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04/27/2022 08:30 AMHe may have arrived in Branford speaking no English, carrying a single suitcase and with only $10 in his pocket, but Frank Zdunek feels enriched by the luck that brought him here, and that has helped him to become a beloved member of his adopted hometown.
After arriving in Branford in 1978, Frank’s aunt and his future wife’s aunt “matched us,” says Frank of he and his wife, Irene, also a native of Poland.
Today, as those with relatives in Poland currently assisting Ukrainian citizens fleeing from the Russian invasion, Frank, who comes from a city near the Russian border, and Irene, who comes from a town near the Ukrainian border, feel a deep connection to the Ukrainian people.
He says he likes Ukrainian people because they are hard workers. “The Ukrainian people used to have a house, have money; now, nothing. The same thing like when I came over here.”
Since the Russian invasion began in February, Frank’s cousin and her family have taken in five Ukrainian refugees in her home in “medium” sized town in Poland and is one of many there helping the “poor Ukrainian people,” he says.
“She took them to her house. She gives them a home, she gives them food and takes care of these people,” says Frank.
At Home in Branford
Now married 45 years, Frank and Irene raised three children in their Branford home, daughter Krystyna and sons Mark and Christopher, now grown and accomplished in their careers.
Frank and Irene became U.S. citizens together in 1997, taking their oath in Hartford.
“My kids teach me,” says Frank of his preparation for the citizenship test. “Even now, they teach me.”
Frank came to Branford from the city of Olsztyn, Poland. As a young adult living in communist Poland, Frank was employed as a municipal construction worker, running bulldozers for concrete work. Frank decided he wanted to come to America and says he had to be persistent in his effort to be granted a passport from an official.
“This guy said to me, ‘Frank, look, you put apple tree over here, grow it, pick the fruit. You have a guy come dig it up, how do you feel? You grow up over here, you have to stay over here,’” says Frank. “So I went a few times before he gave it to me.”
He took his first job in America in a local Branford foundry, Nutmeg Steel Casting on Harbor Street, where he worked for 11 years. Frank, who speaks with an accent, is proud to note he first began speaking English at the foundry, after listening to his co-workers speaking with one another.
“Forty-five years ago in Poland, nobody spoke English. Now—different story. Everybody speaks English,” says Frank. “I didn’t go to school over here, because I didn’t have time! I needed money. I had kids, my family.”
For the past 35 years, the James Blackstone Memorial Library has had the benefit of Frank’s extraordinary efforts, since he works at the town’s iconic building as its facilities manager. Frank joined the Blackstone staff in 1987, hired by then-library director Marlene Palmquist, with whom he worked for many years. Through all of his years at the Blackstone, he has gathered countless accolades from members of the public, the library’s Board of Trustees, staff, and others who have thanked Frank for his care of the building.
From fixing lights to lighting the fires in the building’s impressive fireplace to climbing on to the top of its domed roof for gutter cleaning three times a year, Frank has literally covered every inch of the Blackstone.
“I think this building is beautiful. I feel like it’s my house, because for 35 years, I’ve been working here. I know everything,” he says.
His knowledge of what’s needed to maintain the 125-year-old building includes what’s involved in the changes it has experienced during two renovations, including the library’s very recent renovation and expansion. He also assists groups, ranging from the Board of Trustees to the Friends of the Blackstone Library and the Branford Garden Club, with special installations for programs or with temporary additions for library programs and decorations.
He says he has no plans to retire soon, following the advice of his mother, who lived in Branford and stayed active until her passing a few years ago at the age of 93.
“She said, ‘Frank, keep your job—don’t quit it,’” says Frank of his mom’s advice. “Run and run and run.”
When he’s not working at the Blackstone, Frank enjoys doing handiwork for Branford neighbors who hire him for his wealth of fix-it expertise.
“I like everyone. I get along with everyone,” he says.