The Life of Joseph J. Kalinoski
JOSEPH J. KALINOSKI, P.E.
August 10, 1941 to March 31, 2017
Joseph J. Kalinoski formerly of Roxborough, Yardley, and West Chester, PA, died March 31, 2017. He is survived by his beloved wife Patricia (nee Armstrong), sons Joseph N. (the late Cheryl) and Thaddeus (Stephanie), daughter Rachel Shinkowsky (John), six grandchildren, four great grandchildren, and sister Bernadette Furia.
He was born in the Roxborough section of Philadelphia, on August 10, 1941, to Joseph A. and Mary (Delfonse) Kalinoski.
Joe started his career as a paperboy as young boys of his generation often did. He worked at a deli, his uncle’s steak shop in the Allegheny section of Philadelphia, and caddied for many years at the Green Valley Country Club, in Lafayette Hill. Later, he took a job as a shoeshine boy at the same country club.
His high school days started at St. John the Baptist High School for Boys in the old Schofield’s mansion and were completed at Roman Catholic High School for Boys in Philadelphia where he graduated in 1959. Later in life when he was a Resident Engineer on the construction of the HUD building in D.C., he showed the secretaries of the company how good he was at taking shorthand.
After high school, Joe worked for Gulf Oil on City Line Avenue in the mailroom until he earned enough to pay for college and become an engineer taking after his Uncle Ed Seaman who was married to his father’s sister, Dolly. Joe always recalled when he and his family and cousins’ Raymond, Francis and Kathy took the trip to Connecticut to see their Uncle Ed, who was an engineer on the Polaris submarine. That trip influenced Joe’s career for the rest of his life.
To reach his goal of becoming an engineer, he went to Temple University at night to receive the required science and math courses he needed to enter the engineering program at Penn State’s Ogontz Campus. While at Penn State, he worked to pay for his education doing everything from cafeteria work to cleaning.
One of the jobs that would change the direction of his life was working at John Wanamaker’s department store in Jenkintown, PA, where he met the ‘love of his life’ as he would tell Pat later in life. Pat worked in the candy department when she was a senior at Abington High School. Joe talked to Pat to try to get an introduction to another girl, but Pat was smart and invited him to dinner at her home instead. That was the start of their life-long relationship.
Joe asked Pat to marry him and stay with him for his last year at Penn State. She did and took a job in a bakery. Soon thereafter, they learned they were expecting a child. Their eldest son, Joseph was born on June 21, 1965.
Joe graduated from Penn State with a B.S. in Civil Engineering in 1965. He then became a licensed engineer, purchased their first home in Hatboro and developed a life-long network of friends.
Another job took him to D.C., where he was Resident Engineer on the HUD headquarters building. It is now known as the Robert C. Weaver Federal Building. The HUD building was designed by the world-famous architect Marcel Breuer. This project was in collaboration with the Philadelphia architectural firm, Nolen-Swinburne, Architects. The HUD headquarters building was formally dedicated on September 21, 1968.
While working for Nolen-Swinburne, Joe also worked on several buildings at Temple University as a structural engineer.
During his career, Joe had many accomplishments. He helped to design and construct a plant in Kitchner, Ontario, Canada, coming home every two weeks. He would come back with ten cartons of cigarettes in hand for his father. His father and father-in-law both worked at the Budd Co. in Philadelphia.
After that, he and Pat moved to West Goshen Township, PA, where he started working at Wyeth Laboratories. He traveled extensively in South America, South Africa and Pakistan, among other countries. There are many stories he told about his travels. He recalled being held at gun point in Colombia, South America and being shot at when he was on the Khyber Pass, going to a little shop where, not only did they sell food, but any weapon large or small.
Joe was partner with Dr. Dalim K. Majumdar of Soils Analysis and Foundation Engineering Co.
When Joe and Pat lived in West Chester, PA, they founded The Main Line Safari Club. This shop brought items and clothes from all over the world with an emphasis on African art and jewelry. Theirs was one of the first stores to import and sell oil cloth raincoats from Australia.
