HJ0058 97TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HJ0058 LRB097 17792 GRL 63008 r

HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, His Excellency Lech Walesa, Former President of the Republic of Poland, helped lead his country to a new era of freedom; and

WHEREAS, Lech Walesa, the son of a carpenter, rose to become the first democratically-elected President of postwar Poland and helped to usher the country into the modern era by laying the foundation for Poland's eventual admission into NATO, and, as a free nation, into the United Nations; and

WHEREAS, Lech Walesa, Pope John Paul II, President Ronald Reagan, and Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher are recognized as the Big Four, whose courage helped bring about the disintegration of the Eastern Bloc and the end of the Cold War; and

WHEREAS, Lech Walesa's journey, from working in the massive Lenin shipyard at Gdansk, Poland to becoming the first democratically-elected President in Poland's postwar history, was an arduous one; and

WHEREAS, Lech Walesa was born on September 29, 1943 in Popowo, Poland; after graduating from vocational school, he worked as a car mechanic at a machine center from 1961 to 1965; he served in the army for 2 years, where he rose to the rank of corporal; in 1967, he was employed in the Gdansk shipyards as an electrician; in 1969, he married Danuta Golos; together, they have 8 children; and

WHEREAS, Working as an electrician in the shipyards in the early 1970s, Lech Walesa witnessed violent government crackdowns ordered by Poland's Communist Party leadership against its own citizens, which spurred him to take action and become recognized as a labor leader and activist; and

WHEREAS, In 1976, as a result of his activities as a shop steward, Lech Walesa was fired and was forced to earn his living by taking temporary jobs; and

WHEREAS, The Catholic Church supported the Polish workers movement; in January of 1981, Lech Walesa was cordially received by Pope John Paul II in the Vatican; and

WHEREAS, Lech Walesa regards his faith as a source of strength and inspiration; and

WHEREAS, In recognition of his leadership, Lech Walesa was elected to serve as the first Solidarity Chairman at the First National Solidarity Congress in Gdansk in September of 1981; and

WHEREAS, Lech Walesa is recognized for his raw courage as "the man who stood up"; he continued to lead after he was imprisoned during the imposition of martial law in communist Poland; and

WHEREAS, In the fall of 1983, Lech Walesa was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his struggle to win workers' rights in Poland; and

WHEREAS, When awarded the 1983 Nobel Peace Prize, the Nobel Committee stated: "...Walesa is an exponent of the active longing for peace and freedom which exists, in spite of unequal conditions, unconquered in all the peoples of the world. Furthermore the Committee believes that Walesa's attempt to find a peaceful solution to his country's problems will contribute to a relaxation of international tension."; and

WHEREAS, Lech Walesa's activities have been characterized by a determination to solve his country's problems through negotiation and cooperation, without resorting to violence; and

WHEREAS, Lech Walesa served as President of the Republic of Poland from 1990 to 1995; and

WHEREAS, During his presidency, Lech Walesa saw Poland through privatization and the transition to a free market economy, the nation's first completely free parliamentary elections in 1991, and a period of redefinition of Poland's foreign relations; and

WHEREAS, Lech Walesa successfully negotiated the withdrawal of Soviet troops from Polish soil and won a substantial reduction in Poland's foreign debts; and

WHEREAS, President Lech Walesa was an instrumental force in ushering in Polish democracy, continued reforms, and national reconciliation; and

WHEREAS, President Lech Walesa leaves a historic legacy of freedom that has changed the face of Poland, Europe and the world at large; and

WHEREAS, Lech Walesa was named by Time Magazine as one of the 100 most influential people of the past century; and

WHEREAS, Lech Walesa continues to help people that fight for freedom around the world to believe that they are not alone in their struggle and that the world is not indifferent to their aspirations for freedom; and

WHEREAS, Lech Walesa has been granted many honorary degrees from prestigious universities, including Harvard University and the University of Paris; he has also been the recipient of the Medal of Freedom (Philadelphia, U.S.A.), the Award of Free World (Norway), and the European Award of Human Rights; and

WHEREAS, Lech Walesa is the founder of the "Lech Walesa Institute" Foundation in Gdansk, Poland; through this organization, he wishes to honor those people and institutions who are active for the cause of freedom and who promote the values which were at the basis of Polish "Solidarity"; and

WHEREAS, President Lech Walesa is the recipient of the 2012 Lincoln Leadership Prize, awarded by the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library Foundation on February 9, 2012; the Foundation celebrates Lincoln's legacy of leadership by honoring leaders of meritorious quality; the prize is awarded to exceptional men and women for a lifetime of service in the Lincoln tradition, marked by great strength of character, individual conscience, and an unwavering commitment to the defining principles of democracy; the prize recognizes those individuals who accept the responsibilities imposed by history and demanded by conscience; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE NINETY-SEVENTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, THE SENATE CONCURRING HEREIN, that we designate the date of February 9, 2012 as "Lech Walesa Day" in the State of Illinois in honor of former Polish President Lech Walesa and his work in promoting freedom and self-determination in Poland and throughout the world; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to Lech Walesa as a symbol of our esteem and respect.