[Congressional Record Volume 158, Number 160 (Wednesday, December 12, 2012)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1918-E1919]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




   CELEBRATING THE 98TH BIRTHDAY OF THE VILLAGE OF HARLEM'S BELOVED 
                       GERTRUDE HADLEY JEANNETTE

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. CHARLES B. RANGEL

                              of new york

                     in the house of representaives

                      Wednesday, December 12, 2012

  Mr. RANGEL. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to celebrate the 98th Birthday 
of Harlem's beloved cultural icon, Gertrude Hadley Jeannette, which 
occurred on November 28, 2012. Gertrude Hadley Jeannette, playwright, 
producer, director, and actress of the stage and screen was born in 
Urbana, Arkansas on November 28, 1914, to Willis Lawrence Hadley and 
Salley Gertrude Crawford Hadley.
  Gertrude Hadley was raised in Arkansas where she attended Dunbar High 
School in Little Rock. Just before her high school graduation, Gertrude 
decided that she wanted to get married instead of attending Fisk 
University, as she had previously planned. Gertrude Hadley and Joe 
Jeannette, II, a prizefighter and the president of the Harlem Dusters, 
a motorcycle club, eloped to New York City in 1934.
  In 1935, Gertrude Hadley Jeannette became the first woman to get a 
license to drive a motorcycle. In 1942, because of the shortage of male 
taxicab drivers caused by the World War II, she became the first woman 
to drive a cab in New York City. During that time, Gertrude decided to 
further her education. She took bookkeeping classes in the basement of 
Abyssinian Baptist Church, and speech classes at the American Negro 
Theatre in order to remedy her speech impediments.

[[Page E1919]]

  In 1945, Gertrude Hadley Jeannette was cast in the lead role in Our 
Town. In 1950, she performed in her first play, This Way Forward. That 
same year, Gertrude and Fred O'Neil appeared on television in James 
Weldon Johnson's God's Trombone on CBS's General Electric Hour. 
Gertrude replaced Pearl Bailey, who was originally cast in that role. 
As a result, she continued to work in both the theatre and in film and 
television. Gertrude has worked as a professional actress in radio, 
stage, film, and TV for many years.
  Performing on Broadway, she originated roles in such plays as Lost in 
the Stars, Nobody Loves an Albatross, The Long Dream, Amen Corner, The 
Skin of our Teeth, The Great White Hope and Tennessee Williams' Vieux 
Carre. Gertrude's film credits include: Cry for the City, Nothing but a 
Man, Shaft, The Legend of Nigger Charlie, Cotton Comes to Harlem, Black 
Girl, and several documentaries and short films.
  In 1979, Gertrude founded the H.A.D.L.E.Y. Players (Harlem Artists 
Development League Especially for You) in answer to the need of 
professional artists to develop their talents and skills in the 
theatre, and to enrich the cultural life in the Harlem Community. 
Gertrude went on to direct, produce, and write her own plays, as well 
as the works of other playwrights.
  Gertrude Hadley Jeannette was presented with several awards for her 
work and accomplishments. Ms. ``J'' or Ms. ``G'' as she is endearingly 
called received the Outstanding Pioneer Award from AUDELCO in 1984, and 
the AT&T and Black American Newspaper's 1987 Personality of the Year 
Award. In 1991, Ms. J was honored as a living legend at the National 
Black Theatre Festival in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Ms. J is also 
the recipient of the 1992 Harlem Business Recognition Award from the 
National Council of Negro Women.
  In 1998, Ms. J received the Lionel Hampton Legacy Award, the Standing 
On Our Shoulders Award from Delta Sigma Theta, Bronx Chapter, and was 
inducted into the Bushfire Theatre Walk of Fame in Philadelphia, 
Pennsylvania. On October 16, 1999, in her birth state, Gertrude Hadley 
Jeannette was inducted into the Arkansas Black Hall of Fame. Her 
portrait hangs in the halls next to previous honorees such as Maya 
Angelou, John. H. Johnson, Daisy Bates, and Ernest Green to name a few. 
In 2002, she received the prestigious Paul Robeson Award from the 
Actors Equity Association. Ms. J was also inducted into the Hatch-
Billops Oral History Collection at the Schomburg Center for Research in 
Black Culture.
  In February 2003, Ms. Jeannette was amongst 30 individuals who were 
honored in the ``Harlem Is. . . Living History of Harlem Exhibit''--
which celebrated 30 Harlemites (ages 50-100) whose contributions to the 
fields of art, music, education, politics, community service, and 
sports define Harlem's rich and diverse cultural legacy. On December 
15, 2003, she was honored with the New Hope SDA (Seventh Day Adventist) 
Church Women's Ministry Award.
  In 2009, Ms. J received the Barbara Ann Teer Artistic Award; and in 
2010, she received an AUDELCO Nomination for Best Play Revival for her 
play ``Gladys'' Dilemma.'' On March 28, 2011, she was honored by ``The 
Coalition of Theatres of Color''--a group whose purpose is preserving 
the history and commitment of Black theatre in New York City and New 
York State. Ms. J also received honors from the ``GBC-Giving Back 
Corporation'' of Los Angeles on April 30, 2011.
  Most recently, she is featured in the film ``The Savoy King: Chick 
Webb and the Music that Changed America'' which was screened at The 
2012 New York Film Festival. Of all her accomplishments, Ms. Jeannette, 
however, is most proud of the work she has done in and around the 
Harlem Community.
  Mr. Speaker, great women like our beloved Ms. J are precious gifts we 
temporarily have in this world, but their contributions and 
accomplishments are far remembered and everlasting. Though retired and 
well into her nineties, Ms. J is an active and celebrated member of the 
New York theater scene. I ask you and my colleagues to join me in 
celebrating the 98th Birthday of Ms. Gertrude Hadley Jeannette.

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