 Folder   6	“The Log of the Five Trips of the Dorchester,” May 8, 1942 - May 6, 1943
Box   2 Folder   7	“The Sinking of a Transport”
Box   3 Folder   1	“Sinking of the Dorchester” -- Research Materials
Box   3 Folder   2-4	“The Story of the Dorchester or the Log of an American Sailor”
	Series: Miscellaneous Writings	⇧
Box   3 Folder   5-7	circa 1940s
Box   4 Folder   1-3	circa 1940s-1950s
Box   4 Folder   4-6	1952-1960
Box   4 Folder   7	circa 1965-1967
Box   5 Folder   1-7	1966-1973
Box   6 Folder   1-5	1974-1976; undated
	Series: Poetry Collections	⇧
Box   6 Folder   6	Sunsets, circa 1930s - 1940s
Box   7 Folder   1	“The Privileged Moment” and “Poetical Concepts”
Box   7 Folder   2	“In This World of Ours”
Box   7 Folder   3	Miscellany
Box   8 Folder   5	Miscellaneous Poems, circa 1960 - 1967 Note: Folder also contains short stories.
	Series: Short Stories	⇧
Box   7 Folder   4-5	Manuscripts
Box   7 Folder   6	Plots
Box   8 Folder   6	“Pearls of Utterance”
Box   8 Folder   7	“Put Money in Your Pocket”
Box   8 Folder   8	“Romance of the Road and Creek”
Box   8 Folder   9	“Testament of Life”
Box   8 Folder   5	Miscellaneous Short Stories, circa 1960 - 1967 Note: Folder also contains poems.
	Series: Plays	⇧
Box   7 Folder   7	“Anne's Man From Viet Nam”
Box   8 Folder   1	“Antigone Goes Wild”
Box   7 Folder   8	“Beowulf”
Box   8 Folder   2	“The Broken Heart”
Box   7 Folder   9	“Charley Roland”
Box   7 Folder   10	“Chicago Play”
Box   7 Folder   11	“Emancipated Woman”
Box   7 Folder   12	“God Pity the Working Man”
Box   8 Folder   3	“Immortal Four”
Box   8 Folder   4	“The Little Flower”
Box   7 Folder   13	“Lord Jim”
Box   7 Folder   14	“Mexico”
Box   7 Folder   15	“The North”
Box   7 Folder   16	“Versailles”
Box   7 Folder   17	“The West”
Box   7 Folder   18	“Young Faustus”