From Cracow to Lagos : Prof. Adam Stanisław Skąpski (1902-1968)

Adam Skąpski born in Cracow in 1902 studied chemistry at the Jagiellonian University where he got his PhD degree in 1928 and habilitated in 1932 for his research on physical chemistry of strong electrolytes and surface chemistry. In 1931–1939 he was professor of physical chemistry at the Academy of Mining (at present AGH University of Science and Technology) where he specialized in the problems of physical chemistry of metallurgy. After the 2nd Word War broke out Skąpski has been arrested by the Soviets occupying eastern part of Poland and sentenced for 5 years of forced labor for his refusal to collaborate with the occupation authorites. Freed from the camp in the region of Arkhangielsk in 1942 he traveled over Iran and East Africa to Great Britain, where he in 1943 became Vice-mini ster in the Polish Government in Exile. After the war he stayed in USA and was professor of physical chemistry at the Iniversity of Chicago and subsequently at te University of Nebrasca and State University of Vermont and developed his study of liquid metals physics. In. 1964 he was engaged by the Ford Foundationas the specialist in Education and directed to Nigeria. His initiatives and activites in this post were very highly appreciated by the Government of Nigeria. He died in 1968 in Lagos and has been burned at the grounds of a Comprehensive High School in Ayietoro which was organized and funded according to this Skąpski’s conceptions