Edward Piszek
Encyclopedia
Edward John Piszek (PEE-zeck) co-founded the Mrs. Paul's
frozen foods brand with John Paul, a bread salesman. Piszek bought out his partner in the 1950s.
His family moved from Chicago to a farm near Quakertown, Pennsylvania
, and then to Philadelphia, where his father opened a grocery store. He later earned a degree in business administration by attending the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania in the evenings.
One of his early jobs was as a salesman for Campbell Soup. He hit upon the idea of selling frozen fish in 1946 when he was on strike from his job at the General Electric
plant in Philadelphia.
The company suffered after Piszek bought Arthur Treacher's Fish and Chips
in 1979. He sold the business to the Campbell Soup Company in 1982 for close to $70 million.
He wrote a book, "Some Good in the World: A Life of Purpose".
in Poland and started the Copernicus Society to honor Polish achievements. He bought and donated the Philadelphia house where Tadeusz Kościuszko
, the Polish statesman who aided the American Revolution, once lived, to the National Park Service.
His donations to Little League Baseball in Poland made Kutno
, Poland
, the league's European training center.
He befriended Cardinal
Karol Wojtyla of Kraków before he became Pope John Paul II
.
He was a member of Gore 2000
. He was a member of the class of 1960 at Germantown Academy
.
Mrs. Paul's
Mrs. Paul's is a brand of pre-packaged seafood products owned by Pinnacle Foods. The brand began in the 1940s and was owned by Campbell Soup until 1996....
frozen foods brand with John Paul, a bread salesman. Piszek bought out his partner in the 1950s.
His family moved from Chicago to a farm near Quakertown, Pennsylvania
Quakertown, Pennsylvania
Quakertown is a borough in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, in the United States. As of the 2010 census, it had a population of 8,979. The borough is south of Bethlehem and north of Philadelphia, making Quakertown a border town of both the Delaware Valley and Lehigh Valley metropolitan areas...
, and then to Philadelphia, where his father opened a grocery store. He later earned a degree in business administration by attending the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania in the evenings.
One of his early jobs was as a salesman for Campbell Soup. He hit upon the idea of selling frozen fish in 1946 when he was on strike from his job at the General Electric
General Electric
General Electric Company , or GE, is an American multinational conglomerate corporation incorporated in Schenectady, New York and headquartered in Fairfield, Connecticut, United States...
plant in Philadelphia.
The company suffered after Piszek bought Arthur Treacher's Fish and Chips
Arthur Treacher's
Arthur Treacher's Fish and Chips is a fast food seafood restaurant chain., there were 45 stores in 8 northern states of the United States which serve fish and chips. Its main competitors are Long John Silver's and Captain D's...
in 1979. He sold the business to the Campbell Soup Company in 1982 for close to $70 million.
He wrote a book, "Some Good in the World: A Life of Purpose".
Philanthropy
He gave millions to battle tuberculosisTuberculosis
Tuberculosis, MTB, or TB is a common, and in many cases lethal, infectious disease caused by various strains of mycobacteria, usually Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Tuberculosis usually attacks the lungs but can also affect other parts of the body...
in Poland and started the Copernicus Society to honor Polish achievements. He bought and donated the Philadelphia house where Tadeusz Kościuszko
Tadeusz Kosciuszko
Andrzej Tadeusz Bonawentura Kościuszko was a Polish–Lithuanian and American general and military leader during the Kościuszko Uprising. He is a national hero of Poland, Lithuania, the United States and Belarus...
, the Polish statesman who aided the American Revolution, once lived, to the National Park Service.
His donations to Little League Baseball in Poland made Kutno
Kutno
Kutno is a town in central Poland with 48,000 inhabitants and an area of 33,6 km2. Situated in the Łódź Voivodeship , previously in Płock Voivodeship . It is the capital of Kutno County....
, Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
, the league's European training center.
He befriended Cardinal
Cardinal (Catholicism)
A cardinal is a senior ecclesiastical official, usually an ordained bishop, and ecclesiastical prince of the Catholic Church. They are collectively known as the College of Cardinals, which as a body elects a new pope. The duties of the cardinals include attending the meetings of the College and...
Karol Wojtyla of Kraków before he became Pope John Paul II
Pope John Paul II
Blessed Pope John Paul II , born Karol Józef Wojtyła , reigned as Pope of the Catholic Church and Sovereign of Vatican City from 16 October 1978 until his death on 2 April 2005, at of age. His was the second-longest documented pontificate, which lasted ; only Pope Pius IX ...
.
He was a member of Gore 2000
Al Gore presidential campaign, 2000
Al Gore, the 45th Vice President of the United States under Bill Clinton, announced his candidacy for the presidency of the United States in Carthage, Tennessee on June 16, 1999. Gore became the nominee of the Democratic Party for the 2000 presidential election on August 17, 2000...
. He was a member of the class of 1960 at Germantown Academy
Germantown Academy
Germantown Academy is America's oldest nonsectarian day school, founded on December 6, 1759 . Germantown Academy is now a K-12 school in the Philadelphia suburb of Fort Washington, having moved from its original Germantown campus in 1965...
.