[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 12 (Tuesday, February 12, 2002)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E138]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




              TRIBUTE TO NEA CHAIRMAN, MICHAEL P. HAMMOND

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                           HON. STEPHEN HORN

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, February 12, 2002

  Mr. HORN. Mr. Speaker, with the passing of Michael P. Hammond, the 
arts community has lost a true gentleman and first-rate leader. After 
only one week at his post as chairman of the National Endowment for the 
Arts, Chairman Hammond left us before he had the chance to apply his 
wide-ranging knowledge, leadership and vision to the betterment of the 
arts community.
  Just last month, I had the pleasure of meeting with Michael Hammond. 
He shared with me some of his goals for his new role as NEA chairman. 
He helped to attract more children to the arts community at an earlier 
age. And he wanted to generate broader interest in the arts among the 
general public. I have no doubt that he would have accomplished those 
goals. He just had that rare gift that you just knew would make a 
difference. His unique accomplishments as a musician, educator, and 
advocate for the arts will be very difficult to replace.
  Michael Hammond dedicated his life to his love of music and the arts. 
He was a renowned conductor, composer, and educator and had a keen 
interest in the relationship between neuroscience and music. He was the 
former dean of Rice University's Shepherd School of Music and was the 
founding Dean of Music for the new arts campus of the State University 
of New York at Purchase, New York, where he later served as president 
of the University.
  A Rhodes scholar at Oxford, and educated at Lawrence University and 
Delhi University in India, Michael Hammond also taught neuroanatomy and 
physiology at the University of Wisconsin. As a composer and conductor, 
he wrote numerous scores for theatre here and abroad. He founded the 
Prague Mozart Academy in the Czech Republic and served on the Board of 
the Houston Symphony.
  Mr. Speaker, we struggle to express feelings of grief, sorrow and 
appreciation for his extraordinary man who gave so much to the arts 
community and was taken from us far too early in life. It would be a 
fitting tribute to Michael Hammond for those of us who share his 
passion for the arts to do all we can to carry on his vision to build a 
greater appreciation for the arts in this country.

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