Obituary of Jerzy Koss

Jerzy Augustyn Koss was born in Gdynia, Poland and received his Master of Arts (M.A.) in architecture and urban planning from the Technical University of Gdansk (Poland) in 1965. With his loving wife Bogumila Koss, he emigrated to the United States in 1967 along with their two children Tomira Koss and Wlodek Koss where they resided their entire lives in New York City. Jerzy Koss worked in architecture design and urban planning for many years in Paris (France), Montreal (Canada), Cleveland, OH (USA), and New York City (USA). He was also known for his artwork and photography and was the founder of the “Koss Family Artists” (early 1970s) and “Polish-American Photographic Club of New York” (1998). Today many of Jerzy Koss’s paintings and photographs hang in private and public collections in such places as: Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, Guild Hall Museum, Harkness Foundation, New York Life, Con Edison, Knickerbocker Federal Savings Bank and the Holy Family Cathedral, Antigua (West India). He has numerous photographs published in books, newspapers, and magazines among which are: Rebirth, A History of Europe since World War II, 1992, Gateway to America, by Gordon Bishop and Jerzy Koss., Visions, Fifty Years of the United Nations, by Eugeniusz Wyzner (Polish edition), 1995, The New York Times, Nowy Dziennik, Christian Science Monitor, USA Today, Family Circle Magazine, Art Gallery Magazine, and Architectural Record. His photographs, paintings, and feature stories have been published by press agencies such as: Reuter, UPI, AP, KYODO, ANSA, Agence France Presse, Can. Press, and presented by TV stations such as: CBS Evening News, CNN, NBC-TV, ABC-TV, ARD (German TV), TBS-Tokyo, and PBS-TV Channel 13. Among Jerzy Koss’s notable achievements were his painting and photo exhibitions in the Guild Hall Museum, East Hampton (NY), 1977, Cairo (Egypt), 1979, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, University of Connecticut, New Britain, 1981, Richard Daley Building, Chicago Civic Center (IL), 1982, The Vatican, 1982, Warsaw - Gdansk - Cracow - Wroclaw (Poland), 1983-84, Butler Institute of American Art, Youngstown (OH), 1986, Trenton State House Rotunda (NJ), 1985, 1986, and in New York City: World Trade Center, 1974, 1977, St. John the Divine Cathedral, 1974, Rockefeller Center, 1975, 1976, 1979, Park Avenue Atrium, 1983, "Manhattan Magic" mural at 55 Water St. (on view since 1984), World Financial Center, Dow Jones Building, 1986, and Bennett and Siegel, 1989,1990. Jerzy Koss was also a member of the Paderewski Memorial Committee (involved in Jan Paderewski's Heart relocation to Doylestown (PA), and Jan Paderewski's Remains to Warsaw (Poland). Jerzy Koss is survived by his son Włodzimierz Karol Koss, daughter-in-law Joey Elisa Koss and his ten grandchildren Jonathan Eli Koss, Adrian Paul Koss, Sonia Rose Koss, Sofia Kazimiera Koss, Joseph Maximilian Koss, Konrad Stefan Koss, Violetta Maya Koss, Jasmina Angelika Mujanovic, Senada Elizabeth Mujanovic, Ryszard Ernard Mujanovic and great-grandchild Mia Katherine Mujanovic.