Stanley M. "Stan" Makowski (April 22, 1923 – August 5, 1981) was Mayor

Mayor

In many countries, a Mayor is the highest ranking officer in the municipal government of a town or a large urban city....

 of the City of Buffalo, New York

Buffalo, New York

Buffalo is the second most populous city in the state of New York, after New York City. Located in Western New York on the eastern shores of Lake Erie and at the head of the Niagara River across from Fort Erie, Ontario, Buffalo is the seat of Erie County and the principal city of the...

, serving 1974–1977. He was born in Buffalo on April 22, 1923, as the youngest of two children of Polish immigrants

Polish American

A Polish American , is a citizen of the United States of Polish descent. There are an estimated 10 million Polish Americans, representing about 3.2% of the population of the United States...

. He dropped out of Hutchinson Central High School

Hutchinson Central Technical High School

Hutchinson Central Technical High School, informally known as Hutch-Tech, is a high school in the City of Buffalo, New York. Its founding on September 14, 1904 under the name Mechanics Arts High School marked the beginning of technical education on the secondary level in the city of...

  and served six months with the Civilian Conservation Corps

Civilian Conservation Corps

The Civilian Conservation Corps was a public work relief program that operated from 1933 to 1942 in the United States for unemployed, unmarried men from relief families, ages 18–25. A part of the New Deal of President Franklin D...

. In 1943, joined the Army and served three years during World War II

World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

, including an eight-month tour on Iwo Jima

Iwo Jima

Iwo Jima, officially , is an island of the Japanese Volcano Islands chain, which lie south of the Ogasawara Islands and together with them form the Ogasawara Archipelago. The island is located south of mainland Tokyo and administered as part of Ogasawara, one of eight villages of Tokyo...

. After the war, he earned his high school diploma and attended Cornell University

Cornell University

Cornell University is an Ivy League university located in Ithaca, New York, United States. It is a private land-grant university, receiving annual funding from the State of New York for certain educational missions...

, where he received a certificate from the New York State School of Industrial and Labor Relations, and night school at Millard Fillmore College at the University of Buffalo

University at Buffalo, The State University of New York

University at Buffalo, The State University of New York, also commonly known as the University at Buffalo or UB, is a public research university and a "University Center" in the State University of New York system. The university was founded by Millard Fillmore in 1846. UB has multiple campuses...

. He married Florence Ziolo on August 7, 1954.

In 1959, he accepted appointment to the at-large seat on the Common Council, when Thaddeus J. Dulski

Thaddeus J. Dulski

Thaddeus Joseph Dulski was an American congressman who represented the state of New York. He was born in Buffalo, New York, USA on September 27, 1915. He studied at the University of Buffalo. From 1940 to 1947 he worked for the Internal Revenue Service...

 was elected to Congress. In 1969, Makowski ran as the Democratic

Democratic Party (United States)

The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...

 candidate for Erie County

Erie County, New York

Erie County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2010 census, the population was 919,040. The county seat is Buffalo. The county's name comes from Lake Erie, which in turn comes from the Erie tribe of American Indians who lived south and east of the lake before 1654.Erie...

 executive; he was defeated in the general election by B. John Tutuska

B. John Tutuska

B. John Tutuska was the second County Executive in Erie County, New York, serving from 1969 - 1971. He succeeded Edward C. Rath in 1969 after Rath died in office. Prior to being appointed County Executive, Tutuska served as Erie County Sheriff from 1959 - 1969.Tutuska defeated then Common...

. In 1972, the Common Council created the post of deputy mayor and Makowski was the first appointed, serving under Mayor Frank A. Sedita

Frank A. Sedita

Frank Albert Sedita was Mayor of the City of Buffalo, New York, serving 1958–1961 and 1966–1973. He was born in New Orleans, Louisiana, on June 20, 1907. The family moved to Buffalo in 1911, and when he was 10, Sedita began work by hawking newspapers and shining shoes around the downtown area...

. Upon Mayor Sedita's resignation of March 5, 1973, Makowski became mayor. He was elected as mayor on November 6, 1973 During his term, the Buffalo Convention Center was constructed, as was the Marine Midland Center

One HSBC Center

One HSBC Center is a skyscraper located in downtown Buffalo, New York. Formerly known as the Marine Midland Center, its name was changed in 1999 shortly after Marine Midland's parent company HSBC rebranded the bank as HSBC Bank USA. The building was constructed at a cost of $50 million between...

. On January 28, 1977, a most disastrous blizzard

Great Lakes Blizzard of 1977

The Blizzard of 1977 was a deadly blizzard that hit upstate New York and Southern Ontario from January 28 to February 1, 1977. Daily peak wind gusts ranging from were recorded by the National Weather Service Buffalo Office ....

 struck Buffalo and Western New York. He served just one term as mayor. He died on August 5, 1981 and was buried in St. Stanislaus Cemetery in Cheektowaga, New York.