Virginia Seretny
Living Category - Inducted 1993
It was 1960 when it all started for Virginia Seretny on a small community
radio station WILI in Williamantic, Conn. As a result of an association
with a friend named Homer who was employed as a newscaster and Sunday
morning DJ at the station who enjoyed polka music and featured it during
his program. During this time the owner of the station purchased another
station in nearby Putnam, Conn., and he offered the job to Homer, but he
was concerned about the continuation of polkas on WILI. This is when he
approached Virginia and asked her to take over the program. Well, she
did, and the month sfter her induction into the Polka Music Hall of Fame
celebrated 33 years of "Polkatime" on
WILI.
Virginia
started with a huge collection of about ten records, and soon found out
she needed more. She first borrowed many from friends, and later wrote
to record companies and various polka artists. When the late Papa Joe
Chesky learned her theme for her show was "Whoopie, Shoopie Polka," he
personally brought her a box of records down to the studio. She was one
of the first to introduce the Chicago style of polkas, never before
heard in Eastern Connecticut. After a few years she was persuaded by one
of the engineers to "run her own board' and this accomplishment earned
her another program over sister station WINY on Saturdays, which lasted
for nine years. She was also the hostess of many remotes from her area
which featured lived popular orchestras and interviews which polka fans
and band leaders.
She also was very active in attending local senior
homes and children's hospitals with various local polka bands and
organized a fund raising dance for the benefit of the late Frankie Gee
Family. She was rewarded a lifetime membership in the Polish Club in
Jewett City, Conn. Also, she was honored during her 9th, 12th, 20th, 25th
and 30th Anniversary of Polka Broadcasting by fans and local
organizations.
In 1962 she convinced a local band leader to
make the trip to Chicago to learn more about the activities that she was
reading about in "The Polka Guide" magazine. After 21-1/2 hours on the
road she and the five musicians arrived in Chicago. Thus, she met and made memorable friendships that continued
for years. She became involved
during the formative years of the IPA, served as second
vice-president for eight years and a director for twelve. In some areas she
was known as "Mrs. IPA.'
Virginia was born in Brooklyn, NY, on October 4, and moved to
Connecticut in 1934. She met and married Joseph Seretny in May, 1949,
and they were the proud parents of four children. She held a position for
twenty-seven years prior to her induction with the Parking Violations Division of the Willimantic Police Department. On Saturday, August 7, 1993, she became
the second woman to be inducted into the Living Category of IPA Polka
Music Hall of Fame. She has passed away since then .
