PRINTER'S NO. 1153
No. 83 Session of 2001
INTRODUCED BY ROBBINS, O'PAKE, MURPHY, LAVALLE, EARLL, DENT, KUKOVICH, MUSTO, THOMPSON, WAGNER, BODACK, KASUNIC, ORIE, M. WHITE, MOWERY, RHOADES, SCHWARTZ, TARTAGLIONE, WENGER, TOMLINSON, BOSCOLA, ARMSTRONG, COSTA, GREENLEAF, ERICKSON AND LOGAN, JUNE 11, 2001
REFERRED TO RULES AND EXECUTIVE NOMINATIONS, JUNE 11, 2001
A RESOLUTION 1 Declaring the week of July 23 through 29, 2001, as "Slovak 2 Heritage Week" in Pennsylvania. 3 WHEREAS, Large-scale Slovak immigration to the United States 4 began in the late 1870s, when Slovakia was a part of the Austro- 5 Hungarian empire administered by Hungary; and 6 WHEREAS, Between 1880 and the mid-1920s approximately 500,000 7 Slovaks immigrated to the United States; and 8 WHEREAS, Most Slovaks immigrated for economic reasons, 9 seeking employment in regions where major industries such as 10 steel manufacturing and coal mining needed unskilled labor; and 11 WHEREAS, Their emigration from Slovakia before World War I is 12 a story of success, garnering the respect of all Americans and 13 laying the groundwork for future generations; and 14 WHEREAS, Slovaks are one of the largest ethnic groups in 15 North America; and 16 WHEREAS, More than half of Slovak immigrants settled in this
1 Commonwealth; and 2 WHEREAS, The majority of the Slovak-American community today 3 is comprised of descendants of immigrants who arrived in the 4 late 19th and early 20th centuries; and 5 WHEREAS, Slovak Americans maintain aspects of their ethnic 6 heritage through religious and family traditions; and 7 WHEREAS, Stefan Banic, a Slovak born in Smolenice in the 8 Trnava region of the Austro-Hungarian empire, emigrated to the 9 United States in 1907 and settled near Greenville, Mercer 10 County; and 11 WHEREAS, Stefan Banic, who worked in the bituminous coal 12 mines near Greenville, obtained the first patent for a 13 parachute; and 14 WHEREAS, Although Stefan Banic obtained a patent for his 15 parachute, he donated it to the United States Government in 16 exchange for an honorary membership in the Army Air Corps; and 17 WHEREAS, Stefan Banic returned to Czechoslovakia after World 18 War I and died there in 1941; and 19 WHEREAS, The 10th Annual Stefan Banic Skydiving Festival and 20 2nd Annual Pennsylvania State Parachuting Championships are 21 being held July 27 through 29, 2001, at the Greenville Municipal 22 Airport; therefore be it 23 RESOLVED, That the Senate honor the memory of Stefan Banic 24 and encourage the preservation, study, celebration and sharing 25 of Slovak heritage; and be it further 26 RESOLVED, That the Senate declare the week of July 23 through 27 29, 2001, as "Slovak Heritage Week" in Pennsylvania. F1L82BIL/20010S0083R1153 - 2 -