October 01, 2018
Dr. Zygmunt J. Friedemann ’08Hon.; professor emeritus of political science
Dr. Zygmunt J. Friedemann ’08Hon., professor emeritus of political science who taught at PC from 1956-1990, died at his home in Warwick, R.I., on May 3, 2018. He was 98.
After joining the College faculty as an instructor in political science in 1956, Dr. Friedemann was promoted to assistant professor in 1959, associate professor in 1963, and professor in 1968. He served as department chair from 1965-1974. He received the Distinguished Faculty Award from the PC National Alumni Association in 1993. He was awarded an honorary Doctor of Political Science degree at the College’s Ninetieth Commencement Exercises in 2008.
Born in Krakow, Poland, on Feb. 15, 1920, to Leon and Lila Friedemann, he lived a stable life until the Nazis invaded Poland. Thereafter, he fought with the Polish Underground defying Nazi rule until he was captured and tortured. He survived two Nazi concentration camps.
When freed, he worked for the U.S. Army as an interpreter and liaison — helping to relocate some 80,000 other freed refugees — where he met and married Ruth B. (Avots) on Dec. 26, 1947, in Augsburg, Germany. Dr. Friedemann won her heart by leaving candy in her work desk. They emigrated to the United States in 1948.
After working long days and nights in jewelry manufacturing and at a Rhode Island landmark, Rocky Point’s Shore Dinner Hall, he obtained his bachelor’s, master’s, and Ph.D. degrees from Boston University, Brown, and Harvard, respectively.
In addition to his teaching career, Dr. Friedemann served eight terms as a state representative in the R.I. General Assembly, where he played a major role in the creation of the emergency 9-1-1 system.
In addition to his wife, he leaves a daughter, Gail K. (Friedemann) Weisberger ’78, and her husband, J. Robert Weisberger, Jr. ’75; a son, Glenn R. Friedemann, Esq. ’80, and his wife, Marilyn J. “Merrill” Friedemann, Esq. ’88; and four grandchildren.
Services for Dr. Friedemann were private.
Per his wishes, his epitaph reads, “I love my family, I love my adopted country, and I love my students.”
