RESOLUTION
WHEREAS, 2014 would have marked the 95th Birthday of the late Honorable Roman C. Pucinski, a decorated U.S. Army Air Corps veteran, Chicago politician and Polish-American civic leader; and
WHEREAS, The Chicago City Council has been informed of this event by Alderman Edward M. Burke; and
WHEREAS, The Honorable Roman C. Pucinski passed away in 2002 after a long and distinguished career; and
WHEREAS, Raised in Chicago, the Honorable Roman C. Pucinski bravely served his country as a Bombardier/Navigator during World War II and flew 48 bombing missions over Japan, including 16 over Tokyo; and
WHEREAS, A member of our nation's "Greatest Generation," the Honorable Roman C. Pucinski was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross and the Air Medal with Clusters; and
WHEREAS, A graduate of Northwestern University and John Marshall Law School, the Honorable Roman C. Pucinski worked for decades as a writer with the Chicago Sun-Times before entering public service; and
WHEREAS, The Honorable Roman C. Pucinski served as a United States Representative from 1959 to 1973 and as the Alderman of the 41st Ward from 1973 to 1991; and
WHEREAS, During his highly esteemed tenure in Congress, the Honorable Roman C. Pucinski had a profound effect on the future of American aviation; and
WHEREAS, As a legislator, the Honorable Roman C. Pucinski championed the installation of "black boxes" on all commercial airlines, a requirement which became an international standard in the airline industry; and
WHEREAS, In recognition of his efforts as the "father" of airline data recorders, the Honorable Roman C. Pucinski was honored in 1998 with the Federal Aviation Administration's Silver Medal of Distinguished Service; and
WHEREAS, A leader of Chicago Polonia, the Honorable Roman C. Pucinski ably served for 25 years as President of the Polish American Congress, Illinois Division; and
WHEREAS, The hard work, sacrifice and dedication of the Honorable Roman C. Pucinski serve as an exampl...
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