WSCC President Honored to be named Cullman Oktoberfest Burgermeister

Being named Burgermeister is in many ways the culmination of Dr. Vicki Hawsey Karolewics’s journey from Cullman transplant to Cullmanite.
“I’ve always perceived this honor as one bestowed upon lifelong Cullman residents, and so this honor has special meaning for me,” Dr. Karolewics said.
When she came to the area 11 years ago, she came for the job — as the third president of Wallace State Community College.  But it is her love for the community that has inspired her to stay, when so many presidents these days make a practice of moving every 3 to 5 years.
“There’s a sense of belonging here that I love, a true sense of community, at the college, in our neighborhoods, through our civic groups and churches, that I haven’t found anywhere else.”
Dr. Karolewics says she knew immediately that Cullman was a unique place. Right away she admired the historical parts of the city and became fascinated by Borkenau, Roy Drinkard’s home, even before meeting him, and the property became even more dear to her after getting to know how much Drinkard himself loved Cullman. She remembers walking through the cemetery at St. Bernard and realizing that the simplicity of the graves reflected the simplicity of monastic life. She has treasured the cards she received from the Shrine of the Most Blessed Sacrament reminding her that the nuns are praying for the college, and she finds comfort in knowing that somewhere in this community there are people lifting others up each and every day.
Originally from Milton, Fla., where she grew up with a sense of freedom and innocence she fears the country is losing – some of that naturally comes from emerging information about things that are hazardous to our health – “I probably wouldn’t run behind the truck spraying for mosquitos anymore, just because I like the smell of citronella!” – but parents weren’t as afraid for their children then and I miss that – “we walked barefoot everywhere, we played outside for hours without supervision, as long as we were in by dinner, and that was normal then.”
As an adult, her career in education took her to Evergreen and Phenix City. “I’ve lived in places that felt cold and impersonal, and I can tell you having moved here from some of those places that when you find a community with this kind of caring, and when you allow yourself to embrace the community and to be embraced by it, you’ve found a home.”
Karolewics says it’s as though anyone who buys into the values that undergird Cullman – hard work, honesty, frugality, a genuine sense of caring about family, neighbors, and community – is welcome.  These are old values brought by the Germans who founded the community and reinforced by the farming families that have been its strength, and they are the same values Cullman County natives continue to hold dear.
This tenacity she sees in people like David Poyner, who had a vision for HOPE, the therapeutic horseback riding program for children with disabilities, and even after years of setbacks never gave up on his extraordinary dream and has now seen it come to fruition. Cullman allows those who want to do something good, and who are tenacious and hard working, to succeed because others will rally around them.
It’s this sort of culture she admires at Wallace State, where employees talk of the Wallace State family, where caring for students and student success is foremost, and where students often cite a caring atmosphere as setting Wallace State apart. And it is evident in the connections she has made to Cullman business, industry and economic development, as well as in encouraging employees to be active in civic organizations, and by leading through example as chair of the Cullman Area Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors and its first Total Resource Campaign. Her focus on community has contributed to a relentless pursuit of excellence and innovation that has placed Wallace State among the top 10 percent of community colleges in the U.S.
In fact it was through her connections in the community – with special thanks to Betty Leeth and Earnie Haynes — that she met her husband, the Cullman radiation oncologist Dr. Vince Karolewics. In him she found a fellow adventurer, and someone who shares her deep desire to serve others and to continuously learn. Their hobbies include flying (she as co-pilot), scuba diving, kiteboarding and travel, especially to interesting and exotic locations where she can perfect her talent for photography. Her specialties include macro photography on land and underwater as well as landscapes.
“On dive trips we have seen a world underwater few people have the privilege of ever witnessing and it is truly magnificent,” she says. “Watching leatherback turtles nesting and pods of humpback whales, including a mother and her baby in Dominica, photographing lemon sharks, flamingo tongues, eels, giant manta rays, stingrays, and pufferfish in the Caribbean seas, and learning how to kiteboard in Grand Cayman have been favorite experiences with my husband. I have searched and searched and have yet to find a seahorse!”
Together, the Drs. Karolewics have also become quite accomplished ballroom dancers, and even competed in Cullman’s Dancing with the Stars last year. “Vince and I share a love of the arts and find ourselves at the Schermerhorn Center often to see the Nashville Symphony or at BJCC or the Alys Stephens Center for John Mayer, Jamie Cullum, Jim Brickman, great jazz, or Broadway plays.”  She hopes to bring a JazzFest on the Lake to Wallace State’s campus to complement a focus on the cultural arts for the community.
One of Karolewics’ most recent pasttimes is researching her family history. She hasn’t yet discovered any German connections, but she has traced her lineage to Sir John Gerard, Lord of Kingsley (1386-1431), of Lancashire, England, her 17th great grandfather on her mother’s side and his wife Lady Alice Boteler; and Solomon Sprawls (1747-1821), her 5th great grandfather on her father’s side from Tyrone, Northern Ireland, and his wife Mary Ann Thompson. Through her husband, Dr. Vince Karolewics, she can claim connections to Spain and Poland.
It will come as no surprise to anyone who knows her, however, that most important to her and her husband is their love of their own blended family with four kids, Sophia, Kristen, Matthew, and Christina. Throughout her life she has advocated for issues related to children, and was active in the development of the Field of Miracles spearheaded by Chester Freeman.
As Burgermeister, Dr. Karolewics is looking forward to being honorary mayor during Oktoberfest. There’s no telling what this extremely driven and adventurous spirit may do in a week with the keys to the city.