[Congressional Record Volume 158, Number 21 (Wednesday, February 8, 2012)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E164]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   IN HONOR OF MARCIA GAMBRELL HOVICK

                                 ______
                                 

                             HON. SAM FARR

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, February 8, 2012

  Mr. FARR. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the life of Marcia 
Gambrell Hovick, who passed away on January 31, 2012 at the age of 89. 
Marcia's long life was devoted to the theater. Born in Tulsa, Oklahoma 
in 1922, she began taking ballet lessons at the age of three, went on 
stage in children's theater at the age of four, and was playing piano 
when she was five. Right from the start, all who knew her recognized 
her talent.
  Marcia graduated from Austin High School, in Austin, Texas. She 
earned her Bachelor of Arts in Speech and Drama at Mills College in 
Oakland, California, and married Jack Hovick, a medical student. Jack 
became an obstetrician, and in 1956 they settled their growing family 
in Monterey, California. Together they had four children: Christopher, 
Nicholas, Kirsten, and Gwyneth, who preceded her in death.
  Marcia soon was organizing a children's theater group, The Children's 
Experimental Theatre. Marcia said, ``Children's theatre . . . is a 
truly awesome, transformational experience. It gives to children a kind 
of confidence, a location of themselves in the world, an ability to 
really notice each other, a feeling of mutual dependence and 
satisfaction.''
  Marcia wrote most of the plays she used in these productions. Many 
scripts available for children at the time were what she called 
``patronizing, simple-minded, phony.'' ``What children are interested 
in,'' she said, ``is truth. We can't always provide the truth, but at 
least we can give them a stab at it.'' She carried this exploration of 
truth forward in the monologues she wrote and performed herself, giving 
meaning to those women's lives. She also created the Traveling Troupe 
that brought theater into schools, and founded Staff Repertory Players.
  Mr. Speaker, Marcia Gambrell Hovick was a teacher, director, actor, 
monologist, and writer. She touched many lives in her community, 
including my own daughter's, and was devoted to nurturing children and 
exploring truth through her art. It is a privilege and a high honor on 
behalf of her beloved community to recognize her life. She will be 
missed and I know I speak for the whole House in honoring the life of 
this dedicated and talented woman.

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