A La Salle University graduate student, Obst received the school’s 2004 Leo Award for his paper on Casimir Pulaski, a Polish noble who aided Continental troops during the American Revolution. “The original story was that Pulaski was buried at sea,” says Obst. There was no evidence to this story, however, and his employer sought to find out where the solider was buried.

Obst’s interest in the soldier began when he learned they were both Polish, and later by a work experience. He is a researcher for Edward Pinkowski, who operates the Florida-based Pinkowski Institute. His job is to research Polish American history makers and bring their contributions to life by writing about them. Prior to Obst joining the foundation, Pinkowski located Pulaski’s grave in Savannah, Georgia.

Pulaski was initially buried on Greenwich Plantation in Georgia, and in 1855 his body was moved to a monument bearing his name. For many years, people thought that the marker was simply a monument to Pulaski, and not his burial site.

In 1996, the monument was opened for repairs, and inside was an iron box with a silver plaque on it with “Pulaski” engraved on it.

“The bones inside were of someone approximately Pulaski’s height, and there was a break to a bone that matched an injury that Pulaski suffered,” said Obst. Later, experts gathered DNA from the site while Pinkowski and Obst looked for Pulaski’s descendants in Poland to match DNA strains.

“Some of these people didn’t know they were related to Pulaski,” says Obst, a student in La Salle’s master’s program in Eastern and Central European Studies. While there hasn’t been a definite DNA match, Obst says, “it’s very likely” the bones are Pulaski’s. (The foundation is conducting DNA testing on the bones and from Pulaski’s descendants.)

Writing about Pulaski’s Philadelphia experiences earned Obst the Leo Prize, given to a student for a paper on local history. It was created byJohn McHale, a LaSalle alum.

A cavalryman by training, Pulaski was inspired by the colonies’ fight for freedom, and he came to America to help General George Washington. Prior to Pulaski’s arrival, the Continental army troops lacked discipline and battle savvy, and Pulaski, a former member of the Polish military, trained American troops in hit-and-run or guerilla tactics and created the first U.S. Calvary.

Pulaski only spent two years in America (1777-1779), primarily in the Delaware Valley, fighting in battles at Brandywine, Germantown, Haddonfield and Egg Harbor. Pulaski’s final battle occurred in Savannah, Georgia, where he joined forces with General Benjamin Lincoln. Together, the two warhorses mounted a fierce attack against the British, but it served as Pulaski’s Alamo. On October 9,1779, Pulaski was mortally wounded and died two days later.

Like Pulaski, Obst left a Russian-dominated Poland to live in America.

His contributions to the Polish community have garnered scholarship recognition. Some of the scholarships that Obst has received include The Pulaski Scholarship from the American Council For Polish Culture, The Skalny Foundation, Jan Gorecki and The Polish Heritage Society of Philadelphia. He also won a medal from the Polish government for his work on behalf of Polish culture in the U.S.

Regarding his career at La Salle, Obst says he was inspired by a high school English teacher to pursue a graduate degree in Central and Eastern European Studies at La Salle because it offered the only program of its kind.

“After I receive my diploma from graduate school, I may teach a course in Polish Cultural History at La Salle. But I have to graduate first,” says Obst. “La Salle University helped to reorient my career by taking me from a technical focus to a humanistic focus.”