[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 56 (Tuesday, May 3, 2005)]
[House]
[Pages H2756-H2758]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




   HONORING THE LATE PLAYWRIGHT ARTHUR MILLER AND THE UNIVERSITY OF 
        MICHIGAN ON ITS INTENTION TO BUILD A THEATRE IN HIS NAME

  Mr. EHLERS. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the 
resolution (H. Res. 216) to honor the late playwright Arthur Miller and 
the University of Michigan for its intention of building a theater in 
his name, as amended.
  The Clerk read as follows:

                              H. Res. 216

       Whereas Arthur Miller was considered a legend during the 
     vaunted period known as Broadway's Golden Age, earning him a 
     celebrity status that few playwrights would ever realize;
       Whereas, as noted upon his death by The Michigan Daily, the 
     student newspaper where Arthur Miller honed his writing, 
     Miller was twice denied admission to the University of 
     Michigan, and gained admittance only after appealing directly 
     to the Dean;
       Whereas in 1949, at the age of 33, with his play ``The 
     Death of a Salesman'', Arthur Miller seized all major drama 
     awards for the year--the Pulitzer Prize, the Tony, and the 
     New York Drama Critics Award;
       Whereas Arthur Miller's plays, books, essays, and articles 
     touched the moral fabric of a nation;
       Whereas, according to Robert Falls, Artistic Director of 
     Chicago's Goodman Theatre, ``Probably not a day goes by that, 
     somewhere in the world, one of Miller's plays isn't being 
     performed.'';

[[Page H2757]]

       Whereas during his extraordinary life and career, Arthur 
     Miller tapped a social conscience that will see his work live 
     as long as there is an American Theatre;
       Whereas his courageous response to the McCarthy era witch-
     hunts of the 1950's was ``The Crucible'', where his carefully 
     tailored character John Proctor refused to name names and 
     ultimately died for his convictions;
       Whereas Arthur Miller's success did not come easy and was 
     born of hard work and an uncanny ability to translate the 
     human condition on to the American stage; and
       Whereas Arthur Miller's first plays were written at the 
     University of Michigan and earned him two Avery Hopwood 
     awards which enabled him to complete his education, that same 
     University now prepares to honor his memory with the Arthur 
     Miller Theatre: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved,  That the House of Representatives--
       (1) recognizes the extraordinary contributions to American 
     literature and American theatre of Arthur Miller;
       (2) honors Arthur Miller as a great American and pioneer in 
     the annals of American history; and
       (3) commends the University of Michigan for its commitment 
     to build the Arthur Miller Theatre, a fitting monument to one 
     of its most distinguished alumna.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
Michigan (Mr. Ehlers) and the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Kildee) each 
will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Ehlers).


                             General Leave

  Mr. EHLERS. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may 
have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks on 
H. Res. 216, the resolution now under consideration.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Michigan?
  There was no objection.

                              {time}  1500

  Mr. EHLERS. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of House Resolution 216, which 
honors the great American playwright Arthur Miller, and also honors the 
University of Michigan for building a theater in his name. I thank the 
gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Schwarz) for his work on this resolution, 
and I recognize his contributions to the University of Michigan and its 
alumni association.
  As a talented and brilliant playwright, Arthur Miller was a legend of 
his time. Most widely known for his work ``Death of a Salesman,'' 
Miller enjoyed a successful career and earned great celebrity status. 
Miller's significant contribution to theater and society at large can 
be felt even today. According to Robert Falls, director of Chicago's 
Goodman Theater, ``Not a day goes by that, somewhere around the world, 
one of Miller's plays is not being performed.''
  Miller's fame, however, did not come without hard work and an ability 
to translate the human condition onto the American stage. Throughout 
his life, he overcame much adversity, and this struggle played out 
through his many works.
  After graduating from high school in 1932, Miller worked in an auto-
parts warehouse to earn money for college. Reading great novels by 
world-famous authors, Miller decided to become a writer. In order to 
follow this passion, he applied to the University of Michigan in 1934 
to study journalism. Ironically, the university initially denied 
admission to Miller because of his less-than-stellar high school 
career. He failed algebra three times in high school. (And, of course, 
that stabs me right in the heart as a scientist!) He gained admittance 
only after appeal to the dean. After being accepted, however, Miller 
thrived at the university and won two of the university's prestigious 
Hopwood Awards for his playwriting.
  After graduating in 1938, Mr. Miller returned to New York and 
launched his career. His first successful play was in 1947 when ``All 
My Sons'' ran for 328 performances on Broadway. In 1949, Miller won 
international recognition and a Pulitzer Prize by producing his most 
famous work, ``Death of a Salesman,'' which is known as one of the 
major achievements of modern-day theater. The story portrays the 
tragedy of Willy Loman, a salesman living around the time of World War 
II, who fails in pursuit of the American Dream. The powerful story is 
still well known and read today.
  Throughout his successful career, Miller maintained his connection to 
the University of Michigan. He often visited to meet and work with 
students in the theater program. The university awarded him an honorary 
Doctor of Humane Letters in 1956, and Miller worked with the Alumni 
Club of New York to establish the Arthur Miller Award for aspiring 
writers. In 2000, Miller sent a simple postcard to the university 
allowing it to name a theater after him.
  Therefore, it is fitting that Arthur Miller's lasting contributions 
as a playwright and author will be forever remembered through the 
Arthur Miller Theater. It is my pleasure to commend the University of 
Michigan for honoring his memory and impressive accomplishments. I urge 
my colleagues to support this resolution.
  Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. KILDEE. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Madam Speaker, H. Res. 216 celebrates the life of one of the greatest 
playwrights of all time. In addition, this resolution rightly 
recognizes the University of Michigan for naming a theater after this 
great American.
  Arthur Miller was a Pulitzer Prize winner; a recipient of the New 
York Drama Critics Circle Award; the Nation's most distinguished 
recognition for the arts, the Kennedy Center Honors. He enriched our 
country through his great works, including ``Death of a Salesman,'' 
``The Crucible'' and ``A View From the Bridge.''
  This remarkable man and his remarkable work really took root at the 
University of Michigan. At age 19 when he came to Michigan, he began to 
realize his dream was to become a writer. Miller won two of the 
University of Michigan's prestigious Avery Hopwood Awards while 
attending the University. Michigan and the entire university were happy 
to call Arthur Miller one of our most distinguished citizens and 
alumni.
  Madam Speaker, I wanted to thank the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. 
Schwarz) for introducing this resolution. The University of Michigan 
deserves recognition for naming a theater after this great American. We 
would be remiss, however, if we did not also recognize the 
contributions Arthur Miller made to our country and to the world. I 
urge Members to support this resolution.
  Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. EHLERS. Madam Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from 
Michigan (Mr. Schwarz), my distinguished colleague.
  Mr. SCHWARZ of Michigan. Madam Speaker, I commend my colleague from 
Flint, a fellow University of Michigan graduate, and also another 
gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Ehlers).
  ``After the Fall,'' ``All My Sons,'' ``Death of a Salesman,'' ``The 
Crucible,'' ``Anatomy of the People,'' ``A View From the Bridge,'' 
``The Misfits,'' ``Incident at Vichy,'' ``The Archbishop's Ceiling,'' 
``Two-Way Mirror,'' ``The Last Yankee'' and innumerable other works by 
Arthur Miller, a distinguished graduate of the University of Michigan.
  As an individual in the House whose district almost comes up to Ann 
Arbor, I think I can safely say I represent also the sentiments of the 
dean of House, the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Dingell), who 
represents Ann Arbor, in supporting this resolution.
  Arthur Miller was like many students who come to University of 
Michigan, especially in that era. They came from the eastern part of 
the United States, came from families that did not have a great deal of 
wealth, and were extremely hard workers. As alluded to by the gentleman 
from Michigan (Mr. Kildee) and the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. 
Ehlers), Arthur Miller had an extremely successful career at the 
university winning the Hopwood Award, an award given to students for 
the best writing, two times at the university. He graduated and wrote 
for the Federal Theater Project; and after World War II, he wrote and 
his magna opus was performed on Broadway, ``Death of a Salesman.''
  Subsequent to that, Miller wrote many plays, some made into moving 
pictures, some performed on Broadway. It is indeed, as the gentleman 
from Michigan (Mr. Ehlers) indicated, a

