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1
HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION

 
2    WHEREAS, His Excellency Lech Walesa, Former President of
3the Republic of Poland, helped lead his country to a new era of
4freedom; and
 
5    WHEREAS, Lech Walesa, the son of a carpenter, rose to
6become the first democratically-elected President of postwar
7Poland and helped to usher the country into the modern era by
8laying the foundation for Poland's eventual admission into
9NATO, and, as a free nation, into the United Nations; and
 
10    WHEREAS, Lech Walesa, Pope John Paul II, President Ronald
11Reagan, and Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher are recognized as
12the Big Four, whose courage helped bring about the
13disintegration of the Eastern Bloc and the end of the Cold War;
14and
 
15    WHEREAS, Lech Walesa's journey, from working in the massive
16Lenin shipyard at Gdansk, Poland to becoming the first
17democratically-elected President in Poland's postwar history,
18was an arduous one; and
 
19    WHEREAS, Lech Walesa was born on September 29, 1943 in
20Popowo, Poland; after graduating from vocational school, he
21worked as a car mechanic at a machine center from 1961 to 1965;

 

 

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1he served in the army for 2 years, where he rose to the rank of
2corporal; in 1967, he was employed in the Gdansk shipyards as
3an electrician; in 1969, he married Danuta Golos; together,
4they have 8 children; and
 
5    WHEREAS, Working as an electrician in the shipyards in the
6early 1970s, Lech Walesa witnessed violent government
7crackdowns ordered by Poland's Communist Party leadership
8against its own citizens, which spurred him to take action and
9become recognized as a labor leader and activist; and
 
10    WHEREAS, In 1976, as a result of his activities as a shop
11steward, Lech Walesa was fired and was forced to earn his
12living by taking temporary jobs; and
 
13    WHEREAS, The Catholic Church supported the Polish workers
14movement; in January of 1981, Lech Walesa was cordially
15received by Pope John Paul II in the Vatican; and
 
16    WHEREAS, Lech Walesa regards his faith as a source of
17strength and inspiration; and
 
18    WHEREAS, In recognition of his leadership, Lech Walesa was
19elected to serve as the first Solidarity Chairman at the First
20National Solidarity Congress in Gdansk in September of 1981;
21and
 

 

 

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1    WHEREAS, Lech Walesa is recognized for his raw courage as
2"the man who stood up"; he continued to lead after he was
3imprisoned during the imposition of martial law in communist
4Poland; and
 
5    WHEREAS, In the fall of 1983, Lech Walesa was awarded the
6Nobel Peace Prize for his struggle to win workers' rights in
7Poland; and
 
8    WHEREAS, When awarded the 1983 Nobel Peace Prize, the Nobel
9Committee stated: "...Walesa is an exponent of the active
10longing for peace and freedom which exists, in spite of unequal
11conditions, unconquered in all the peoples of the world.
12Furthermore the Committee believes that Walesa's attempt to
13find a peaceful solution to his country's problems will
14contribute to a relaxation of international tension."; and
 
15    WHEREAS, Lech Walesa's activities have been characterized
16by a determination to solve his country's problems through
17negotiation and cooperation, without resorting to violence;
18and
 
19    WHEREAS, Lech Walesa served as President of the Republic of
20Poland from 1990 to 1995; and
 

 

 

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1    WHEREAS, During his presidency, Lech Walesa saw Poland
2through privatization and the transition to a free market
3economy, the nation's first completely free parliamentary
4elections in 1991, and a period of redefinition of Poland's
5foreign relations; and
 
6    WHEREAS, Lech Walesa successfully negotiated the
7withdrawal of Soviet troops from Polish soil and won a
8substantial reduction in Poland's foreign debts; and
 
9    WHEREAS, President Lech Walesa was an instrumental force in
10ushering in Polish democracy, continued reforms, and national
11reconciliation; and
 
12    WHEREAS, President Lech Walesa leaves a historic legacy of
13freedom that has changed the face of Poland, Europe and the
14world at large; and
 
15    WHEREAS, Lech Walesa was named by Time Magazine as one of
16the 100 most influential people of the past century; and
 
17    WHEREAS, Lech Walesa continues to help people that fight
18for freedom around the world to believe that they are not alone
19in their struggle and that the world is not indifferent to
20their aspirations for freedom; and
 

 

 

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1    WHEREAS, Lech Walesa has been granted many honorary degrees
2from prestigious universities, including Harvard University
3and the University of Paris; he has also been the recipient of
4the Medal of Freedom (Philadelphia, U.S.A.), the Award of Free
5World (Norway), and the European Award of Human Rights; and
 
6    WHEREAS, Lech Walesa is the founder of the "Lech Walesa
7Institute" Foundation in Gdansk, Poland; through this
8organization, he wishes to honor those people and institutions
9who are active for the cause of freedom and who promote the
10values which were at the basis of Polish "Solidarity"; and
 
11    WHEREAS, President Lech Walesa is the recipient of the 2012
12Lincoln Leadership Prize, awarded by the Abraham Lincoln
13Presidential Library Foundation on February 9, 2012; the
14Foundation celebrates Lincoln's legacy of leadership by
15honoring leaders of meritorious quality; the prize is awarded
16to exceptional men and women for a lifetime of service in the
17Lincoln tradition, marked by great strength of character,
18individual conscience, and an unwavering commitment to the
19defining principles of democracy; the prize recognizes those
20individuals who accept the responsibilities imposed by history
21and demanded by conscience; therefore, be it
 
22    RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE
23NINETY-SEVENTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, THE

 

 

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1SENATE CONCURRING HEREIN, that we designate the date of
2February 9, 2012 as "Lech Walesa Day" in the State of Illinois
3in honor of former Polish President Lech Walesa and his work in
4promoting freedom and self-determination in Poland and
5throughout the world; and be it further
 
6    RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
7presented to Lech Walesa as a symbol of our esteem and respect.