[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 147 (Tuesday, September 13, 2022)]
[Senate]
[Pages S4579-S4580]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




   SENATE RESOLUTION 758--DESIGNATING THE MONTH OF SEPTEMBER 2022 AS 
 ``MACEDONIAN AMERICAN HERITAGE MONTH'' AND CELEBRATING THE LANGUAGE, 
   HISTORY, AND CULTURE OF MACEDONIAN AMERICANS AND THEIR INCREDIBLE 
                   CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE UNITED STATES

  Mr. BRAUN submitted the following resolution; which was referred to 
the Committee on the Judiciary:

                              S. Res. 758

       Whereas there is evidence that the earliest Macedonians in 
     the continental United States arrived on or around the year 
     1492;
       Whereas, since the 1880s, tens of thousands of Macedonians 
     fled to the United States seeking civil liberties, human 
     rights, religious freedom, and economic opportunities and in 
     response to the 1903 Ilinden Uprising against the Ottoman 
     Empire, the Balkan Wars, the 2 World Wars, the Greek Civil 
     War, and the communist policies of Yugoslavia;
       Whereas the Macedonian community in the United States is a 
     vibrant community that is embedded within the mosaic of the 
     United States, partaking in all walks of life, business, 
     medicine, law, technology, civic engagement, government, the 
     military, education, the arts, culinary world, athletics, and 
     more;
       Whereas the United Macedonian Diaspora estimates there are 
     500,000 individuals of Macedonian heritage living in the 
     United States, with sizeable communities in Michigan, New 
     York, Ohio, New Jersey, Indiana, Illinois, Pennsylvania, 
     Florida, California, Arizona, Texas, and Virginia;
       Whereas Macedonian-American immigrants contributed to 
     building monumental transportation routes in the United 
     States, including the Great Northern Railroad;
       Whereas, in 1922, Macedonian-American immigrants Tom and 
     John Kiradjieff, using old Macedonian recipes passed down by 
     their parents and grandparents, developed the recipe for 
     Cincinnati chili, a beloved dish in the United States, which, 
     in 2013, was named one of the ``20 Most Iconic Foods in 
     America'' by Smithsonian magazine;
       Whereas, in the early 20th century, Macedonian immigrants 
     created their own version of the famous Coney Island hot dog, 
     which remains a staple dish at Coney Island-style restaurants 
     throughout the Midwest;
       Whereas Macedonian-American Stoyan Christowe, who 
     immigrated to the United States in 1911, was an author, 
     journalist, World War II intelligence officer, Vermont State 
     Representative from 1961 to 1962, and Senator from 1963 to 
     1972 and wrote the book entitled ``This is My Country'', 
     which was a favorite of President Franklin D. Roosevelt;
       Whereas Macedonian-American Michael Alexander (Lazaroff) of 
     Pittsburgh and New York City was a renowned international 
     attorney who served as a legal adviser to many British and 
     Irish government organizations and corporations for which he 
     was honored by Her Majesty Elizabeth II as a Commander of the 
     British Empire and, as a nonalcoholic, served in Alcoholics 
     Anonymous from the mid-1950s through 1993 as legal adviser, 
     chairman of general services board, trustee, and trustee 
     chairman;
       Whereas Macedonian-American Judge Jimmy N. Dimos served as 
     a district judge for the 4th Judicial District Court of 
     Louisiana from 1999 to 2006 and member of the Louisiana House 
     of Representatives from 1976 to 1999, serving as Speaker of 
     the House from 1988 to 1992;
       Whereas, in 2018, Macedonian-American Judge Phillip Naumoff 
     of Mansfield, Ohio, was elected as Richland County Common 
     Pleas Court Judge;
       Whereas, in 1995, Macedonian-American Ljubica Z. Acevska of 
     Mansfield, Ohio, and Washington, D.C., became the first 
     Ambassador of North Macedonia to the United States;
       Whereas Macedonian Americans have greatly contributed to 
     the economy of the United States, creating countless jobs for 
     the people of the United States in Macedonian-American 
     communities;
       Whereas Macedonian-Americans Mike Ilitch, recipient of the 
     Ellis Island Medal of Honor, and Marian Bayoff Ilitch, who 
     played a significant role in the civil rights movement and 
     paid rent in Detroit for activist Rosa Park for more than a 
     decade--
       (1) opened the first mom-and-pop Little Caesars pizza shop 
     in 1959, which grew into the third-largest pizza chain in the 
     world;
       (2) are owners of the Detroit Red Wings--coining Detroit as 
     ``Hockeytown''--and the Detroit Tigers; and
       (3) in 2015, made history by giving Wayne State University 
     $50,000,000, the largest donation ever made to the school, 
     highlighting their lifelong dedication to promoting 
     entrepreneurship, education, and the revitalization of 
     Detroit;

