[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 76 (Wednesday, May 9, 2007)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E991-E992]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




            HONORING THE MEMORY OF JANEE ARMSTRONG FRIEDMANN

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. RICHARD E. NEAL

                            of massachusetts

                    in the house of representatives

                         Wednesday, May 9, 2007

  Mr. NEAL of Massachusetts. Madam Speaker, it is my honor today to pay 
my respects to my friend Janee Armstrong Friedmann, who passed away on 
March 21. Janee was an outstanding and generous woman whose dedication 
to the Greater Springfield community will continue to be felt for years 
to come.
  I submit for the Congressional Record today a biography of Janee 
Armstrong Friedmann to honor her memory and to preserve her many 
accomplishments and contributions in the annals of our Nation's 
history. She is sorely missed by all who knew her.

       Janee Armstrong Friedmann, January 11, 1937-March 21, 2007

       Arts and social service organizations in Greater 
     Springfield owe a tremendous debt of gratitude to Janee 
     Armstrong Friedmann.
       Not only was Janee a generous supporter in her own right, 
     she inspired others to give as well. Janee's reputation as a 
     fundraiser was such that, when she called a potential donor, 
     they answered with their checkbook in hand.
       During her many years as a volunteer and trustee with the 
     Springfield Library & Museums Association, Janee always took 
     a leadership role in fundraising efforts. It was during her 
     tenure as Chairman of the Board of Trustees that the 
     Association launched the most ambitious fundraising effort in 
     its history--the $11 million Quadrangle Capital Campaign for 
     improvements to Springfield's four museums and nine 
     libraries. She was part of the team that brought in the 
     successful campaign nearly $3 million over its goal. She 
     served on and chaired the Association's Development 
     Committee, inspiring other volunteers to actively participate 
     in fundraising. She chaired the Society of William Rice, the 
     Association's highest category of private donors, and has 
     solicited most of its 123 members personally, raising more 
     than $160,000 annually for more than a decade.
       Janee was born in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, on January 
     11, 1937, the daughter of the late F. Thoburn and Sara 
     Northrup Armstrong. She was educated at Wyoming Seminary in 
     Kingston, Pennsylvania, and

[[Page E992]]

     furthered her education at Bryn Mawr College, where she 
     received her Bachelor of Arts Degree in History, with Magna 
     Cum Laude distinction. Janee later obtained her Master's 
     Degree in Education at Temple University and another Master's 
     Degree in International Relations from the University of 
     Pennsylvania.
       Janee is survived by her devoted husband of 45 years, Dr. 
     Paul Friedmann, of Longmeadow, her two daughters, Pamela 
     Erica Armstrong Friedmann, of Washington, DC, and Cynthia 
     Armstrong Friedmann Campbell and her husband Robert, of 
     Columbia, South Carolina. Janee is also survived by her 
     adored grandson, Fitzwilliam Colin Campbell.
       Larry A. McDermott, publisher of The Republican, said that 
     with Friedmann's passing, the region has lost a devoted and 
     impassioned voice for the arts and education.
       ``Janee, the epitome of grace and intellect, had a strength 
     matched only by her wisdom and compassion. We are grateful 
     for her efforts to make Western Massachusetts a better place 
     in which to live.''
       Joseph Carvalho III, President and Chief Executive Officer 
     of the Springfield Museums, said Friedmann had touched every 
     aspect of the Museums from fundraising for Capital Campaigns 
     to assisting with gallery collection upgrades. ``She was 
     probably one of the most incredible life forces that we had 
     here at the museum. Her energy, enthusiasm and tireless work 
     in trying to help the community and help the museum was 
     unparalleled. ``
       David Starr, president of The Republican, recalled working 
     with Friedmann on assorted civic and community boards over a 
     span of 30 years. ``Janee and I worked together on so many 
     campaigns, raising money to refurbish the Springfield 
     Museums, to build new libraries, to buy new high-definition 
     equipment for WGBY, to help the Springfield Symphony stay 
     alive and well. She did it all with such verve and grace and 
     elegance. She was a stunning woman who was always ready to 
     roll up her sleeves and pitch in and work for the good causes 
     she believed in.''
       Janee was very active in the community, serving as the 
     President of the Junior League of Greater Springfield, the 
     Richard Salter Storrs Library of Longmeadow, the Early 
     Childhood Center of Springfield, the Springfield Symphony 
     Orchestra, the Springfield Public Forum, the Longmeadow 
     Gardeners, and Vice-President of the Maple Hill Cemetery 
     Association of Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. She also served as 
     the Chairman of the Board of the Springfield Museums 
     Association.
       Mrs. Friedmann received numerous awards for her work, 
     including the Mary Alice Rogers Award for Volunteerism from 
     public television station WGBY-TV, Channel 57, in 2006, and 
     the YWCA Women of Achievement Award in 1998. In 2001, Janee 
     received the William Pynchon Award, Western Massachusetts' 
     highest civic honor.

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