[[Page H2758]]

very rare day when somewhere in the world an Arthur Miller play is not 
performed.
  As a means of saluting Mr. Miller, then-president of the University 
of Michigan, now president of Columbia University, Lee Bollinger, had 
the idea that we should build a theater on the University of Michigan 
campus and name it after Arthur Miller. And as the gentleman from 
Michigan (Mr. Ehlers) indicated, Arthur Miller, by a postcard to the 
university, said yes, that would be okay.
  So in March 2005, following Mr. Miller's death at the age of 88, the 
regents of the University of Michigan approved plans to build the 
Arthur Miller Theater, a 250-seat performing venue on the campus of the 
University of Michigan; and this resolution honors the late Arthur 
Miller and the University of Michigan, Mr. Miller for his contributions 
to American theater, and the University of Michigan, I think, for 
playing a part in educating Mr. Miller and in recognizing the fact that 
he indeed was America's greater playwright of the 20th century.
  Mr. KILDEE. Madam Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I 
yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. EHLERS. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Madam Speaker, I would just like to make a few closing comments. I 
was struck by the fact that Mr. Miller spent some time working in an 
auto-parts warehouse. There must be some relationship between that and 
the University of Michigan because my youngest son also spent some time 
working at an auto-parts warehouse because he did not intend to go to 
college or a university. After a short time, he decided to go to 
college and today is a faculty member in geophysics at the University 
of Michigan. So for those wishing to succeed at the University of 
Michigan, they may consider starting to work at an auto-parts 
warehouse.
  I also want to recognize the importance of the preeminent play that 
Mr. Miller wrote, ``Death of a Salesman.'' Very few works of the 
theater or cinema have affected me as much as that, simply because it 
struck me as someone who is a generation removed from the time of that 
particular play. I was just astounded at the generosity of Willy 
Loman's neighbor who recognized that Willy was in trouble, tried to 
help him, and every once in awhile would slip him $20 and say, ``Do not 
worry about repaying it. Whenever you get it, just give it back to 
me.''
  What struck me about that was there was no widespread social network 
in those days, and people depended on their neighbors. This is 
something we have lost today. Handing a neighbor $20 in the 1930s and 
early 1940s is equivalent to handing them more than $100 today; and how 
many of us would casually slip $100 to a neighbor and say, Here, do not 
worry about it, just pay it back when you can. I think that 
encapsulates the spirit of that era. It was very tough times in the 
1930s after the Great Depression, yet everyone helped each other, and 
that is how we as a Nation survived and became the great Nation we are 
today.
  I have many personal differences with Mr. Miller and his stance and 
position on various issues, but I think it is appropriate to recognize 
genius when and where it exists, and it is certainly appropriate for us 
to honor him today. Therefore, I urge my colleagues to adopt this 
resolution honoring Mr. Miller and the University of Michigan for its 
role in naming a theater after him.
  Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mrs. Biggert). The question is on the motion 
offered by the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Ehlers) that the House 
suspend the rules and agree to the resolution, H. Res. 216, as amended.
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds having voted in favor 
thereof) the rules were suspended and the resolution, as amended, was 
agreed to.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

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