Michael Kostzewa died at home in the arms of his beloved wife of 40 years, Dr. Williams and his loyal English Cocker Spaniel after a valiant battle against stage IV pancreatic cancer for 18 months despite being diagnosed with only three to four months to live. Through the efforts of world renowned oncologist, Dr. Herzog and the innovative treatments undergone during his seven sojourns to Bad Salzhausen, Germany, Mr. Kostzewa’s quality of life was sustained despite the ravages of chemotherapy and cyber knife radiation treatments.

As a cultured, educated, sophisticated, and athletic man, his love of international travel, coupled with his background of history and geography and the over 100 trips abroad, he was able to glean a deep understanding of foreign cultures, attitudes, belief systems and a worldview that enabled him to relate to world politics on a broad scale.

Born and raised in Reading, he received a bachelor’s degree from Kutztown University with dual majors in history and geography, a master’s degree in history from Temple University, and 30 additional graduate credits in history from London University, England, Chestnut Hill College, Lehigh University, and Western Illinois University.

He taught Humanities, Advanced Placement European History, Senior Social Studies (12th grade), American Cultures (11th grade), and World Cultures (10th grade) at Governor Mifflin High School for 42 years, in addition to his chairmanship of the Governor Mifflin Senior High Social Studies Department. As tour director of the Governor Mifflin Annual European Spring Tour for 30 years, over 1,300 students participated and many were immersed in their first international travel experience, fondly remembering that experience as life-changing. He was frequently stopped in the community by former students who said that the trip was the highlight of their lives.

Mr. Kostzewa was the founder and advisor for the Governor Mifflin Student Foreign Exchange Program which brought many foreign students to study at Governor Mifflin and sent many Governor Mifflin students to study abroad. He was the local coordinator for the American Field Service (AFS) and the Rotary Student Exchange Programs. Also, he served as the Senior Class Advisor for many graduating classes at G.M., was advisor to the Citizen Bee Teams which competed nationally, and was advisor to the G.M. team in the annual Reading Eagle sponsored “Scholastic Showdown” competition which tested students on current events. As advisor for the National Historical and Pictorial Map Contest, his student won in 1989. The scholarship presentation was held at the Smithsonian Institute’s Air and Space Museum where the Commission Chairman, Former Supreme Court Chief Justice Warren Burger presented the award and then Berks County Congressman Gus Yatron escorted Mr. Kostzewa and his student around Washington, D.C.

For many years Mr. Kostzewa hosted the “G.M. Mustang Parade,” a Saturday morning radio show on WEEU and did the public address announcements at all home basketball, football, and wrestling events.

The teaching awards included a Fulbright Study Abroad Award in India, a National Endowment for the Humanities Fellowship “Churchill” at Chestnut Hill College, and the Pennsylvania Commonwealth Partnership “Pennsylvania Social History” at Lehigh University.

He also taught history at the university level as an adjunct professor at Penn State-Berks University, Alvernia University, and College du Lemon at Versoix/Geneva, Switzerland. He wrote a number of travel-related articles for the Reading Eagle and the New York Times, as well as, being a panelist at historical conferences at Kutztown, Shippensburg, and Millersville Universities.

As a long-time coach, he was inducted into the Governor Mifflin Sports Hall of Fame, and he received from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania a Certificate of Recognition of being named the 1996 All-Berks Golf Coach of the Year. His mentorship of students in academics segued into sports. For 21 years, he was Head Baseball Coach at Governor Mifflin where under his coaching there were 4 County Championships, 8 Division Titles, and 24 All-County Players where two of his players were drafted by major league teams and 7 former players became head baseball coaches at Berks County High Schools. For another 19 years as Head Golf Coach at Governor Mifflin High School his team attained 6 County Championships, 8 Division titles, 27 All-County Players, 4 Individual County Champions, and 1 player finished 2nd in the State Individual Golf Tournament.

Mr. Kostzewa was also a professional tour director, working for the following companies: National Education Association Travel Division (Washington, D.C., Geneva, Switzerland), Windward Travel (Lancaster, Pennsylvania), Roamer Tours (Reading and Pottsville, Pennsylvania), Foreign Language League (Salt Lake City, Utah), and Reading/Berks AAA Travel.

After having traveled to China 3 times immediately after President Nixon opened the country to tourism, he also traveled to Japan 5 times, Africa 6 times, Latin America 15 times, Australia and New Zealand 4 times and European travel too numerous to count, he could regale friends with riveting travel stories. One of the most unusual travel experiences was his attendance at the 50th Anniversary Convention of the Russian Revolution in 1967 in Moscow. He stayed at the same hotel as the international delegates and was classified as an “educational observer.” He also traveled widely in the 1970s within the then communist bloc nations of Eastern Europe, especially Poland and East Germany. This was when the world was in tension during the “Cold War” struggle between the communist east and the democratic west. Relatives in Poland often facilitated his travels, especially one distant cousin who was a member of the Polish Communist Party’s Secret Police. All of these “Cold War” experiences were noted and discussed in debriefings in Washington, D.C.

In 1976, he witnessed in Cape Town, South Africa the spillover of the “Soweto Riots” where the black population violently protested the chains of the apartheid system of the separation of the races.

On a personal note, he was an avid reader of history and politics. His sports interests included the following: the Philadelphia Phillies, Penn State football, and playing golf. His tastes in music tended toward the classical and West End London/Broadway musicals. Concerts by the Vienna Symphony, London Symphony, Philadelphia Orchestra, Philadelphia Pops, Reading Symphony, and Pennsylvania Philharmonic were immensely enjoyed. Valery Gergiev, Ricardo Muti, and Gustavo Dudamel were three of his favorite conductors. Anything composed by Mozart, Beethoven, and Chopin would be playing in the background in his home at all times.

He was predeceased by one sister and one brother, and is survived by one brother, one sister, as well as numerous nieces and nephews. In spite of his illustrious teaching career and his numerous worldwide travels, some of his happiest moments were spent walking with his wife and dog, both of whose lives remain shattered by his death.

Family, friends, and colleagues are invited to a memorial service held at 10 A.M. on Saturday, November 11, 2017, at Edward J. Kuhn Funeral Home, 739 Penn Ave. West Reading. Attendees are asked to be seated by 10:15 A.M. for the start of the formal program. Condolence cards may be sent to the Kuhn Funeral Home, see address above. Online condolences may be recorded at www.kuhnfuneralhomes.com.