[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 116 (Thursday, July 19, 2007)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1568]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




              HONORING THE LIFE AND LEGACY OF AMY SULLIVAN

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. ROSA L. DeLAURO

                             of connecticut

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, July 19, 2007

  Ms. DeLAURO. Madam Speaker, it is with a heavy heart that I rise 
today to join family, friends, and colleagues in paying tribute to an 
extraordinary woman and my good friend, Amy Sullivan, who lost her long 
battle with cancer earlier this month. Amy was a very special part of 
so many lives and was taken from us all too soon.
  Graduating with a degree in English Literature and Theater Arts from 
Upsala College followed by a 2 year acting program at the Neighborhood 
Playhouse School of Theater, Amy began her career as a performer. She 
went on to become a program director for the American Theater Wing and 
a special assistant to Broadway producers Robert Whitehead and Elliot 
Martin. After she completed her master's degree in Arts Administration 
from the Yale School of Drama, Amy worked in a variety of positions--
always working to promote and further the arts in Connecticut. She 
lectured at the Yale Drama School, served as a panelist for the 
Connecticut Commission on the Arts, and was an active member and 
Trustee of several Connecticut arts organizations including the 
Florence Griswold Museum and Young Audiences of Connecticut. It is no 
wonder why she has been recognized by the State of Connecticut as well 
as on this very floor for her outstanding and invaluable contributions 
to the arts and arts education.
  Named Executive Director of the Eugene O'Neill Theater Center in 
Waterford, Connecticut in September of 2003, it was Amy's passion for 
the arts and commitment to education that allowed the O'Neill to return 
to its original splendor. Named in honor of America's sole Nobel Prize 
winning playwright, Eugene O'Neill, the O'Neill is a non-profit 
organization that is home to six distinct programs: the O'Neill 
Playwrights Conference, Music Theater Conference, Puppetry Conference, 
National Theater Institute, Critics Institute, and the Monte Cristo 
Cottage, O'Neill's childhood home located in neighboring New London. At 
The O'Neill, writers and directors, puppeteers and singers, students 
and audiences alike take their first steps in exploring, revising and 
understanding their work and the potential of the theater they help 
create. The O'Neill has established a distinguished reputation as the 
pre-eminent developmental laboratory for new works and new artists. 
Sharing the vision of founder George C. White, Amy's determination and 
leadership led to the creation of a new development conference for 
Cabaret and Performance, the initiation of an accredited National 
Theater Institute summer learning program, as well as the renovation 
and re-opening of the Monte Cristo Cottage. All of this accomplished in 
just 3 short years.
  In January of this year, Amy stepped down from her position at the 
O'Neill and just a few short months later, Connecticut's arts family 
lost one of its strongest and most beloved advocates. I was fortunate 
to have known Amy on a more personal level. I first met Amy when she 
worked with my mother, Luisa, at the St. Francis Home for Children in 
New Haven and, most recently, it was Amy who presented me with a very 
special award honoring Connecticut's ``uncommon women.'' Advocate, 
mentor, friend, mother, and wife, Amy was an extraordinary woman whose 
passion, commitment, and dedication touched the lives of many.
  She will not only be missed by those who knew her but by all of 
those, present and future, in the arts community she so loved. I extend 
my heart-felt sympathies to her husband, Bruce, her son, Dan, family, 
friends, and colleagues as they mourn the loss of Amy Sullivan and 
remember all that she gave to our community.

                          ____________________