[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 58 (Monday, April 14, 2008)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E601]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         HONORING IRMA P. HALL

                                 ______
                                 

                       HON. EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                         Monday, April 14, 2008

  Ms. EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON of Texas. Madam Speaker, I rise today to 
recognize Ms. Irma Hall, a grand American and educator, for her 
commitment to the arts and to the community of Dallas.
  The daughter of Josephine Hall, Irma Dolores Player Hall was born in 
Beaumont, Texas. She was raised on the South Side of Chicago, Illinois, 
where her father was a saxophone player who performed jazz music. She 
then went on to attend Briar Cliff College in Sioux City, Iowa.
  This native Texan taught school in Dallas ISD for 30 years inspiring 
many of our youth to succeed. Irma Hall retired from teaching in 1984.
  An interest in acting eventually led her to co-find the Dallas 
Minority Regional Theater with Reginald Montgomery in 1973. She made 
her stage debut there in ``Happy Endings.'' An acclaimed actress, Ms. 
Hall shined in such plays as ``Raisin In the Sun,'' ``Zooman and the 
Sign,'' and ``Take a Giant Step.''
  Ms. Hall's career on the silver screen also began in 1973 after a 
director saw her at a poetry reading. An accomplished poet, Irma Hall's 
reading was so poignant that Raymond St. Jacques cast her in the crime 
film Book of Numbers. This led to frequent television roles. In 1979, 
Ms. Hall appeared in ``The Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders'' and its 1980 
sequel, Ron Howard's ``Skyward.'' In 1981, she acted opposite Joanne 
Woodward in ``Crisis at Central High.''
  Throughout the 1990s, Ms. Hall had roles in several well known 
feature films including ``Backdraft,'' ``Straight Talk,'' ``Midnight in 
the Garden of Good and Evil,'' and ``Beloved.'' Her role in the film 
``A Family Thing'' earned her acclaim and a Chicago Film Critics 
Association Award. In 1997, Ms. Hall was voted Chicagoan of the Year 
and also won an Image award for her role in the film ``Soul Food.''
  Ms. Hall continued her television career in the early 2000s with 
roles in the television series ``Soul Food,'' ``A Girl Thing,'' and 
``All Souls.'' In 2004, she received the Jury Prize at the Cannes Film 
Festival for her role as the landlady in the film ``The Ladykillers.''
  In 2007, the UIL Competition was renamed in honor of Ms. Hall as the 
Irma P. Hall Theater Festival in order to honor her for her work and 
achievements.
  The arts are, above all, about human communication and interaction. I 
am one who believes that Ms. Irma Hall has achieved the fullest 
definition of a role model, not only as a woman, an African American, 
and an artist, but as an ambassador of creativity and goodwill. She has 
shared the beauty of the arts and the written word with our 
multicultural community that is Dallas.
  Today, Ms. Hall continues her work with the Dallas Minority Repertory 
Theater, the Artist & Elaine Thornton Foundation for the Arts, the 
African American Museum, the Afro American Artists Alliance, the Delta 
Sigma Theta Sorority, and her membership at the Inspiration Boy of 
Christ Church.
  Madam Speaker, on April 19, 2008, the Dallas community will gather at 
a special dinner to honor and celebrate Irma Hall's career. I would 
like to ask my colleagues to join me in saluting an exceptional woman, 
Irma Hall, for her outstanding service and many contributions to 
Dallas, and to all who love the magic and vitality of art.

                          ____________________