Dr. Carla Knorowski Bestowed Rank of Officer in France's National Order of Merit

CHICAGO - Oct. 23, 2022 - PRLog -- he Republic of France has promoted Dr. Carla Knorowski to the rank of Officer in its National Order of Merit (L'Ordre National Du Mérite). The award was bestowed upon Knorowski by Consul General of the Midwest in Chicago, Mr. Yannick Tagand, at a private ceremony at The Fortnightly of Chicago on Saturday, October 8, 2022.

Knorowski was recognized for her many achievements throughout her career, particularly in raising funds for arts, culture and education. She has served in leadership positions as a Managing Director of the Chicago Humanities Council, CEO of the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library Foundation and currently as President and Chief Development Officer for the Naval War College Foundation. Knorowski was bestowed the rank of "Officer" for her body of work and efforts to raise funds and awareness for the restoration and rebuilding of the historic Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris, FR. Knorowski serves on the board of directors of the Friends of Notre-Dame de Paris (FoND), which she joined in 2019.

Shortly after a catastrophic fire swept through the iconic, centuries-old Cathedral--a UNESCO World Heritage Site--Knorowski organized a global virtual fundraising event whose participants included cellist and one-time Paris resident Yo-Yo Ma, actress Glenn Close, filmmaker Ken Burns, journalist Scott Simon and Notre-Dame Cathedral's titular organist Olivier Latry among others. She continues to work with her French and American directors of FoND to raise much-needed funds for the Cathedral's restoration.

Knorowski, who lives in Chicago, also has worked with the Paris-Chicago Sister Cities Committee to raise funds to cast and erect a statue of Illinois' favorite son and 16^th President of the United States, Abraham Lincoln, in the French capital of Paris. Like the Cathedral, this project is ongoing.

Said Knorowski upon receiving the award, "It is a humbling honor to be recognized as an Officer in the National Order of Merit of France. I am wholly and proudly an American citizen, but I am also a citizen of the world and it is in this spirit that I have embraced France and graciously, she has embraced me. I shall not only hold sacred this honor you have bestowed upon me this evening, I shall continue to earn it."

She is the author of Gettysburg Replies: The World Responds to Abraham Lincoln's Gettysburg Address (Lyons Press, 2015) and Under Lincoln's Hat: 100 Objects That Tell the Story of His Life and Legacy (Lyons Press, 2016, co-authored with James M. Cornelius). Her writing also is featured in Lincoln: An Intimate Portrait (Life Books, 2014).

For more about Knorowski, see https://www.carlaknorowski.com/.