OUNTY OF LLEGHENY C A

RICH FITZGERALD COUNTY EXECUTIVE

Proclamation

WHEREAS, the 100th anniversary of the signing of The Agreement, a milestone leading to the establishment of an independent Czechoslovak state after , is being celebrated with a program Thursday, May 31, 2018, at the Senator John ; the event is hosted by WQED’s Rick Sebak and features presentations by government officials from the Czech Republic and as well as local leaders; and

WHEREAS, Tomaš Garrigue Masaryk, the leader of the Czech and Slovak independence movement and later the first President of , was welcomed to Pittsburgh on May 30, 1918, a holiday called Decoration Day; he participated in a parade that included 20,000 immigrants, including and , walking the streets of downtown Pittsburgh to Exposition Hall; and

WHEREAS, the next day, May 31, members of the Czechoslovak National Council in America and representatives from Czech and Slovak fraternal organizations from around the nation met with Masaryk at the Lodge on ; at that meeting, the conditions for establishing an independent nation were incorporated into what became known as The Pittsburgh Agreement; the document was important to winning official sanction from the U.S. and European governments and to gaining recognition for an independent Czechoslovakia at the Paris Peace Conference after the war; Czechoslovakia’s independence was officially proclaimed on October 28, 1918 in Prague; and

WHEREAS, a copy of The Pittsburgh Agreement is on permanent display at the Senator John Heinz History Center, and a Historic Marker recognizing the document’s signing is located at the corner of Seventh Avenue and Penn Avenue; also, as part of the 100th anniversary festivities, there was a wreath laying ceremony at a plaque honoring the efforts of President Masaryk and President Woodrow Wilson in the EQT Plaza lobby; and

WHEREAS, Slovak roots run deep in this region; around the turn of the 20th century, a half million Slovakians immigrated to America, and most settled in western Pennsylvania to work in our coal mines and steel mills; Allegheny County still has the highest percentage of all counties in the United States of people who claim Slovak heritage; the Slovak people and their culture have had a tremendously positive impact on our region, and we are thankful for their immense contributions and influence.

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that I, Allegheny County Executive Rich Fitzgerald, by virtue of the authority vested in me, do hereby proclaim May 31, 2018 as “The Pittsburgh Agreement Day” in Allegheny County.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand and caused the Seal of the County of Allegheny to be affixed this 31st day of May, 2018.

Rich Fitzgerald

RICH FITZGERALD