Instytut Józefa Piłsudskiego w Ameryce Invites for a Book Talk with the Author Robert Reiss and Professor Tomasz Pudłocki

Professor Tomasz Pudłocki will discuss with Robert Reiss, the son of Elizabeth Munk Clark, her outstanding life achievements and family, chronicled in Robert Reiss's book Elizabeth Munk Clark: Her Life and Her Poetry.

Elizabeth Munk Clark was a Watertown, New York, daughter, born on April 16, 1908. After receiving her Bachelor’s and master’s degrees in English literature from Syracuse University and the University of Wisconsin, she enrolled in a PhD program in Comparative Literature and developed an interest in Slavic Languages. After studying Polish language and literature with Professor George Rapall Noyes at the University of California during the 1930-31 academic year, she accepted a fellowship from the Kosciuszko Foundation to pursue her studies at the Jagiellonian University in Krakow. Lack of academic opportunities during the Great Depression in the United States and her romantic relationship with her fellow student, Ernest Reiss, led to her decision to remain indefinitely in Poland. Following her marriage to Ernest, she made Poland her adopted homeland. While on a prolonged visit to the United States, the couple’s return to Poland in 1939 was prevented by the outbreak of the Second World War. After the birth of their two sons, Robert and Stefan, Ernest fell ill with multiple sclerosis and was unable to continue his work as a journalist in New York. Thus, Elizabeth was forced to find employment to support her young family.

Robert F. Reiss is one of Elizabeth Munk Clark and Ernest Paul Reiss’ two sons. He and his brother, Stefan, were raised in their Polish–American family home in New York City following their parent’s relocation to the United States before the German invasion of Poland in 1939. Robert is a physician who recently retired from his appointments at Columbia University Medical Center and the New York Blood Center, where he served as Professor of Clinical Pathology & Clinical Medicine and Chief Medical Officer & Vice President, respectively. Until 2005, he also served in the United States Army Reserve Medical Corps, retiring as Colonel.