Adam's most patriotic street
By Eugene F. Michalenko
During World War II, Victory Street, then named George Street, was the home of 27 families who collectively had 50 sons or husbands serving in the U.S. Armed Forces. There were only 20 houses on the street, so the distinction of service to our country was unequalled not only in Adams but in other communities as well.
On May 13, 1943, “The Transcript” published the servicemen’s names and photographed representatives of their families holding their service flags, which were placed in the windows of the homes where a serviceman lived. Each star on the flag represents a son in the service; a gold star represented a serviceman killed in the line of duty.
Of the 27 families with the right to display service flags, all but two were of Polish extraction. The remaining two were German.
In honor of the large number of George Street residents who were serving in the armed services during World War II, a petition was filed by 13 of their neighbors to change the name of the street from George to Victory Street. On March 20, 1944 the Town of Adams, at its Annual Town Meeting, adopted the name change.
Victory Street residents who gave their lives
Corp. Stanley Gajda, 24, was killed in action on November 11, 1943 at Monte Rotunda to the northeast of Rome, Italy. He left behind his wife and a nine-month old son who he never saw.
Lieut. Joseph Scieszka, 28, was a veteran of 65 combat missions over Europe and a holder of an Air Medal with 12 Oak Leaf Clusters. He died in a plane crash near Midland Army Air Base, Texas in April, 1945. He was survived by his wife, parents, and four sisters and six brothers, four of whom were in the Armed Forces.
Victory Park and a memorial
The corner of Summer and Victory Streets was made into a park through the donation of land from Daniel Paciorek in memory of his father, Stanley “Slim” Paciorek who served in World War II. The land was developed by a grant from the Massachusetts Small Cities program administered by the Town of Adams. Ed Zelazo has arranged for a plaque to be placed there commemorating the patriotism of the street’s residents. The expenses for this memorial will be paid by the Julius Slowacki Society of the P.N.A. (Polish National Alliance).
Reprinted with permissions from the Adams Historical Society Newsletter - November 1994
