Wladyslaw Otorowski was born in Krakow, Poland, on 30 July 1917.

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After completing his engineering studies at Warsaw Polytechnic, Wladyslaw was working in France when the German army invaded Poland. Escaping the German invasion of Franc with a wild and hazardous motorcycle ride across France to Le Havre, he boarded a ship to England, where he became part of the Polish Air Force attached to the RAF. He became a Signals Officer and Squadron Leader in the Command of Squadron 302 which flew Spitfires and Mosquitos.

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In March of 1945, he flew to Ft. Leavenworth, Kansas, to attend the Command and General Staff School, a special air-training course. Upon graduation he returned to England and was an integral part of D-Day communications for air cover.

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Because of the communist rule, he never had the opportunity to see his family in Poland again. With the end of WW II, he began his architectural career working for John Conrad in England (the son of author Joseph Conrad).

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In 1948, he decided to seek new places and a new life. He travelled to New York City, taking a position with O'Connor & Delaney.

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He met his wife to be, Betty Robbins, to share his life and seek new adventures. They married in 1951 and had two children, Chris and Julie.

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After working for various architectural firms in the East he became a naturalized citizen of the USA and earned an architectural degree.

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Moving to Colorado with his new family, he gained more architectural experience and worked for the Atomic Energy Commission. In 1958, it was on to Aspen for architectural opportunities.

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In 1960 the family moved to Connecticut to be near Betty's family, and he established his own practice. In 1966 he won first prize in an American Institute of Architects National Competition Design for a Community Centre Fallout Shelter for the U.S. Department of Defence.

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In 1984, he and Betty moved to Bainbridge Island in Washington, working in Silverdale, and founding the professional association "Architects, Planners and Engineers", which also pioneered the use of computers by architects, giving much assistance to Silverdale in its growth years. He worked with computer aided design in his architectural pursuits into his eighties, keeping his mind sharp.

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Wladyslaw passed away on 8 May 2008 on Bainbridge Island, Washington. He was 90 years of age.

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Copyright: Otorowski family

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