[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 171 (Wednesday, November 1, 1995)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E2089-E2090]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




       TRIBUTE TO CHARLES J. SLEZAK, BERWYN'S ``MR. REPUBLICAN''

                                 ______


                        HON. WILLIAM O. LIPINSKI

                              of illinois

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, November 1, 1995

  Mr. LIPINSKI. Mr. Speaker, I rise today with great sadness at the 
recent passing of one of my district's leading citizens--Charles J. 
Slezak. Charlie was known as ``Mr. Republican,'' serving as GOP 
Committeeman for Berwyn Township, but his legacy goes far above and 
beyond his involvement in party politics. Charlie spent most of his 
adult life working to improve the community he was born in, Berwyn, IL, 
and its neighbor, Cicero.
  After serving in the South Pacific with the Navy in World War II, 
Charlie, a Morton East High School graduate, returned home to his job 
with Continental Can. More importantly, he married the former Mildred 
Hurt on June 8, 1946, forming a partnership of love that lasted nearly 
half a century.
  In 1959, Charlie and Millie purchased a hardware store in Cicero. Not 
only did they expand the business threefold in the 20 years they owned 
it, but he used it as a springboard for charitable and civic work. The 
list of organizations Charlie lent his leadership and organizational 
abilities to is long indeed. He served as parade chairman of the South 
Cicero Boys Baseball Association, chairman of the Illinois Junior Miss 
Pageant, chairman of the Cicero 

[[Page E 2090]]
Progress Committee, president of the Cicero Rotary Club, chairman of 
the Cicero Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and finance chairman of 
the Cicero Boy Scout Council, to name just a few.
  In addition, Charlie served as an elected trustee of Morton Junior 
College from 1976 until he was appointed Berwyn Republican Committeeman 
in 1981, a post he was reelected to four times. He also worked as an 
aide to State Representative Judy Baar Topinka, and for the last 12 
years, served the Illinois Secretary of State's office, most recently 
as the director of a driver's license examination facility. Charlie was 
noted for his ability to make what is often a less than pleasant 
experience almost enjoyable for many an Illinois motorist.
  Charlie won numerous awards for his civic and business achievements. 
The Albert Gallatin Business Award for Outstanding Achievement, the 
Friends of Berwyn and Cicero Citizen of the Year, and the John F. Kubik 
Humanitarian of the Year Award are just a few of his many honors. And, 
for good measure, Charlie qualified for and completed a Boston Marathon 
in 1978, finishing in less than 4 hours.
  But perhaps the achievement of which Charlie was the proudest was his 
work in establishing a permanent home for the Berwyn-Cicero Council on 
Aging when he served as president of the council in the 1970's. He put 
together a consortium of banks and saving and loans that provided a 
mortgage to purchase a building for the council. It is this building 
that will serve as a permanent memorial to Charlie Slezak when it is 
renamed in his honor.
  Mr. Speaker, I extend my condolences to Mrs. Slezak, Charlie's two 
daughters, Diane and Charlene, his granddaughter and ``little shining 
star'' Carly Ann, and all of his relatives and countless friends. 
Charlie is gone, but his legacy of community involvement and caring 
will live on for many years to come.

                          ____________________