Veteran brings Uncle Sam to life
Fred Polnisch has played character locally, in parades
Fred Polnisch of Clifton Park has been a truly lively Uncle Sam for the past 28 years.
Polnisch was a baritone singer in the Uncle Sam Barbershop Chorus out of Troy when he was asked by his fellow singers to make a colorful costume to make him look like the real Uncle Sam.
“I became Uncle Sam on Sunday, Sept. 13, 1992 in the Uncle Sam Birthday Parade while performing with the Uncle Sam Chorus in Troy,” said Polnisch, who wore a costume befitting of the iconic and patriotic character.
“I created my own Uncle Sam costume,” he said, adding that he let his beard grow out so he would appear more like the original Uncle Sam, or the images we’ve come to recognize as representing the man. “I had the tall, lanky build for it.”
The retired General Electric engineer did so by donning a red, white and blue top hat, tails and striped trousers. Polnisch even created and copyrighted a program that he has presented at hundreds parades, events and school programs since then.
“I prepared and presented ‘Our Star Spangled Uncle Sam’ (program) first to Marty Coletta’s class at Arongen Elementary School, Clifton Park, in December 1992,” he recalled.
He has performed as Uncle Sam more than 1,000 times, including with a July Fourth Quartet in 1994 and at the Postal Service’s first day issue of a 22 cent Uncle Sam stamp in Troy on Nov. 8, 1998. He also has performed his 45-minute program based on his book, “Uncle Sam, My Story,” throughout the United States, including in Texas and California, the U.S. territories Guam and Saipan, and in Quebec, Canada.
He has often helped send war veterans off on Patriot and Leatherstocking Honor Flights to visit their monuments in Washington, D.C. He is also a big hit at veterans events in the Capital Region.
The Army veteran wrote in his book that Samuel Wilson, who was a Troy meat packer, was the inspiration for the Uncle Sam character that became the personification of the U.S. government. During the War of 1812, Wilson was contracted to ship meat to U.S. Army soldiers in the War of 1812.
“Many of Sam Wilson’s nephews and nieces worked for him and called him Uncle Sam,” said Polnisch. Meat packers who weren’t relatives liked Wilson so much they also called him Uncle Sam, Polnisch added. “From what I’ve read, many of Troy residents called him that, too.”
He stamped his meat barrels with the initials U.S. In turn, soldiers from the Troy area who knew the U.S. represented Wilson’s nickname spread the word that the food came from Uncle Sam. From then on, that name became synonymous with the federal government, Polnisch said.
Newspaper cartoonists later helped bring the character to life as they wrapped Uncle Sam in the American flag, a starspangled coat and striped pants. The cartoonists later added a beard in honor of Abraham Lincoln and that image graced recruiting posters during World War I, he added.
At the end of his Uncle Sam program, Polnisch urges the audience to join him in singing “It’s Grand Old Flag.”
Polnisch said he is motivated to present the program on the patriotic icon as a way to educate people around Troy about their link to history.
He noted that Sam Wilson (1766-1854) is buried in Troy. Since 1961 Troy has been acknowledged, by an act of Congress, as the official birthplace of Uncle Sam.
Polnisch wasn’t always just a choir singer or Uncle Sam performer. After he earned a bachelor’s degree in engineering from Drexel University and a master’s in engineering from the University of Connecticut, he went to work for the General Electric Company until he retired in 1992.
Before he moved to the Capital Region he played guitar in string and rock bands in the Philadelphia area and elsewhere. He also performed with the famous Mummers. He also was an actor for a time, performing in Broadway touring shows such as “Barnum,” “The Sound of Music,” “Most Happy Fellow,” and “Music Man” on Proctor’s stage in Schenectady.
Today, he is an active member of the Albany Dance Sport Club.
After completing an Army Reserve Officers Training Corps program he was commissioned as a second lieutenant. He served in the Army Reserve for several years.