Tyler Zygmunt Murtie receives Rev. Stanislaus B. Uzenski Scholarship

Pine Island — On Sunday, June 11, Tyler Zygmunt Murtie received the Rev. Stanislaus B. Uzenski Scholarship at St. Stanislaus Church in Pine Island, following the 8:30 a.m. Mass. This was the 31st year that the scholarship was awarded in memory of Stanley, who was born and raised in Pine Island and who was the first parishioner of St. Stanislaus Parish to enter the priesthood. He attended St. Joseph’s Seminary, and was ordained a priest on June 7, 1941. At the time of his death on Jan. 27, 1975, he was pastor of St. Stanislaus. Selections for the scholarship is based on academics, community service and service to the church. Murtie graduated from Warwick Valley High School in June. He plans to attend Hudson Valley Community College to study mortuary science. His extracurricular activities include chorus, and participating in construction of the floats for homecoming. He was named a prince for the senior class for Homecoming 2005. He participates in the Polish dance classes sponsored by the Hudson Valley Polonaise Society, carrying on the traditions of his Polish heritage. He has volunteered at Schervier Pavilion, assisted as a helper in the religious education program at St. Stanislaus, and helps to clean the church each year for Easter. Murtie presently works at Elant Inc. in Goshen as a companion with geriatric patients. In his essay qualifying for the scholarship, he wrote: “Throughout my entire life, I have been surrounded by family and wonderful family friends, and have witnessed the heartbreak of their passing. I hope to work in the field of mortuary science so I can be of help to families at their most sorrowful time. In my present position, I deal with the elderly and witness their struggle to care for themselves. I feel great success when I see them smile and laugh because of something I have said or done. I find the greatest pleasure interacting with people, and hope with the proper training and God’s blessing, I will be an asset to the community in which I live.”