From today, 19.03.2021, one of the trams in Gdańsk will carry the name of prof Janusz Sokołowski, the initiator of our University and its first Rector. - 'I am proud that today, as the next Rector of our University, I can continue this great work started half a century ago by Prof. Janusz Sokołowski,' - said prof. Piotr Stepnowski, Rector of UG. - 'I would like to thank President Aleksandra Dulkiewicz, the City of Gdańsk and all those who appreciated this great man and our University,' - he added.

The tradition of naming trams with patrons - people of merit for Gdańsk's history - has been going on in Gdańsk for over 10 years now. The motion to commemorate prof. Janusz Sokołowski, who has permanently inscribed himself in the history of the UG and Gdańsk science, was put forward, as he noted in his speech over 4 years ago, by prof. Bernard Lammek, Rector Senior.

The ceremony of presenting the tram with the new patron took place on Friday, March 19, in the presence of the family, city and university authorities at the tram stop in Chełm. - 'The university is a forge of human resources and a factor significantly supporting the development of the city and the region. The tram with prof. Janusz Sokołowski's name on it will remind everyone of his merits,' - stressed prof. Bernard Lammek, the proposer and laudator.

The ceremony was attended, among others, by prof. Joanna Szczucka, daughter of rector Sokołowski and her children and grandchildren, Aleksandra Dulkiewicz, Mayor of Gdańsk, Andrzej Stelmasiewicz, Councillor of the City of Gdańsk, and the university authorities headed by prof. Piotr Stepnowski, Rector of UG. Also present were the Rectors Senior: prof. Bernard Lammek and prof. Zbigniew Grzonka, the Dean of the Faculty of Chemistry prof. Beata Grobelna, the president of the Gdańsk Scientific Society prof. Jerzy Błażejowski and Simona Kołek, a representative of the Student Government of the Faculty of Chemistry, UG.

The ceremony was opened by Mayor Aleksandra Dulkiewicz, who took the opportunity to give her best wishes to the University of Gdańsk community on the occasion of the jubilee.

Prof. Piotr Stepnowski, Rector of UG, emphasised the extraordinary qualities of the first Rector of UG: - 'A figure of science and organisation of academic life, an outstanding person, possessing extraordinary personal culture, sensitivity and incredible tact,' - he said. - 'In his great work, which was the establishment and later the leading of the University of Gdańsk, he made full use of these qualities to overcome resistance, the old customs of the two predecessor schools and numerous organisational obstacles,' - he added.

In his laudation, prof. Bernard Lammek emphasised what an excellent lecturer and academic teacher prof Janusz Sokołowski was. His clear and attractive lectures were legendary. It is worth mentioning that under his direct supervision one hundred and fifty people completed their studies and seven of his students received doctoral degrees.

- 'He could easily be called a Renaissance man, for he was a lover of music, history and literature. He was a true scholar and I still remember his lecture on the theory of the origin of the universe. He was a modest man. He was characterised by great kindness to people with whom he worked,' concluded prof. Bernard Lammek, Rector Senior.

The reason why prof Jerzy Sokołowski will remain in the memory of the University and Gdańsk is his efforts to establish the University of Gdańsk, whose jubilee we are celebrating. - 'It is worth adding that it was not easy, because even at the merging universities there were many opponents to the idea. I will not even mention the need to convince the party authorities. Thanks to his charisma prof. Sokołowski was able to convince the opponents and thanks to the titanic work of the team under his direction our Alma Mater came into being,' - recalled prof. Bernard Lammek.

- 'He lived and breathed the problems of the University of Gdańsk, caring for the development of the university while remembering about the employees at all levels. He managed the university in a way that should be a model for all of us,' - summarised prof. Piotr Stepnowski, Rector of the University of Gdańsk.

After unveiling the name on the tram, the guests had the opportunity to go on its first route with the new patron.

We would like to remind you of the profile of the First Rector prof. Janusz Sokołowski:

Prof. Janusz Sokołowski was born in 1927 in Karniszewice, Łódź Voivodship. In 1945 he passed his secondary school final examinations and in the same year took up studies in chemistry at the Gdańsk University of Technology. He graduated in 1949 with a degree in chemical engineering and in 1951 with a degree in chemical sciences. He received his PhD degree in 1961 at the Faculty of Chemistry of the GUT, and in 1964 he was awarded the academic degree of assistant professor at the Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń. He was awarded the title of associate professor in 1968 and full professor of chemical sciences in 1977. From 1952 to 1997 he was employed at the Higher School of Pedagogy, and later at the UG.

Professor was a co-founder and a pillar of the Gdańsk school of sugar chemistry, which continues the tradition of the Polish school of natural products established at the Stefan Batory University in Vilnius. The professor's scientific output includes over 90 original publications, numerous conference presentations and lectures in scientific centres in Poland and abroad. He is a co-author of the textbook 'Theoretical Foundations of Organic Chemistry', which has become a basic textbook for the education of chemists. For several years, he was the chairman of the Sugar Chemistry Section of PTCHem.

Prof. Janusz Sokołowski was the first rector of the newly established University of Gdańsk and held the position until 1981. He represented our University at the celebrations of the 900th anniversary of the University of Bologna and the ceremony of the signing of the Great Bologna Charter in 1986. In 1989 he became a member of the State Tribunal. He was repeatedly awarded the Minister's prizes and received many distinctions, including the Commander's Cross of the Order of Polonia Restituta.

In recognition of his merits, the Senate of the University of Gdańsk conferred on prof. Janusz Sokołowski the title of Honorary Rector and the honorary doctorate. The meeting room of the Senate bears his name. In 2015, on the initiative of the then Dean and current Rector of UG, prof. Piotr Stepnowski, the Janusz Sokolowski Medal - De Chimia Gedanensi Bene Meritus - was established.

The ceremony of naming the tram after prof Janusz Sokołowski. Photo: Arkadiusz Smykowski / UG