President John F. Kennedy made a spectacular appearance on the steps of Buffalo City Hall in October 1962 as part of the Pulaski Day observance. A highlight of the ceremony was the gift of a Polish doll given to the President by six-year-old Noelle Krolewicz for his daughter Caroline.
Noelle, who now lives outside of Rochester and works as an occupational therapist, says that she doesn’t know why she was chosen for the honor by her principal at St. Stanislaus School. She recalls that at the last minute a member of the Wardynski family secured an authentic Polish doll from the Laski Institute for the Blind near Warsaw for the gift. Noelle recalls that the president had a deep tan and adjusted the microphone for her so that the first-grader could make her presentation.
The accompanying photos are from the Buffalo Evening News and the personal Krolewicz collection. Readers are invited to identify any of the accompanying dignitaries surrounding the podium.