From the Times Leader Sunday Dispatch: The professor who became a priest
Father Walter A. Placek, PhD, will have a 20 minute presentation titled “God and Science in our Church” on Nov. 17 at noon, at the Sermon, Soup and Sandwich event in Holy Mother of Sorrows hall, 212 Wyoming Ave., Dupont.
All are invited for this event free of charge.
When Professor Placek retired from Wilkes University after 40 years of teaching, he was ordained to the priesthood of the Polish National Catholic Church.
The Most Rev. John F. Swantek, Prime Bishop of the Polish National Catholic Church ordained him on May 25, 2002 at Holy Mother of Sorrows Church, Dupont, his home parish.
Dr. Placek celebrated his first Mass at 4 p.m. on Sunday, May 26, 2002 in Holy Mother of Sorrows.
Dr. Placek received his theological training at the Savonarola Theological Seminary in Scranton.
He was appointed pastor at Providence of God PNCC Parish in North Scranton in October 2002 and continues to serve that parish. He is also on the faculty of Savonarola Theological Seminary.
Placek has served the PNCC as a member of its Supreme Council, Diocesan Council and currently as a member of the Supreme Council. He continues to teach Physics as a part-time professor at Wilkes University and an adjunct professor at King’s College and Misericordia Universaity.
Placek graduated from West Pittston High School, Class of 1957, received his BS from Wilkes College, M.S. from Penn State University, a PhD from the University of Pennsylvania and has done postgraduate work at the University of Vermont, University of Maryland, Colby College and the University of Puerto Rico.
In 1992, while on sabbatical leave, he was a visiting professor at Cornell University.
He was a high school physics teacher for seven years and a professor in the Physics department at Wilkes University for 33 years, retiring in 2002 to become a priest in the PNCC.
Wilkes University Board of Trustees honored Placek with the title of Professor of Physics, Emeritus and he continues to teach part time.
Placek held membership in many academic and scholarly societies, presented numerous papers over the years at state, national and international meetings and has served on the executive boards of several state and national science societies and served on the editorial boards of several state and national science journals.
He was president of the Pennsylvania Science Teachers Association in 1992 and received national recognition for his contributions to science education.
He was elected to the Wyoming Area School Board for two terms, serving from 1975 to 1985 and served as board president of the West Side Area Vocational-Technical School in 1981.
He was appointed by the county commissioners as a trustee of the Luzerne County Community College and served for 1- years on many academic and executive committees.
Rev. Dr. Placek is the son of the late Walter Placek Sr. and Mary Bushinski Placek, of Dupont. He is married to the former Barbara Swantkowski, of Duryea, and they reside in the Mount Zion section of Exeter Township.
They have been married since 1961 and will celebrated their 51st. wedding anniversary this year.
The couple has three children, Allison Knick BSN, a Registered Nurse at Wilkes- Barre General Hospital; David, a chemistry and science teacher at Wyoming Valley West High School; and Adrienne Royster, Director of Human Resources at Oxy Chemical in Houston, Texas.
Dr. and Mrs. Placek have six grandchildren, Katelynn and Rebecca Knick, Amanda and Erin McCamey, Nikolas and Benjamin Placek, and one great-grandchild, Athens Ware.