Passionate about political science

To the editor:Kansas City papers carried the obituary of Jerzy Hauptmann, long a professor of political science at Park College in Parkville, Mo. In my four years at Park College, Jerzy and I became friends. He succeeded in making political science, which to many of us did not seem as exciting as Victorian poetry, a most important study. It was his passion. His students learned to know political leaders in their home counties. They gave speeches and asked questions.

Jerzy had lived in Poland during the war and was a member of the underground. He and his wife often invited me into their home, where we joined others. They were a European couple, moving about the house to make sure each was visited. The family spoke German and Polish as well as English. His son became a member of the State Department and his daughter a teacher at an Eastern university.

Jerzy did not drive a car until his wife died only a few years ago. We began writing letters to each other. He was my last friend who used real stamps on his envelopes. I owe him a letter now, a debt I cannot easily repay.

PETER HILTY, Cape Girardeau