       Whereas Macedonian-American Christopher Ilitch, president 
     and chief executive officer of Ilitch Holdings, Inc., and 
     chairman of Ilitch Charities, which has given more than 
     $220,000,000 in grants since 2000 for causes from youth 
     development to community revitalization, has continued the 
     tradition and vision of his parents Mike and Marian Ilitch to 
     further the global standing of Detroit by developing The 
     District Detroit, which has grown into a dynamic sports and 
     entertainment district featuring award-winning theaters, 4 
     professional sports teams, and 3 multi-use sports venues, 
     including the state-of-the-art Little Caesars Arena, home of 
     the Detroit Red Wings and the Detroit Pistons, and world-
     class entertainment and community events;
       Whereas 4 of the 8 names of women ever engraved on the 
     Stanley Cup are Macedonian-Americans Marian Ilitch, Denise 
     Ilitch,

[[Page S4580]]

     Lisa Ilitch, and Carole Ilitch Trepeck, whose names were 
     engraved in the Stanley Cups won by the Detroit Red Wings in 
     1997 and 1998;
       Whereas Macedonian-American Andrew Peykoff, Sr., of 
     California--
       (1) founded Niagara Bottling, LLC, in 1963, which is one of 
     the largest private water bottling companies in the United 
     States;
       (2) through the Andrew D. Peykoff, Sr., Scholarship Program 
     has awarded more than $2,000,000 to college students in the 
     United States;
       (3) through Niagara Cares, has delivered millions of 
     bottles of clean water for disaster relief efforts in Texas, 
     Florida, Puerto Rico, the United States Virgin Islands, and 
     Mexico City; and
       (4) provided a $10,000,000 grant for the Jaime Peykoff 
     Follicular Lymphoma Initiative to fund follicular lymphoma 
     research grants, international scientific workshops, and 
     clinical awards;
       Whereas Macedonian-American George Atanasoski of Ormond 
     Beach, Florida, who immigrated to the United States in 1970 
     and was a recipient of the Ellis Island Medal of Honor, 
     founded Microflex Inc., a manufacturer that supplies a wide 
     range of flexible metal products to large clients such as 
     General Electric, Ford, Siemens, General Motors, Rolls Royce, 
     and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration;
       Whereas Macedonian-American Katrina Markoff, originally of 
     Fort Wayne, Indiana, was recognized by President Barack Obama 
     as a Champion of Change in Small Business and founded Vosges 
     Haut-Chocolat, which was named one of the 10 Best 
     Chocolatiers in the World by National Geographic;
       Whereas Macedonian-American Mike Zafirovski of Forest 
     Hills, Illinois, recipient of the Ellis Island Medal of Honor 
     and former presidential appointee to the National Security 
     Telecommunications Advisory Committee--
       (1) served on the board of Boeing;
       (2) was President and Chief Executive Officer of Nortel, a 
     global communications technology company;
       (3) was President and Chief Operating Officer of Motorola; 
     and
       (4) during a 25-year career at General Electric, served as 
     president and chief executive officer of 5 subsidiaries of 
     General Electric in the consumer, industrial, and financial 
     services sectors;
       Whereas Macedonian-American Dr. Leon Speroff of Portland, 
     Oregon, who was recognized as a giant in obstetrics and 
     gynecology, made significant achievements in reproductive 
     endocrinology, changing how medicine is practiced;
       Whereas Macedonian-American Dr. George Daicoff of St. 
     Petersburg, Florida, a renowned cardiovascular and thoracic 
     surgeon, was a maverick in his field of pediatric heart 
     surgery which was an emerging, unknown field in the 1970s, 
     installed a pacemaker in the smallest premature infant in 
     1984, and conceived and performed important research that 
     advanced the field of pediatric heart surgery;
       Whereas Macedonian-American Dr. Peter T. George--
       (1) won 3 Olympic Medals for the United States and 5 world 
     championships in weightlifting;
       (2) was the middleweight champion at the Pan-American 
     Games; and
       (3) became a doctor in oral medicine and pioneered 
     treatments for obstructive sleep apnea;
       Whereas Macedonian-American Dr. Jovan Laskovski, of Akron, 
     Ohio, was inducted into the International Society for Hip 
     Arthroscopy (commonly known as ``ISHA'') in 2013 and became 1 
     of 26 surgeons in the United States inducted into ISHA;
       Whereas Macedonian Americans have tremendously contributed 
     to athletics and professional sports in the United States, 
     including--
       (1) Vlatko Andonovski, the head coach of the United States 
     Women's National Soccer Team;
       (2) Sasho Cirovski, the Head Men's Soccer Coach of the 
