Władysław Janus

Born on July 29, 1896 in Lechanice (4.5 miles south-west of Warka). Władysław Janus attended elementary schools in Wrociszew (6.5 miles west of Warka) and Zastruże (6 miles south-west of Warka). In 1918, he graduated from Teachers’ College (Seminarium Nauczycielskie) in Ursynów (18 miles south of Warka), and the following year, he obtained a diploma in Advanced Teacher Training (Wyższy Kurs Nauczycielski), specializing in history. He started a career in 1918 as an elementary school teacher in Stara Warka near Warka, where he also organized night classes for younger adults and a drama club, which gave two performances.

During that time, he became involved with a left-wing peoples’ movement. In the years 1920-1922, he worked in Grójec and later in Warka, where he took the position of 2^nd Public Elementary School Principal. In the 1930s, he was chairman of the District Branch of the Union of Polish Teachers (Związek Nauczycielstwa Polskiego.) He created and co-edited “Grójec Echo” (“Echo Grójeckie”), which offered a monthly look into social, educational, and economic matters and was issued by the Branch. In 1937, he headed a teachers’ strike in Grójec.

During the occupation, he presided over the Underground Teacher Organization (Tajna Organizacja Nauczycielska), was a member of the Home Army, and chief of Information and Propaganda Office at the 4^th Grójec “Głuszec” Home Army Force (Biuro Informacji i Propagandy w IV Obwodzie Armii Krajowej Grójec–”Głuszec”.) After the war, he worked as an assistant inspector and later inspector of education in Grójec. He was a member of the United People’s Party (Zjednoczone Stronnictwo Ludowe). He also wrote educational articles for the newspapers “Green Banner” (“Zielony Sztandar”) and “Warsaw Life” (“Zycie Warszawy”.)

During the interwar period, he was not universally liked because of his leftist beliefs. After the Yalta Conference, Janus was stripped of his administrative duties, since he did not care much for the ideological image assigned to teachers and schools. He was, however, awarded the Gold Cross of Merit and Knight’s Cross of Polonia Restituta, and was named Warka Honorary Citizen. Władysław Janus died on February 14, 1977, and was buried at the parish cemetery in Warka.