Born in 1885 in Drogobych, and living there until his death in the 1970s, he graduated from the Faculty of Philosophy at the Jan Kazimierz University in Lviv. In September 1922, he began work as a mathematics teacher at King Władysław Jagiełło State Secondary School – two years before Schulz. Before the war, he held minor administrative position sincluding the secretary and accountant, and later a treasurer of the School Savers Club. He was also the secretarythe Regional Maritime and Colonial League, a Polish social organization which acted for the development of the fleet and acquisition of colonies in Africa and South America for the Second Polish Republic.
Based on the few remaining notes, it is difficult to create a coherent image of Krawczyszyn. Some of his former students – such as for instance Jerzy Wygnaniec – remembered him as an authoritarian and fairly unpopular teacher: “He treated us like recruits and we did not like him for that reason, he may even have known about that”. The writer Andrzej Chciuk describes Krawczyszyn in a similar manner, even if it is far more personal and decidedly malicious. In his autobiography Atlantyda he presents Krawczyszyn as an over-zealous quibbler, forcing students to get haircuts, and what is more, he is portrayedas a political opportunist. However, it should be stressed that there are also contrasting opinions. Maria Galas remembered that Krawczyszyn was widely respected (“a very intelligent man”) and appreciated (“a good teacher”). Alfred Schreyer adds that during the Nazi occupation Krawczyszyn helped Jews.
We know even less about Schulz’s relations with Krawczyszyn. As teachers at the same school, they must have met almost every day but it is fairly improbable that it extended beyond neutral, professional relations. The only remark indicating that Schulz did not particularly like Krawczyszyn can be found in Chciuk’s Atlantyda. It remains impossible to verify.
After the war in the 1960s Krawczyszyn corresponded with Jerzy Ficowski. To some extent he became invovled in searching for traces of Schulz. (jo)
See also: 1935, 17 August 1965.
