[Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 38 (Thursday, February 26, 2026)]
[Senate]
[Pages S702-S703]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




             REMEMBERING WALTER JEROME ``JERRY'' FRAUTSCHI

  Ms. BALDWIN. Mr. President, today I rise to recognize the life and 
legacy of Walter Jerome ``Jerry'' Frautschi. Jerry was a lifelong 
Madisonian, a successful businessman, and a remarkable philanthropist.
  Born in Madison in 1931, Jerry served honorably in the U.S. Navy as a 
code breaker during the Korean conflict from 1951 to 1954. Later, he 
attended the University of Wisconsin--Madison, graduating in 1956. 
Alongside his brother John, he ran the family business Webcrafters and 
continued the family tradition of service and philanthropy within their 
community. Jerry was devoted to his family--his three sons, four 
grandchildren, and wife Pleasant Rowland--were the center of his world. 
He enjoyed tennis and golf with childhood friends and spending days 
sailing, fishing, swimming, and skating on Lake Mendota and at his 
family cottage on Pine Lake in northern Wisconsin.
  Jerry's commitment to the arts was unmatched, and he and Pleasant 
were often found at musical and theatrical performances. He made one of 
the largest single donations to the arts in U.S. history, giving a $205 
million gift to establish and build the Overture Center for the Arts in 
downtown Madison. He made a $20 million gift to the Madison Youth Arts 
Center Starlight Theater, a $2 million gift to the Wisconsin Youth 
Symphony Orchestra's Center for Music, and contributed to the arts in 
so many other ways throughout the years.
  His generosity extended far beyond the arts, giving $37.1 million for 
the Wisconsin History Center currently being developed on Wisconsin's 
Capitol Square, where generations of Wisconsinites will learn about 
their history. Jerry gave widely to schools, hospitals, student 
centers, community colleges, civic organizations, and environmental 
groups.
  Jerry's own words are inscribed in the Overture Center's rotunda and 
they

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read: ``Overture Center, my gift to Madison, continues the tradition of 
civic pride and responsibility that my family has honored since 1867. 
It is given in appreciation of the good life Madison has given us.''
  I join Jerry's family and friends in celebration and remembrance of 
his remarkable life and impact. His philanthropy had a truly 
transformative impact on his hometown of Madison, and throughout 
Wisconsin, and will continue to live on as an enduring legacy.

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