[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 35 (Monday, March 27, 2000)]
[Senate]
[Page S1743]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     HONORING DR. WAYNE S. KNUTSON

 Mr. JOHNSON. Mr. President, I rise today to recognize Dr. 
Wayne S. Knutson, of Vermillion, South Dakota, a distinguished member 
of the arts community. On December 11, 1999, the University of South 
Dakota renamed Theatre I of the Warren M. Lee Center for the Fine Arts 
in Dr. Knutson's honor. This is an honor he richly deserves.
  Dr. Knutson has had a distinguished career as an educator, artist, 
and administrator at the University of South Dakota and in the state 
arts community over the past fifty years. His tenure at USD began in 
1952 as Professor of Speech and Dramatic Art and Director of University 
Theatre. Subsequently, he has also held the positions of Professor and 
Chair of the Department of English (1966-1971), Dean and Professor of 
Fine Arts (1972-1980), Vice-President for Academic Affairs and 
Professor of Fine Arts (1980-1982), and Professor of English and 
Theatre (1982-1986). In 1987, Dr. Knutson was appointed by the South 
Dakota Board of Regents as the first University Distinguished 
Professor.
  As a member of the arts community, he has also served on the 
Literature Panel of the National Endowment for the Arts (1975-1977) and 
as chairperson of both the South Dakota Arts Council (1971-1978) and 
the South Dakota Humanities Council (1989-1991).
  Dr. Knutson's honors include a Distinguished Service Award from the 
Speech Communication Association of South Dakota, the Governor's Award 
for Distinction in the Arts, the Burlington-Northern Faculty 
Achievement Award, a South Dakota Arts Council Senior Fellowship for 
Play Direction, and an award for Outstanding Achievement in the 
Humanities from the South Dakota Humanities Council.
  In addition to his instrumental work as a professor and an actively 
involved member of the arts community, Dr. Knutson is also an 
accomplished author, director, and playwright. He wrote ``The Dakota 
Descendants of Ola Rue'' and ``Dream Valley'', as well as a number of 
articles on theatre for Dramatics magazine and a short history of the 
University of South Dakota. He has directed over sixty-five plays and 
musicals for USD, the Black Hills Playhouse, Pierre Players, Lewis and 
Clark Theatre, and the Group Theatre of Rapid City. He has also written 
ten plays and opera librettos, one of which was aired on Voice of 
America.
  Mr. President, Dr. Knutson has a immensely enriched life in South 
Dakota and the honor of having Theatre I at USD renamed the ``Wayne S. 
Knutson'' is one he highly deserves. He has been an extraordinary 
pioneer and supporter of the arts. He is a man of great scholarship and 
knowledge, and will continue to shape the arts community for years to 
come. It is an honor for me to share the accomplishments of Dr. Wayne 
S. Knutson with my colleagues and to publicly commend him on his talent 
and commitment to the arts and education.

                          ____________________