HR0603 93RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR0603 LRB093 14792 HSS 40349 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the House of Representatives of the State of Illinois are pleased to congratulate Edward J. Moskal on being re-elected President of the Polish National Alliance (PNA); and

WHEREAS, Mr. Moskal was born in Chicago on May 21, 1924 to Sophie (Grzyb) and Joseph Moskal; he attended St. John Cantius School; following his formal education and three years in the United States Army, Mr. Moskal returned home and began his career with the Polish National Alliance, which he joined in 1942; and

WHEREAS, Mr. Moskal married Wanda Sadlik on November 21, 1946; they have one daughter, Pamela; three granddaughters, Joyce, Mary, and Lisa; and three great-grandchildren, Joseph, Jason, and Jamie; and

WHEREAS, Mr. Moskal was first active in his local lodge, rising through the ranks; he devoted himself to the performance of charitable functions on behalf of ill members; subsequently, he was recording secretary, delegate to his Council 75, Vice-President, and later President of his Council of the Polish National Alliance; and

WHEREAS, In 1963, the PNA Convention delegates chose Mr. Moskal to serve as a National Director; by chairing the finance committee, he earned great respect from his colleagues because the committee's report and recommendations for increased fiscal responsibility laid a foundation for a new approach to lending which continues to be in force today; and

WHEREAS, In 1967, Mr. Moskal was elected National Treasurer of the PNA, a post he held for 20 years; his radical reorganization of the office led to a new management system as well as the improvement of the efficiency of the office; he was instrumental in developing a sound, balanced investment policy which led to a profitable diversification of the multi-million dollar investment portfolio of the PNA; from 1975 until his election to the presidency of the PNA, he also served as Chairman of the Finance and Control Committees; and

WHEREAS, Mr. Moskal's leadership skills and successful performance as an officer led to his being elected President of the Polish National Alliance at a special plenary meeting of the PNA Supervisory Council in October of 1988; three weeks later, he was elected President of the Polish American Congress, an umbrella organization of the American Polonia which unites over 1,200 Polish American organizations throughout the United States and serves as the primary voice of the Polish community on charitable, social, civic, and political matters; and

WHEREAS, Mr. Moskal is also the President of Alliance Printers and Publishers, which publishes Dziennik Zwiazkowy (Polish Daily News) and the bi-weekly Zgoda, which has a circulation of over 200,000; he is also President of Alliance Communications' radio station, WPNA, which is known as the "International Voice of Chicago", features programs in Polish, and includes ten other ethnic groups in its programming; and

WHEREAS, Mr. Moskal served as a member of the Book and Library Advisory Committee at the United States Information Agency, as a member of Governor Edgar's Transition Committee, and as an honorary pallbearer appointed by President George Bush for the return of Ignacy Paderewski's body to Poland; and he was appointed by President Bill Clinton to accompany Vice-President Al Gore for the Ghetto Uprising anniversary ceremonies in Warsaw; and

WHEREAS, As President of the Polish American Congress Charitable Foundation, he has been instrumental in arranging a great variety of ways to assist Poland, especially after the fall of Communism; he is an outspoken supporter of the entry of Poland into NATO; for his efforts for the benefit of Poland, he was awarded the highest civilian honor by President Lech Walesa, the Commander's Cross with Star; in 1997, he was made an Honorary Citizen of the city of Krakow, and the University of Poznan Medical School bestowed the title of Honorary Doctor upon him; the same year, he was granted a private audience with Pope John Paul II to discuss Polish and Polish American matters with the Pope; and

WHEREAS, During his tenure as President of the Polish National Alliance, he has brought such innovations to the PNA as in-house computerized operations and a significant presence on the internet through the organization's websites; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE NINETY-THIRD GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we congratulate Edward J. Moskal on being re-elected President of the Polish National Alliance; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to Mr. Moskal as an expression of our respect and esteem and with many thanks for his tireless efforts on behalf of Polish Americans.