Anthony Szymczak, eldest of nine children born in Milwaukee to Polish immigrant parents, received his education from Milwaukee public elementary schools, South Division High School, and University of Wisconsin-Extension. Even though he was born in the United States, Szymczak taught himself to speak and write Polish with great fluency, which served him well in his career. As a young man, Szymczak was active in the Polish Theater Guild in Milwaukee. In 1934, he began a Polish-language radio program on WISN; four years later, Szymczak moved to WRJN and WRJN-FM, where he conducted a daily hour-long radio program, The Kuryer Polski Polish Hour, and worked as an announcer. He later became director of the Milwaukee studios of WRJN, and also occasionally wrote articles for Kuryer Polski. In addition, Szymczak served as president of the Wisconsin Society, Federation Life Insurance Company (1940), and held many offices in Milwaukee and Polish-American civic groups and clubs. Because of his command of Polish, Szymczak often served as toastmaster for Polish-American organizations.
In 1935, Szymczak married Regina Rae Osowski, an American who shared his great interest in Poland and the Polish people. The Szymczaks visited Poland in 1959, 1961, 1966, and 1975. During the 1966 visit, Mrs. Szymczak learned of the town of Deby Szlacheckie, whose church had been destroyed during World War II; upon her return to the United States, Mrs. Szymczak began a fund-raising campaign that ultimately raised enough money to reconstruct the church. The Szymczaks returned to Poland in 1975 for the dedication of the new structure, but during the visit, Mrs. Szymczak suffered a heart attack and died; she was buried in the church cemetery. Szymczak has since remarried, and retains an active interest in Poland and the Polish language.
