[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 134 (Tuesday, October 24, 2000)]
[Senate]
[Pages S10940-S10941]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                  HONORING SCULPTOR KORCZAK ZIOLKOWSKI

  Mr. SMITH of New Hampshire. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent 
that the Governmental Affairs Committee be discharged from further 
consideration of S. Res. 371, and the Senate proceed to its immediate 
consideration.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered. The clerk 
will report the resolution by title.
  The assistant legislative clerk read as follows:

       A resolution (S. Res. 371) expressing the sense of the 
     Senate that a commemorative postage stamp should be issued to 
     honor sculptor Korczak Ziolkowski.

  There being no objection, the Senate proceeded to consider the 
resolution.
  Mr. SMITH of New Hampshire. Mr. President, Senator Daschle has three 
amendments at the desk to the resolution, the preamble, and the title, 
and I ask unanimous consent that they be considered and agreed to in 
the proper sequence.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  The amendments (Nos. 4335, 4336, and 4337) were agreed to, as 
follows:


                           amendment no. 4335

       Strike paragraphs (1) and (2) of the resolving clause and 
     insert the following:
       (1) the Senate recognizes--
       (A) the admirable efforts of the late Korczak Ziolkowski in 
     designing and creating the Crazy Horse Memorial;
       (B) that the Crazy Horse Memorial represents all North 
     American Indian tribes, and the noble goal of reconciliation 
     between peoples; and
       (C) that the creation of the Crazy Horse Memorial, from its 
     inception, has been accomplished through private sources and 
     without any Federal funding; and
       (2) it is the sense of the Senate that the Citizens' Stamp 
     Advisory Committee should recommend to the Postmaster General 
     that a commemorative postage stamp be issued in honor of 
     sculptor Korczak Ziolkowski and the Crazy Horse Memorial for 
     the 20th anniversary of his death, October 20, 2002.
                                  ____



                           amendment no. 4336

       Strike the preamble and insert the following:
       Whereas Korczak Ziolkowski was born in Boston, 
     Massachusetts on September 6, 1908, the 31st anniversary of 
     the death of Lakota Sioux leader Crazy Horse;
       Whereas, although never trained in art or sculpture, 
     Korczak Ziolkowski began a successful studio career in New 
     England as a commissioned sculptor at age 24;
       Whereas Korczak Ziolkowski's marble sculpture of composer 
     and Polish leader Ignace Jan Paderewski won first prize at 
     the 1939 New York World's Fair and prompted Lakota Indian 
     Chiefs to invite Ziolkowski to carve a memorial for Native 
     Americans;
       Whereas in his invitation letter to Korczak Ziolkowski, 
     Chief Henry Standing Bear wrote: ``My fellow chiefs and I 
     would like the white man to know that the red man has great 
     heroes, too.'';
       Whereas in 1939, Korczak Ziolkowski assisted Gutzon Borglum 
     in carving Mount Rushmore;
       Whereas in 1941, Korczak Ziolkowski met with Chief Henry 
     Standing Bear who taught Korczak more about the life of the 
     brave Sioux leader Crazy Horse;
       Whereas at the age of 34, Korczak Ziolkowski temporarily 
     put his sculpting career aside when he volunteered for 
     service in World War II, later landing on Omaha Beach;
       Whereas after the war, Korczak Ziolkowski turned down other 
     sculpting opportunities in order to accept the invitation of 
     Chief Henry Standing Bear and dedicate the rest of his life 
     to carving the Crazy Horse Memorial in the Black Hills of 
     South Dakota;
       Whereas on June 3, 1948, when work was begun on the Crazy 
     Horse Memorial, Korczak Ziolkowski vowed that the memorial 
     would be a nonprofit educational and cultural project, 
     financed solely through private, nongovernmental sources, to 
     honor the Native Americans of North America;
       Whereas the Crazy Horse Memorial is a mountain carving-in-
     progress, and once completed it will be the largest sculpture 
     in the world;
       Whereas since his death on October 20, 1982, Korczak's wife 
     Ruth, the Ziolkowski family, and the Crazy Horse Memorial 
     Foundation have continued to work on the Memorial and to 
     continue the dream of Korczak Ziolkowski and Chief Henry 
     Standing Bear; and
       Whereas on June 3, 1998, the Memorial entered its second 
     half century of progress and heralded a new era of work on 
     the mountain with the completion and dedication of the face 
     of Crazy Horse: Now, therefore, be it
                                  ____



                           amendment no. 4337

       Amend the title so as to read: ``Resolution expressing the 
     sense of the Senate that a commemorative postage stamp should 
     be issued to honor sculptor Korczak Ziolkowski and the Crazy 
     Horse Memorial.''.

