[Congressional Bills 117th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 741 Introduced in House (IH)]

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117th CONGRESS
  1st Session
H. RES. 741

 Expressing support for the designation of the month of September 2022 
     as ``Macedonian American Heritage Month'' and celebrating the 
 Macedonian language, history, and culture of Macedonian Americans and 
          their incredible contributions to the United States.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            October 22, 2021

 Mr. Brendan F. Boyle of Pennsylvania (for himself, Mrs. Dingell, Mrs. 
McClain, and Ms. Tenney) submitted the following resolution; which was 
           referred to the Committee on Oversight and Reform

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
 Expressing support for the designation of the month of September 2022 
     as ``Macedonian American Heritage Month'' and celebrating the 
 Macedonian language, history, and culture of Macedonian Americans and 
          their incredible contributions to the United States.

Whereas there is evidence that the earliest Macedonian presence in the 
        continental United States arrived on or around the year 1492;
Whereas since the 1880s, tens of thousands of Macedonians fled to America 
        seeking civil liberties, human rights, religious freedom, and economic 
        opportunities, and in response to the 1903 Ilinden Uprising against the 
        Ottoman Empire, the 1912-1913 Balkan Wars, the two World Wars, the Greek 
        Civil War, and the policies of Communist Yugoslavia;
Whereas currently the Macedonian community in the United States is a vibrant one 
        that is embedded within the American mosaic, partaking in all walks of 
        life, business, medicine, law, technology, civic engagement, government, 
        the military, education, the arts, culinary world, athletics, and more;
Whereas the United Macedonian Diaspora estimates there are half a million 
        Americans of Macedonian heritage living in the United States, with 
        sizeable communities in Michigan, New York, Ohio, New Jersey, Indiana, 
        Illinois, Pennsylvania, Florida, California, Arizona, Texas, and 
        Virginia;
Whereas Macedonian-American immigrants contributed to building monumental 
        American transportation routes such as the Great Northern Railroad;
Whereas in 1922, Macedonian-American immigrants Tom and John Kiradjieff, using 
        old Macedonian recipes passed down by their parents and grandparents, 
        created Cincinnati chili, a beloved American dish, which, in 2013, was 
        named one of the ``20 Most Iconic Foods in America'' by the Smithsonian;
Whereas Macedonian immigrants established their own version of the famous Coney 
        Island hot dog in the early 20th century, which remains a staple dish at 
        Coney Island-style restaurants throughout the Midwest;
Whereas Macedonian-American Stoyan Christowe, who immigrated to the United 
        States in 1911, was an American author, journalist, World War II 
        intelligence officer, and Vermont State Representative (1961-1962) and 
        Senator (1963-1972) and wrote the book ``This is My Country'', which was 
        a favorite of President Franklin D. Roosevelt;
Whereas Macedonian-American Michael Alexander (Lazaroff) of Pittsburgh and New 
        York City was a renowned international attorney serving as a legal 
        adviser to many British and Irish government organizations and 
        corporations for which he was honored by Her Royal Majesty Queen 
        Elizabeth II as a Commander of the British Empire, and as a 
        nonalcoholic, played a leading role in Alcoholics Anonymous from the 
        mid-1950s through 1993 as legal adviser, chairman of general services 
        board, trustee, and trustee chairman;
Whereas Macedonian-American Jimmy N. Dimos served as Louisiana 4th Judicial 
        District Court judge (1999-2006) and member of the Louisiana House of 
        Representatives (1976-1999), of which he served as Speaker of the House 
        (1988-1992);
Whereas in 2018, Macedonian-American Judge Phil Naumoff of Mansfield, Ohio, was 
        elected as Richland County Common Pleas Court Judge;
Whereas in 1995, Macedonian-American Ljubica Z. Acevska of Mansfield, Ohio, and 
        Washington, DC, became the first Macedonian Ambassador to the United 
        States;
Whereas Macedonian Americans have contributed greatly to the United States 
        economy, creating countless jobs for the American people in their 
        communities;
Whereas Macedonian-Americans Mike Ilitch, recipient of the Ellis Island Medal of 
        Honor, and Marian Bayoff Ilitch, who played a significant role in the 
        civil rights movement and paid for activist Rosa Park's rent in Detroit 
