Tomasz Tadeusz Arciszewski
Dr. Tomasz Arciszewski, professor emeritus of civil engineering at George Mason University, husband, father, and grandfather, passed away peacefully at home on July 20, 2026. He was 78. Tomasz lived by a promise: “Everything for the family.” It reflected the seriousness, discipline, and sense of responsibility with which he approached his life. He was intensely hardworking and ambitious, expecting a great deal of himself and believing that determination could overcome almost any obstacle. He is survived by his wife, Eva Arciszewski; his daughters, Joanna Cornell and Milena Kellner; Joanna’s partner, Andrey Samode; Milena’s husband, Christopher Kellner; and his grandchildren, Paikea and Atreyu Kellner. Born and educated in Communist-era Poland, Tomasz earned his master’s degree summa cum laude in structural engineering and mechanics from Warsaw University of Technology in 1970 and completed his doctorate there in 1975. He was the grandson and namesake of Tomasz Arciszewski, the Polish socialist leader who served as prime minister of the Polish government-in-exile during World War II. His path to the United States took his family through Nigeria and a refugee camp in Italy before they ultimately made a home in America and became citizens. He taught in Poland, Nigeria, and at Wayne State University before joining George Mason University in 1994. Over four decades, Tomasz became an internationally recognized scholar in inventive engineering, structural mechanics, machine learning, and engineering education. He authored or co-authored almost 180 publications, held patents in the United States, Canada, and Poland, and conducted research supported by NASA, the National Science Foundation, and the Defense Threat Reduction Agency. Tomasz believed creativity was as essential to engineering as mathematics. Leonardo da Vinci was a particular inspiration: to Tomasz, he embodied the union of technical rigor, artistic imagination, curiosity, and fearless inquiry that inventive engineering required. Tomasz’s own teaching drew from engineering, computer science, psychology, artificial intelligence, systems theory, and art. His books, including Successful Education and Inventive Engineering, advanced his conviction that education should do more than transmit knowledge—it should increase a person’s chances of succeeding in life. He applied that belief directly to his students. Tomasz found funding, arranged housing, welcomed international students, and opened doors for people whose promise others had overlooked. He once gave his own car to a doctoral student who needed it. One former student described him as “my brother in a foreign land.”His work and relationships extended across continents. He returned to Nigeria to connect African, American, and European scholars and continued teaching throughout Poland. His professional honors included awards from the American Society of Civil Engineers and the 2023 Genius Award from Poland’s Salon of Culture, Education and Business. Outside the university, Tomasz pursued life with the same intensity. He scuba-dived, drove race cars on professional tracks, exercised faithfully, and remained deeply engaged with philosophy, leadership, creativity, and the future of human knowledge. He did very little halfway. He will be remembered for his intelligence, discipline, and risk taking. In lieu of flowers, the family invites memorial donations to the TPD “Helenów” Rehabilitation, Education, and Care Center in Poland, an organization founded by Tomasz’s grandfather, Tomasz Arciszewski, in 1922. Tomasz later reconnected with Helenów and became personally involved in supporting its mission, advocating for children with developmental disabilities and personally contributing to improve their access to therapy and care. Today, donations will help build a modern, accessible school where children with disabilities and special educational needs can learn, grow, and thrive. https://tpd.org.pl/budowa-szkoly-w-helenowie/
