[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 177 (Thursday, November 15, 2007)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E2426-E2427]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




         HONORING THE UNITED STATES NAVAL ACADEMY MASQUERADERS

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. JOE SESTAK

                            of pennsylvania

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, November 15, 2007

  Mr. SESTAK. Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize the United 
States Naval Academy's midshipman theater company, the Masqueraders, on 
the occasion of their centennial year. The Masqueraders, sponsored by 
the Naval Academy English Department, support the moral and mental 
development of

[[Page E2427]]

midshipmen by bringing works of literature to the stage. By engaging 
the Brigade of Midshipmen with complex moral issues and portrayals of 
human nature, the Masqueraders have helped prepare generations of 
future officers for the challenges of military leadership.
  While midshipmen produced theater pieces in the nineteenth century, 
the Masqueraders formally organized in 1907 with the approval of the 
Commandant of Midshipmen. That year, under the leadership of Midshipmen 
First Class Kirkwood H. Donavin, William B. Piersol, and Frank W. 
Townsend, the Masqueraders began an unbroken series of annual 
performances that have educated midshipmen up to the present day. 
Productions have ranged from Greek tragedies and comedies to classics 
of the modern stage. Highlights of the group's century of service 
include a 1974 American College Theater Festival production of 
Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead, invited to play at the Kennedy 
Center's Eisenhower Theater and honored by the Chief of Naval 
Operations, and a critically acclaimed 1983 compilation of Shakespeare 
history plays.
  Madam Speaker, we should especially acknowledge Professors Michael 
Jasperson, David White, and Anne Marie Drew, for their vision and 
dedication as Masqueraders directors from 1960 to 2001. We should also 
recognize the current director, Professor Christy Stanlake; co-
presidents, Midshipmen First Class Joy Dewey and David Smestuen; and 
Officer Representative, Commander Mark Larabee. Finally, we should 
acknowledge the key support provided by the English Department Chair, 
Professor Allyson Booth, and the Director of the Division of Humanities 
and Social Sciences, Colonel David Mollahan.
  Madam Speaker, it is fitting that we honor the Masqueraders for their 
century of commitment to the power of theater to prepare midshipmen for 
leadership in peace and war. In honor of Masqueraders' support of the 
mission of the Naval Academy, the people of the United States of 
America wish them all success for another hundred years of service to 
the Brigade of Midshipmen, our Navy and Marine Corps, and our country.

                          ____________________