[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 63 (Friday, May 7, 2004)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E794-E795]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    TRIBUTE TO MR. ANGELO DEL ROSSI

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. DONALD M. PAYNE

                             of new jersey

                    in the house of representatives

                         Thursday, May 6, 2004

  Mr. PAYNE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize a cultural 
innovator in my district, Mr. Angelo Del Rossi, President Emeritus of 
Paper Mill Playhouse in Millburn, NJ. This week, the Paper Mill 
Playhouse will host their 2004 Paper Mill Gala as a tribute to Mr. Del 
Rossi's lifelong love of theatre.
  Mr. Del Rossi is a native of New Jersey, who attended Rutgers 
University and graduated from the Neighborhood Playhouse School in New 
York.
  Mr. Del Rossi joined Paper Mill Playhouse in 1963. He became Paper 
Mill's Associate

[[Page E795]]

Producer in 1965, and was appointed Executive Producer in 1975.
  After much of the theatre was destroyed in a fire in 1980, his 
commitment did not waver, and he became the driving force behind the 
rebuilding efforts.
  Under Mr. Del Rossi's leadership, Paper Mill has continued to 
flourish as a cultural center in my district, creating original works, 
hosting national and international productions, and nurturing young 
artists into stars of the stage.
  No stranger to accolade, Angelo Del Rossi was honored in 1983 with a 
special resolution from the floor of the New Jersey State Senate. He 
has, on multiple occasions, been given the distinction of ``Outstanding 
New Jerseyan'' by our state's newspaper, The Star-Ledger, and has been 
named one of the 25 most influential people in the New Jersey arts 
community.
  He is a founding member of the National Alliance for Musical Theatre 
and has served as President of the Council of Stock Theaters. He is a 
Board member of ArtPride/New Jersey and the New Jersey Theatre 
Alliance. He has also served on the panel of the opera-musical theatre 
program of the National Endowment for the Arts, as well as on its 
policy and planning committee.
  Mr. Speaker, please join me in extending my thanks to my neighbor, 
Mr. Angelo Del Rossi, for his contributions to the cultural life of our 
community, and I invite my colleagues to join me in sending him our 
congratulations for having brought such positive recognition to the 
city of Millburn.