[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 146 (2000), Part 17]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 24720]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



        `STANKY AND THE COAL MINERS' CELEBRATE 55TH ANNIVERSARY

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. PAUL E. KANJORSKI

                            of pennsylvania

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, October 25, 2000

  Mr. KANJORSKI. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to John 
``Stanky'' Stankovic of Nanticoke, Pennsylvania, who has been 
entertaining people of all ages with his polka magic for 55 years. In 
1945, at the age of 9, Stanky and some friends landed a job playing 
polka music at a three-day wedding in Nanticoke.
  From that beginning, Stanky and the Coal Miners, as he and his band 
are known now, have gone on to play all over the world with scores of 
famous people. He has learned or written more than 500 songs, most of 
which are featured in the band's 21 albums and six videos.
  He learned to play the accordion from his father, Joe Stankovic, a 
Czech immigrant who came to America at age 16 and went straight to work 
in the coal mines. When Stanky was a young man, he was more interested 
in being a professional baseball player. However, his father wisely 
made sure he practiced his music one hour a day before going out to 
play, and audiences around the world have benefited from Stanky's 
ultimate career choice. For example, in 1988, Stanky and the Coal 
Miners played to a crowd of a million people in Tiananmen Square in 
Beijing, China.
  While the membership of the Coal Miners has changed many times over 
the years, Stanky's own family now forms the core of the band. Playing 
regularly with him are his wife, Dottie; his daughters, Kim Bukowski 
and Debra Horoschock; his son-in-law, Vince Horoschock; and his 
granddaughters, 3-year-old Alexandra Bukowski and 2-year-old Ashley 
Horoschock. Other members include drummers Norbert Wisniewski, Tom 
Novakowski and Dave Burns and trumpeter Mark Steinkircher.
  Stanky and Dottie also host and produce the popular ``Pennsylvania 
Polka'' program on WVIA, Northeastern Pennsylvania's public television 
station. The show has aired for 20 years, allowing him to reach a wider 
audience of fans. While Stanky travels the world, he always remembers 
the region he calls home and the people who love his music. When he is 
in Northeastern Pennsylvania, Stanky also devotes one or two days a 
week to playing concerts at local rest homes.
  Mr. Speaker, I send my congratulations to Stanky and the Coal Miners 
in this, the year of their 55th anniversary, and I also send my best 
wishes for continued success.

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