At Providence College's Ninetieth Commencement Exercises on Sunday, May 18, Zygmunt J. Friedemann, Ph.D., professor emeritus of political science and a resident of Warwick, R.I., was one of six honorary degree recipients.

Born in Krakow, Poland, in 1920, Friedemann spent several years on the run as a member of the Polish underground movement before being captured and imprisoned by the Nazis. Once freed by American forces, Friedemann worked for the U.S. Army as an interpreter and liaison-helping to relocate some 80,000 refugees--before immigrating to the U.S. with his wife, Ruth, and brother with just 25 cents to their name.

Settling in Rhode Island, Friedemann took a job as a jewelry polisher and soon began his studies at Boston University, where he earned his bachelor's degree. He would go on to earn his master's and doctoral degrees from Brown University and, in 1956, he joined the PC faculty, where he taught with distinction for 34 years. Under his guidance, the College's Political Science Department became established as one of the strongest and most popular academic majors.

Among the students he mentored were Austin D. Sarat '69, Ph.D., J.D., and Fay Rozovsky '73, M.P.H., J.D.--each also received an honorary degree at Commencement. Sarat, a professor at Amherst College for the past 34 years, is an internationally recognized scholar of capital punishment. Rozovsky, a nationally recognized expert in healthcare risk management and patient safety, has authored books that have been cited in rulings by the U.S. Supreme Court and Supreme Court of Canada.

In addition to his legendary faculty status at PC, Friedemann's service-first character led to a renowned career in the Rhode Island General Assembly that lasted from 1974 to 1990. While a legislator, Friedemann was called the "Father of 9-1-1" for his championing of the first statewide emergency "9-1-1" system in the country.