Amicus Poloniae () is a distinction, established in 1996 by the
Polish ambassador to the United States and conferred annually to the citizens of the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
for merits in the field of Polish-American relations, especially in the popularization of achievements of Polish culture, sciences and the promotion of Poland in the United States.
Together with the distinction the laureate receives a plaque made from cherry wood and adorned with a brass White Eagle – the
Coat of arms of Poland
The coat of arms of Poland is a white, crowned Eagle (heraldry), eagle with a golden beak and talons, on a red background.
In Poland, the coat of arms as a whole is referred to as ''godło'' both in official documents and colloquial speech, des ...
- and an engraved plate with the name of the laureate.
Laureates
*1996 Stefan & Wanda Wilk – Los Angeles, California, Polish Music Center, University of Southern California
*1997 Ellen K. Lee – La Senda, California, Helena Modrzejewska Foundation, California
*1998 Paulina Babinski – Denver, Colorado, American Council of Polish Culture in Denver
*1999 Joshua Siegel – New York, NY, Department of Film and Video Museum of Modern Art., New York
*2000
Paul Mazursky
Irwin Lawrence "Paul" Mazursky (April 25, 1930 – June 30, 2014) was an American film director, screenwriter, and actor. Known for his dramatic comedies that often dealt with modern social issues, he was nominated for five Academy Awards: three t ...
– Beverly Hills, California, Actor, film director; Kevin Mulroy, Los Angeles, California, Research Director, Autry Museum
*2001 Hanna Saxon – Miami, Florida, Chopin Foundation in the USA
*2002
George E. Pataki
George Elmer Pataki (; born June 24, 1945) is an American lawyer and politician who served as the 53rd governor of New York from 1995 to 2006. An attorney by profession, Pataki was elected mayor of his hometown of Peekskill, New York, and went on ...
– governor of New York State
*2003 Richard Farwell – Executive Director of
Vizcaya Museum and Gardens
The Vizcaya Museum and Gardens, previously known as Villa Vizcaya, is the former villa and Estate (land), estate of businessperson, businessman James Deering, of the Deering McCormick-International Harvester fortune, on Biscayne Bay in the presen ...
*2004 Frank Barnyak – President of the U. S. Navy League in Los Angeles
*2005
Anna M. Cienciala
Anna Maria Cienciala (November 8, 1929 – December 24, 2014) was a Polish-American historian and author. She specialized in modern Polish and Russian history. Graduating with a history doctorate in 1962, she taught at two Canadian universities f ...
– Professor of History and Russian and Eastern European Studies, University of Kansas
*2006 Salme Harju Steinberg – President of Northeastern Illinois University
*2007
David Lynch
David Keith Lynch (born January 20, 1946) is an American filmmaker, visual artist and actor. A recipient of an Academy Honorary Award in 2019, Lynch has received three Academy Award nominations for Best Director, and the César Award for Be ...
– cinema director
*2007 Clay Bullwinkel - Silicon Valley businessman and mentor of Poland-based technology companies
*2008 Yola Czaderska-Hayek, Mahendra Patel – Chief Executive Officer, Hope Medical Institute
*2009
Jane Kaczmarek
Jane Frances Kaczmarek (; born December 21, 1955) is an American actress. She is best known for her role as Malcolm's mother Lois on the Fox television sitcom ''Malcolm in the Middle'' (2000–2006), which earned her three Golden Globe nomination ...
– actress graduated from the University of Wisconsin and the Yale School of Drama.
*2010 Wojciech Kielak – Former president of the Polish American Congress in Nebraska and a commanding officer in Gen. Maczek's Division in the Western European Front
*2012 Paula Freer – Director of International Government Relations for Marathon Oil Corporation
*2013 Teresa Lowenthal, Paul Lowenthal – American Institute of Polish Culture, Miami, Florida
*2014
Bruce Rauner
Bruce Vincent Rauner (; born February 18, 1956) is an American businessman, philanthropist, and politician who served as the 42nd governor of Illinois from 2015 to 2019. Prior to his election, he was the chairman of R8 Capital Partners and chai ...
– governor of Illinois
*2015
Georgetown University Press
Georgetown University Press is a university press affiliated with Georgetown University that publishes about forty new books a year. The press's major subject areas include bioethics, international affairs, languages and linguistics, political sc ...
Georgetown University Press
/ref>
*2017 Zbigniew Kantorosinski – Chief of the Germanic and Slavic Division, Library of Congress
The Library of Congress (LOC) is the research library that officially serves the United States Congress and is the ''de facto'' national library of the United States. It is the oldest federal cultural institution in the country. The library is ...
References
{{Reflist
External links
Embassy of Poland
Polish awards
Poland–United States relations