        for over a decade, opened their first mom-and-pop Little Caesars pizza 
        shop in 1959, which grew into the third-largest pizza chain in the 
        world, are owners of the Detroit Red Wings--coining Detroit as 
        ``Hockeytown''--and the Detroit Tigers, and in 2015 made history by 
        giving Detroit's Wayne State University $50 million, the school's 
        largest donation ever, highlighting their lifelong dedication to 
        promoting entrepreneurship, education, and the revitalization of 
        Detroit;
Whereas Macedonian-American Christopher Ilitch, president and CEO of Ilitch 
        Holdings, Inc., and chairman of Ilitch Charities, which has given over 
        $220 million from youth development to community revitalization 
        philanthropic grants since 2000, has continued the tradition and vision 
        of his parents Mike and Marian Ilitch to further the global standing of 
        Detroit with the development of The District Detroit, which has grown 
        into a dynamic sports and entertainment district featuring award-winning 
        theaters, four professional sports teams, and three multi-use sports 
        venues, including the state-of-the-art Little Caesars Arena, home of the 
        Detroit Red Wings, the Detroit Pistons, and world-class entertainment 
        and community events;
Whereas four of the eight women's names ever engraved on the Stanley Cup are 
        Macedonian-Americans Marian Ilitch (1997, 1998), Denise Ilitch (1997, 
        1998), Lisa Ilitch (1997, 1998), and Carole Ilitch Trepeck (1997, 1998) 
        all with the Detroit Red Wings;
Whereas Macedonian-American Andrew Peykoff, Sr., of California founded Niagara 
        Bottling, LLC in 1963, one of the largest private water bottling 
        companies in the United States, and the Andrew D. Peykoff, Sr., 
        Scholarship Program has awarded over $1.5 million to American college 
        students, and through Niagara Cares, delivered millions of bottles of 
        clean water for disaster relief efforts in Texas, Florida, Puerto Rico, 
        the United States Virgin Islands, and Mexico City, as well as providing 
        a $10 million grant for the Jaime Peykoff Follicular Lymphoma Initiative 
        to fund follicular lymphoma research grants, international scientific 
        workshops, and clinical awards;
Whereas Macedonian-American George Atanasoski of Ormond Beach, Florida, who 
        immigrated to the United States in 1970 and was a recipient of the Ellis 
        Island Medal of Honor, founded Microflex Inc., a manufacturer that 
        supplies a wide range of flexible metal products to large clients such 
        as General Electric, Ford, Siemens, General Motors, Rolls Royce, and 
        NASA;
Whereas Macedonian-American Katrina Markoff, originally of Fort Wayne, Indiana, 
        Champion of Change in Small Business, founded Vosges Haut-Chocolat which 
        was named one of the 10 Best Chocolatiers in the World by the National 
        Geographic;
Whereas Macedonian-American Mike Zafirovski of Forest Hills, Illinois, recipient 
        of the Ellis Island Medal of Honor and former Presidential appointee to 
        the National Security Telecommunications Advisory Committee, served on 
        the board of Boeing, was President and CEO of Nortel, a global 
        communications technology company and president and COO of Motorola, and 
        during a 25-year career at GE, served as president and CEO of five GE 
        businesses in the consumer, industrial, and financial services arenas;
Whereas Macedonian-American Dr. Leon Speroff of Portland, Oregon, recognized as 
        a giant in obstetrics and gynecology, made significant achievements in 
        reproductive endocrinology, changing how medicine is practiced;
Whereas Macedonian-American Dr. George Daicoff of St. Petersburg, Florida, 
        renowned cardiovascular and thoracic surgeon, was a maverick in his 
        field of pediatric heart surgery (``blue babies'') which was just an 
        emerging, unknown field in the 1970s, installed a pacemaker in the 
        smallest premature infant in 1984, and conceived and performed important 
        research that advanced the field;
Whereas Macedonian-American Dr. Peter T. George won three Olympic Medals for the 
        United States in weightlifting, five world championships, and was the 
        middleweight champion at the Pan-American Games, and later went on to 
        become a doctor in oral medicine and pioneered treatments for 
        obstructive sleep apnea;
Whereas Macedonian-American Dr. Jovan Laskovski, of Akron, Ohio, was inducted 
        into the International Society for Hip Arthroscopy (ISHA) in 2013 and 
        became one of 26 surgeons in the United States inducted into ISHA;
