Bogdan Zaborski

Bogdan Zaborski was born on 5 April 1901, in Warsaw. In 1919- 1924 he studied geography at the University of Warsaw under Professor Stanisław Lencewicz. In 1925 he received the degree of a Philosophy Doctor, based on his dissertation entitled On the forms of rural settlements in Poland and their distribution (in Polish). His book was published in Germany in 1930. Bogdan Zaborski began to work as assistant in the Department of Geography at University of Warsaw in 1924. Then he stayed at several universities in Germany and France ( 1928-1930). He completed his habilitation procedures at Jagiellonian University in Cracow (1930) and took the position of deputy professor at the Seminar of Physical Geography. Then he returned to Warsaw and taught students in the Department of Geography and Humanistic Faculty of Warsaw University as well as at Free Polish Public University. The main fields of interest were research connected to settlement geography, geomorphology, ethnic geography, cartography and regional geography. In the 1930s Bogdan Zaborski actively contributed to various Polish state institutions in the field of cartography and regional planning (Baltic Institute, Research Institute of Minorities Affairs, and Association of Mountainous Areas). He was a chief of Cartographic Laboratory in Research Institute of Minorities' Affairs. In the years 1937- 1938 he had traveled around the world (Siberia, Manchuria, Korea, Japan, Hawaii, USA, and Mexico ). Bogdan Zaborski was appointed associate professor in newly established Department of Anthropogeography at Warsaw University in 1938. Then he wrote an extensive work entitled Anthropogeography in co-operation with Dr Antoni Wrzosek. This work was commonly evaluated as the best compendium of human geography in Poland for this time. His academic career was interrupted by the outbreak the World War II. He tried to move to Polish Army in France but the Russians caught him and deported to Norylsk. He was released in 1941 and after a long journey through the Soviet Union reached London. Zaborski did not return to Warsaw after the war and settled in Montreal. He taught in Canadian universities from 1948 to 1975 (Mc Gill, Ottawa and Concordia) but maintained close contacts with Polish geographers. Professor Zaborski took part in all Congresses of International Geographical Union between 1931 and 1972. He was a member of scientific associations in Poland, Britain, USA, Mexico, Peru and Canada (co-founder of Canadian Geographers Association 1950). In 1973 he was awarded honorary membership of Polish Geographical Society. Today the outstanding students in geography of the Faculty of Science and Arts at Concordia University (Montreal) are awarded Bogdan Zaborski Medal. Professor Bogdan Zaborski died on 22 February 1985, in Ottawa.