  Mr. DASCHLE. Mr. President, I am delighted that the Senate passed my 
resolution to urge the creation of a postage stamp honoring Korczak 
Ziolkowski, the visionary sculptor who began work on the Crazy Horse 
Memorial in the Black Hills of South Dakota over 52 years ago. I would 
like to take a moment to describe the man and the dream that led him to 
carve a mountain.
  Korczak Ziolkowski was born on September 6, 1908 in Boston, 
Massachusetts. Orphaned at age one, he grew up in a series of foster 
homes and often was mistreated. Korczak later would say that his 
collective experiences during this difficult part of his life prepared 
him for sculpting the Crazy Horse memorial and enabled him to prevail 
over the decades of financial hardship he encountered trying to create 
an Indian memorial in the Black Hills.
  Before coming west, Korczak was a noted studio sculptor and member of 
the National Sculpture Society. Although he never took a lesson in art 
or sculpture, his marble portrait of Polish composer and political 
leader Ignace Jan Paderewski won first prize by unanimous vote at the 
1939 New York World's Fair. This award drew the attention of Lakota 
Sioux Chief Henry Standing Bear, who invited Korczak to carve a 
memorial to the Sioux warrior Crazy Horse in the sacred Black Hills. In 
his invitation letter, Chief Standing Bear wrote: ``My fellow chiefs 
and I would like the white man to know the red man has great heroes, 
too.''
  In 1939, Korczak also traveled to South Dakota to assist Gutzon 
Borglum, the famed sculptor of Mount Rushmore. Korczak finally met 
Chief Standing Bear in 1941 and he learned more about Crazy Horse. He 
then returned to his sculpting career in New

[[Page S10941]]

England, but he never stopped studying the life of Crazy Horse and the 
Native American tribes of North America. However, a sense of duty to 
his country delayed his return to South Dakota. At age 34, he 
volunteered for service in World War II, landed on Omaha Beach and 
later was wounded. After the war, Korczak turned down a government 
commission to create war memorials in Europe to accept Chief Standing 
Bear's invitation. He returned to South Dakota in 1947 and dedicated 
the rest of his life to sculpting the Crazy Horse Memorial.
  Korczak's first year in the Black Hills was spent pioneering, 
building a log cabin, and constructing a massive wooden staircase to 
the top of the mountain he would carve. Then, on June 3, 1948, the 
Crazy Horse Memorial was dedicated. From its inception, Korczak said 
that the memorial would be a nonprofit educational and cultural project 
for all Native Americans. The memorial would be financed solely by the 
interested public, not from government funds. In fact, Korczak twice 
turned down $10 million in federal funds because he believed the 
government would never complete the memorial as he envisioned it--a 
sprawling campus including the Indian Museum of North America and the 
University and Medical Training Center for the North American Indian 
with the massive mountain carving at its center. Carved in three 
dimensions, the memorial is 563 high and 641 feet long, and upon 
completion will be the largest sculpture in the world.
  In 1950, Korczak married Ruth Ross, a volunteer at the memorial, and 
had 10 children, one of whom he delivered himself. Korczak soon 
realized that finishing the memorial would exceed one man's lifetime, 
so he and Ruth prepared detailed plans for the memorial's completion. 
Since Korczak's death on October 20, 1982, Ruth has carried out his 
vision. Under her leadership, the memorial continues to grow. In 1998, 
50 years after the first blast on the mountain, the completed face of 
Crazy Horse was dedicated, and more recently, a state of the art 
visitors center was opened to educate visitors about the memorial. 
Ruth's next task is to complete work on the head of the Sioux leader's 
horse, which is a staggering 20 stories tall. Completing the memorial 
may take decades, even generations, to complete, but I am certain that 
under the leadership of the Ziolkowski family and the Crazy Horse 
Memorial Foundation it will be completed.
  Korczak Ziolkowski was a humble man. From his first days on the 
memorial to his death, he never took salary. He always believed that, 
first and foremost, the Crazy Horse Memorial was for the Native 
Americans. I would like to close with a quote Korczak was fond of: 
``When the legends die, the dreams end; when the dreams end, there is 
no more greatness.'' Korczak's legend did not die with him. His and 
Chief Henry Standing Bear's dream continues to inspire greatness today. 
Now, eighteen years after his death, it is my hope we can share his 
dream with all Americans by issuing a postage stamp in his honor.
  Mr. SMITH of New Hampshire. Mr. President, I further ask unanimous 
consent that the resolution, as amended, and the preamble, as amended, 
be agreed to, the motion to reconsider be laid upon the table, and that 
any statements relating to the resolution be printed in the Record.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  The resolution (S. Res. 371), as amended, was agreed to.
  The preamble, as amended, was agreed to.
  The resolution, as amended, with its preamble, as amended, reads as 
follows:

