TUTWILER — Eugene Borkowski, age 71, passed away in his sleep of sudden cardiac death at his home on Saturday, April 9.
A memorial service honoring his life is set for 1 p.m. Saturday, May 21, at St. George’s Episcopal Church in Clarksdale with Rev. Dr. Jason Shelby, rector of St. George, officiating and Rev. Dr. Zane Hodge of Greenwood, his beloved pastor and friend of 25 years, providing the homily and eulogy. A private interment will follow at a later date.
He was born to Sigmund and Maria Bianowski Borkowski in Staten Island, New York on May 27, 1944.
Gene, as he was known to everyone, gained the reputation (by those who benefitted from his decades of acquired knowledge) as the person who could solve almost any computer problem, be it hardware, programming/software, or wide-or local-area networks, even after his advancing physical disability had limited his contributions primarily to “brainwork” and as a volunteer. When called upon by the nationally known Tutwiler Clinic on many occasions, it was gratifying for him to feel that he was being of benefit to those who were being of benefit to others.
One of the anecdotal feats being remarked upon by those reminiscing is of his having been contacted regarding major problems between a computer system of an automobile manufacturer in Beijing, China and that of an auto dealership in Greenville, and after many hours on the phone, having succeeded in getting the two systems to communicate, all from his living room in the Mississippi Delta, during a time period when such things weren’t supposed to be able to be done, before the time of laptops and cellphones.
However, many of those so aware of his abilities in the IT field, remain unaware that his heart’s desire had been to serve his country with a career in the military. Having joined the U.S. Air Force very soon after graduation from high school in Hollywood, Fla., one of the things that brought him pride until the end of his life was having been a member of Strategic Air Command and as such, while stationed at Keesler Air Force Base in Biloxi, having taken care of electronics and communications systems on B-52 bombers, which would later fly missions in Vietnam.
Acquiring an eventually debilitating condition - ankylosing spondylitis - as a result of standing on the flight line, he finally had to submit a medical discharge. Applying himself, he earned a BA from the University of Florida at Tallahassee. For a period of time, he worked for Wackenut Services of Florida, providing security for companies in the Miami area such as Pan Am, as well as other entities, one of the most memorable being that of providing security for the Atomic Energy Commission on Project Sterling where a nuclear device was detonated underground in the Tatum Salt Domes near Hattiesburg. He entered the employ of IBM in Miami and worked for the company for a decade as a customer engineer providing service on office machines. A number of years later, he continued his education by earning an MBA from Delta State University, also designing a class on computer hardware and teaching it to DSU faculty members.
As a result of the relentless physical deterioration, even forced to used a motorized wheelchair at times, and after discussions with medical professionals, both in the VA and civilian practice, he had mad the determination that if it were possible, he would like to have his body donated for medical research, primarily to increase the understanding of ankylosing spondylitis, with the hope that it could provide one more step toward finding a cure, or at the very least, a more effective treatment.
Even years after becoming unable to be employed, he and his abilities are greatly missed. It has already been said, “Gene is not an easy person to be without.”
Preceded in death by his parents, he is survived by his wife of 47 years, Bonnie Athey Borkowski of Tutwiler; a daughter, Ada Borkowski Gunn of Wilkes-Barre, Pa.; and three brothers, Raymond Borkowski of San Francisco, Calif., Lawrence Borkowski of Simpsonville, S.C. and Gerald Borkowski of Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.
In lieu of flowers the family requests a gift be made instead to Hoptel Fund, Attn: Voluntary Service (1135), VA Medical Center, 1030 Jefferson, Memphis, TN 38104. This fund makes it possible to provide much-needed comfort for veterans and/or a family member finding it necessary to remain one or more nights at the medical center for treatment.
