[Congressional Bills 109th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 491 Introduced in Senate (IS)]







109th CONGRESS
  2d Session
S. RES. 491

Recognizing the accomplishments of Ignacy Jan Paderewski as a musician, 
  composer, statesman, and philanthropist, and commemorating the 65th 
               anniversary of his death on June 29, 1941.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                              May 24, 2006

 Mr. Hagel (for himself, Ms. Mikulski, Mr. Durbin, Ms. Murkowski, and 
 Mr. Voinovich) submitted the following resolution; which was referred 
                 to the Committee on Foreign Relations

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
Recognizing the accomplishments of Ignacy Jan Paderewski as a musician, 
  composer, statesman, and philanthropist, and commemorating the 65th 
               anniversary of his death on June 29, 1941.

Whereas Ignacy Jan Paderewski, born in Poland in 1860, was a brilliant and 
        popular pianist who performed hundreds of concerts in Europe and the 
        United States during the late 19th and early 20th centuries;
Whereas Paderewski donated the bulk of the proceeds of his concerts to 
        charitable causes, including the establishment of the American Legion's 
        Orphans and Veterans Fund;
Whereas, during World War I, Paderewski worked for the independence of Poland 
        and served as the first Premier of Poland;
Whereas, in December 1919, Paderewski resigned as Premier of Poland, and in 1921 
        he left politics to return to his music;
Whereas the German invasion of Poland in 1939 spurred Paderewski to return to 
        political life;
Whereas Paderewski fought against the Nazi dictatorship in World War II by 
        joining the exiled Polish Government to mobilize the Polish forces and 
        to urge the United States to join the Allied Forces;
Whereas, on June 29, 1941, Paderewski died in exile in the United States while 
        all of Europe was imperiled by war and occupation;
Whereas, by the direction of President Franklin D. Roosevelt, the remains of 
        Paderewski were placed alongside the honored dead of the United States 
        in Arlington National Cemetery, where President Roosevelt said, ``He may 
        lie there until Poland is free.'';
Whereas, in 1963, President John F. Kennedy honored Paderewski by placing a 
        plaque marking his remains at the Mast of the Maine at Arlington 
        National Cemetery;
Whereas, in 1992, President George H.W. Bush, at the request of Lech Walesa, the 
        first democratically elected President of Poland since World War II, 
        ordered the remains of Paderewski to be returned to his native Poland;
Whereas, on June 26, 1992, the remains of Paderewski were removed from the Mast 
        of the Maine at Arlington National Cemetery and returned to Poland 3 
        days later;
Whereas, on July 5, 1992, the remains of Paderewski were interred in a crypt at 
        the St. John Cathedral in Warsaw, Poland; and
Whereas Paderewski wished his heart to be forever enshrined in the United 
        States, where his lifelong struggle for democracy and freedom had its 
        roots and was cultivated, and now his heart remains at the Shrine of the 
        Czestochowa in Doylestown, Pennsylvania: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the Senate--
            (1) recognizes the accomplishments of Ignacy Jan Paderewski 
        as a musician, composer, statesman, and philanthropist;
            (2) on the 65th anniversary of his death, acknowledges the 
        invaluable efforts of Ignacy Jan Paderewski in forging close 
        ties between Poland and the United States; and
            (3) recognizes Poland as an ally and strong partner in the 
        war against global terrorism.
                                 <all>