[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 47 (Wednesday, April 24, 2002)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E624]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




         HONORING JOHN GURDA, 2002 POLISH HERITAGE AWARD WINNER

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. GERALD D. KLECZKA

                              of wisconsin

                    in the house of representatives

                       Wednesday, April 24, 2002

  Mr. KLECZKA. Mr. Speaker, On Sunday, May 5, 2002, the Pulaski Council 
of Milwaukee will be observing Polish Constitution Day with its 23rd 
annual Heritage Award Dinner. This year's Polish Heritage Award is 
being given to Milwaukee author and historian John Gurda.
  John is a native Milwaukeean, with a life-long love for local 
history. He is author of 13 books, including his most recent work, The 
Making of Milwaukee, a superbly written and richly illustrated account 
of our community's past and present.
  An 8-time winner of the Wisconsin Historical Society's Award of 
Merit, John Gurda serves as a guest lecturer, tour guide and local 
history columnist for the Milwaukee Journal/Sentinel. He has also 
received well-deserved honors from the Council for Wisconsin Writers, 
which awarded him the Leslie Cross Award for book-length nonfiction, 
and was the Milwaukee Public Library's 2000 inductee to the Wisconsin 
Writers Wall of Fame.
  Anyone who has had the opportunity to hear John speak, read his books 
and articles, or take one of his neighborhood tours has truly been 
enriched by the experience. He is a masterful storyteller, bringing 
Milwaukee's colorful and fascinating past to life, and often finding, 
in the telling, important relevance to our community's present and 
future.
  Milwaukee is a city of immigrants, a weave of many nationalities and 
cultures. John Gurda has eloquently captured the histories of our 
ethnic neighborhoods, including Milwaukee's Polonia, or Polish-American 
community. From Polonia's early struggles with poverty and language 
barriers to its growth to one of Milwaukee's largest ethnic groups, 
John has skillfully chronicled the community's rich Polish heritage.
  As Gurda himself has said, ``We look back to look ahead; the deepest 
value of the past is to help the present shape its future.'' John 
Gurda's gift to Milwaukee's Polish-American community is a deeper 
connection to its past, and a greater understanding of its role in our 
city's present and future. The Pulaski Council of Milwaukee has made an 
outstanding choice for its 2002 Polish Heritage Award, for John's words 
will continue to educate, inspire and bring Milwaukee Polonia's history 
to life for generations to come.
  Congratulations, John!

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