Bristol-Meyers Squibb brought him to another part of the world; Egypt and Russia. In Egypt, Pat said that in his office, there was a big window with the Pyramids of Gizza to look out on.
He was in charge of Bristol-Myers Squibb’s production and distribution of Critical Pharmaceuticals Facility in the Russian Federation. There he was so popular with his generosity and friendship, they named a nursery after his mother, Mary Kalinoski. In fact, during the Yeltsin administration, several ministers and diplomats of the Russian government feasted on a real American barbeque at the Kalinoski home in Yardley, PA.
Joe also worked at Smith Kline in Collegeville.
At one point in his career, Joe had the opportunity to meet Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev and President Ronald Reagan. On one occasion, he was one of ten invited to a lunch with Reagan and Chris Forbes. Joe got to see the Forbes collection of Faberge eggs and was then invited back later that night to meet Gorbachev.
Joe was very proud of his Polish heritage and volunteered much of his time to the Polish Heritage Society where he served as president. During his tenure, he was marshal of the Pulaski Day Parade, met the Cardinal that would become the Pope, and headed the Polish delegation that welcomed the ‘Dar Pormoza,’ one of the Tall Ships that came to Philadelphia. Joe and his wife were named Lord and Lady of the Manor, a special honor by the Polish Heritage Society.
Joe also loved his four-legged family of Mindi, Angel, and his teacup-York Lilly who stayed by his side during the last years of his life.
Joe’s work ethic continued until he was 72. He didn’t know how not to work which made it difficult for him after he was no longer able to drive due to several strokes. One thing Joe did do was read. His favorite author was Pat Conroy and his favorite book was “The Great Santini.”
Joe was an adventurer and loved meeting people from all around the world and experiencing a little of their lives. He shared this love with his and Pat’s three children, Joey, Rachel and Tad, who also traveled to Africa on various occasions staying in exceptional hotels and sleeping in tents in the bush.
A life he could only have dreamed of.
August 10, 1941 to March 31, 2017
Joseph J. Kalinoski formerly of Roxborough, Yardley, and West Chester, PA, died March 31, 2017. He is survived by his beloved wife Patricia (nee Armstrong), sons Joseph N. (the late Cheryl) and Thaddeus (Stephanie), daughter Rachel Shinkowsky (John), six grandchildren, four great grandchildren, and sister Bernadette Furia.
He was born in the Roxborough section of Philadelphia, on August 10, 1941, to Joseph A. and Mary (Delfonse) Kalinoski.
Joe started his career as a paperboy as young boys of his generation often did. He worked at a deli, his uncle’s steak shop in the Allegheny section of Philadelphia, and caddied for many years at the Green Valley Country Club, in Lafayette Hill. Later, he took a job as a shoeshine boy at the same country club.
His high school days started at St. John the Baptist High School for Boys in the old Schofield’s mansion and were completed at Roman Catholic High School for Boys in Philadelphia where he graduated in 1959. Later in life when he was a Resident Engineer on the construction of the HUD building in D.C., he showed the secretaries of the company how good he was at taking shorthand.
After high school, Joe worked for Gulf Oil on City Line Avenue in the mailroom until he earned enough to pay for college and become an engineer taking after his Uncle Ed Seaman who was married to his father’s sister, Dolly. Joe always recalled when he and his family and cousins’ Raymond, Francis and Kathy took the trip to Connecticut to see their Uncle Ed, who was an engineer on the Polaris submarine. That trip influenced Joe’s career for the rest of his life.
To reach his goal of becoming an engineer, he went to Temple University at night to receive the required science and math courses he needed to enter the engineering program at Penn State’s Ogontz Campus. While at Penn State, he worked to pay for his education doing everything from cafeteria work to cleaning.
