Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-02-21
MEDAL PRESENTED
.LEESE AS REWARD
FOR SERVICE TOD. c.
Cosmopolitan Club Honors
Owner of Station WMAL
at Banquet.
CHOSEN MOST UNSELFISH
CIVIC WORKER IN 1929
Many Activities for Benefit of Com
munity Listed by DR.. Biggs in
Presentation Speech.

In token Of having been selected as
the citizen who performed the most
outstanding and unselfish service for
the City of Washington during the
year 1929, Martin A. Leese, proprietor
OF the M. A. Leese Optical Co. and
owner of radio station WMAI,' Iast
night was presented the distinguished
service medal" offered by the Cosmo-
politan Club at the midwinter ladies'
night banquet of the club in the Carl
ton Hotel. He also received a written
testimonial from the club.
The presentation was made in behalf
OF the club by DR.. j. Rozier Biggs, past
president, before a large assembiage.
Among those seated at the head table
with Mr.. Leese was Mrs. Leese, who
proudly watched the presentation cere-
mony, and from whom it was learned
that Mr.. and Mrs. Leese are today
celebrating their twenty-sixth wedding
anniversary. The presentation pro-
gram was broadcast over station WMAL.
quoting a verse from the Bible.
verify. / say unto you, inasmuch as
We have done it unto one of the least
OF these my brethren, We have done 1t
unto me-" DR.. Biggs declared:
This verse from the twenty-fifth
consciously or unconsciously, the guild
ing light and the active creed of the
man whom We honor this evening.
Pays Tribute to Mr.. Leese.
Continuously for quarter of a CEN
tury he has been on the firing line of
unselfish service"
Then, recalling that Mr.. Leese was
native Washingtonian and educated
in the public schools here, DR.. Biggs
declared He has always been an ardent
and untiring worker for the benefit of
the community" and described some of
Mr.: Leases many activities. He re-
called that he is a past president OF
the Washington Chamber Of Commerce,
charter member and twice president
OF the Merchants and Manufacturers
Association, member of the Board of
Trade. the City Club, Knights of
PythiaS, Masonic order and other civic
and fraternal bodies.
After describing many other Of Mr..
Leases attributes, DR.. Biggs declared:
He is your friend and mine" Or.
Biggs then read the report of the
judges, Maj. Gen. Anton Stephan. pres
ident of the Merchants and Manufac-
turers' Associations; E. j. Murphy, pres
ident of the Board of Trade, and Rus
sell Kent, immediate past president of
the National Press Club, who gave their
reasons for selecting Mr.. Leese to be
the recipient of the honor as follows:
Text of Citation.
Because o. his unstinted generosity
in donating the facilities of radio sta
ton WMAL to the use of numerous
worthy causes for the advancement of
the community and its people. and for
his unself1sh personal efforts in move
ments for the welfare and the growth
OF the District of Columbia, the judges
appointed by the Cosmopolitan Club
unanimously recommend Mr.. Martin A.
Leese for the 1929 service medal"
Dr. Biggs then said: Mr.. Leese, on
behalf OF the Cosmopolitan Club,
deem 1t great privilege to present to
you the service medal and citation for
the year 1929, and feel, because of your
unusual service, not only in 1929 but
Tor the past quarter of a century, that
the club is honored by having the op-
portunity OF presenting this medal to
you"
Mr.: Leese, in reply, declared he was
greatly surprised when he learned the
honor was to be bestowed upon him
recalling he had read that some citizen
was to be selected for the honor but
that the name of the one chosen was
not 10 be made known until shortly
before the ceremony.
Mr.. Leese declared he was interested
IN washington and its development and
expressed the hope that the citizens
mere may soon be given the vote and
representation in Congress. I'VE have
mad some very good friends in Con-
greSS. Some have done a very good
job" Mr.. Leese declared, but expressed
the thought that Representative of a
State -
proper consideration to purely District
affairs.
Referring to the sum of 5000 900 APP
proprlated each year by Congress for
the District, Mr.. LeeSe said the citizens
here pay some $l7,000,000 annually in
income tax and expressed the view
that a State might not feel we'll salts
ned II 1t got only 100000 of such q
sum back in view of the many expenses,
etc, under the situation encountered In
the National Capital.
The medal bore the inscription, Cos
mopolitan Club DISTINGUISHED Service
Medal, 1929" across the top and the in
scription Think" at the bottom.
Written Testimonial Read.
The written testimonial presented Mr..
LeeSe, with the explanation that the
club wanted him to have additional
VISUAL testimony of the honor conferred
upon MIN, read, In part, as follows:
This is to certify that Martin A.
LeeSe is hereby unanimously selected
as the citizen who performed the most
outstanding and unselfish service for
the City of Washington during the year
1920"
Fred ]. Rice governor of the Capital
Federation of Cosmopolitan Clubs. told
briefly of the decision of the Washing
ton Cosmopolitan Club to present the
medal at the special wish of its inter-
national director, Pat j. Hodgins. He
described briefly the scope of Cosmo-
polttan Clubs and the principles for
which they stand.
Mr.. Rice was preceded by William
Callahan. president of the Washing
ton Cosmopolitan Club. who made a
brief Introductory address.
An elaborate program of entertain
ment preceded the presentation. The
latter, in turn, was followed by dancing
The entertainment was furnished under
the direction Of Miss Edith Lee and in
cluded numbers by Dorothy Skinner
soprano; Rose Novak vlolinist Corinne
Clements, dancer; Jeanne and Austin
harmony singers" and 1.-THE Fields
Sisters" dancers. Music through the
dinner was furnished by the Honolulu
vans String Quartet, while the music
for dancing was by Fred Clark and his