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| 3 | 4 | | |
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| 4 | 5 | | R E S O L U T I O N |
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| 5 | 6 | | WHEREAS, Each October, Americans of Polish ancestry |
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| 6 | 7 | | celebrate Polish American Heritage Month, and that observance |
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| 7 | 8 | | provides a fitting opportunity to take note of the many |
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| 8 | 9 | | contributions the Polish people have made to the history and |
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| 9 | 10 | | culture of the Lone Star State; and |
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| 10 | 11 | | WHEREAS, In 1818, Polish veterans of the Napoleonic Wars were |
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| 11 | 12 | | among the settlers who founded an early colony near Galveston, the |
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| 12 | 13 | | Champ d'Asile military camp; after the failure of the Polish |
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| 13 | 14 | | uprising against the Russian empire in 1830, other Polish veterans |
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| 14 | 15 | | came to America and took part in the Texas Revolution, including |
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| 15 | 16 | | Michael Debicki, Francis and Adolph Petrussewicz, John Kornicky, |
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| 16 | 17 | | and Joseph Schrusnecki, all of whom died at Goliad, and Felix |
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| 17 | 18 | | Wardzinski, who fought at San Jacinto; and |
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| 18 | 19 | | WHEREAS, In the 1850s, a Polish Franciscan priest named |
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| 19 | 20 | | Father Leopold Moczygemba, who was at that time serving parishes in |
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| 20 | 21 | | New Braunfels and Castroville, sent letters home that inspired some |
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| 21 | 22 | | 100 Polish families to sail to Galveston aboard the Weser and settle |
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| 22 | 23 | | in Karnes County; here, the town of Panna Maria ("Virgin Mary") |
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| 23 | 24 | | became the first permanent Polish colony in the United States and |
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| 24 | 25 | | home to the nation's first Polish Catholic church and Polish |
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| 25 | 26 | | school; and |
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| 26 | 27 | | WHEREAS, During the Civil War, a Polish engineer, Valerian |
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| 27 | 28 | | Salkowski, designed the Confederate fortifications at Galveston, |
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| 28 | 29 | | and Joseph Cotulla, for whom the county seat of La Salle County is |
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| 29 | 30 | | named, served in the First Texas Cavalry of the Union Army; a new |
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| 30 | 31 | | wave of immigrants in the 1870s settled in Anderson, Brenham, |
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| 31 | 32 | | Bremond, and other towns, and a century later, as Poland's |
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| 32 | 33 | | Communist regime was failing, more Poles settled in major urban |
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| 33 | 34 | | areas of the state; and |
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| 34 | 35 | | WHEREAS, Poles have had a strong influence on the state's |
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| 35 | 36 | | arts and culture; the German-Polish artist Carl von Iwonski painted |
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| 36 | 37 | | Texas pioneers from the 1850s until the 1870s; Polish musicians |
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| 37 | 38 | | helped introduce the polka beat and the accordion that are an |
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| 38 | 39 | | integral part of Tex-Mex music, and the Fryderyk Chopin Society of |
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| 39 | 40 | | Texas and the Chopin Society of Houston have supported the |
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| 40 | 41 | | performance of Polish classical music in the state; moreover, such |
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| 41 | 42 | | distinctive Polish cuisine as kielbasa and pierogis are popular |
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| 42 | 43 | | items in many parts of the state and particularly at festivals held |
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| 43 | 44 | | in Brenham, Bremond, and other communities; and |
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| 44 | 45 | | WHEREAS, Thousands of Poles and people of Polish descent have |
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| 45 | 46 | | made Texas their home over the past two centuries, and the Lone Star |
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| 46 | 47 | | State has benefited immensely from their drive, passion, and |
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| 47 | 48 | | ingenuity; now, therefore, be it |
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| 48 | 49 | | RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 85th Texas |
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| 49 | 50 | | Legislature hereby recognize October 2017 as Polish American |
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| 50 | 51 | | Heritage Month in Texas and honor the contributions of Poles and |
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| 51 | 52 | | people of Polish descent to our state. |
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