Today's Featured Biography

Michael Szmaj Schmy

I graduated from YSU with a B.E. in Electrical Engineering,married Marie Shellenberger from South Hi,and Joined (Ohio Edison) First Energy Corp. ALL IN JUNE of 1963. Spent 7-years in General Office in various engineering assignments.In 1969 I earned my MSEE @ Akron U.In 1971 I was promoted to Bay Division Engineer in Sandusky,Oh.. later to Youngstown and subsequently prompted to Superintendent of Electric Transmission & Distribution. Then back to General Office in Akron as a General Engineer of Distribution Planning and Design. In 1991 I was selected to attend "The Executive Program" at Darden School of Business at the University of Virginia were I received my Executive MBA .Upon completion of the program I was promoted to Director of Distribution Operations and Substation Maintenance for First Energy Corp. I retired at the end 1994. Since my retirement, my wife and I have spent most of our winters in Florida, Arizona or Hilton Head Island,S.C. We love to travel..We have visited several continents.
Our son Michael is an Elec.Engr.with a MBA .He is a Director at First Energy Corp in Akron. He and his wife Paula have 4-children.We are proud grandparents of Jake(1991),Brian(1993),Mark(1997)and Rachel(1999).
Our son Bruce is a Mech.Engr.with an MBA .After graduating from USMA @ West Point'89 he spent 5 years in Vincenza,Italy in the 82nd Airborne/Ranger Battalion .During the Gulf War he was company commander in northern Iraq.He and his wife Gabriella live in Scottsdale,Az.In Jan. 2014 Bruce was promoted to Exec.VP @ Petsmart.In 1985 Mike and Bruce changed Their last name to THORN with our approval.
Our daughter Suzanne has a BA in Social Services and is a Licensed Social Worker. She also received a degree in nursing @ KSU.In the fall of (2012),our grandson Jake attended Oxford U in England as a "Junior".On July 1,2013 our grandson Brian entered USMA @ West Point class of 2017.In July 2014 he completed Airborne school @ Ft. Benning,GA.

As requested by my children and grand kids,I have just completed my memoirs.Here are some of the excerpts I like to share with you.I hope its not too boring.

I was born in Lodz, Poland in Apr.1939.
My father who was half Polish and half
German refused to cooperate with the Nazi Party in occupied Poland.By doing so he lost his Clothing Bussines.And when the University Of Lodz was closed to Polish studies my mother lost her position as Prof.of Polish
Literature .

In 1941 my Family was deported to Manheim,Germany for hard labor.While my father and my two older brothers (15&17)spent
working 12 hr.shifts in a roller bearing factory ,my mother,sister and I spent mostly
running for cover to shelters (bunkers)during
day light air raids by US B-17's and nighttime air raids by the RAF.
After the war my family was placed in a DP Camp (Displaced Persons Camp).For my parents,returning to communist Poland was out
of the question.Immigrating to Australia,Argentina,Brazil was not their choice.Their number one choice was USA!!!!!
Although they are both gone,to us remaining
siblings it was their greatest gift they could have ever given us in comming to America
On Dec.16,1951 we left Germany on a Flying
Tiger Airline For New York.Then by rail to
Youngstown.I learned to speak English hanging
out with my new friends on Lincoln & Rayen Ave.I met Manuel Dios attending 6 mo.the
Elm St. School.Then Hayes Jr Hi then Rayen
with you.My favorite teachers were Miss.Craver-math,Mr.Thompson-physics, Mr.Gillespie-chem and Miss,Pond-english.
I was somewhat shy at Rayen,it could
have been my command of English.But I started
attending Record Hops at Elms,Eagles,Idora Park,and summers at Burkley Woods.Marie and I met Dick Biondi of WHOT am radio and became good friends with him before he left for Chicago. We became good doing the jitterbug and the cha-cha .I became friends with many from SouthHi,Wilson,Channey,Struthers,Campbell and East Hi.
Before graduating from Rayen I convinced
Richard Kotick and Mike Roth to join me at
YSU and major in Elec.Engineering at the Rayen School of Engineering.For the next
5 years we took all the same classes and
studied at my home on Lincoln Ave.We also
joined the ROTC and upon graduation we were
commissioned as 2nd LT's.
During my college years I had a Polka Band
and played for weddings and dances in Mahoning and Stark Counties.I play accordion and violin.The money earned paid partly for my tuition ,books and other expenses.My parents helped with the rest. On June 22,2013 Marie and I celebrated our 50th wedding anniversary."How lucky can a guy be" And now as "Paul Harvey would say " You know
the rest of the story.

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