Thad Kucinski

[Johanna]

Thad handed me this butterfly at a show wrapped in toilet paper, and said, "Don't blow your nose in this!" I miss him terribly. He was a good man, and a member of the Pittpounders Leather Guild. Here is a write up from a 2001 PPLG newsletter. Thad went to heaven in 2000, and I will never forget him.

THE HOWARD BROCK "ACHIEVEMENT AWARD" FEBRUARY 2001, THAD KUCINSKI RECEIVED THE "HOWARD BROCK ACHIEVEMENT AWARD." THIS HONOR IS GIVEN EACH YEAR BY THE PITTPOUNDERS LEATHER GUILD, TO THE INDIVIDUAL WHO CONTRIBUTES THE MOST TO THE GUILD DURING THE PREVIOUS YEAR. THE RECIPIENT OF THE AWARD IS SELECTED USING A POINT SYSTEM. AS A RESULT OF RECEIVING THIS AWARD, THAD WAS ASKED TO WRITE THE FOLLOWING AUTOBIOGRAPHY TO BE PUBLISHED IN THE GUILD NEWS LETTER. (DRAPER)

THE "THAD'S KUCINSKI'S" STORY

I WAS BORN IN NATRONA HEIGHTS, PA. MY FATHER FOUGHT IN THE WW I, WAS WOUNDED AND ADMITTED TO VETERANS HOSPITAL, INDEFINITELY. THIS HAPPENED WHEN I WAS SIX YEARS OLD, AND MY MOTHER TOOK MY BROTHERS AND SISTERS AND MYSELF BACK TO POLAND. WW II BROKE OUT, AND ON DEC 11, 1941, I WAS TAKEN PRISONER BY THE GERMANS. DURING THE NEXT FEW MONTHS, I WAS SENT TO FOUR DIFFERENT CONCENTRATION CAMPS AND THEN INTERNMENT IN LAUFENOBB, GERMANY. THEN ON JUNE 1, 1942, I WAS EXCHANGED FOR GERMAN NATIONALS, AND CAME BACK TO THE USA. I WENT TO WORK IN ALLEGHENY LUDLUM CO. BRACKENRIDGE.

I BECAME ILL AND WAS OFF WORK FOR A LONG TIME. A FRIEND AND I STARTED DOING LEATHER WORK. NOT KNOWING ENGLISH, I DID THE DESIGN AND MY FRIEND DID THE BUYING AND SELLING. THE LEATHER ITSELF WAS HARD TO GET BUT ORDERS WERE GOOD. WE WERE TWO GREENHORNS "LEARNING FROM OUR MISTAKES." AFTER A COUPLE OF YEARS MY FRIEND MOVED OUT OF STATE. THAT'S WHEN I GOT A JOB WITH BLAWKNOX EQUIPMENT CO.

AT NIGHT I STUDIED ENGLISH, MATH, AND DRAFTING WHICH WAS COMPLETED WITH THE "INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENCE SCHOOL." IN 1951-1952 I HAD EXTENSIVE SURGERY. THERE WAS NO TIME FOR LEATHER WORK.

AROUND 1950 I HEARD ABOUT A POLISH GIRL JANE, WHO JUST CAME TO PGH FROM POLAND. SO I GOT ALL DOLLED UP AND WENT TO INTRODUCE HIMSELF. AFTER KNOCKING AT THE DOOR, NO ONE ANSWERED, I BEGAN TO WALK AWAY. JANE WAS TOLD NOT TO OPEN THE DOOR TO ANY STRANGERS. AS THAD WALKED AWAY, JANE FIGURED HE COULD MEAN NO HARM AND CALLED HIM BACK. WE DATED FOR SEVERAL YEARS, RUNNING WITH THE "POLKA CAR SET", DANCING AND JUST CRUISING.

JANE AND I WERE MARRIED IN 1960. WE HAVE TWO CHILDREN, BOTH ARE NOW MARRIED. BARBARA WITH A DEGREE IN BIOPSYCHOLOGY, AND TEACHES AT PITT UNIVERSITY. MY SON ROMAN, IS A CIVIL ENGINEER. ROMAN RECENTLY BECAME A PROUD FATHER OF A BABY GIRL, MAKING JANE AND I PROUD AND HAPPY "FIRST TIME GRANDPARENTS."

FOR FORTY YEARS WORKING AND RAISING MY CHILDREN I DIDN'T WORK ON LEATHER. BUT ALWAYS PLANNED TO RESUME IT WHEN I RETIRED. SO FOR FORTY YEARS, I COLLECTED TOOLS, DREW DESIGNS AND GATHERED INFORMATION ABOUT LEATHER. I RETIRED IN 1986. THEN I MET CHRIS KEARNS AT TANDY'S STORE IN PITTSBURGH, WAS INTRODUCED TO HOWARD BROCK. HOWARD ORGANIZED THE PITT POUNDERS LEATHER GUILD, AND WAS CURRENTLY PRESIDENT.

AFTER RETIRING IN 1986, I HAVE MADE A WIDE VERITY OF ITEMS. PROBABLY THE ONLY THINGS I HAVEN'T MADE ARE SADDLES OR BOOTS. I DRAW MOST OF MY OWN DESIGNS MYSELF. YOU MAY BE INTERESTED IN THE FACT THAT I PHOTOGRAPHED EVERY ITEM I EVER MADE, AND KEEP A LEDGER TO WHO EACH ITEM WAS GIVEN AND WHEN.

NOW 76 YEARS OLD, I HAVE NEVER CHARGED ANYONE FOR ANY OF MY WORK, - NO ONE CAN AFFORD MY TIME. WHEN ASKED TO CRITIQUE ANOTHER'S LEATHER WORK, I JUST POINT OUT THEIR MISTAKES, THAT'S HOW I LEARNED. THEY ALREADY KNOW THE THINGS THEY DID RIGHT. THERE IS NOTHING I ENJOY MORE THAN WORKING WITH LEATHER AND ATTENDING THE PITT POUNDERS GUILD MEETINGS.

AFTER ATTENDING THE (APRIL 2001) PITT POUNDERS "ARTISTRY IN LEATHER" SHOW, AND TALKING TO SEVERAL GUILD MEMBERS, MY DAUGHTER SAID "NOW I UNDERSTAND WHY FATHER WANTED SO MUCH TO COME TO THE SHOW, AND WHY HE ENJOYS BEING A MEMBER OF THE PITT POUNDERS."

THAD KUCINSKI

Johanna

[Tom Katzke]

Great to see someone else does this. When people ask what we think of there work we need to take Thad's advice.

Tom Katzke

Central Oregon

[quote WHEN ASKED TO CRITIQUE ANOTHER'S LEATHER WORK, I JUST POINT OUT THEIR MISTAKES, THAT'S HOW I LEARNED. THEY ALREADY KNOW THE THINGS THEY DID RIGHT.