[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 44 (Thursday, April 1, 2004)]
[House]
[Pages H2038-H2039]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       RECOGNIZING AUGUST WILSON

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from Washington (Mr. McDermott) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. McDERMOTT. Mr. Speaker, today I rise in tribute to August Wilson, 
the leading playwright of his generation and an icon of contemporary 
American theatre.
  For more than 20 years, August Wilson's sometimes searing, but always 
provocative, dramas have flung theatregoers into the lives and 
circumstances of black Americans. Performed throughout the country, 
these works have amused and disquieted us. They have deepened our 
understanding of our history and our society.
  In recognition of the unforgettable portraits he has created, Mr. 
Wilson has received repeatedly virtually every award bestowed by the 
literary community, including two Pulitzer Prizes, and five Tony 
Awards. He is a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Letters and 
a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.
  August Wilson has been a resident of Seattle since 1990. So it is 
quite appropriate that the Seattle's Rainier Club, one of the oldest 
entities in the city, has named him its laureate for 2004-2005. This 
occasion offers all of us a most welcome opportunity to salute Mr. 
Wilson for his transforming contributions to American theatre.
  He joins the other laureates of Seattle, Jonathan Raban; Ernestine 
Anderson, the jazz artist; Dave Horsey, the Pulitzer Prize winning 
cartoonist. He has been a real tribute to our city

[[Page H2039]]

and deserves the acknowledgment of the whole city. And we look forward 
to many more evenings in the theatre with August Wilson, gazing at 
America through his eyes.

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