Arthur B. Saworski

Art Saworski was born in Cologne, Germany in 1928. As World War II neared an end, he was drafted into the German army, serving in the Nazi Youth Corp in anti-aircraft operations. When the war ended, he was imprisoned for a short time by the Allies, but was later released in the care of his family. Throughout his early years, and primarily through the influence of his maternal grandmother, Art developed a love for classical music and the classical arts. In 1953, at the age of 25, Art was offered the opportunity to attend college in the United States, as part of the Marshall Plan Exchange Student Program. He jumped at the opportunity, and enrolled at Western Reserve (now Case Western Reserve University) in Cleveland, Ohio. After graduating, Art moved to Detroit to work for the Ford Motor Company on the Edsel Project. Although he enjoyed his job as an automotive engineer, he took every available opportunity to visit the Boyne City area, eventually moving to Boyne Falls in 1968. 

Art was a man of many talents. He owned his own real estate company, helped start the Commission on Aging and was also the Director of the Charlevoix County Transit system, a position he held until his retirement in 1988. Although Art moved halfway across the world to pursue his education and his career, he never lost sight of the things he loved, maintaining a life-long passion for the classical arts. This love of the arts was present in Art to the end, and resulted in the establishment of the Wisser-Saworski Endowment for the Arts at the Community Foundation on his passing in 2011. Art enjoyed his life and cherished his past, which is why he included his mother's maiden name, Wisser, in the name of the Fund. The Wisser-Saworski Endowment for the Arts supports all forms of the classical arts in and around Charlevoix County, making the Fund a fitting tribute to Art and his family.