One of the jobs that would change the direction of his life was working at John Wanamaker’s department store in Jenkintown, PA, where he met the ‘love of his life’ as he would tell Pat later in life. Pat worked in the candy department when she was a senior at Abington High School. Joe talked to Pat to try to get an introduction to another girl, but Pat was smart and invited him to dinner at her home instead. That was the start of their life-long relationship.
Joe asked Pat to marry him and stay with him for his last year at Penn State. She did and took a job in a bakery. Soon thereafter, they learned they were expecting a child. Their eldest son, Joseph was born on June 21, 1965.
Joe graduated from Penn State with a B.S. in Civil Engineering in 1965. He then became a licensed engineer, purchased their first home in Hatboro and developed a life-long network of friends.
Another job took him to D.C., where he was Resident Engineer on the HUD headquarters building. It is now known as the Robert C. Weaver Federal Building. The HUD building was designed by the world-famous architect Marcel Breuer. This project was in collaboration with the Philadelphia architectural firm, Nolen-Swinburne, Architects. The HUD headquarters building was formally dedicated on September 21, 1968.
While working for Nolen-Swinburne, Joe also worked on several buildings at Temple University as a structural engineer.
During his career, Joe had many accomplishments. He helped to design and construct a plant in Kitchner, Ontario, Canada, coming home every two weeks. He would come back with ten cartons of cigarettes in hand for his father. His father and father-in-law both worked at the Budd Co. in Philadelphia.
After that, he and Pat moved to West Goshen Township, PA, where he started working at Wyeth Laboratories. He traveled extensively in South America, South Africa and Pakistan, among other countries. There are many stories he told about his travels. He recalled being held at gun point in Colombia, South America and being shot at when he was on the Khyber Pass, going to a little shop where, not only did they sell food, but any weapon large or small.
Joe was partner with Dr. Dalim K. Majumdar of Soils Analysis and Foundation Engineering Co.
When Joe and Pat lived in West Chester, PA, they founded The Main Line Safari Club. This shop brought items and clothes from all over the world with an emphasis on African art and jewelry. Theirs was one of the first stores to import and sell oil cloth raincoats from Australia.
Bristol-Meyers Squibb brought him to another part of the world; Egypt and Russia. In Egypt, Pat said that in his office, there was a big window with the Pyramids of Gizza to look out on.
He was in charge of Bristol-Myers Squibb’s production and distribution of Critical Pharmaceuticals Facility in the Russian Federation. There he was so popular with his generosity and friendship, they named a nursery after his mother, Mary Kalinoski. In fact, during the Yeltsin administration, several ministers and diplomats of the Russian government feasted on a real American barbeque at the Kalinoski home in Yardley, PA.
Joe also worked at Smith Kline in Collegeville.
At one point in his career, Joe had the opportunity to meet Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev and President Ronald Reagan. On one occasion, he was one of ten invited to a lunch with Reagan and Chris Forbes. Joe got to see the Forbes collection of Faberge eggs and was then invited back later that night to meet Gorbachev.
Joe was very proud of his Polish heritage and volunteered much of his time to the Polish Heritage Society where he served as president. During his tenure, he was marshal of the Pulaski Day Parade, met the Cardinal that would become the Pope, and headed the Polish delegation that welcomed the ‘Dar Pormoza,’ one of the Tall Ships that came to Philadelphia. Joe and his wife were named Lord and Lady of the Manor, a special honor by the Polish Heritage Society.
Joe also loved his four-legged family of Mindi, Angel, and his teacup-York Lilly who stayed by his side during the last years of his life.
Joe’s work ethic continued until he was 72. He didn’t know how not to work which made it difficult for him after he was no longer able to drive due to several strokes. One thing Joe did do was read. His favorite author was Pat Conroy and his favorite book was “The Great Santini.”
Joe was an adventurer and loved meeting people from all around the world and experiencing a little of their lives. He shared this love with his and Pat’s three children, Joey, Rachel and Tad, who also traveled to Africa on various occasions staying in exceptional hotels and sleeping in tents in the bush.
A life he could only have dreamed of.