Robert Lewandowski Obituary

Dear Lila,

Please accept my deepest sympathy on the loss of Robert. I will keep you and your family in my thoughts and prayers.

Leslaw Niedzwiecki and Family

Sorry that my blog address didn't appear with my previous comment. Here's an extract of my memories of Bob that I wrote in my blog when I heard the sad news yesterday:



I first met Bob when we both worked at WBKB - now WLS-TV in Chicago. Bob hosted one of the last live network shows to come out of Chicago - Polka-Go-Round. Those were the days when what you saw was what you got. The program was taped - but just so that while the second half of the live show was being broadcast in Chicago, the first half was being fed to other parts of the country.



Bob and I became business associates when I made the silly mistake of leaving WBKB and giving up a steady paycheck for an uncertain future. For a while, I shared an office with him at 203 North Wabash in Chicago when he created his own production firm, Le Van Enterprises - and we worked together to produce a number of projects. Our major television project was "Press Internationale" - a weekly round table review of the world’s press by local reporters who spoke foreign languages that appeared on WBKB - and of course hosted by Bob, though he didn’t do any of the reviewing.



Bob had a long and successful career in Polish language radio and was never short of sponsors to pick up the tab for his shows. But he wanted to expand his horizons and for a short time in 1963, launched an English language radio show called "Music With an Accent" - produced by yours truly and broadcast daily from the old Kungsholm Restaurant (now Lawry’s) in Chicago. Unfortunately, sponsors didn’t flock to that particular show - perhaps in part because it was on a weak signal, suburban station . I think Bob quit after a thirteen week stint. It might have been longer. It was a long time ago. But I have no trouble remembering what happened after he quit. I took over the show and had a ball being a radio broadcaster with a music and interview show. I never made any money at it, but I had a wonderful free lunch every weekday at the Kungsholm Swedish smorgasbord.

I have Bob to thank for that pleasant period of my life. Thanks buddy.



In 1963, Bob went back to Poland for a visit and came back with about a half hour of raw film shot by some friends who followed him around as he visited some old haunts. We took a look at it and decided to try to make something that could be broadcast as a documentary. It wasn’t easy. There was no excess film to play with. All we could do was write a narration and add music. I wrote a narrative for Bob. We recorded it - gave it a name - "A Walk Through The Curtain" - a reference of course to the "Iron Curtain" of Churchillian fame. WBKB agreed to air it, Budweiser picked up the tab for Chicago and a station in Detroit - and wonder of wonders, it got rave reviews - not to mention a 10.3 share and 23% rating in Chicago.



Perhaps my strongest memory of my work with Bob was what happened on November 22, 1963. We were in the studio taping an edition of "Press Internationale." on the twelfth floor of the Channel 7 building at 190 North Street. In those days, WBKB had only three floors, 10,11 and 12. Today I guess they occupy the whole building. I had gone downstairs to get some coffee from the drug store on the ground floor (no longer there) - when the news of President Kennedy’s assassination flashed on the screen above the lunch counter. I rushed back upstairs to find that the station management had given Bob and I the task of finding ethnic spokespeople in the city to come to the station and record their reactions to the tragedy. Though the nest few hours and days were a blur at the time - they remain strongly affixed in my memory as a time when Bob and I - he Polish born and me an immigrant from England - became bonded American brothers in our shared grief.



Bob and I drifted apart after 1963. I went on to work with John Weigel on the launch of Channel 26 in Chicago and other things - and although Bob had a fifteen minute show on that new UHF station for a while, we didn’t see too much of each other and after I left Channel 26, we saw each other hardly at all.



I heard a while back that he wasn’t too well and I wanted to get in touch - at least to say hello - but I never did, and now I feel bad about it. Maybe the next time I hear that one of my old friends or colleagues is ailing, I won’t let such a thing pass with just good intentions. I’ll remember Bob and I’ll make a real effort to get in touch with them.



And of course I’ll remember Bob and the good things we did together. He was one of the good guys and I’m glad I knew him.

I had too much to say about my old friend Bob so I've said it on my blog

Dear Ciocia Lila:

Was very sad when I heard the news about Wujek Robert's passing away. I do have so many wonderful memories of him in every facet of my life, he will be missed by all of us here in Texas.



Krysia

Dear Mrs. Lilka Lewandowski,

Hopefully time will soften the pain and all that remains is the beauty of the memories... and the Love, always the Love.

With Deepest Sympathy,

(Friends of Marie and Eugene Lewandowskis')

Mr Robert Lewandowski "Bob" was the very best Polish radio personality.

I do miss his program on the radio,

he was a good speaker, he had good sense of humor and he got class. He will be missed.

Sincere condolences to the whole Lewandowski Family. One of the Polonia Icons is gone and we are all poorer for it. All those who knew him will cherish the memories.

May God bless you and your family in this time of sorrow.