                              S. Res. 371

       Whereas Korczak Ziolkowski was born in Boston, 
     Massachusetts on September 6, 1908, the 31st anniversary of 
     the death of Lakota Sioux warrior Crazy Horse;
       Whereas, although never trained in art or sculpture, 
     Korczak Ziolkowski began a successful studio career in New 
     England as a commissioned sculptor at age 24;
       Whereas Korzcak Ziolowski's marble sculpture of composer 
     and Polish leader Ignace Jan Paderewski won first prize at 
     the 1939 New York World's Fair and prompted Lakota Indian 
     Chiefs to invite Ziolkowski to carve a memorial for Native 
     Americans;
       Whereas later that year, Korzcak Ziolkowski assisted Gutzon 
     Borglum in carving Mount Rushmore;
       Whereas while in South Dakota, Korczak Ziolkowski met with 
     Chief Henry Standing Bear who taught Korczak more about the 
     life of the brave warrior Crazy Horse;
       Whereas at the age of 34, Korczak Ziolkowski temporarily 
     put his sculptures aside when he volunteered for service in 
     World War II, later landing on Omaha Beach;
       Whereas after the war, Korczak Ziolkowski turned down other 
     sculpting opportunities in order to accept the invitation of 
     Chief Henry Standing Bear and dedicate the rest of his life 
     to carving the Crazy Horse Memorial in the Black Hills of 
     South Dakota;
       Whereas on June 3, 1948, when work was begun on the Crazy 
     Horse Memorial, Korczak Ziolkowski vowed that the memorial 
     would be a nonprofit educational and cultural project, 
     financed solely through private, nongovernmental sources, for 
     the Native Americans of North America;
       Whereas the Crazy Horse Memorial is a mountain carving-in-
     progress, and once completed it will be the tallest sculpture 
     in the world;
       Whereas since his death on October 20, 1982, Korczak's wife 
     Ruth and the Ziolkowski family have continued to work on the 
     Memorial and to expand upon the dream of Korczak Ziolkowski; 
     and
       Whereas on June 3, 1998, the Memorial entered its second 
     half century of progress and heralded a new era of work on 
     the mountain with the completion and dedication of the face 
     of Crazy Horse: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That--
       (1) the Senate recognizes--
       (A) the admirable efforts of the late Korczak Ziolkowski in 
     designing and creating the Crazy Horse Memorial;
       (B) that the Crazy Horse Memorial represents all North 
     American Indian tribes, and the noble goal of reconciliation 
     between peoples; and
       (C) that the creation of the Crazy Horse Memorial, from its 
     inception, has been accomplished through private donations 
     and without any Federal funding; and
       (2) it is the sense of the Senate that the Citizens' Stamp 
     Advisory Committee should recommend to the Postmaster General 
     that a commemorative postage stamp be issued in honor of 
     sculptor Korczak Ziolkowski for his upcoming 100th birthday.

                          ____________________