Edward Moskal

Edward Moskal (May 21, 1924 – March 22, 2005) was a longtime and outspoken president of the Polish National Alliance (PNA) and the Polish American Congress (PAC).

Moskal was born to a Polish immigrant couple who owned restaurant and catering businesses. Chicago's St. John Cantius School, which focused on the children of Polish Catholic immigrants, provided his education. He became an insurance broker and completed a three-year tour in the U.S. Army before joining the PNA in 1942.

His 60-plus-year career with PNA led him to a private meeting with Pope John Paul II, several humanitarian-related trips to Poland, and an appointment by United States President Bill Clinton to accompany Vice President Al Gore at the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising anniversary ceremonies in Warsaw.

Poland's President Lech Wałęsa awarded him the second highest civilian honor of the Republic of Poland, the Commander's Cross with Star. He was also made an honorary citizen of the city of Kraków, Poland. The title of Honorary Doctor was bestowed upon him by the University of Poznań Medical School in 1997.

Edward Moskal died on March 22, 2005, aged 80, in Chicago. He suffered from diabetes, and succumbed to complications after a long period of illness. Over the 2 day Wake and Mass, the Church of St. John Cantius, where he was a lifetime member, reported that over 3000 people paid their respects.

PAC, an umbrella organization of 1,200 Polish-American fraternal, veteran and cultural groups, was established in May 1944 by a large Congress of Polonia in which nearly 2,300 delegates participated representing various Polish and Polish-American organizations. The main goal of the PAC was to help Poland in its struggle for independence by lobbying the US government.

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