[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 63 (Friday, May 13, 2005)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E965]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    TRIBUTE TO MR. WALLACE EDGECOMBE

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. JOSE. E. SERRANO

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                         Thursday, May 12, 2005

  Mr. SERRANO. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to Mr. Wallace 
I. Edgecombe for over 30 years of service to Hostos Community College 
in the Bronx. On Thursday, May 12, 2005, Hostos will honor Wally with a 
celebration that will also serve to raise funds for students who wish 
to study the Arts at Hostos.
  In 1982, Wally oversaw the founding of Hostos' Culture and Arts 
Program, of which he became director. Twelve years later the Center for 
the Arts and Culture was constructed and under Wally's leadership the 
Center has become one of the premier multi-arts centers in the New York 
metropolitan area, presenting a virtual who's who of visual and 
performing artists of color. Now one of the pre-eminent Latino arts 
centers in the nation, the Hostos Center has presented and/or 
commissioned works by such internationally known musicians as Tito 
Puente, Celia Cruz, Orquesta Aragon, Ruben Blades and Dizzy Gillespie.
  Born and raised in Havana, Cuba, Wally holds a Bachelors degree in 
History and Master's degree in Journalism from Columbia University. He 
has served as a panelist and site evaluator for the National Endowment 
for the Arts, the New York State Council on the Arts, the Lila Wallace-
Readers Digest Arts Partners Program, and the Rockefeller Foundation. 
Wally has also served on the boards of the Museums of Contemporary 
Hispanic Art, the Bronx Council on the Arts, the Bronx Arts Ensemble, 
and the South Bronx Community Action Theatre.
  Mr. Speaker, what makes Wally so special is his commitment to 
ensuring that the students of Hostos and the entire Bronx community are 
able to experience the beauty and richness of the Arts. I am thankful 
to Wally for helping to brighten the lives of so many of my 
constituents and I hope he continues his commendable work in the heart 
of the South Bronx.
  I ask my colleagues to join me in honoring a great man and a dear 
friend of mine, Mr. Wallace I. Edgecombe.

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