Thomas J. Pavlak

Athens - Memorial services for Thomas J. Pavlak will be held on Wednesday, March 22, 2006, at 11:30 a.m., at the Catholic Center at University of Georgia, 1344 S. Lumpkin Street. Visitation will be held on Tuesday, March 21, 2006, from 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m., at Lord & Stephens Funeral Home, 4355 Lexington Road. Mr. Pavlak, 63, of Athens died Thursday, March 16, 2006, after a long distinguished academic career which focused on Public Service.
Mr. Pavlak was born in Chicago, Illinois in 1943. He was the son of the late Anton Pavlak and Helen (nee Lash) Pavlak.
Mr. Pavlak graduated Phi Beta Kappa from the University of Illinois in Urbana, Illinois, and received a Ph.D. in Political Science from the University of Illinois, as well.
Mr. Pavlak moved to Athens in 1999 with his wife Christine shortly after visiting the University of Georgia's Carl Vinson Institute of Government. They immediately developed an affinity for Athens and are enthusiastic contributors to the community, namely the UGA Performing Arts Center, the Georgia Museum of Art, and the State Botanical Garden.
Mr. Pavlak's career included contributions as a visiting scholar at the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, the National Institute of Justice, and the U.S. Navy Personnel Research Center. Mr. Pavlak conducted original research for a number of federal agencies and private foundations including the U.S. Department of Education, HUD, the U.S. Office of Personnel Management, the National Institute of Education, the National Institute of Justice, and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. Mr. Pavlak valued working with these groups with the goal of using research to improve each organization's effectiveness, thereby contributing to the greater good of society.
Prior to coming to Athens, Mr. Pavlak served as Director of the Public Administration Institute at Farleigh Dickinson University and Director of the Master of Public Administration and Ph.D. program in the Graduate School of Public and International Affairs at the University of Pittsburgh. Mr. Pavlak served more than 30 years in all facets of university life, including academic administration, university teaching and government service.
Mr. Pavlak's high standards were legendary at the Carl Vinson Institute. Mr. Pavlak became a Director of the Research and Policy Analysis Division, a division he built as part of the Institute's restructuring. Mr. Pavlak managed the research division, and edited the State and Local Government Review. Mr. Pavlak undertook national researches, hiring many of the academic faculty who are currently employed in the division, and developed many new and successful initiatives. Mr. Pavlak had a special interest in restructuring the societies of Eastern Europe and engaged the Institute's Center for Democratic Governance to work in the Czech Republic, where he previously served as a Fulbright lecturer at Charles University and the University of Economics in Prague, Czech Republic.
Mr. Pavlak is survived by his wife Christine Pavlak, sister and brother-in-law Antoinette (nee Pavlak) and Richard Barcikowski, and nieces Renetta, Laura and Christine Barcikowski.
In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to the Catholic Center at UGA, the Georgia Museum of Art, and the Athens Area Humane Society.