     University of Maryland Men's Soccer Team;
       (3) Dino Delevski, a former soccer player for the Milwaukee 
     Wave and a former coach for the Chicago Inferno of the Major 
     Arena Soccer League;
       (4) Stefan Kozlov, a professional tennis player;
       (5) Kevin Kouzmanoff, a former professional baseball player 
     and current coach in the Oakland Athletics organization;
       (6) Cedi Osman, a basketball player for Cleveland 
     Cavaliers;
       (7) Jovan Kirovski, a former soccer player and the current 
     Technical Director for the Los Angeles Galaxy;
       (8) brothers George and Louis Nanchoff, former soccer 
     players in the North American Soccer League and the Major 
     Indoor Soccer League (commonly referred to as ``MISL'');
       (9) Sandre Naumovski, a MISL soccer player for the 
     Philadelphia KiXX;
       (10) Pete Stoyanovich, a former professional football 
     player for the Miami Dolphins, Kansas City Chiefs, and St. 
     Louis Rams;
       (11) Paul Naumoff, a former All-Pro linebacker in the 
     National Football League (commonly referred to as the 
     ``NFL'') for the Tennessee Titans and the Detroit Lions; and
       (12) Mike Vrabel, a former All-Pro, 3-time Super Bowl 
     Champion, NFL football player for the New England Patriots 
     and Kansas City Chiefs, and current head coach for the 
     Tennessee Titans;
       Whereas Steven Stamkos, an immigrant from Canada of 
     Macedonian heritage, is captain of the Tampa Bay Lightning, 
     the 2021 Stanley Cup Winner;
       Whereas Macedonian-American Pandel Savic--
       (1) served with the First Marine Division in the South 
     Pacific theater during World War II, fighting in the Battles 
     of Peleliu and Okinawa;
       (2) was quarterback for The Ohio State University Buckeyes 
     football team, taking the team to victory in the 1950 Rose 
     Bowl; and
       (3) played an important role in the golf community and 
     served as the longtime chairman of the Professional Golfer's 
     Association Memorial Tournament, which Savic founded with 
     Jack Nicklaus;
       Whereas Macedonian-American Nick Vanoff directed and 
     produced famous musicals, movies, and television shows in the 
     United States, including ``Kiss Me Kate'', ``The Tonight 
     Show'', ``City of Angels'', ``The Sound of Christmas'', and 
     ``The Julie Andrews Hour'', and created and produced the 
     annual ``Kennedy Center Honors'';
       Whereas Macedonian-American Dimitri Dimitrov, former maitre 
     d' at Tower Bar in Los Angeles and San Vicente Bungalows, is 
     Hollywood's most famous maitre d' according to Bon Appetit 
     and the Hollywood Reporter;
       Whereas Macedonian-Americans Klime and Anita Kovaceski of 
     Miami, Florida, have earned notable recognition for their 
     restaurant CRUST, which was named one of the ``100 Best 
     Restaurants in America'' for 2017 and 2019 by OpenTable, one 
     of the ``Top 25 restaurants around the world'' for 2019 by 
     OpenTable/KAYAK, and one of the ``101 Best Pizzas in 
     America'' in 2020 by The Daily Meal, and was voted ``Miami's 
     #1 Italian restaurant'' on TripAdvisor from 2015 to 2020;
       Whereas Macedonian Americans contributed to the 
     construction of several dozen Macedonian Orthodox churches 
     throughout the United States as part of the American-Canadian 
     Macedonian Orthodox Diocese, under current auspices of His 
     Grace Metropolitan Metodi, and have played a major role in 
     other Orthodox Church communities throughout the United 
     States for more than a century;
       Whereas 2022 marks the 10th anniversary of the 
     Congressional Caucus on North Macedonia and Macedonian-
     Americans, which was founded by former Representative Candice 
     S. Miller and is currently co-chaired by Representatives 
     Brendan F. Boyle, Claudia Tenney, Debbie Dingell, and Lisa 
     McClain;
       Whereas 2022 is significant for Macedonian Americans 
     because September 8, 2021, marked the 30th anniversary of the 
     independence of a Macedonian country; and
       Whereas the incredible contributions and heritage of 
     Macedonian Americans have helped improve the United States: 
     Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the Senate--
       (1) designates September 2022 as ``Macedonian American 
     Heritage Month'';
       (2) expresses warm congratulations and best wishes to all 
     Macedonian people around the world as they mark Macedonian 
     Independence Day;
       (3) esteems the integral role of Macedonian Americans in 
     the economy, culture, and identity of the United States; and
       (4) urges the people of the United States to observe 
     Macedonian American Heritage Month with appropriate programs 
     and activities that celebrate the contributions of Macedonian 
     Americans to the United States.

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