Death of Professor Zofia Zukowska
The CIFP was saddened to hear of the death of Professor Zofia Zukowska,our friend and highly respected colleague who passed away in a serious illness. Professor Zukowska was a person with great knowledge and she was obsessively, continiously preaching the idea of Fair Play. We are keeping her in our hearts forever. Her publications created an enternal value of Internatioonal Fair Play Committee Movement.
It is very difficult to Write about someone in the past tense, since Professor Zukowska's achievements are absolutely timeless, especially in the area of science, teaching, propagation of Olympism and Fair Play in sport. Those were the areas Where she devoted most of her
efforts to and in those areas her achievements were recognized both in Poland and on the international arena. Through the following lines, l would like to take the opportunity to recall the character and merits of ever memorable Zofia Zukowska.
Zoña Zukowska was born on May 29, 1932 in Poland.
In 1952 she received a degree from the University of Physical Education in Warsaw (AWF) and in 1954 completed pedagogie studies at the Warsaw University.
In the following years she continued her academic career. ln 1963 she obtained the title of Ph. D. in Humanities, in 1979 received the degree of Doctor habilitatus in Physical Culture Sciences and in 1989 the title of Professor of Physical Culture Sciences.
In years 1952 2002 she worked uninterruptedly at the Warsaw AWF, chairing the Pedagogy Department in years 1971 - 2002. Additionally, she held the position of Dean ofthe Physical Education Department in years 1981 1984.
She also worked at the University of Lodz, Department of Education Sciences, at the Pawel Wlodkowic University College in Plock as Well as at the N0n~resident Department of AWF in Biala Podlaska, from 2006. Her main area of research was pedagogy of physical culture 'and cfg scientific sub-discipline called 'pedagogy of spelt'.
For the last 46 years she was active in the Polish and international Olympic Movement. She was a member of the Polish Olympic Committee's Executive Board and the Polish Olympic Academy, individual member ofthe International Fair Play Committee, founding member of the European Fair Play Movement, founding member of the Women's Sport Association,
member of the Ministry of National Education several commissions for school curricula, education and physical education teacher's education and in-service training. She is the author of around 400 scientific Works in the ñeld of pedagogy of health and physical culture and sociology of sport; many of them connected to issues of education through sport and education to sport, associated with values of Olympism and Olympic education.
Zoña Zukowska Was well-deserved in the field of pcpularization of the fair play principles, both in the theoretical and practical dimension for over 40 years (up to April 2013) she was the Chair of the POC Fair Play Club.
She was awarded many honorable distinctions, among others including:
- Pierre de Coubertin World Fair Play Trophy for the promotion of sport and Olympism in the World (CIFP 1994);
- Commander's Cross of the Order of the Revival of Poland (2005), second highest, after the Order of the White Eagle, Polish national civil decoration. The Order of
the Revival of Poland established in 1921 is awarded to individuals who have
displayed oustanding contribution to the state and society;
- The IOC Trophy 'Sport and Promotion of Olympism' (2007);
- The "ECCE HOMO" Order 2009 an honorable distinction for those who put in practice the Words "A human being - this sounds proudly".
In November 2012 professor Zoña Zukowska celebrated the Diamond (60th) Jubilee of her work.
We shall inform you of the funeral ceremony in our subsequent correspondence.
lt is very diftìcult for us to accept the fact of her departure. At the same time, we all share a deep conviction that everything that Zoña Zukowska left will be deeply engraved in the hearts of those who are connected to sport and Olympìsm.
