[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 29 (Thursday, February 12, 2009)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E265-E266]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




   REMEMBERING THE SIX VICTIMS OF THE 1/31/09 AIRPLANE CRASH IN WEST 
                                VIRGINIA

                                 ______
                                 

                       HON. JANICE D. SCHAKOWSKY

                              of illinois

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, February 12, 2009

  Ms. SCHAKOWSKY. Madam Speaker, I rise tonight to express my 
condolences to the family and friends of the six Chicago-area residents 
who were recently killed in an airplane crash in West Virginia.
  On January 31, a twin-engine Piper PA-34 plane carrying four members 
of Chicago's American Polish Aero-Club and two guests crashed in the 
woods near Kenova, West Virginia. The plane had taken off from Lake in 
the Hills Airport and was bound for Charlotte, North Carolina and 
Clearwater, Florida, where the four members of the club were going to 
view planes for sale. The club was hoping to purchase a plane to pull 
glider planes, according to President Chester Wojnicki.
  The four club members were all licensed pilots, and all four had 
immigrated to the United States from Poland. Ireneusz Michalowski of 
Des Plaines, Kazimierz Adamski of Morton Grove, Wesley Dobrzanski of 
Niles, and Stanley Matras of Chicago shared not only their cultural 
heritage but also their love of flying. Also aboard the plane were 
Monika Niemiec, a reporter for a local Polish radio show, and

[[Page E266]]

her father Stanley Niemiec, both of Harwood Heights.
  The Polish American Aero-Club is, by its own claim, the largest 
Polish flying club outside of Poland. Its approximately 60 members form 
a close-knit community of enthusiasts who fly both regular planes and 
gliders. Like the four members killed in the crash, many of the club's 
members came to the United States from Poland to seek new 
opportunities.
  During this difficult time, Chicago's Polish American community 
continues to demonstrate strength and resilience as it celebrates the 
lives of the victims. About 1,000 mourners came together for a memorial 
service for the victims, held at St. Constance Catholic Church in 
Chicago, on February 1.
  Madam Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me tonight in remembering 
the six men and women who were killed in this tragic crash. I wish to 
express my sincere condolences to the families and all the friends of 
the victims. Our entire community has been diminished as a result of 
this tragedy. On behalf of all the residents of the Ninth District, I 
extend a hand of friendship and a heart filled with sorrow to all those 
who knew and loved them.

                          ____________________