[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 56 (Tuesday, May 9, 2000)]
[Senate]
[Pages S3682-S3683]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     MYRA LEONARD--A LEGENDARY LADY

  Mr. HELMS. Mr. President, this is an occasion when I wish to attempt, 
with a heavy heart, to pay my respects to a dear lady who last week 
passed away. Myra Leonard was a leader of the Polish-American community 
and the long-

[[Page S3683]]

time Executive Director of the Washington Office of the Polish American 
Congress.
  For nearly 20 years Myra was a respected and tireless advocate of the 
ties that bind the United States and Poland. During the 1980s, when 
Poland's Solidarity movement struggled under martial law, Myra 
generated great support for the movement by soliciting humanitarian 
support to Poland.
  She coordinated the ``Solidarity Express''--a train of some 22 
railroad cars loaded with relief goods. At her suggestion, on the 
first-year anniversary of Solidarity, a Solidarity Convoy produced 
thirty-two container trucks bearing relief cargo.
  Myra's initiatives contributed literally millions of dollars of 
humanitarian support to the Polish people during that difficult decade, 
but more recently, Myra played a pivotal role in the effort to 
transform the Polish-American relationship from one of partnership to 
that of allies. One cannot overestimate the energy and momentum she and 
her husband, Casimir, brought to the effort to bring Poland into the 
North Atlantic Treaty Organization. For her efforts, Myra and her 
husband were both honored by the Polish Government with the Commanders' 
Cross.
  This year, Poland and the United States will, together, launch the 
Polish American Freedom Foundation. Myra's invaluable counsel and 
political judgment ensured that this initiative successfully navigated 
the difficult path of transforming a grand concept into a real 
foundation that will on a daily basis reaffirm the commitment of the 
United States and Poland to democracy and freedom.
  So, we are deeply saddened by Myra's passing and we use this occasion 
to express to her husband, Casimir Leonard, and to the other members of 
her family, how much we will miss her. Our memory of Myra will be a 
lady of tireless energy and warmth who brought to Washington a genuine 
devotion to the ties binding Poland and America.

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