Peter Cipkowski has lived in the Hudson area since he was ten and currently lives between Los Angeles, California and Hillsdale, New York. He is an academic and civic leader focusing on political and literary history and serves as Vice President of the Willa Cather Foundation Board of Governors.

Peter begins his interview by speaking about his childhood in Copake, New York. He spends significant time describing his involvement in the Solidarity movement in Poland during the 1980s, which was deeply influenced by his Polish grandparents who lived in Hudson when he was a child. 

Peter then discusses his move to New York City, where he spent the 1980s and 90s building a career in educational publishing and technology. He speaks about his own educational experience in middle school and high school that influenced his values and career towards education.  

Peter highlights his civic work in Hillsdale, where he has served as a board member and Town Supervisor. He mentions his father as an influence towards his interest in family and local history. He speaks in greater detail about his father’s side of the family, who owned Chipp’s Market on Front Street, and his mother’s side of the family, from Cape Cod. 

Peter concludes his interview by speaking about the importance of civic engagement and his current role as an Adjunct Professor at UCLA. He speaks about witnessing Hudson’s evolution over the course of his lifetime and mentions his cousin Marcy as a key figure in remembering his ancestry in this area. 

This interview might interest those researching or wishing to learn more about LGBTQ communities in Hudson, Polish families and communities in Hudson, Solidarity in Poland in the 1980s, civic engagement, educational technology, and Hudson’s transformation from the 1960s to the 2020s.

This interview was recorded for the Hudson Area Library's LGBTQ+ Collection in collaboration with Outhudson and with support from The Spark of Hudson.