On Wednesday, May 18, 2016, internationally recognized naval architect and business leader Christopher J. Wiernicki delivered an inspiring Zeien Lecture at Webb Institute.
Wiernicki’s lecture was not of the technical sense, as most Zeien Lectures are. His lecture was about the incredible story of his father, John Wiernicki, a Polish underground fighter who was captured by the Gestapo and was then shipped to infamous concentration camps, Auschwitz-Birkenau and Buchenwald. Wiernicki’s chilling story about his father’s trials and tribulations was about life, death, survival, perseverance, and making a difference in the world in the face of adversity.
Prior to his Zeien Lecture at Webb, Wiernicki says he had never spoke about his father’s story in public before. Throughout the lecture, Wiernicki told his father’s story of survival during World War II and his life after, showing personal family photographs, video clips, and sharing details from his father’s memoir, “War in the Shadow of Auschwitz”. Wiernicki also shared his father’s watercolor paintings for the first time, which illustrated the horrors of “life” at the concentration camps.
Wiernicki described his father John, who passed away at the age of 89 in July of 2015, as a great man who managed to have a positive outlook on life, even after all of the horrors that he endured.
Following Wiernicki’s fascinating lecture, he took several questions from the crowd, and enjoyed light refreshments with attendees.
Webb Institute would like to thank Christopher Wiernicki for taking the time to visit Webb and for delivering a truly memorable and inspiring Zeien Lecture that will not be easily forgotten.
View entire video below.
About Christopher J. Wiernicki:
Mr. Christopher J. Wiernicki is an internationally recognized naval architect and business leader.
In addition to serving as Chairman, President and CEO of ABS and Chairman of the ABS Group of Companies, Inc., Wiernicki also serves as Chairman of the International Association of Classification Societies. He previously held several senior roles at ABS, including President and Chief Operating Officer (COO), Chief Technology Officer, and President and COO of ABS Europe Ltd.
Wiernicki holds a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering from Vanderbilt, a Master of Science in Structural Engineering from George Washington University, where he was later elected to the George Washington University School of Engineering and Applied Science Hall of Fame, a Master of Science in Ocean Engineering from Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), and honorary Doctor of Science degrees from Maine Maritime Academy and SUNY Maritime College.
Wiernicki is a Fellow with the Society of Naval Architects and Marine Engineers. He was awarded the Vice Admiral Emory S. Land Medal in 2013 for outstanding accomplishment in the marine field and is a member of the International Maritime Hall of Fame Class of 2016. Wiernicki lectures at the university level on topics ranging from leadership to technology, serves on the Board of Trustees for the Seamen’s Church Institute as well as numerous University Boards and Advisory Councils, including the Board of Trustees for Webb Institute.