Whereas Macedonian Americans have tremendously contributed to American athletics 
        and professional sports, including Vlatko Andonovski, the Head Coach of 
        the United States Women's National Soccer Team; Sasho Cirovski, the Head 
        Coach of the University of Maryland Men's Soccer Team; Dino Delevski, a 
        former soccer player for the Milwaukee Wave and current Coach for the 
        Chicago Inferno of the MASL; Stefan Kozlov, a professional tennis 
        player; Kevin Kouzmanoff, a former professional baseball player and 
        current Coach in the Oakland Athletics organization; Cedi Osman, NBA 
        player for Cleveland Cavaliers; Jovan Kirovski, a former soccer player 
        and current Technical Director for the Los Angeles Galaxy; brothers 
        George and Louis Nanchoff, former soccer players in the NASL and MISL; 
        Sandre Naumovski, a MISL soccer player for the Philadelphia KiXX; Pete 
        Stoyanovich, a former professional football player for the St. Louis 
        Rams; Paul Naumoff, a former All-Pro Linebacker in the NFL for Tennessee 
        and for the Detroit Lions; and Mike Vrabel, a former All-Pro and three-
        time Super Bowl Champion and NFL football player for the New England 
        Patriots and Kansas City Chiefs and current Coach for the Tennessee 
        Titans;
Whereas the Captain of the Tampa Bay Lightning of the National Hockey League and 
        the 2021 Stanley Cup Winners, Steven Stamkos, is an immigrant from 
        Canada of Macedonian heritage;
Whereas Macedonian-American Pandel Savic served with the First Marine Division 
        in the South Pacific theater during World War II, fighting in the 
        Battles of Peleliu and Okinawa, was quarterback for The Ohio State 
        University taking them to victory in the 1950 Rose Bowl, and went on to 
        play an important role in the golf community and served as the longtime 
        chairman of the PGA's Memorial Tournament, which he founded with his 
        friend Jack Nicklaus;
Whereas Macedonian-American Nick Vanoff directed and produced famous American 
        musicals, movies, and television shows including ``Kiss Me Kate'', ``The 
        Tonight Show'', ``City of Angels'', ``The Sound of Christmas'', and 
        ``The Julie Andrews Hours'', and created and produced the annual 
        ``Kennedy Center Honors'';
Whereas Macedonian-American Dimitri Dimitrov, formerly with Los Angeles Sunset 
        Tower Hotel, presently with San Vicente Bungalows, is Hollywood's most 
        famous maitre d' according to Bon Appetit and the Hollywood Reporter;
Whereas Macedonian-Americans Klime and Anita Kovaceski are Miami, Florida's 
        culinary power couple, and their restaurant CRUST has earned notable 
        recognition, including Open Table's coveted ``100 Best Restaurants in 
        America'' for 2017 and 2019 and OpenTable/KAYAK's ``Top 25 restaurants 
        around the world'' for 2019, has been voted Miami's #1 Italian 
        restaurant on TripAdvisor from 2015 to 2020, and in 2020 was named one 
        of the ``101 Best Pizzas in America'' by The Daily Meal;
Whereas Macedonian Americans contributed to the construction of several dozen 
        Macedonian Orthodox Churches throughout the United States as part of the 
        American-Canadian Macedonian Orthodox Diocese, under current auspices of 
        His Grace Metropolitan Metodi, and have played a major role in other 
        Orthodox Church communities throughout the United States for over a 
        century;
Whereas this year marks the 10th anniversary of the Congressional Macedonian 
        Caucus, founded by former Member of Congress Candice S. Miller, 
        currently co-chaired by Representatives Brendan F. Boyle, Claudia 
        Tenney, Debbie Dingell, and Lisa McClain;
Whereas this year is significant for Macedonian Americans because September 8, 
        2021, marks the 30th anniversary of the independence of a Macedonian 
        state; and
Whereas the incredible contributions and heritage of Macedonian Americans have 
        helped us build a better Nation: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
            (1) supports the designation of ``Macedonian American 
        Heritage Month'';
            (2) expresses warm congratulations and best wishes to all 
        Macedonian people around the world as they mark Macedonian 
        Independence Day;
            (3) esteems the integral role of Macedonian Americans in 
        the economy, culture, and identity of the United States; and
            (4) urges the people of the United States to observe 
        Macedonian American Heritage Month with appropriate programs 
        and activities that celebrate the contributions of Macedonian 
        Americans to the United States.
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