Moskal, Edward

Edward J. Moskal
May 21, 1924 - March 22, 2005
Biography
Edward J. Moskal was born in Chicago, Illinois, on May 21, 1924, the son of Sophie (Grzyb) and Joseph Moskal. He was baptized at St. John Cantius Parish and attended St. John Cantiius School. Following his forma! education and three years in the United States Army, he returned home to begin his illustrious career with the Polish National Alliance, which he joined in 1942.
Rising through the ranks oft he lodge level, he devoted himself to the performance of charitable functions on behalf of ill members. Subsequently, he was recording secretary, delegate to his Council 75, vice-president, and later president of his Council of the National Polish Alliance.
In 1963 the PNA Convention delegates chose Moskal to serve as a National Director. He earned great respect from his colleagues by chairing the finance committee whose report and recommendations for increased fiscal responsibility laid a foundation for a new approach to lending which continues to be in force today.
In 1967 Moskal was elected National Treasurer of the PNA, a post he held for twenty years. His radical reorganization of the office led to a new management system as well as the improvement of the efficiency of the office. Demonstrating his financial acumen as a member of the Executive Committee, he was instrumental in developing a sound, balanced investment policy which led to a profitable diversification of the multi-million investment portfolio of the Alliance. From 1975 until his election to the presidency of the PNA he also served as Chairman of the Finance and Control Committee.
His leadership skills and successful performance as an officer led to his being elected President of the Polish National Alliance at a special plenary meeting of the PNA Supervisory Council in October of 1988. Three weeks later he was elected president of the Polish American Congress, an umbrella organization of the American Polonia which unites over twelve hundred Polish American organizations throughout the United States and serves as the primary voice of the Polish community on charitable, social, civic, and political matters.
Demonstrating a broad gamut of organizational abilities, Moskal's responsibilities also include the office of President of Alliance Printers and Publishers, which publishes Dziennik Zwiazkowy [Polish Daily News] and the bi-weekly Zgoda, which has a circulation of over 200.000. He is also president of Alliance Communications, radio station WPNA, which is known as the "International Voice Of Chicago" and features programs in the Polish language and includes ten other ethnic groups in its programming. The leadership of the largest Polish American fraternal in the United States carries with it other opportunities for service. Moskal was a member of the Book and Library Advisory Committee at the United States Information Agency, a member of Governor Edgar's Transition Committee, an honorary pallbearer appointed by President George Bush for the return of Ignacy Paderewski's body to Poland, and was appointed by President Bill Clinton to accompany Vice-President Al Gore for the Ghetto Uprising anniversary ceremonies in Warsaw.
As President of the Polish American Congress Moskal is the leading Polish American in Polonia's relationships with Poland. He has traveled to Poland many times to determine what are the needs of Poland and how Polonia can help. He studied the needs of Polish hospitals and methods for the facilitation of the disbursement of aid that came from the United States. As president of the Polish American Congress Charitable Foundation, he has been instrumental in arranging for a great variety of ways to assist Poland, especially after the fall of Communism. He is an outspoken supporter of the entry of Poland into NATO. For his efforts for the benefit of Poland he was awarded the highest civilian honor by President Lech Walesa, the Commander's Cross with Star. In April of 1997 he was made an Honorary Citizen of the city of Krakow, and later that year the University of Poznan Medical School bestowed the title of Honorary Doctor upon him. While receiving all these honors. Moskal insists that he accepts them on behalf of the organizations and causes he represents.
At a private audience with Pope John Paul II in December 4, 1997, Moskal had the opportunity to discuss Polish and Polish American matters with the Holy Father and to gain his insights and advice. He was reelected President of the Polish National Alliance for another four-year term in September 2003. During his tenure, Moskal has brought such innovations to the PNA as in-house computerized operations and a significant presence on the Internet through the organization's websites. Moskal married Wanda Sadlik on November 21, 1946. They have one daughter, Pamela (married to Dennis Komorowski); three granddaughters, Joyce (married to Joseph Selby) who has three children, Joseph, Jason, and Jamie, Mary (married to Dariusz Wieczorkiewicz) who has one child, Ryan; and Lisa.
Moskal - blessed with organizational talent, executive expertise, realistic optimism, genuine enthusiasm, Christian disposition, and gentlemanly constitution - has lived out the ideals of his heritage, the mission of his fraternal, and the vision of his heart's dedication.
From: Bialy Orzel - White Eagle, Vol.1, Issue 2, March 29, 2005