HOUSE RESOLUTION NO. 2022-4663

HR 4663

ByRepresentatives Dufault, Shewmake, Santos, Eslick, Schmick, Chandler, Walsh, Chase, Walen, Mosbrucker, Barkis, Ybarra, Hoff, Young, Chambers, Corry, Volz, Jacobsen, McCaslin, and Springer

WHEREAS, Washington State is home to artists who enrich our communities and elevate the human experience; and

WHEREAS, Nationally acclaimed sculptor and painter Simon Kogan, an Olympia resident, emigrated from the Soviet Union to the United States in 1991 in pursuit of the American dream; and

WHEREAS, Simon Kogan, inspired by the first stanza in the song "America the Beautiful," designed and constructed the World War II Memorial on the Washington State Capitol campus, dedicated in 1999 to honor the Veterans of that conflict, including the nearly 6,000 Washingtonians who made the ultimate sacrifice; and

WHEREAS, In 1999, Simon Kogan's monument, Motherhood, was dedicated in Olympia's Percival Landing Park; and

WHEREAS, In 2004, Simon Kogan completed the Justice William O. Douglas Memorial statue at Davis High School, where the late United States Supreme Court Justice both studied and taught when it was called North Yakima High School; and

WHEREAS, In 2005, Simon Kogan designed and constructed the Temple Beth Shalom Holocaust Memorial in Spokane to remember the 6 million lives lost and the countless lives never to be born; and

WHEREAS, Simon Kogan's extensive body of work is inextricably linked to the cultural fabric of Washington State and its history; and

WHEREAS, Simon Kogan has devoted his life to the mentorship of young artists in the United States and around the world;

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives, on behalf of the people of the State of Washington, recognize and honor the life and work of Simon Kogan; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That copies of this resolution be immediately transmitted by the Chief Clerk of the House of Representatives to Simon Kogan and his family.