In 1954, Walter
Plywaski enrolled at Oregon State College (later, OSU). He had varied
interests, and for a time he studied English literature under Bernard
Malamud, before finally majoring in electrical engineering and graduating in
that field in 1957. But his background was very different from that of his
classmates. Born Wladyslaw Plywacki in Lodz, Poland, in 1929, he and his
family were forced into the ghetto there when it was established ten years
later. In 1944, the family was transported via freight car to
Auschwitz-Birkenau, and Walter last saw his mother when she was forced into a
line that led to the gas chamber. He later witnessed the fatal beating of his
father at the hands of a camp commandant. Against great odds, he and a
stepbrother - who would later precede him to Oregon State - were able to
remain together in a series of camps, finally making their escape from
Dachau.
Walter Plywaski's appearance was a very special evening, as well as a
homecoming. As with several of our older videos that were originally recorded
on VHS tapes, the quality is fair and the audio and video do not always
perfectly track - however, Walter's story, as well as his candor and passion
makes this one not to be missed.
Holocaust Memorial Program | | Oregon State UniversityNote: Many captions were auto-generated and may contain errors.
