[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 52 (Thursday, April 15, 1999)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E661]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                  NANCY JALONEN, 1999 BRAVO! RECIPIENT

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. TOM LANTOS

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, April 15, 1999

  Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize Ms. Nancy Jalonen 
of San Mateo, CA, the recipient of the 1999 Bravo! Award. The Bravo! 
Award is given each year by the Hillbarn Theatre League in honor of 
substantial contributions to the cultural life of the Peninsula area. 
Ms. Jalonen will receive this honor on tomorrow evening at a ceremony 
held in her honor at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Foster City.
  Nancy Jalonen has been absolutely vital to the arts community on the 
Peninsula for many years now. During her tenure as executive director 
from 1978 to 1984, she revolutionized the San Mateo Arts Council. She 
developed the Music in the Schools program, attracting professional 
musicians to local schools to give lectures and demonstrations, and she 
created the SWAP program, where artists ``swap'' teaching for studio 
space. When Ms. Jalonen left the Arts Council in 1984, it had been 
judged one of the top three councils in California for 2 years running.
  Since then, Ms. Jalonen has led the committee to renovate the San 
Mateo High School Auditorium and transform it into the San Mateo 
Performing Arts Center. She is on the Board of Directors of Ragazzi and 
Theatre-Works and is also a member of the committee to found City Arts 
of San Mateo, an organization geared to promote visual, literary, and 
performing arts in San Mateo.
  In 1996, Ms. Jalonen produced and hosted 21 television programs on 
the oral history of San Mateo County. This was not her first foray into 
the world of television. For 20 years at KCSM-TV, she produced and 
hosted over 150 television programs featuring performing and visual 
arts organizations throughout San Mateo County. She currently presents 
a monthly radio program on local theater for the Lighthouse for the 
Blind.
  Mr. Speaker, Nancy Johnson's work has been a remarkable and an 
important contribution to the cultural life of the Peninsula, and her 
efforts have enriched the lives of all of us in the Bay Area. I would 
like to ask my colleagues to join me and the Hillbarn Theatre League in 
lauding Ms. Nancy Lee Jalonen for her well-deserved honor.

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