John R. Myszka

John Raymond Myszka was born on September 12, 1917, in Buffalo, New York to Polish immigrant parents.¹ As a young man, he served in the U.S. Army, and he later moved to Washington, D.C. to work as a guard for the Bureau of Engraving and Printing. When the U.S. entered World War II, Myszka enlisted and served in the U.S. Navy and trained as an engineer.² After the war, Myszka returned to Washington, D.C. to work for the General Services Administration, and in 1952, he was hired as an engineer at the White House.³ He noted: “That coincides with when the White House was renovated and sophisticated heating and air conditioning systems were put in.”⁴

Indeed, he was responsible for heating, cooling, and water at the White House and typically worked the night shift; “I keep the president in hot water," he joked. He recalled dumping salt into the White House Swimming Pool for President John F. Kennedy, who preferred ocean-like swims, lowering thermostats for energy-conscious President Jimmy Carter, and even greeting Pope John Paul II– a point of pride for the Polish-American engineer.⁵ 

Myszka retired from his position as Chief Operating Engineer in 1980, and dedicated his free time to family fun including parades and cooking Polish kielbasa by the barrel-full.⁶ John Myszka died on September 8, 2005, and was buried at Maryland Veterans Cemetery in Crownsville, Maryland.⁷