[Congressional Record Volume 162, Number 113 (Wednesday, July 13, 2016)]
[Senate]
[Pages S5068-S5069]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                 TRIBUTE TO EDWARD AND MAXINE HANDZIAK

  Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, I wish to pay tribute to a uniquely 
Kentuckian love story. It is a story that began in the tumult of World 
War II and still continues to this day, more than 70 years later. I 
speak of the loving relationship and marriage of Edward and Maxine 
Handziak, of Winchester, KY.
  In 1943, America faced the Axis Powers in World War II. Many 
Americans bravely wore their country's uniform in the fight for freedom 
and democracy. Two of those Americans were native Kentuckian Maxine 
Hamon and her suitor Edward Handziak.
  Edward was in the U.S. military and stationed in Stillwater, OK. 
Maxine, who had volunteered for the Women's Reserve in the U.S. Navy, 
was also stationed there. The two met in a chance encounter at a roller 
skating rink.
  Edward was smitten with the young Kentuckian, and when he was sent 
abroad to serve in Europe he did not forget her. He wrote her letters 
faithfully. Even when shrapnel injured his writing hand, he wrote her 
with his left hand. He knew, when he returned to America, that he 
wanted to marry her.
  As soon as the war was over, Edward came home and proposed. And it 
turns out that, when he fell in love with Maxine, he fell in love with 
her hometown of Winchester as well and longed to return. A job with 
Gulf Oil delayed those plans, with his career sending him all over the 
country. The Handziaks finally settled down in Winchester in 1985.
  Today the couple has been happily married for more than 70 years, and 
they have three children, three grandchildren, and four great-
grandchildren. Maxine's granddaughter still has her grandmother's 
roller skates from that fateful day when she met Edward.
  I am honored to represent the Handziaks here in the U.S. Senate and 
want to wish them every happiness and thank them for their service. I 
am sure my colleagues join me in expressing gratitude for their service 
as well. They truly represent the finest of Kentucky.
  Mr. President, an area publication, the Winchester Sun, published a 
compelling article on Edward and Maxine's love story. I ask unanimous 
consent

[[Page S5069]]

that said article be printed in the Record.
  There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in 
the Record, as follow:

                [From the Winchester Sun, Dec. 7, 2011]

 Love and War--Couple Brought Together by World War II Share Story of 
                      Their Nearly 70-Year Romance

                          (By Rachel Parsons)

       When Edward Handziak met Maxine Hamon in 1943, he fell for 
     her right away.
       Literally.
       The two were at a roller skating rink in Stillwater, Okla., 
     when Edward skated by Maxine. That also happened to be the 
     time he lost his balance and took a spill.
       ``I liked to go roller skating, mainly because I liked the 
     music they played. I was skating right along, and I fell in 
     front of her. So, the story is, I fell for her,'' Edward 
     said.
       He and Maxine were both stationed in Stillwater with the 
     United States military during World War II. Maxine and her 
     friend Ann Marie Bush Carter were living in Winchester when 
     World War II broke out and, after seeing their older brothers 
     join the Navy, the two decided to join the Women Accepted for 
     Volunteer Emergency Service (WAVES), a division of the Navy. 
     Maxine was 20 years old at the time.
       Edward Handziak was living in Massachusetts when he was 
     drafted at the age of 20. He and Maxine were both sent to 
     Oklahoma A&M College, now Oklahoma State University, for 
     training. There were numerous service men and women on the 
     campus for specialized training at that time, Edward said.
       ``Stillwater was a small town, kind of like Winchester, 
     with a movie house and a skating rink,'' Edward said.
       Maxine was an avid skater and carried her roller skates 
     with her wherever she traveled for the WAVES.
       Her granddaughter still has the skates today.
       After their initial meeting at the roller skating rink, 
     Edward and Maxine began dating.
       ``I was shy and not very aggressive with girls, but with 
     her, I skated with her the rest of the session,'' Edward 
     said.
       Eventually, Edward was sent overseas, fighting in 
     Marseilles, France, to replace infantrymen training for the 
     D-Day invasion, June 6, 1944.
       Maxine was sent to Washington, D.C., for secretarial work, 
     but Edward wrote to her every day. Because he was injured 
     twice, the letter writing could be tedious at times, 
     including trying to use his left hand after his right hand 
     was hurt by shrapnel. There also was a period of time when he 
     couldn't lie on his back, also because of shrapnel. The 
     injuries earned him a Purple Heart with an oak leaf cluster.
       ``I wasn't a good letter writer,'' Maxine said.
       When the war ended in the spring of 1945, Edward was 
     stationed in Austria and Maxine was still in Washington, D.C. 
     By that time, Edward knew he wanted to marry Maxine, so as 
     soon as he was discharged, he returned home to Massachusetts 
     and bought a ring. He went to visit Maxine in Washington, 
     D.C., to propose, although, after 66 years of marriage, 
     neither can recall much about that day.
       ``I assumed when I came back, I was going to be with her,'' 
     Edward said.
       Because Maxine couldn't leave her post in Washington, 
     Edward traveled to Winchester alone to introduce himself to 
     his future mother and father-in-law.
       The Hamons lived on Lexington Road, and Edward got a taxi 
     after arriving on the train. He said his first introduction 
     to small town life in the South was a conversation at Sam 
     Reed's store on the corner of Lexington Avenue and Bloomfield 
     Road, where the taxi driver stopped to ask directions to the 
     Hamon home.
       ``Sam says to me, `What are you to them?' '' Edward said.
       The story still makes him laugh, although he said that he 
     immediately loved the town, and actually encouraged Maxine to 
     move back there.
       He also found the Hamons to be ``two gracious people.''
       ``They accepted him as if they'd known him forever,'' 
     Maxine said.
       The couple married at the Hamons' home after Maxine was 
     discharged, and moved back to Massachusetts. It didn't take 
     long, however, for Edward to start thinking about Winchester. 
     ``It seemed more progressive. There were subdivisions and 
     everything down there, and there wasn't in New England,'' 
     Edward said.
       His wish to live in Maxine's hometown was granted, but only 
     briefly. A job with Gulf Oil sent the Handziaks traveling all 
     over the country. In 1985, they were finally able to settle 
     in Winchester, on Churchill Drive, long-term.
       ``I enjoyed seeing all the places and meeting all the new 
     people. He wanted to come back more so than I did,'' Maxine 
     said.
       Both Maxine and Edward say they have enjoyed their 66 years 
     of marriage and can remember few disagreements. They have 
     three children, Ronald, Donald and Peggy; three 
     grandchildren; and four great-grandchildren.
       ``I guess I'll keep her now,'' Edward said.

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