Leonard Y. Kosinski dearly loved his Polish heritage. Kosinski died in October 1997 at the age of 74. In his memory, his wife, Mary Wiesen-Kosinski, an attorney in Aiken, S.C., donated a large collection of memorabilia and artifacts that Kosinski had accumulated over the years for a museum recently dedicated on the Orchard Lake Schools' campus.
The native of Milwaukee founded a Polish cultural club during his undergraduate days at the University of Wisconsin, where he received his bachelor of art, master of arts and doctor of philosophy degrees.
Kosinski joined the university's faculty and became co-director of Project English for the state's Department of Public Instruction. He also served as educational and research director for a television series about literature in St. Paul, Minn.
He moved to Aiken, S. C., to become curriculum coordinator for the Aiken County school system. There he founded the Polish Heritage Association to promote an appreciation of Polish art, music and culture in the southeastern portion of the U.S. The association sponsored the Josef Hoffman Regional Piano Competition at the University of South Carolina at Aiken.
A director of the American Council for Polish Culture for ten years, Kosinski organized an honor guard to pay last respects to Ignacy Jan Paderewski at the Memorial Chapel in Fort Myer, VA. He and his wife represented the ACPC at the final ceremonies in Warsaw as guests of President Lech Walesa and Cardinal Józef Glemp.
He was also a member of the National Pulaski Monument Restoration Committee. Kosinski, who attended West Point, served as a paratrooper in World War II.