Brunon Synak

[2] His father, Ambroży Synak, was the director of a local mill, and his mother, Helena née Kotłowska, took care of the children and the household.

Under the supervision of professor Stefan Nowakowski, he wrote his doctoral dissertation focusing on the life and financial situation of the elderly in the country.

[7] Having obtained the doctoral degree, he was employed at the Department of Sociology of the University of Gdańsk, the Director of which was then professor Bolesław Maroszek.

[16] In his scientific work, he focused mainly on concepts related to social gerontology, which touched upon, inter alia, the situation of the elderly in the countryside environments and the influences of the transformation processes.

[20] In 2012, his contribution in this area was appreciated again - he was awarded the Jan Heweliusz Scientific Prize of the City of Gdańsk (Nagroda Naukowa Miasta Gdańska im.

In 1984, he was appointed to the position of the Pro-rector for Student Affairs, from which he resigned, together with other representatives of the University authorities, in the name of solidarity with Rector Karol Taylor.

Taylor was dismissed from his position after he, together with his co-employees, participated in the funeral of the student Marcin Antonowicz who had been fatally beaten by the Citizen's Militia of the Polish People's Republic.

[25] Brunon Synak was also a lecturer at the Academy of Tourism and Hotel Management (Wyższa Szkoła Turystyki i Hotelarstwa) in Gdańsk.

[26] After the events of August 1980, he became a member of the University branch of the Solidarity Trade Union (Niezależny Samorządny Związek Zawodowy "Solidarność"), whom he was up to 2006.

As part of over-regional activity, in the years 2000–2004, Brunon Synak presided over the Baltic Sea States Subregional Co-operation Conference.

[36] During his management, field structures of the Kashubian-Pomeranian Association in Kashubia developed but at the same time, branches in Kociewie and Bory Tucholskie went into decline.

As a result of his actions, the buildings of the Kashubian People's University (Kaszubski Uniwersytet Ludowy) in Wieżyca and Starbienino became the Association's ownership.

[38] When he presided over the Association, Brunon Synak strived for elements of Kashubian culture and language to be present during the service and liturgy.

Selected publications: Under President Bronisław Komorowski's decision of 8 November 2010, Brunon Synak was appointed a Knight of the Order of Polonia Restituta "for outstanding contribution to the development of territorial government in Poland, for achievements in scientific and didactic work".