[Congressional Record Volume 159, Number 71 (Monday, May 20, 2013)]
[Senate]
[Page S3613]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         TRIBUTE TO BETSY BROUN

  Mr. BLUNT. Mr. President, today I wish to honor Betsy Broun, 
the Director of the Smithsonian Art Museum. Betsy will be honored 
Thursday evening at the Frederic E. Church Award Gala in New York for 
``transforming the perception of American Art.''
  Betsy and I became friends years ago over--you guessed it--American 
Art. She has always been more than gracious with her time, her great 
stories, and her expertise. I am an American History teacher by trade, 
but Betsy has taught me a great deal about the intersection of American 
Art and American History.
  Under Betsy Broun's leadership, the Smithsonian American Art Museum 
has undergone a $250 million renovation. She has taken the 
Smithsonian's work far afield through new media, distance learning, and 
her lectures. And there is nothing better than a walk through a Betsy-
curated exhibit.
  Despite all of her professional and academic success, Betsy has never 
lost touch with her native Kansas, and she and I have had a lot of fun 
over the years talking about Thomas Hart Benton, a native Missouri 
artist and the great nephew of the first Senator from Missouri, and 
discussing other ``middle America'' artists.
  My wife Abby and I are so grateful for Betsy's friendship, and we 
congratulate her on the Frederic E. Church Award--an honor she will no 
doubt receive Thursday with her typical Midwestern humility, but one we 
know she deserves.

                          ____________________