Arnoult Family Patio
The Arnoult Family Patio ($80,000 gift to Catholic Campus Ministry, 2019)
Location
All Faiths CenterYear Established
2019Purpose
To support Catholic Campus Ministry at Florida Tech.History
The Arnoult Family Patio (constructed in 2019) is a serene and beautifully landscaped outdoor space donated to enhance the egress of the small Catholic eucharistic chapel at the All Faiths Center. The patio, with its louvered pergola and furnishings overlooking the adjacent reflecting pond, is conducive for reflection, prayer, and fellowship, enriching the spiritual environment for students, faculty, and visitors on campus.
The patio honors the Catholic heritage of the Arnoult family, donated from the family estate by brothers Michael Joseph Arnoult of Rockledge, FL, (1952 – 2019) and Patrick James Arnoult of Cocoa Beach, FL, (1952 – 2017) to the Catholic Campus Ministry at Florida Tech. Their father, Dr. Matthew Blake Arnoult (c. 1913 – 1986), was a dedicated physician who practiced medicine in Tennessee and later Florida, contributing to pediatric health through his clinical work and research on childhood illnesses.
At the heart of the family's story is their mother, Lidia Barbara Olczyk Arnoult (June 3, 1923 – May 29, 2005), a devout Polish Catholic immigrant and member of St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Rockledge, whose remarkable life exemplified resilience, service, and faith amid times of ferocious anti-Catholic and ethnic persecution.
Barbara Arnoult, as known to her friends, was born to Victor and Maria Olczyk in Lida, Poland (modern Belarus). The city of Lida, part of the Nowogródek Voivodeship in the Polish Second Republic (1918–1939), was annexed into Belarus by the Soviet Union after the infamous Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact of August 1939 between Nazi Germany and the USSR. That tragic period saw mass deportations and brutal dismemberment of Polish sovereignty and culture at the hands of the Nazis and Soviets.
Just 16 years old at the outbreak of World War II, Barbara showed great courage amid profound hardship. She served in the Polish underground resistance and was captured and sent to a labor camp where she was later freed by the Allies. After immigrating to the United States, Barbara built a life of purpose and generosity as an active participant in the Republican Party and Florida state politics. Barbara spoke seven languages and worked for NASA in 1975 as an instructor and translator to teach astronauts essential Russian phrases for the historic Apollo-Soyuz rendezvous flight in 1975. Her commitment to her homeland endured: Over the years, Barbara had helped Poland acquire medical equipment and supply water for victims of catastrophes and well as helping orphanages with displaced children. Described as someone who "has been giving comfort, compassion and love to the Nation of Poland and all her friends and family all her life," Barbara authored a memoir Two Horizons, chronicling her experiences across two continents. Preceded in death by her husband of 40 years and daughter Mary Anne, she was survived by sons Michael and Patrick, who carried forward her legacy through this enduring gift to the Catholic Campus Ministry at Florida Tech.